Will the Artist Formerly Known as Delphine Boël Become HRH Princess Delphine of Belgium? Quite Possibly.

The Shadow of Delphine.

This afternoon, 10 September, the last hearing took place in the paternity case between HM King Albert II of the Belgians and his daughter Delphine Boël. The Brussels Court of Appeals will deliver its decision by the end of October. After the hearing, Delphine Boël’s lawyer Marc Uyttendaele stated: "She wants to have exactly the same prerogatives, titles and qualities as her brothers and sisters." It was further revealed that Delphine's surname will be changed to "van Saksen-Coburg/de Saxe-Cobourg," as this is the family name of her father, the king.

 

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According to Article 2 of the Royal decree on the granting of the title of Prince or Princess of Belgium (November 2015): "In the public and private acts which concern them, the Princes and Princesses, children and grandchildren, descended directly from His Majesty King Albert II, bear the title of Prince or Princess of Belgium following their first name and, in so far as they bear them, their family name and their dynastic title and before any other titles which are theirs by right of their ancestry. Their first name is preceded by the predicate His/Her Royal Highness." The degree does not stipulate that the "children and grandchildren, descended directly from His Majesty King Albert II" have to be born within wedlock in order to be legally entitled to the royal title and style. Therefore, Delphine may very well be recognised by the court as "Her Royal Highness Princess Delphine of Belgium" with the surname of "van Saksen-Coburg/de Saxe-Cobourg."

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King Albert's lawyer, Alain Berenboom, reacted: “We assume that this case will finally end. It was painful for everyone, hurting all parties that were involved in it, and King Albert was involved in it despite himself, without his asking. So it is time for this to stop." In January 2020, King Albert acknowledged that he was the biological father of Delphine Boël. A communiqué from the king was issued via his attorney, Monsieur Berenboom. The statement read as follows:

His Majesty King Albert II has taken note of the results of the DNA test in which he cooperated at the request of the Brussels court of appeal. The scientific conclusions show that he is the biological father of Madame Delphine Boël. 

Even though there are arguments and legal objections to justify that legal paternity does not necessarily mean biological paternity, and that the procedure used seems to him disputable, King Albert has decided not to use those arguments and to end with honour and dignity this painful procedure. 

King Albert insists that since the birth of Madame Delphine Boël he was not involved in any family, social or educational decision regarding Madame Delphine Boël, and that he has always respected the bond that existed between Madame Delphine Boël and her legal father.

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Since the late 1990s, through both private and public channels, Delphine Boël has sought to gain recognition from King Albert II that he is her biological father. This was sparked by the revelation in Mario Danneels' 1999 book Paola: From La Dolce Vita to Queen, a biography of Albert's wife Queen Paola, that Albert had sired a child with another woman. Until the release of the book, Albert and Delphine had remained in touch off and on, and Albert had indeed played a rather present role in Delphine's life during her younger years, even after Albert and Paola reconciled in the 1980s. However, once the Danneels' book was released, the king began to steadfastly deny his paternity. For almost twenty years, the king refused to take any responsibility for his actions. In an interview that the king's lawyer Monsieur Berenboom gave in January, he said: "The king will no longer legally contest that he is her legal father. We have noted the results of the DNA test. It shows that through DNA King Albert is 99.99% likely the biological father of Delphine Boël. The king will treat his children equally. He will include Boël in his will at the same level as his other children. King Albert therefore now has four children."

Sybille de Selys Longchamps with her daughter Delphine. 

Jonkvrouw Delphine Michèle Anne Marie Ghislaine Boël was born on 22 February 1968 at Brussels. Her parents are Albert (b.1934), then Prince of Liège and later King of the Belgians, and Baroness Sybille de Selys Longchamps (b.1941). At the time of Delphine's birth, both of her parents were married to other people. Albert of Belgium had married Donna Paola Ruffo di Calabria (b.1937) in 1959; Sybille de Selys Longchamps had married Jonkheer Jacques Boël in 1962. At the time of Delphine's birth, her father already had three children with his wife, but her mother had no children with her husband.

Albert, Sybille, and Delphine on holiday in Corsica (1974).
Photograph (c) VIER

Baroness Sybille de Selys Longchamps, Delphine Boël, and the Prince of Liege (later King Albert II of the Belgians)

Albert and Sybille began their relationship in the Summer of 1966: they met in Greece, where her father was the Belgian ambassador. By this point, both parties were in marriages that had soured. In the 2013 documentary Our Daughter Is Called Delphine, Sybille stated: "From the start I felt that we were not indifferent to each other. Months later I was invited to a dinner. I was seated next to Albert. I immediately realised this was done on purpose. Paola was furious. She butted him with her elbow once or twice. At that point I realised he had feelings for me." A romance developed, and Albert's brother King Baudouin pressured Sybille's father to get the couple to end their relationship. However, Sybille was already pregnant with Albert's child: "I thought I could not have children because I had had an infection. We had not taken any precautions." Albert sent Sybille flowers when he learned that she had given birth to their daughter.

