Noble Weddings Today in Spain and France

Belén and Carlos.

In Spain, Don Carlos Fitzjames-Stuart y de Solis, Conde de Osorno, married Belén Corsini y Lacalle at the Liria Palace in Madrid. Born on 30 November 1991 at Madrid, Carlos is the second son of Don Carlos Fitzjames-Stuart y Martinez de Irujo, Duque de Huescar, Duque de Alba (b.1949) and Doña Matilda de Solis y Martinez de Campos (b.1963), who married in 1988 and divorced in 1999. Carlos has an older brother, Don Fernando Fitzjames-Stuart y de Solis, Duque de Huescar (b.1990; married Sofia Palazuelo Barroso). Carlos is the grandson of the late Cayetana, Duchess of Alba. Born in 1988, Belén is the daughter of Juan Carlos Corsini Muñoz de Rivera and Mónica de Lacalle Rubio. 

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Délia and Marc.

In France, Prince Marc of Croÿ and Délia de Cossé-Brissac celebrated their religious marriage at Église Saint-Vincent de Brissac in Maine-et-Loire. Prince Marc of Croÿ (b.1992) is the third child of Rudolf, Duke von Croÿ (b.1955), and his late wife Countess Alexandra Miloradovich (1960-2015), who wed in 1987. Délia de Cossé-Brissac (b.1998) is the third child of Charles-André, Duc de Brissac (b.1962) and his wife Countess Larissa Széchényi de Sárvár-Felsövidek (b.1967), who wed in 1993. Prince Marc and Princess Délia of Croÿ were civilly married on 19 December 2020 at Dülmen.

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Princess Délia of Croÿ (née de Cossé-Brissac) and Don Carlos Fitz-James Stuart y de Solis, Conde de Osorno, are fifth cousins. They are descendants of Count Pál Széchényi de Sárvár-Felsövidék (1789-1871) and Countess Emilie Zichy-Ferraris de Zich et Vásonkeö (1803-1866).

The Six Siblings of Queen Paola of Belgium

Surrounded by her six elder children, Donna Luisa Ruffo di Calabria is pictured holding her seventh child and fourth daughter Paola.

The future Queen Paola of Belgium was born as Donna Paola Margherita Maria Antonia Consiglia Ruffo di Calabria on 11 September 1937 as the seventh and last child of Don Fulco Ruffo di Calabria (1884-1946) and Donna Luisa Gazelli dei Conti di Rossana (1896-1989), who married in 1919. Paola was not yet nine years old when her father Fulco died on 23 August 1946. In 1959, Donna Paola Ruffo di Calabria married Prince Albert of Belgium. After the death of her brother-in-law King Baudouin, Paola became Queen of Belgium when her husband Albert succeeded to the throne as King Albert II. Albert abdicated in 2013, after a reign of twenty years. 

Donna Maria Cristina Ruffo di Calabria (1920-2003)

Princess Alix Napoléon, Prince Louis Napoléon, Princess Catherine Napoléon, Nicolò San Martino d'Aglie, Donna Maria Cristina Ruffo di Calabria, Casimiro San Martino d'Agliè, Prangins, 1974. 

Donna Maria Cristina Laura Ruffo di Calabria was born on 25 May 1920 at Rome. She was the first child of Don Fulco Ruffo di Calabria and Donna Luisa Gazelli dei Conti di Rossana. On 10 June 1940 at Rome, Maria Cristina married Casimiro San Martino d'Agliè Marchese di Fontanetto con San Germano (1903-1988). The couple had five children: Antonella (b.1943; married Ippolito Calvi, dei Conti di Bergolo), Emanuella (b.1944; married Conte Ernesto Rossi di Montelera), Giovanna (b.1945; married and divorced Principe Don Alvaro-Jaime de Orléans y Parodi Delfino), Nicolò (b.1948; married and divorced Princess Catherine Napoléon; married Nobile Anna Maria Gazzana Priaroggia), and Filippo (b.1953; married Cristina Flesia). Aged eighty-three, Donna Maria Cristina Laura Ruffo di Calabria died on 11 September 2003 at the Castello di San Martino near Alfieri. 

