Archduchess Maria Immaculata of Austria-Tuscany (1933-2022)

Count Reinhart and Archduchess Immaculata at the wedding of their youngest son in 2000.  Photo (c) Seeger-Press.

Archduchess Maria Immaculata of Austria-Tuscany, Countess von und zu Hoensbroech died on 2 April 2022 at Engelskirchen, Germany. She was eighty-eight years-old. Maria Immaculata was buried at Schloß Kellenberg on 9 April.

The wedding of Archduke Theodor Salvator and Countess Maria Theresa, 1926.

Born on 7 December 1933 at Schloß Wallsee, Archduchess Maria Immakulata (Immaculata) Mathilde Elisabeth Gabriele Walburga Huberta of Austria-Tuscany was the third child and second daughter of Archduke Theodor Salvator (1899-1978) and Countess Maria Theresa von Waldburg zu Zeil und Trauchburg (1901-1967), who wed in 1926. Schloß Wallsee had been inherited by Archduke Theodor Salvator from his mother Archduchess Marie Valerie, the daughter of Emperor Franz Joseph of Austria. 

Archduke Franz Salvator of Austria-Tuscany, Princess Theresa of Bavaria, Countess Maria Immaculata von und zu Hoensbroech, and Archduke Karl Salvator.

Maria Immaculata had three siblings: Archduke Franz Salvator (1927-2012; married twice), Archduchess Theresa (b.1931; married Prince Rasso of Bavaria), and Archduke Karl Salvator (b.1936; married Edith Wenzl Baroness von Sternbach).

Maria Immaculata and Reinhart with their seven children.

On 14 May 1959 at Koslar, Archduchess Maria Immaculata of Austria-Tuscany civilly married Count Reinhart von und zu Hoensbroech (1926-2005), the fourth child and second son of Count Lothar von und zu Hoensbroech (1889-1951) and Baroness Helene de Loë (1896-1933). Maria Immaculata and Reinhart celebrated their religious marriage on 9 June 1959 at Schloß Wallsee. The couple went on to have seven children: Countess Alexandra (b.1960), Count Branco (b.1961; married Baroness Assunta von Lüninck), Countess Consuelo (b.1962; married Count Alexandre d'Hemricourt de Grünne), Countess Donata (b.1963; married Count Friedrich-August von Plettenberg), Countess Elena (b.1965; married Baron Georg von Holzhausen, one of the sons of Archduchess Maria Magdalena of Austria-Tuscany, a second cousin of Archduchess Maria Immaculata), Count Florian (b.1969; married Princess Desiree of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach), and Countess Gloria (b.1974). 

Kellenberg.

The couple raised their family at Schloß Kellenberg, the ancestral home of Count Reinhart. For many decades, Reinhart oversaw the castle and its estate; he was an accomplished forester. In April 1992, a fire almost completely destroyed the main part of the castle. Schloß Kellenberg was sold by the family in 2009. Together, Reinhart and Maria Immaculata enjoyed vacationing to locales which were not overwhelmed by tourists. In 2004, Archduchess Maria Immaculata attended the wedding of the Prince of Asturias (now King Felipe VI of Spain).

Archduchess Maria Immaculata and Count Reinhart at the wedding of Hereditary Prince Carl Christian von Wrede and Countess Katalin Bethlen de Bethlen, 2003. Photo (c) Seeger-Press / Minka Reddig.

Maria Immaculata was widowed on 8 June 2005 when her husband Reinhart died at the age of seventy-eight. The couple had been married forty-five years, and would have celebrated their forty-sixth anniversary the day after Count Reinhart passed away following a short illness. Now, Maria Immaculata has rejoined her husband.

Maria Immaculata with Pastor Stefan Bäuerle at Schloß Kellenberg, 2009. Photo (c) Jagodzinska.

May Maria Immaculata Rest in Peace.

A Romanian Royal Birth!

The happy family.
Photo (c) Felicia Simion.

Prince Nicholas of Romania and his wife Alina-Maria have welcomed the arrival of their first son and second child, Michael (Mihai). Michael was born at Polizu Hospital in Bucharest at 2:05am on Friday, 15 April. On 5 December 2021, Nicholas of Romania announced that his wife Alina-Maria was expecting their second child in Spring 2022. Their first child and daughter, Maria Alexandra, was born on 7 November 2020.