Delphine and Sybille.

In the early 1980s, Albert and Sybille ended their relationship. Albert, who became King of the Belgians in 1993, and Paola healed the issues in their marriage. Sybille divorced Jacques Boël in 1978, and was remarried in 1982 to the Honourable Michael Anthony Rathborne Cayzer, a son of the 1st Baron Rotherwick. Sybille became a widow when Anthony died in 1990.

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For many years, Delphine Boël has been in a relationship with James "Jim" O'Hare. The couple have two children: Joséphine (b.2003) and Oscar (b.2008). One might surmise that Delphine named her children after her paternal great-great-great-grandparents, King Oscar I of Sweden and Norway and his wife Joséphine (née Duchess von Leuchtenberg).

 

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Through her father Albert, Delphine's ancestry is Gotha through and through. Through her mother Sybille, Delphine's roots are heavily grounded in the Belgian aristocracy. However, her maternal family offers a surprising American connection: Delphine's great-great-great-grandfather was James McMillan (Hamilton, Ontario 12 May 1838 - Manchester, Massachusetts 10 August 1902), who served as a United States Senator from the State of Michigan from 1889 until 1902.

 

U.S. Senator James McMillan of Michigan

 

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The Ancestry of Delphine

1. Jonkvrouw Delphine Michèle Anne Marie Ghislaine Boël (b.Brussels 22 February 1968)
who is partnered with James O'Hare and has issue:

- Joséphine O'Hare (b.Uccle, Brussels 17 October 2003)
- Oscar O'Hare (b.28 April 2008)

Parents

2. King Albert II of the Belgians (b.Stuyvenberg Castle, Brussels 6 June 1934; he married at Brussels on 2 July 1959 Donna Paola Margherita Maria Antonia Consiglia Ruffo di Calabria [b.Forte dei Marmi 11 Sep 1937])
who was in a relationship between 1967 and 1984 with
3. Baroness Sybille Michèle Emilie Marie Ghislaine de Selys Longchamps (b.Uccle, Brussels 28 August 1941; she 1stly married at Ways, Belgium on 11 September 1962 [divorced 1978] Jonkheer Jacques Pol Pascal Marie Ghislain Boël [b.Brussels 31 March 1929]; she 2ndly married on 14 May 1982 the Hon. Michael Anthony Rathborne Cayzer [28 May 1920 - London March 1990])

Grandparents
4. King Léopold III of the Belgians (Brussels 3 November 1901 - Brussels 25 September 1983)who wed in a civil ceremony at Stockholm on 4 November 1926 and then married in a religious ceremony at Brussels on 10 November 1926
5. Princess Astrid Sofia Lovisa Thyra of Sweden (Arvfurstens Palace, Stockholm, Sweden 17 November 1905 - Küssnacht am Rigi, Schwyz, Switzerland 29 August 1935
6. Count Michel François Raphaël Marie Ghislain de Selys de Longchamps (Waremme 2 April 1910 - Villers-la-Ville 23 October 1982)
who married at Brussels on 25 November 1937
7. Countess Pauline Julie Caroline Cornet de Ways-Ruart (Brussels 23 December 1914 - Brussels 19 October 1953)

Great-Grandparents
8. King Albert I of the Belgians (Brussels 8 April 1875 - Marche-les-Dames 17 February 1934)
who married at Munich on 2 October 1900
9. Duchess Elisabeth Gabriele Valerie Maria in Bavaria (Possenhofen 25 July 1876 - Brussels 23 November 1965)
10. Prince Oscar Carl Vilhelm of Sweden (Stockholm 27 February 1861 - Stockholm 24 October 1951)
who married at Copenhagen on 27 August 1897
11. Princess Ingeborg Charlotta Carolina Frederikke Louise of Denmark (Charlottenlund 2 August 1878 - Stockholm 11 March 1958)
12. Raymond Charles Michel Ghislain de Sélys Longchamps (Liège 25 February 1880 - Woluwé-Saint-Lambert, Brussels 23 October 1966)
who married
13. Emilie Caroline de Theux de Meylandt et Montjardin (Aywaille 4 June 1880 - Woluwé-Saint-Lambert, Brussels 2 October 1972)
14. Count Paul Martin Félix Cornet de Ways-Ruart (Brussels 16 August 1866 - Brussels 27 January 1951)
who married
15. Gladys "Jewel" McMillan (Detroit, Michigan, United States of America 10 May 1891 - Brussels 30 April 1967)