 

Donna Laura Ruffo di Calabria (1921-1972)

Laura Ruffo di Calabria with her sister Paola and her brother Antonello, Milan, 1941.
Photograph (c) Rue des Archives/Granger.

Donn Laura Maria Rufina Ruffo di Calabria was born on 31 May 1921 at Rome. She was the second daughter and second child of Don Fulco Ruffo di Calabria and Donna Luisa Gazelli dei Conti di Rossana. On 20 May 1946 at Rome, Laura married Barone Bettino Ricasoli Firidolfi Zanchini Marsuppini Acciauoli Salviati (1922-2009). The couple had four children: Andrea (1948-1982), Luisa (b.1950; married Carlo Lodovico Bicocchi), Maria Teresa (b.1954; married Roberto Giunta), and Giovanni (b.1956; married Eva Holmstrom). Aged fifty-one, Donna Laura Ruffo di Calabria died at Florence on 24 September 1972.

 

Principe Don Fabrizio Ruffo di Calabria (1922-2005)

Fabrizio Ruffo di Calabria and his second wife Luisa Cristina Carbajo, Rome, 1990.

Photograph (c) Marcellino Fernando Radogna.

Don Fabrizio Beniamino Ruffo di Calabria was born on 6 December 1922 at Rome. He was the first son and third child of Don Fulco Ruffo di Calabria and Donna Luisa Gazelli dei Conti di Rossana. On 5 October 1953 at Turin, Fabrizio married Maria Elisabetta Vaciago (b.1933), the daughter of Giovanni Vaciago and Adelaide Seymandi. The couple had five children: Don Fulco (b.1954; married and divorced Melba Vincens Bello; married Luisa Tricarico), Don Augusto (b.1955; married Princess Christiana zu Windisch-Graetz), Donna Imara (b.1958; married and divorced Uberto Gasche; married Marco dei Conti Tonci Ottieri della Ciaja), Don Umberto (b.1960; married Leontina Pallavicino), and Don Alessandro (b.1964; married and divorced Princess Mafalda of Savoy-Aosta; married Marzia Palau). Fabrizio and Maria Elisabetta divorced in 1988. In 1991, Fabrizio remarried Luisa "Liesel" Cristina Carbajo (b.1942). Aged eighty-two, Principe Don Fabrizio Ruffo di Calabria died on 11 October 2005 at Rome. 

 

Don Augusto Ruffo di Calabria (1925-1943)

Don Augusto Ruffo di Calabria was born on 28 August 1925 at Rome. He was the second son and fourth child of Don Fulco Ruffo di Calabria and Donna Luisa Gazelli dei Conti di Rossana. Aged eighteen, Augusto was killed in action during World War II on 2 November 1943 at Mare di Pescara. Augusto died during a naval battle, and his body was never recovered.

Donna Giovannella Ruffo di Calabria (1927-1941)

Donna Giovannella Ruffo di Calabria was born on 16 April 1927 at Rome. She was the third son and fifth child of Don Fulco Ruffo di Calabria and Donna Luisa Gazelli dei Conti di Rossana. Aged fourteen, Giovannella died from food poisoning on 15 May 1941 at Rome. 

 

Don Antonello Ruffo di Calabria (1930-2017)

Antonello Ruffo di Calabria and Rosa Maria Mastrogiovanni Tasca, 1961.

Don Antonello Ruffo di Calabria was born on 31 May 1930 at Rome. He was the third son and sixth child of Don Fulco Ruffo di Calabria and Donna Luisa Gazelli dei Conti di Rossana. When he turned eighteen, Antonello decided against military service, and, instead, set off to travel the world - he remained a passionate traveler and lover of nature. On 4 January 1961, Antonello married Rosa Maria Mastrogiovanni Tasca (b.1943), the daughter of Giuseppe Mastrogiovanni Tasca, Conte d'Almerita, and Francesca Paola Cammarata de Seta. The couple had four children: Donna Covella (b.1962), Don Lucio (b.1964), Donna Domitilla (b.1965; married Don Giovanni dei Baroni Porcari Li Destri), and Donna Claudia (b.1969; married Marcello Salom). After his divorce from Rosa in 1978, Antonello remarried to Sylviane Sapir. The couple had one child, a daughter: Donna Valentina (b.1994). Aged eighty-seven, Don Antonello Ruffo di Calabria died at Rome on 24 August 2017. He was the last surviving sibling of Queen Paola.

