Princely Perfect Skin Care: European Princesses and Pond's Cold Cream

"Your skin can be as Exquisite as any Princesses."

As a long-time user of Pond's Cold Cream myself, I have long been fascinated by how many royal and noble women were part of Pond's advertising campaigns in the 1930s and 1940s. It is unclear to me if the endorsements by this women were genuine or paid...likely the latter. Nonetheless, it was surely a smart business move by Pond's Cold Cream to obtain the support of various European aristocratic ladies, which would have likely raised the brand's appeal amongst the population at large. 

Having browsed through several Pond's adverts, I have compiled the following (and by no means authoritative) list of blue-blooded women who were purported by the skin care company to be users of their products.

• Princess Margrethe of Bourbon-Parma (née Denmark)
• Magrethe on Pond's: "Pond's Cold Cream quickly blots out lines. It keeps my contour firm." - April 1935.
• Princess Elizabeth and Princess Marina of Greece and Denmark
• Elizabeth on Pond's: "Truly the best and easiest method of caring for one's complexion...I always use Pond's!" - February, 1932
• Marina on Pond's: "The two creams, the cleansing tissues and the skin freshener keep one's skin lovely!"
• Princess Françoise of Greece and Denmark (daughter of the Duchesse de Guise)
• Françoise on Pond's: "I use Pond's Cold Cream. It smooths and softens my skin. Little lines have vanished." - October 1936
• Princess Isabelle d'Orléans, Duchesse de Guise
• Princess Henriette d'Orléans, Duchesse de Vendôme
• Princess Marguerite d'Orléans, Duchesse de Nemours
• Princess Xenia Georgievna of Russia
• Xenia on Pond's: "Every night, every morning, always before freshening my make-up, I use Pond's Cold Cream." - October, 1934
• The Duchess of Malborough (née Gladys Deacon)
• The Marchioness of Milford Haven (née Countess Nadejda de Torby)
• The Marchioness of Carisbrooke (née Lady Irene Denison)
• The Marquise de Polignac (née Nina Crosby)
• The Marchioness of Queensberry (née Cathleen Mann)
• The Countess of Galloway (née Philippa Wendell)
• The Countess Howe (née Mary Curzon)
• Lady Louis Mountbatten (née Edwina Ashley)
• Lady Astor of Hever (née Violet Elliot-Murray-Kynynmound)
• Lady Alexandra Haig
• Lady Georgiana Curzon (daughter of the Countess Howe)
• Lady Buchanan-Jardine
• Lady Esme Gordon-Lennox (née Rosamond Palmer)
• Lady Sibell Lygon

Lady Iris Mountbatten Discusses Life in the USA in 1949

Lady Iris Mountbatten, 1947. Photograph (c) FPG/Archive Photos/Getty Images.

In the summer of 1949, twenty-nine year-old Lady Iris Mountbatten gave an interview to The American Way Weekly. She discussed her hopes and dreams surrounding her decision to relocate to North America. A great-granddaughter of Queen Victoria, Lady Iris Mountbatten was the only child of Lord and Lady Carisbrooke.

"I like it here. I feel that I can make something of myself. It is a challenge, I'll admit, but there is opportunity here. I have discussed it with my parents. They say that if it is what I want, and if it will make me happy, then I am free to do it," she commented. 

Lady Iris felt that since writing was her cup of tea, then she very much would like to become a radio or television script-writer: "If necessary, I would work under a nom de plume." Iris noted that she was not averse to discontinuing using her courtesy title, as she thought it was sometimes an impediment. "Sometimes it can be a handicap. No one would have paid any attention to me when I first arrived in America if I weren't 'Lady Iris Mountbatten.'" Iris commented that she found no particular reason to think she was better than any other person simply on account of the family into which she was born. "It was purely accidental. None of us can control our birthrights. I can take no credit for it. I'm interested only in accomplishing something on my own merits - as an individual - and not as a member of the nobility."

Lady Iris recalled her experience of court life as an relative of the British royal family. "In my younger days, when I attended court functions, I was so scared of making a breach of etiquette [that] I could never relax for a second. I felt as taught as a violin string. Sometimes I used to wish I was one of the footmen standing at the door so I could just stand and stare at all the magnificence." 