Great-Great-Grandparents
16. Prince Philippe Eugène Ferdinand Marie Clément Baudouin Léopold Georges of Belgium, Count of Flanders (Laeken 24 March 1837-Brussels 17 November 1905)
who married at Berlin on 25 April 1867
17. Princess Marie Luise Alexandra Karoline of Hohenzollern (Sigmaringen 17 November 1845 - Brussels 26 November 1912)
18. Duke Karl Theodor in Bavaria (Possenhofen 9 August 1839 - Kreuth 29 November 1909)
who married at Kleinheubach on 29 April 1874
19. Infanta Maria José "Maria Josefa" Beatriz Joana Eulália Leopoldina Adelaide Isabel Carolina Micaela Rafaela Gabriela Francisca de Assis e de Paula Inès Sofia Joaquina Teresa Benedita Bernardina of Portugal (Bronnbach 19 Mar 1857 - Vienna 11 Mar 1943)
20. King Oscar II of Sweden and Norway (Stockholm 21 January 1829 - Stockholm 8 December 1907)
who married at Biebrich on 6 June 1857
21. Princess Sophie Wilhelmine Marianne Henriette of Nassau (Biebrich 9 July 1836 - Stockholm 30 December 1913)
22. King Frederik VIII of Denmark (Copenhagen 3 June 1843 - Hamburg 14 May 1912)
who married at Stockholm on 28 July 1869
23. Princess Louise Josephine Eugenie of Sweden and Norway (Stockholm 31 October 1851- Copenhagen 20 March 1926)
24. Michel Ferdinand Raphaël de Sélys Longchamps (Liège 20 November 1841 - Waremme 11 January 1911)
who married
25. Eusébie de Brigode de Kemlandt (Liège 10 June 1850 - Liège 5 March 1935)
26. Marie Georges Theodore Xavier de Theux de Meylandt et Montjardin (Saint-Trond, Limbourg 23 September 1838 - Brussels 13 December 1896)who married at Namur on 10 May 1865
27. Eugénie Louise Philippine Ghislaine de Thysebaert (Namur 25 October 1844 - Brussels 6 July 1902)
28. Count Arthur Marie Antoine Ghislain Félix Cornet de Ways-Ruart (Brussels 27 September 1838 - Vonêche 28 January 1890)
who married at Warnant on 12 October 1865
29. Marie Josèphe Ghislaine Caroline de Jacquier de Rosée (Warnant 2 July 1839 - Etterbeek 30 December 1927)
30. James Howard McMillan (Detroit, Michigan 17 September 1866 - Colorado Springs, Colorado 9 May 1902)
who married in June 1890
31. Julia Villiers Lewis (Detroit, Michigan 12 August 1870 - 23 January 1956)

 

The Count and Countess of Paris Depart Dreux Amid Conflict With The Fondation Saint-Louis

The Count and Countess of Paris with their children at Dreux in May. Photograph (c) David Nivière.

This week, the Count and Countess of Paris packed a few suitcases, gathered their five children, and left their home at the Royal Domain of Dreux. This comes as the relationship between the Count, who has the right to live at the domain, and the Fondation Saint-Louis, which manages the estate, has deteriorated significantly. Prince Jean d'Orléans explained to L'Écho Républicain: "This is not an exile or a flight. I am just taking my family to another location until the situation improves."

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The Count of Paris believes that the Fondation Saint-Louis, of which he is honorary president, has been slowly trying to make life at Dreux more difficult on the Count and his family. This has included such incidences as foundation staff making derogatory comments about the family's dog, someone on staff running over one of the chickens that the Orléans children raise, and the foundation's administration making part of the vegetable garden inaccessible to the family. Prince Jean thinks that the Fondation Saint-Louis has perhaps overextended their security measures by installing CCTV cameras all over the estate, which has created a feeling of a lack of privacy within the Orléans family. Furthermore, during the novel coronavirus pandemic, the Fondation Saint Louis instituted new regulations that would limit the daily life of the Count and Countess of Paris and their children. "They took advantage of this period to issue four pages of regulations under the pretext of health security. This document, which I do not recognise as having any legal value, is in fact only a series of measures aimed at us," Prince Jean stated in his recent comments. “One of the measures obliges us to no longer enter the domain by the main entrance, but to do so by the rampart walk, where they want to install an electric gate: an unnecessary, absurd and dangerous expense since the rampart walk which connects the houses is not made to support cars."

Maison Philidor, home of Madame the Duchess of Montpensier.

This is not the first clash between the Orléans and the Foundation Saint Louis. In 2016, the foundation took measures to try and end the right of Princess Marie-Thérèse, Duchess of Montpensier, to live at the Maison Philidor in Dreux, which has been her home for many years. Ultimately, the foundation relented, and Jean's mother was able to stay in her home.