To learn more about Don Antonello, you can read this article from Vanity Fair Spain: ANTONELLO RUFFO DI CALABRIA, ADIÓS AL PRÍNCIPE IRREVERENTE

Lovely Photo of Archduchess Adélaïde of Austria and Son Archduke Josef

Archduchess Adélaïde of Austria has shared a picture of herself with her young son Archduke Josef. 

Archduke Christoph and Archduchess Adélaïde of Austria on their wedding day.

Adélaïde Drapé-Frisch married Archduke Christoph of Austria in December 2012. The couple have three children: Archduchess Katarina (b.2014), Archduchess Sophie (b.2017), and Archduke Josef (b.2020).

Relatives Remember Markgräfin Helene Pallavicini (née Württemberg)

Duchess Helene with three of her Brazilian cousins, 1950s. Photograph (c) Casa Imperial do Brasil.

Today, 18 May, Markgräfin Helene Pallavicini will be buried at Altshausen, where she passed away on 22 April at the age of ninety-one. Helene, known as "Mausi" in her family, was born a Duchess of Württemberg and was the older sister of Duke Carl of Württemberg, Head of the Royal House. 

Helene of Württemberg getting ready to take a picture of her Brazilian cousins, the children of Prince Pedro Henrique of Brazil and Princess Maria of Bavaria. Photograph (c) Casa Imperial do Brasil.

In the 1950s, Helene lived with her cousins Prince Pedro Henrique of Brazil and his wife Princess Maria at their home in Fazenda Santa Maria, in Jacarezinho, in the north of the State of Paraná. Duchess Helene of Württemberg helped her cousins with their children, and she was chosen as godmother for their son Prince Francisco of Orleans-Bragança (b.1955).

The Brazilian imperial family sent a letter to Duke Carl of Württemberg expressing their condolences on the death of his sister Markgräfin Helene Pallavicini. It reads as follows:

Dear Carl,

We will join in the prayers on the occasion of the Requiem for the soul of your sister Hélène, the late Mausi - of whom we always retain fond memories of the years she spent with us at the farm in Paraná -, to be celebrated tomorrow.

Affectionately,

Luiz

Bertrand, Antonio and Christine

An Adorable Photo of Princess Geraldine of Albania with Her Grandmother

Photograph (c) HRH The Crown Princess of Albania.

Last week, Crown Princess Elia of Albania shared a lovely image of her daughter and her mother on Instagram. 

Yllka Mujo, a well-known actress, is pictured with her granddaughter (and only grandchild) Princess Geraldine of Albania - who is growing up very quickly! Princess Geraldine, who was born on 22 October 2020 at Tirana, is the only child of Crown Prince Leka of Albania and Crown Princess Elia (née Zaharia). Gjergj Zaharia and Yllka Mujo, the parents of the Crown Princess, are the only living grandparents of Princess Geraldine. Geraldine's paternal grandfather King Leka of the Albanians died in 2011, and her paternal grandmother Queen Susan died in 2004. 

Fabergé Wedding Rings for the Russian Imperial Marriage in October!

Yesterday, it was officially announced that Fabergé will be creating the wedding bands for the union of Grand Duke George Mikhailovich of Russia and his fiancée Victoria Romanovna Bettarini. The couple will marry on 1 October 2021 in Saint Petersburg. 

Sarah Fabergé, Fabergé’s Director of Special Projects and a great-granddaughter of Carl Peter Fabergé, sent her best wishes to George and Victoria: "On behalf of Fabergé, we send HIH Grand Duke George Mikhailovich Romanov and Victoria Romanovna Bettarini our warmest congratulations on their engagement. We are delighted that, in true Romanov tradition, the happy couple have appointed Fabergé to create their wedding bands. I am honoured to be overseeing this commission, working closely with an acclaimed Russian jeweller and work master, to bring the symbols of this marriage to life. History has truly come full circle."