 

 

Nicholas of Romania (b.1985) and Alina-Maria Binder (b.1988) were civilly married on 6 October 2017 in the United Kingdom and religiously married on 30 September 2018 at Sinaia. Nicholas is the son of Princess Helen of Romania and the late Dr. Robin Medforth-Mills. Alina is the daughter of Heinz Binder and Rodica Iancu. Nicholas and Alina live in Bucharest with their family. 

 

King Michael of Romania and his grandson Nicholas.

 

Michael of Romania (b.2022) is a great-grandson of King Michael of Romania (1921-2017) and Queen Anne (1923-2016; born Princess of Bourbon-Parma). Michael is a double descendant of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom. 

Our Congratulations to Nicolae and Alina-Maria on this extremely happy news! Long life to Mihai!

 

The 60th Birthday of Duchess Caroline of Oldenburg

Duchess Caroline of Oldenburg in 2013.

Today, Duchess Caroline of Oldenburg celebrates her sixtieth birthday.

Born on 10 April 1962 at Kiel, Countess Caroline zu Rantzau was the youngest child and second daughter of Count Christian zu Rantzau (1924-2002) and Héloise von Lettow-Vorbeck (1923-2018), who wed in 1954. Caroline's paternal uncle Count Kuno zu Rantzau and maternal aunt Ursula von Lettow-Vorbeck had married in 1953.

In 1987, Caroline married Duke Christian of Oldenburg (b.1955), the eldest son of Duke Anton Günther of Oldenburg (1923-2014) and Princess Ameli zu Löwenstein-Wertheim-Freudenberg (1923-2016). Duke Christian and Duchess Caroline of Oldenburg have four children: Duke Alexander (b.1990), Duke Philipp (b.1991), Duke Anton (b.1993), and Duchess Katharina (b.1997). 

Many happy returns to the Duchess of Oldenburg on her birthday!

Family Gather in Madeira to Commemorate the Blessed Emperor Karl of Austria

The descendants of Blessed Karl of Austria, April 2022.

Last weekend, at least one hundred descendants of Emperor Karl I of Austria-Hungary gathered on the island of Madeira. The emperor died on Madeira on 1 April 1922. He was only thirty-four years-old. In 2004, Emperor Karl was beautified by Pope John Paul II.

The imperial family in the Cathedral of Funchal. Front row: Archduke Karl, Archduchess Anna Gabriele, Archduke Georg, and Archduchess Maria Beatrix. Photo (c) Duarte Gomes.

Archduke Karl and Archduke Georg with their aunt Archduchess Anna Gabriele. Photo (c) Duarte Gomes.

Archduke Ferdinand of Austria, wearing the Order of the Golden Fleece. Photo (c) Duarte Gomes.

On 1 April 2022, a Mass was held at the Church of Our Lady of the Mount in Funchal. The church was packed with a large number of descendants of Emperor Karl and Empress Zita. Among those present were Archduke Karl, Head of the Imperial House and a grandson of the emperor, as well as Archduchess Anna Gabriele, a daughter-in-law of the late emperor, and Dom Duarte, Duke of Braganza and Head of the Royal House of Portugal. 

Father László Erffa, the Bishop of Funchal, Father Paul Habsburg, and Father Johannes Habsburg. Photo (c) Duarte Gomes.

In the homily for the Eucharist, the Bishop of Funchal, Dom Nuno Brás, stated: "Faithfulness to God and to the commitments that God had entrusted to him at the time of his coronation as Apostolic King of Hungary, always led and enlightened him [Karl] in the understanding of reality and in the search for paths that would lead to a happy life for all. As ruler of the Empire, looking for new ways to respond to new needs; he did so as a believer, living on the basis of faith” And that's what the Servant of God Zita recognised, when questioned by a journalist about how she and Karl found the strength to overcome the persecution and betrayal they were subjected to, she replied: 'Without faith, it would have been impossible.' In these days, once again marked by a war that invades our Europe, we must look to the example of this Holy Emperor. [An emperor who] sought to make peace; but also an Emperor who ‘breathed’ an inner peace that could only come from God."