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Reaction to the news of the departure of the Count and Countess of Paris has been mostly been met with sympathy. The exception to this would be the statement of Marc Métay, Secretary General of the Fondation Saint-Louis: "What happens between the Saint-Louis Foundation and the Count of Paris is a strictly private matter on which I do not have to comment." However, Stéphane Bern, a well-known French journalist with connections to many European royal houses, is understanding of concerns of the Count of Paris; moreover, Monsieur Bern is also on the board of directors of the foundation. Bern stated, "We cannot attack our honorary president in this way. It shows a lack of respect towards his father and his grandfather. We must not forget that the foundation exists by the will of the latter. It is paradoxical to attack the Orléans family when one belongs to a foundation whose precise purpose is to defend the family's heritage. The foundation takes refuge behind the law. Of course, we must respect the rules, but we also must respect the princes of the family of France." The Mayor of Dreux, Pierre-Frédéric Billet, has also weighed in on the situation: "We have met with Marc Métay. The City is keen to establish a collaboration with the foundation to develop the royal domain [according to the foundation's plans]. We are going to put in the means for that. But, therefore, I have asked to join the council of administration [of the Fondation Saint-Louis] in the same way as the Mayor of Amboise, who is a member already." Monsieur Billet continued that the royal domain of Dreux "benefits from the presence of the family of the Count of Paris. They have every right to be there. They are part of the history of Dreux. Many Drouais are also attached to their presence." The Fondation Saint-Louis was established in 1974 by Prince Henri the Elder d'Orléans (1908-1999), Count of Paris and Head of the Royal House of France. The late Count of Paris placed the following assets into the foundation: the Château d'Amboise, the Royal Domain of Dreux, the Chapelle Royale Saint-Louis at Dreux, the Château de Bourbon-l'Archambault, the church Notre Dame de la Compassion, and the colonne des princes de Condé. After Henri the Elder's death, his son Prince Henri the Younger d'Orléans (1933-2019), Count of Paris, and then his grandson Prince Jean d'Orléans, Count of Paris, have served as honorary presidents of the foundation. The Fondation Saint-Louis is controlled by a board of directors; the current President of the Fondation Saint-Louis is Monsieur François Voss. No member of the Orléans family has a position on the board of directors of the foundation which controls its patrimony. In 2011, the nine surviving children of Henri the Elder, Count of Paris, sought to have the Fondation Saint-Louis dissolved so as to regain control over the former properties of their ancestors; this lawsuit did not result in a victory for the Orléans princes and princesses.

A "New" Descendant of the Bavarian and Spanish Royal Families? DNA Testing May Tell.

The Spanish press has recently carried reports about a Spanish man, about forty-seven years-old, who is trying to find his paternal roots. The gentleman, who is unnamed, was born in the 1970s to an unwed mother. The mother allegedly worked as a maid in the household of the man's father, who passed away about two decades ago. After becoming pregnant, the mother was fired from her place of employment.

Almudena Cathedral in Madrid may hold the answer.

The man was raised in Madrid. He now lives and works in Malaga. With the passage of time, this man has sought to discover the truth of his paternity. In 2017, his search led to a legal suit, in which the claimant is represented by lawyer Fernando Osuna. Now, a judge in Malaga desires the exhumation of the remains of the claimant's putative father, who is said to be buried at the Catedral de la Almudena in Madrid. Reportedly, this gentleman was not his father's firstborn child, so his recognition would not interfere with the transmission of any noble titles or inheritance that his father may have possessed and passed down to his offspring. Only one individual appears to meet the criteria for being this man's father...although, anything is possible, naturally.

The marriage of Infante José Eugenio of Spain, Prince of Bavaria, and doña Marisol Mesia y de Lesseps (1933).

This individual would be don Fernando Juan Luís José Maria Santiago y Todos los Santos de Baviera y Mesia, who was born at San Remo, Italy, on 3 April 1937 as the first son and second child of Infante José Eugenio of Spain, Prince of Bavaria (1909-1966), and his wife doña Marisol Mesia y de Lesseps (1911-2005). Fernando's paternal grandparents were Prince Ferdinand of Bavaria (1884-1958) and Infanta Maria Teresa of Spain (1882-1912); Fernando's maternal grandparents were Don Fernando Mesia y FitzJames-Stuart, Conde de Mora, Duque de Tamames, and Marie Solange de Lesseps (1887-1943), who was herself the daughter of vicomte Ferdinand de Lesseps, the developer of the Suez Canal. Fernando de Baviera y Mesia was a great-grandson of King Alfonso XII of Spain (1857-1885) and his second wife Queen Maria Cristina(1858-1929; née Archduchess of Austria).