Photo (c) Lodovico Colli di Felizzano.

THE RINGS, THE ROMANOVS, WEDDINGS, AND FABERGÉ

Fabergé played a large part in the weddings of Russian Grand Dukes and Grand Duchesses. Both sisters of Nicholas II, Grand Duchess Xenia and Grand Duchess Olga received gifts of large silver table services created by Fabergé as part of their dowry when they married.

Fabergé scholar Valentin Skurlov notes that on the 27th July 1901, the records of the Imperial Cabinet state that the jeweller Fabergé was paid 60 rubles for “a pair of wedding rings in pure gold” for the upcoming marriage of the Emperor’s sister, Grand Duchess Olga Alexandrovna.

By commissioning their wedding bands from Fabergé, the Grand Duke George and his fiancée Victoria Romanovna Bettarini are reviving an old family tradition by reestablishing a relationship between Fabergé and the House of Romanov.

On This Day in 2011: The Passing of the Princess Mother of Brazil

A decade ago, on 13 May 2011, Princess Maria of Bavaria, Princess Mother of Brazil, died at her home in Rio de Janeiro. She was ninety-six years-old. The princess passed away on the 123rd anniversary of the 1888 signing of the Lei Áurea (Golden Law) by Princess Imperial Isabel of Brazil, the grandmother of Princess Maria's husband Prince Pedro Henrique.

Princess Maria of Bavaria. Photograph (c) Casa Imperial do Brasil.

Princess Maria Elisabeth Franziska Theresia Josepha of Bavaria was born on 9 September 1914 at Schloß Nymphenburg in Munich. Maria was the second of the six children of Prince Franz of Bavaria and his wife Princess Isabelle von Croÿ. Maria's paternal grandfather was King Ludwig III of Bavaria, the last Wittelsbach monarch, during whose reign she was born.

Princess Maria, Princess Adelgunde, Princess Eleonore, and Princess Dorothea of Bavaria. Photograph (c) Casa Imperial do Brasil.

After the fall of the Bavarian monarchy in 1918 following World War II, Maria's family went into exile in Hungary. They resided there until the 1930s when they returned to Bavaria, where they remained popular with the Bavarian people. Princess Maria received a thorough education; in addition to German, she became fluent in English and French. She also was trained in the art of porcelain painting. 

Princess Maria and Prince Pedro Henrique on their wedding day. Photograph (c) Casa Imperial do Brasil.

On 19 August 1937, Princess Maria of Bavaria married Prince Pedro Henrique of Orleans and Bragança, Head of the Imperial House of Brazil. The wedding took place at in the chapel of Schloß Nymphenburg. Among the guests were King Alfonso XIII of Spain, Grand Duchess Charlotte of Luxembourg, and the Count and Countess of Paris. 

Princess Maria and Prince Pedro Henrique with their children. Photograph (c) Casa Imperial do Brasil.

Princess Maria with her four daughters. Photograph (c) Casa Imperial do Brasil.

Between 1938 and 1959, Princess Maria and Prince Pedro Henrique had twelve children who survived into adulthood. Their thirteenth child, a daughter, died shortly after birth in 1946.

Prince Pedro Henrique and Princess Maria at Vassouras. Photograph (c) Casa Imperial do Brasil.

In 1957, Prince Pedro Henrique and Princess Maria and their family moved to the Fazenda Santa Maria in Jundiaí do Sul, Paraná. In 1965, the couple relocated to Vassouras, where they resided at the Sítio Santa Maria.  

Princess Maria and Prince Pedro Henrique. Photograph (c) Casa Imperial do Brasil.

Princess Maria became a widow when her husband Prince Pedro Henrique of Orleans and Bragança died on 5 July 1981. The prince was seventy-one years-old. He was succeeded as the Head of the Imperial House of Brazil by his eldest son Prince Luiz.

The Princess Mother of Brazil. Photograph (c) Casa Imperial do Brasil.

In her later years, Princess Maria lived between Vassouras and an apartment in Rio de Janeiro.