Prince Charles and Princess Catherine: The Napoléon Twins Turn Seventy

Prince Louis and Princess Alix Napoléon with the twins.

 

On 19 October 1950, Prince Charles Marie Jérôme Victor Napoléon and Princess Catherine Elisabeth Albérique Marie Napoléon were born at Boulogne-sur-Seine. 

 

The first twins in the Bonaparte dynasty.

 

The twins were the children of Prince Louis Napoléon (1914-1997), son of Prince Victor Napoléon and Princess Clémentine of Belgium, and Princess Alix (b.1926; née de Foresta), who married in 1949. Charles and Catherine were the first, and so far only, set of twins born into the French Imperial House. 

 

The baptism of the Bonaparte twins at Les Invalides.

The prince and princess were baptised at the Invalides. Monsignor Roncalli, later Pope John XXIII, officiated over the ceremony. Prince Charles Napoléon wore the baptismal robe of the King of Rome while Princess Catherine Napoléon wore the baptismal robe of the Prince Imperial. The godfather  of Prince Charles Napoléon was Prince Charles of Belgium, Count of Flanders. The godparents of Princess Catherine Napoléon were Queen Elisabeth of the Belgians and Count Alberic de Foresta.

 

The Prince and Princess Napoléon with their children in 1962.

 

Charles and Catherine were eventually joined by two siblings: Princess Laure (b.1952) and Prince Jérôme (b.1957). 

King Albert II Reacts to Meeting Between King Philippe and Princess Delphine

Today, HM King Albert II issued a communiqué on the topic of the meeting between two of his children, HM The King of the Belgians and HRH Princess Delphine of Belgium. Last Friday, brother and sister met at Laeken Castle and connected over the course of a three-hour lunch. More meetings are planned in the future, which will likely include the Queen and James O’Hare, as well as the children of both couples.

Message from His Majesty King Albert II: I fully endorse the press release by the King and Princess Delphine and agree with the rationale behind this message. My wife and I are delighted with the initiative of the King, the start of better times for all of us and in particular for Delphine.

Albert 

The news of the meeting between Philippe and Delphine was made public yesterday. Later on Thursday, when reached for comment, Prince Laurent told Belgian royal reporter Wim Dehandschutter that “Delphine can count on me.”

Eurohistory, Issue CXXVI – Summer 2020, Volume 23.2

 

 

Greetings subscribers and EUROHISTORY readers,

We are delighted to announce that Issue CXXVI – Summer 2020, Volume 23.2 is going to the printer!

Inside the magazine, subscribers will find a varied number of expertly researched articles. These include the following:

1. Who Is In the Photograph: The Battenberg Family, (c. 1895) – by Ilana D. Miller

2. The Viking's Bride – Crown Princess Margareta of Sweden, by Coryne Hall

3. Agnes – The First American Princess, by Shelby Morrison

4. "Don't think of coming back... Empress Eugénie and the Demise of the Second Empire," by Arturo E. Beéche, Publisher

5. The Tenuta Reale – A Grand Villa in Tuscany for Two Remarkable Infantas of Spain, by Ricardo Mateos Saínz de Medrano

6. Book Reviews

7. Royal News

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King Philippe of the Belgians Meets His Sister Princess Delphine

His Majesty the King and his sister Princess Delphine

📷 Koninklijk Paleis / Palais Royal

Some heartening news from the Royal Court in Brussels: King Philippe and his half-sister Princess Delphine met one another for the first time over a three-hour lunch last Friday at Laeken Castle.

Joint communication of the King and Princess Delphine: On Friday, 9 October, we met each other for the first time at the Castle of Laeken. It was a warm encounter. This long and rich discussion gave us the opportunity to learn to know each other. We talked about our respective lives and areas of shared interest. This bond will further develop within the family setting. Philippe & Delphine

OTD: Sixty Years Since the Death of Prince François d'Orleans During Military Service in Algeria

Press coverage of the death of Prince François d'Orléans.

On Tuesday, 11 October 1960, Prince François d'Orléans was killed in action at the Kabilye Mountains by members of the Algerian National Front. The prince, twenty-five and a second lieutenant in the Chasseurs Alpins, had returned from a leave in France just three weeks earlier. Upon learning of his death, the Count and Countess of Paris immediately flew to Algiers to claim the body of their son. Prince Henri, Count of Paris, received a telegram from Charles de Gaulle, President of France, which read: "The sacrifice of the young Prince François, who died gloriously for France, is another example of the services that his family has rendered to this country and which are the fabric of our history. May God have him in his keeping now. My wife and I ask you and the Countess of Paris to accept our respectful and sorrowful sympathy." 

Embed from Getty Images

The funeral of Prince François d'Orléans took place at Dreux on 17 October 1960. This event was attended by all of the family of François: his parents, his siblings, and his siblings-in-law. The prince was posthumously granted the title Duc d'Orléans and received the Légion d'honneur.

The 80th Birthday of Princess Elisabeth of Hesse, Countess von Oppersdorff

Princess Elisabeth of Hesse, Countess von Oppersdorff, at the funeral of her brother Landgrave Moritz of Hesse in 2013.
Photograph (c) Eurohistory.

 

Princess Elisabeth of Hesse, Countess von Oppersdorff, marks her eightieth birthday today.

Embed from Getty Images

On 8 October 1940, Princess Elisabeth Margarethe Elena Johanna Maria Jolanda Polyxene of Hesse was born at Rome as the fourth and final child (as well as the only daughter) of Landgrave Philipp of Hesse (1896-1980) and his wife Mafalda (1902-1944; born Princess of Savoy), who married in 1925. Elisabeth's paternal grandparents were Landgrave Friedrich Karl of Hesse (1868-1940) and his wife Princess Margarethe of Prussia (1872-1954). Elisabeth's maternal grandparents were King Vittorio Emanuele III of Italy (1869-1947) and Princess Elena of Montenegro (1873-1952).

A young Count Friedrich Carl von Oppersdorff.

In February 1962, Elisabeth of Hesse married Count Friedrich Carl von Oppersdorff (1925-1985), the fourth son of Count Wilhelm von Oppersdorff (1896-1989) and Princess Marie Luise von Isenburg (1897-1970). Elisabeth and Friedrich Carl had two sons: Count Friedrich (b.1 December 1962), and Count Alexander (b.3 August 1965).

Princess Elisabeth lives in Neu-Isenburg, Germany.

Many happy returns of the day to Princess Elisabeth!

An Albanian Royal Baby: Leka and Elia of Albania Expecting First Child

TRH Crown Prince Leka and Crown Princess Elia of the Albanians were recently photographed while going for a stroll in Tirana. Crown Princess Elia appears to be pregnant; however, the Albanian Royal Court has not confirmed whether the princess is with child.

Crown Prince Leka of the Albanians and Crown Princess Elia (née Zaharia) married on 8 October 2016.

Source: https://pamfleti.net/princ-leka-pritet-te-behet-baba-per-here-te-pare-elia-zaharia-fotografohet-shtatzene/