Don Fernando de Baviera y Mesia

On 14 May 1966, Fernando de Baviera y Mesia married Sofia de Arquer y Aris (1941-2005) at Biarritz, France. The couple had one daughter, doña Cristina de Baviera y Arquer, who was born at Geneva on 7 February 1974. 

The death notice of don Fernando de Baviera y Media, Borbon y Lesseps, Principe de Baviera (1999).

The resting place of don Fernando de Baviera y Mesia and doña Sofia Arquer y Aris at La Almudena. Photograph (c) ABC / Ernesto Agudo

Aged sixty-one, Don Fernando de Baviera y Mesia died at Madrid on 15 March 1999. His burial was privately held at La Almudena Cathedral, and his funeral took place on 8 April 1999. He was survived by his widow doña Sofía, his daughter doña Cristina, his mother doña Marisol, and his sisters, doña Cristina and doña Teresa.

Sources: 

La catedral de la Almudena guarda en su interior la clave para una demanda de paternidad por descendencia real

Reclaman la paternidad del que fue heredero de una rica dinastía centroeuropea exiliada en España

Buscan los restos de un aristócrata en La Almudena por la demanda de paternidad de un malagueño Así es la cripta de la catedral de La Almudena, la más grande de España

Centennial of the Death of Grand Duchess Marie Pavlovna Sr.

Centennial of the Death of Grand Duchess Marie Pavlovna Sr.

Grand Duchess Marie Pavlovna of Russia

(1854-1920)

 

 

Born at Schloß Ludwigslust on May 14, 1854, as the daughter of Grand Duke Friedrich Franz II of Mecklenburg-Schwerin (1823-1883) and his first wife, the former Princess Auguste Reuß. In August 1874, Marie married Grand Duke Vladimir Alexandrovich (1847-1909) and adopted the Russian name "Marie Pavlovna." 

 

The couple had five children: Alexander (1875-1877); Kirill (1876-1938), who married Princess Victoria Melita of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha and Edinburgh (1876-1936); Boris (1877-1943); Andrei (1879-1956); and Helen (1882-1957), who married Prince Nicholas of Greece.

 

During her marriage, Marie Pavlovna was one of the luminaries of Saint Petersburg society, perhaps its unrivaled leader. This position was one that she retained even after the death of her husband in 1909. 

 

During the Great War, Marie Pavlovna directed several hospitals and gave her full support to bringing medical assistance to the Russian soldiery. Her hospital trains, which criss-crossed the front, were seen as a source of much relief and hope by those who were tended to in them.

 

Grand Duchess Marie Pavlovna Sr. and her daughter Grand Duchess Helen Vladimirovna, 

Princess Nicholas of Greece.

 

When revolution overthrew the Tsar, Marie Pavlovna retreated to Kislovodsk in the war-torn Caucasus. From there, still riding her private train wagon, she made it to Novorossiysk on the Black Sea Coast. En-route, she ran into her niece Olga Alexandrovna, who later described the experience: "Disregarding peril and hardship, she stubbornly kept all the trimmings of bygone splendor and glory. And somehow she carried it off..When even generals found themselves lucky to find a horse cart and an old nag to bring them to safety, Aunt Miechen made a long journey in her own train. It was battered all right ... but it was hers. Fort the first time in my life I found it a pleasure to kiss her..."

 

Eventually, she made it to Venice, from where she traveled to Switzerland, finally reaching her beloved French resort at Contrexéville. The she stayed at her villa, where surrounded by her family, she died on September 6, 1920.

 

She was laid to rest in a small chapel, which her descendants had restored a few years ago.

 

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The Centennial of the Death of Grand Duchess Marie Pavlovna Senior of Russia

by Nicholas Nicholson for Eurohistory

As July drew to a close, Maria Pavlovna’s famous health and energy was beginning to leave her.  Alone in her rooms at the Hôtel la Souveraine, she began her decline.  Ducky and Kirill, who had been visiting with Queen Marie of Romania in Paris cut short their time to rush to her side at the once-fashionable Vosges resort. From Contréxeville, Ducky wrote her sister: “we found my mother-in-law in almost dying condition with an old ass of a Kurarzt[1] who has no notion what to do & a lady & gentleman at the end of their resources and the poor old lady crying in her bed for want of her family, feeling herself dying and deserted by all. She was so pleasant and touched that we came that it repays one for very much what one has been through. I cannot say if she will recover.  At moments one thinks there is but little hope, at other moments she rallies & talks but she is very weak, can take no food without hours of deadly sickness afterwards. They seem to think that one of her kidneys has … brought on a sort of blood poisoning. The old fool of a doctor here started her on the full cure[2]like in olden days which set all this matter in motion, causing an acute attack of the kidneys with excessive pain, followed by complete heart failure. The pulse almost stopped, and this off and on for nearly a week now.  We are awaiting your Doctor Abrams with greatest impatience.  One keeps her going with camphor injections but they make her suffer terribly. This is a medeavel [sic] place, awful bare little rooms & no food or things to be got in the house.  One has to send for everything… I never saw such an arrangement.”[3]  The Grand Duchess was dying slowly of a combination of heart and renal failure with nothing to relieve her pain.  She floated in and out of consciousness for weeks as her family gathered by her side.  Boris arrived in early August and was followed by Andrei and Ellen.  