An Imperial Union That Was Not To Be: Archduke Karl of Austria and (now) Archduchess Camilla of Austria

Archduke Karl and Archduchess Camilla of Austria, 2019.

Photo (c) IMAGO / Viennareport.

In the late 1980s or early 1990s, Archduke Karl of Austria (b.1961) was in a relationship with his distant cousin Camilla Habsburg-Lothringen (b.1962). Karl was the eldest son and heir of Archduke Otto of Austria, Crown Prince of Hungary, and his wife Archduchess Regina (née Princess of Saxe-Meiningen). Camilla was the only child of Maximilian Habsburg-Lothringen, called Prince of Florence, and his wife Doris Williams. According to reports, Archduke Karl wished to marry Camilla. However, she was not of equal rank and possessed no noble title, despite her illustrious Habsburg ancestry. Although the timeline of subsequent events is not definitely established, Archduke Otto of Austria upgraded Habsburg morganauts to the rank of Count and Countess of Habsburg around 1990. It is believed that Otto took this step so that Karl could wed Camilla, who would now qualify as a noble spouse (if not totally "equal"). Alas, Karl and Camilla did not become engaged and they ended their relationship. In 1993, Archduke Karl married Baroness Francesca von Thyssen-Bornemisza; the couple are now divorced. Countess Camilla never married. In 2013, Archduke Karl of Austria sent a letter to members of the Habsburg family notifying them that they were now Archdukes and Archduchesses of Austria. This upgrade likely only applied to those members of the family who had already been upgraded to become Counts and Countesses of Habsburg in 1990. As a result of this letter, Countess Camilla of Habsburg (née Habsburg-Lothringen), Archduke Karl's onetime love, became Archduchess Camilla of Austria. Although there are no photographs of Karl and Camilla during their long-ago courtship, the couple did meet in February 2019 at Vienna for the International Conference on The Future of Europe hosted by the Pan-European Movement.

Archduke Karl of Austria and Archduchess Camilla of Austria. Photo (c) IMAGO / Viennareport.

To learn more about Archduke Karl of Austria, one may visit his website: Karl von Habsburg.

To learn more about Archduchess Camilla of Austria, one may read this article: Interview with Camilla Habsburg-Lothringen: Culture as a binding factor in our society

A Right Royal Riddle: Who Am I?

 

A Gotha Quiz: Who Am I? By Darren Shelton for the European Royal History Journal.

Upon my birth, I was the product of an interesting and varied family tree. My bloodline teamed with the bluest of blood from the best of reigning families, to a sprinkling of a more "wild and romantic variety" from the steppes of Europe, to the more solid aristocracy of my native land. My father, a quiet man, led the life of a country gentleman, while my mother, born to a poor family of ancient lineage, was more adventurous in spirit. An only child, I led a very quiet life on the edges of royalty. Great-granddaughter to one of the wealthiest men of the land, and great niece to a queen, I ultimately married a man who bore no rank. My wedding caused a mild furore in my family due to my future husband's parent's martial status, and as a result, more exalted personages stayed away. In the end I had the last laugh as my marriage, so disappointing to many, turned out to be a success. With my death came the end of my line. 

The answer will be revealed on Friday.

Prince Oskar Arnold zu Bentheim und Steinfurt (1946-2021)

Prince Oskar Arnold in 2013.

Photo (c) Detlev Blohm.

Prince Oskar Arnold zu Bentheim und Steinfurt died on 3 August 2021 at Burgsteinfurt.

Fürst Viktor Adolf.

Born on 8 March 1946 at Burgsteinfurt, Prince Oskar Arnold zu Bentheim und Steinfurt was the seventh and last child of Fürst Viktor Adolf zu Bentheim und Steinfurt (1883-1961) and his second wife Princess Rosa Helene zu Solms-Hohensolms-Lich (1901-1963). Oskar Arnold had six full siblings: Princess Juliane (1932-2013), Prince Reinhard (1934-2021), Princess Marie-Adelheid (b.1935), Princess Charlotte (b.1936), Prince Ferdinand (1938-2010), Prince Otto Viktor (1940-2016). From his father's first marriage to Princess Stephanie of Schaumburg-Lippe (1899-1925), Oskar Arnold had two half-brothers: Hereditary Prince Alexis (1922-1943), and Fürst Christian (b.1923). 