 

 

Prince Nicholas of Greece, Grand Duke Boris Vladimirovich, Princess Nicholas of Greece, Grand Duke Andrei Vladimirovich, Grand Duchess Marie Pavlovna Sr., and Grand Duke Kirill Vladimirovich.

 

Ellen wrote later to her mother’s old friend Princess Galitzine: “It was épouvantable for several days, but then she at last seemed at some peace -- sometimes calling out for Papa Wladimir! In a weak voice. There were a few days when she seemed almost well, but then on the last day it was a great struggle until at last she slept deeply, and the end came.”[4]  Ducky wrote Missy: “…Aunt Miechen died, repentant like one only reads in books. Asking pardon all round for all the harm she had done, even blaming herself more than seemed necessary to me. She suffered inhumanely and only the last day was quite unconscious. The death struggle lasted 14 hours. I was really, really sad as she was more than nice & touching to me in the end. If she could have lived as she died, what invincible friends we would have been.”[5]

 

 

Grand Duchess Marie Pavlovna Sr. and her granddaughter 

Princess Olga of Greece.

 

The funeral service was intimate and held in the tiny chapel of Sts. Vladimir and Mary Magdalene which she had built in 1909 to commemorate the death of her husband and her own conversion to the Orthodox faith. The “Grandest” of the Grand Duchesses, Maria Pavlovna was the last Romanov to leave Russia, and the first to die in exile.  Buried in a simple white marble sarcophagus as she would have been in Russia, outside the chapel a sign reads : “In this chapel raised by her own hands lies H.I.H. the Grand Duchess Wladimir, died at Contrexéville 6 September 1920.”

 

[1] A Spa physician

[2] Hot spa treatments, mineral waters, and enemas.

[3] Fond Regina Maria: Dos V/3393/1920, Royal Archives Bucharest; John Wimbles Papers, Archivio Orléans-Borbón, Sanlucar de Barrmeda, Spain.

[4] Princess Nicholas of Greece to Pcess Galitzine, 10 Sept 1920, private collection, USA.

[5] Fond Regina Maria: Dos V/3395/1920, Wimbles, op cit.

Marriage for the Earl of Southesk and Camille Ascoli

Charlie and Camille

The Earl of Southesk and his fiancée Camille Ascoli were married today, 5 September. The Countess of Southesk wore the Fife Fringe Tiara, which had been on exhibition at Kensington Palace. The tiara was taken off display for the Carnegie/Ascoli nuptials.

Their marriage was announced in Le Figaro by their respective parents, the Duke and Duchess of Fife and Monsieur and Madame Roberto Ascoli:

M. et Mme Roberto ASCOLI

le duc et la duchesse de FIFE

sont heureux de faire part

du mariage de leurs enfants 

Camille et Charlie 

ce samedi 5 septembre 2020.

 

Charles "Charlie" Duff Carnegie, Earl of Southesk, was born on 1 July 1989. He is the eldest of three sons of David Carnegie, 4th Duke of Fife, and his wife, the former Caroline Ann Bunting. Charlie Southesk is a great-great-grandson of King Edward VII.

 

Camille Ascoli was born on 6 March 1990. She is the daughter of Roberto Ascoli and his wife, the former Valerie Ledoux.

 

Congratulations to the Earl and Countess of Southesk!

Source: Earl of Southesk weds Camille Ascoli

Engagement of Prince Philippos of Greece and Nina Flohr Announced by King Constantine II

Prince Philippos and his fiancée Nina Flohr

The Office of HM King Constantine II of Greece has released the following happy news: 

Their Majesties King Constantine and Queen Anne-Marie are delighted to announce the engagement of their youngest son, Prince Philippos, to Nina Nastassja Flohr, daughter of Thomas Flohr and Katharina Flohr. Nina and Philippos were engaged on the island of Ithaca, in Greece early this summer. The details of their wedding will be released in due course.

On her Instagram account, Nina wrote: “My dearest Philippos. I love you today, I will love you tomorrow and forever. You make us happier, better and stronger. I cannot wait to spend the rest of our lives together.”

Prince Philippos of Greece and Denmark

Philippos is the third son and youngest child of HM King Constantine II and Queen Anne-Marie of the Hellenes (née Denmark). The prince was born at London on 26 April 1986. Philippos joined four older siblings: Princess Alexia (b.1965), Crown Prince Pavlos (b.1967), Prince Nikolaos (b.1969), and Princess Theodora (b.1983).

Photograph taken on the occasion of the baptism of Prince Philippos

King Juan Carlos of Spain holds his nephew and godson Prince Philippos while the Duke of Edinburgh looks on

The Princess of Wales with her godson Philippos

On 10 July 1986, Prince Philippos was baptised into the Greek Orthodox faith at St Sophia's Cathedral in London. Among his godparents were his uncle King Juan Carlos of Spain, his first cousin twice removed the Duke of Edinburgh, the Princess of Wales, his aunt Princess Benedikte of Denmark, and his first cousin Infanta Elena of Spain.

The King and Queen of the Hellenes with their children

Philippos of Greece was raised in London; he visited Greece for the first time in 1993. As part of his primary education, the prince attended the Hellenic School at London, which was founded by his parents. Philippos went on to study Foreign Service at Georgetown University in Washington, DC; he graduated from Georgetown in 2008 with his bachelors. 

Philippos with his family after his graduation from Georgetown University

The Royal Greek Brothers (l to r): Nikolaos, Pavlos, and Philippos

The prince lives in New York City. Since 2014, Philippos has worked as an analyst for Ortelius Capital, "an alternative investment group specializing in hedge funds and private equity." Prince Philippos of Greece and Denmark has been in a relationship with Nina Nastassja Jade Flohr (b.22 January 1987), the only child of Swiss billionaire Thomas Flohr, founder of VistaJet, and his ex-wife Katharina Konečný. Philippos and Nina attended the wedding of Princess Eugenie of York and Mr Jack Brooksbank in 2018.

Newly engaged: Prince Philippos of Greece and Nina Flohr Photograph (c) Prince Nikolaos of Greece

Congratulations to Philippos and Nina! 

Princess Irina of Romania Restored to Royal Title and Style by Custodian of the Crown

 

Princess Irina with her husband John, her sister Margarita, and her father King Michael of Romania on 27 October 2011.
Photograph (c) Agerpres / Cristian Nestor

Irina Walker, the princess formerly known as HRH Princess Irina of Romania, has been restored to her royal style and title by her sister, the Custodian of the Crown Margarita.

Screenshot from an archived version of the Romanian royal family's page on Princess Irina (2017).

Screenshot from an archived version of the Romanian royal family's page on Princess Irina (3 August 2020).

In October 2014, Her Royal Highness Princess Irina of Romania was stripped of her title and style, following the legal situation in Oregon, United States, involving the princess and her husband, John Wesley Walker. At that time, Irina and her descendants were also removed from the succession to the Romanian throne under the 2007 Fundamental Rules of the Royal House of Romania. The website of the royal family was updated to show that Irina was no longer considered a princess or a royal highness: the third daughter of King Michael and Queen Anne was referred to as simply "Irina Walker." Previously, the heading of the page about the princess had read "ASR Principesa Irina." As of August 2020, the website of the Royal Family of Romania has been updated in certain aspects. One particular change to note is that Irina is now referred to as "ASR Principesa Irina" (HRH Princess Irina), as she was titled and styled for all of her life until 2014. In a Romania Regala blogpost commemorating the fourth anniversary of the death of Her Majesty Queen Anne of Romania, Irina is again referred to as a princess, along with her three sisters (Helen, Sophie, and Marie). The line of precedence given on the royal family's website confirms that a change has been made in Irina's status. Previously, "Irina Walker" has appeared in the line of precedence after "ES Alexander Nixon" (His Excellency Alexander Nixon), who is the husband of HRH Princess Helen. Now, "ASR Principesa Irina" is listed after Mr Nixon in the line of precedence. The exact date on which HRH Princess Irina of Romania was restored to her royal style and title is not known at present. The princess and her descendants have not been reinstated within the line of succession.

King Michael and Queen Anne of Romania with their daughter Princess Irina in 1953.

Princess Irina of Romania was born on 28 February 1953 at Clinique de Montchoisi in Lausanne, Switzerland. Irina was the third daughter of King Michael I of Romania and Queen Anne (née Bourbon-Parma), who married in 1948. The princess was baptised at the Beau Rivage Hotel; her godfather was King Paul of the Hellenes. Only the closest members of the family were present: Queen Mother Helen of Romania, Princess Margrethe of Bourbon-Parma (née Denmark), and Helen's sister the Duchess of Aosta (née Princess Irene of Greece and Denmark; namesake of the little Irina). Queen Anne noted that Irina "grew into a very mild and gentle little girl."

Lord Roderick Gordon watches while Princess Irina of Romania drives the tractor on the Gordon farm in Alberta.