Death notice of Prince Oskar Arnold. Source: Trauer.ms

In 1980, Prince Oskar Arnold zu Bentheim und Steinfurt married Margot Lücke (b.1938). The couple did not have children. The funeral of the prince will take place at Schloß Burgsteinfurt on 14 August.

May Prince Oskar Arnold Rest In Peace.

Prince Oskar Arnold zu Bentheim und Steinfurt (1946-2021)

Prince Oskar Arnold in 2013.

Photo (c) Detlev Blohm.

Prince Oskar Arnold zu Bentheim und Steinfurt died on 3 August 2021 at Burgsteinfurt.

Fürst Viktor Adolf.

Born on 8 March 1946 at Burgsteinfurt, Prince Oskar Arnold zu Bentheim und Steinfurt was the seventh and last child of Fürst Viktor Adolf zu Bentheim und Steinfurt (1883-1961) and his second wife Princess Rosa Helene zu Solms-Hohensolms-Lich (1901-1963). Oskar Arnold had six full siblings: Princess Juliane (1932-2013), Prince Reinhard (1934-2021), Princess Marie-Adelheid (b.1935), Princess Charlotte (b.1936), Prince Ferdinand (1938-2010), Prince Otto Viktor (1940-2016). From his father's first marriage to Princess Stephanie of Schaumburg-Lippe (1899-1925), Oskar Arnold had two half-brothers: Hereditary Prince Alexis (1922-1943), and Fürst Christian (b.1923). 

Death notice of Prince Oskar Arnold. Source: Trauer.ms

In 1980, Prince Oskar Arnold zu Bentheim und Steinfurt married Margot Lücke (b.1938). The couple did not have children. The funeral of the prince will take place at Schloß Burgsteinfurt on 14 August.

May Prince Oskar Arnold Rest In Peace.

Princess Marie Christine of Bourbon-Two Sicilies (1933-2021)

The death notice of Princess Marie Christine. Notice (c) ABC.

On 29 July 2021, Princess Marie Christine of Bourbon-Two Sicilies died at Boucq, France. The princess was eighty-seven years-old. A private burial will take place at Boucq, and a memorial service will occur at Madrid in September. Born on 15 March 1933 at Paris, Marie Christine Amélie Janvière Léopoldine Louise Jeanne Thérèse Caroline Henriette Françoise Isabelle Gabrielle Victoire de Bourbon was the only child of Luigi di Borbone, Count of Roccaguglielma (1898-1967) and his wife Marie Louise de Clermont-Tonnerre (1894-1941), who wed in 1925. Marie Christine's paternal grandparents were Luigi di Borbone, Count of Roccaguglielma (1873-1940) and his first wife Enrica Weiss (1880-1947). Her maternal grandparents were André de Clermont-Tonnerre (1857-1927) and his wife Henriette Louise de Piat de Braux (1862-1896).

The Count and Countess of Aquila at the left and the Emperor and the Empress of Brazil on the right. The Countess of Aquila was the sister of the Emperor of Brazil. The Count of Aquila was the brother of the Empress of Brazil.

The paternal great-great-grandparents of Princess Marie Christine of Bourbon-Two Sicilies were Prince Luigi of the Two Sicilies, Count of Aquila, and Princess Januaria of Brazil. Luigi's sister Princess Teresa Cristina of the Two Sicilies married Januaria's brother Emperor Pedro II of Brazil. 

The late Michel Denizot.

In 1957, Marie Christine de Boubon married Michel Denizot (1923-2011). The couple had four children: Jean François Denizot (b.1958; married doña Maria Begoña de Elzaburu Pérez de Guzmán, 6th Marquesa de Las Claras), Marie Caroline Denizot (b.1960; married Comte Thibaut de Heere), Isabelle Denizot (b.1962), and Frédéric Denizot (b.1967; married Ariane de Chambrun).

Marie Christine was upgraded to the rank of Princess and style of HRH by Infante Don Carlos, Duke of Calabria. 

May Princess Marie Christine Rest in Peace.