Irina was educated in British boarding schools and took a secretarial course at Oxford University. In late 1973, Irina went to work on the 1,020 acre-farm in Bentley, Alberta, Canada, which belonged to Lord Major Roderic Gordon (1914-1996) and his second wife Iona (1922-2003; née Bujoiu). The Gordons were friends of King Michael and Queen Anne. While at the Gordon farm, the princess was interviewed in August 1974. "I get very shy and stutter when I have to introduce myself as Princess Irina," the twenty-one year-old confided. "I always wanted to go somewhere far away, but I didn't realise I'd come this far. When I go back to Europe I'm going to miss this... I don't know what I'll do, but I'd like to get back to working with animals. I enjoy the physical closeness of working with the horses the most. You get to know their characters - their bad habits and their good points." Lady Gordon, who was born during the reign of King Michael's grandfather King Ferdinand of Romania, noted that Irina was considered as just "one of the group" at the farm. "Her parents specifically said not to give her any special treatment," Iona Gordon said. While at the estate, the princess took part in all of the usual activities of the operation: "calving, haying, seeding, grooming, cleaning stables, driving tractors, weaning and treating horses, and keeping records." Her time with the Gordons no doubt solidified the lifelong love for the equine race that the princess has maintained. When she was asked about her father's position, Irina simply replied: "I don't talk about it. It's so very complicated." Irina responded when asked if the royal family would ever be able to return to their country: "Well,  you always hope."

 

Princess Irina of Romania and John Kreuger on the day of their religious wedding.

On 4 October 1983, Princess Irina of Romania married John Kreuger (b.1945), the son of Torsten Kreuger and his wife Diana Blanchefleur Hedberg (née Beve) in a civil ceremony at Scottsdale, Arizona. On 11 February 1984, the couple were wed in a religious ceremony at Holy Trinity Church in Phoenix, Arizona. The event was attended by the Romanian royal family: King Michael and Queen Anne, and Michael's aunt Princess Ileana.

 

King Michael and Queen Anne of Romania with their daughters, Princesses Margarita, Irina, and Sophie, and their grandchildren, Nicholas, Michael, and Angelica.

Irina and John had two children. Their son Michael Torsten Kreuger was born on 25 February 1984 at Bay Area Hospital in Coos Bay, Oregon. Their daughter Angelica Marguerita Bianca was born on 29 December 1986 at Bay Area Hospital in Coos Bay, Oregon. The birth of Angelica turned into a newsworthy event, as her baptism was covered by the press due to the attended of her grandparents, King Michael and Queen Anne. At her baptism on Wednesday, 28 January 1987, which was held at Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church in Portland, Oregon, Angelica received three godparents: HM King Michael of Romania, Andrew Popeil of Arizona, and Lady Iona Gordon (who had hosted the baby's mother all those years ago). After the ceremony, a smiling King Michael noted: "She's our first granddaughter." Thirty members of the Romanian expatriate community showed up at the church - they had learned that their monarch would be attending his granddaughter's baptism. After Angelica was immersed in the silver font by the Reverend Elias Stephanopoulos, the priest invited the Romanians present to come and present their good wishes to the royal family.

 

King Michael and Queen Anne with their daughter Princess Irina and their grandchildren Michael and Angelica.

During the Romanian Revolution of December 1989, Communist dictator Nicolae Ceaușescu was overthrown. From the 110-acre farm she shared with her husband Mr Kreuger, thirty-six year-old Princess Irina of Romania gave an interview to the AP. "For my father, Romania was always his home. But he's had to wait, and he never lost sight of the hope, of the dream that there would be a disappearing act of this type of evil power," the princess stated. When asked about her father's activities, Irina elaborated: "Right now, he's busy trying to sort everything out that's happened in the last two weeks. My father is under an overload of work with interviews and trying to get as much support as he can for his people." Princess Irina reiterated that she viewed her father as the rightful head of state of Romania, given the conditions of his 1948 abdication. "He was only twenty-four years-old, and they gave him four hours to decide. The communists had tanks and guns in the courtyard. He had to sign a document saying, 'Of my own free will, I abdicate.' Which is false. He had to do it to avoid bloodshed. My father has said that he's available to the people, should they want him back. Whatever the future holds, we'll just have to wait and see. We'll have to keep everything open and take things one day at a time." 

 

Princess Irina of Romania and her husband John Kreuger in 2011.
Photograph (c) Agerpres.

After twenty years of marriage, Princess Irina of Romania and John Kreuger divorced on 24 November 2003. On 10 November 2007 at Las Vegas, Nevada, Irina married a second time to John Wesley Walker (b.1945).

 

Irina on horseback.

Princess Irina of Romania lives in Oregon.