On 15 March, Dom Nuno Brás reflected on the life and example of the Blessed Emperor Karl of Austria. In his writing, the Bishop of Funchal recalled to readers the three core tenants of the beliefs and faith of the emperor:

First, the primacy of God. In personal life, be it interior, in the secret of conscience, or public, in the attitudes and words that someone addresses to everyone; and, above all, the primacy of God in political life, in the organization of society and in the laws that regulate its way of life. Throughout his life, this was Karl's secret: God and his will, sought after, known and lived as far as our strength and abilities allow. Then the primacy of the person. The person is seen not as a means to an end, not as another insignificant number, but as someone dear and loved by God for himself, with a unique dignity that cannot be compared to the mere consideration of one in the midst of an anonymous mass. Finally, the primacy of peace. It may seem strange, but the fact is that at the beginning of the 20th century (and even today), many defended war as a means of human progress: from the partisans of the class struggle to the defenders of savage individualism that does not look at nothing or anyone to achieve your purposes. In front of these and against them, Karl, since he arrived at the head of the Empire, always tried seriously and with all his strength to find ways to peace in Europe and in the world.

Sources:

No centenário do seu falecimento: D. Nuno Brás afirma que Beato Carlos é “uma bênção para o mundo”

Blessed Karl of Austria: Blessed Karl at 100 years

Nós e o Beato Carlos de Áustria

Us and Blessed Karl of Austria

Princess Monica of Liechtenstein, Who Eloped In Brazil, Is 80!

Princess Monica.

Today, Princess Monica von und zu Liechtenstein celebrates her eightieth birthday!

Born on 8 April 1942 at Vienna, Princess Monica Maria Theresia Elisabeth of Liechtenstein was the only child of Prince Constantin of Liechtenstein (1911-2001) and his first wife Maria Elisabeth von Leutzendorff (1921-1944), who married in 1941. Princess Maria Elisabeth was killed during a bombing raid in Vienna. In the late 1970s, Prince Constantin remarried to Countess Ilona Esterházy von Galántha (1921-2019; widow of Count Miklós Cziráky von Czirák und Dénesfalva).

Prince Constantin and Princess Monica were guests at a party given in St. Moritz by Joan Crawford in 1955, which is noted in the pages of Joan's not-so-happy daughter Christina's book, Mommie Dearest. The following year, in 1956, when she was fourteen, Monica and Prince Francesco Borghese began a relationship. Her father was so disturbed by the romantic attachment of his daughter, owing to her youth, that he had Monica stay in a convent in Vienna for a year to "think it over." Needless to say, Monica and Francesco did not marry.

In 1959, Princess Monica represented her family at the inauguration of the new Brazilian capital, Brasília. During the festivities, she met her future husband, Andrzej Franciszek Spitzman Jordan (b.1933; also known as André Franz Jordan), a Polish expat who had become a businessman in Latin America. The couple swiftly fell in love. When Monica returned to Vaduz, she told her family of her feelings for André. Her father Constantin was not wholly opposed to his only child's desire to marry Mr. Jordan. However, her cousin Prince Franz Joseph II and his wife Princess Georgina did not think the union wise or "suitable," given Monica's status. In an attempt to win over her family, Monica cabled André and asked him to come to Liechtenstein, which he did in short order. His reception by the princely family was reportedly courteous but not terribly warm. Franz Joseph told Monica: "The young man is cultured and pleasant and I wish him well. But I'm dead set against your marrying a commoner as I've been before." Faced with the opposition of the sovereign prince, Monica decided to do a rather daring deed. The eighteen year-old decided to run away from home and elope. She and André agreed that he would return to Rio de Janeiro and prepare for their marriage. Several weeks later, Monica pretended that she was going to visit relatives in Paris. When she arrived in the French capital, she boarded a plane for Brazil that ended up being grounded in London due to poor weather conditions. It took her father Constantin almost two days to find out that his daughter was staying at a hotel in the British capital. He was able to reach Monica by phone, but she refused to return to Vaduz. The next day she flew to Brazil. 

Monica and André on their wedding day.

On 25 November 1960 at Rio de Janeiro, Princess Monica of Liechtenstein and André Jordan were married. The couple had two sons, Gilberto Frederic Jordan (b.1961) and Constantino Pedro Jordan (b.1964), before divorcing in 1969. Prince Constantin flew to Rio for his first grandson Gilberto's christening. In February 1979, Princess Monica joined her father Prince Constantin and their cousin Princess Barbara with her husband Prince Alexander of Yugoslavia for a holiday in St. Moritz. 

Prince Constantin and his daughter Princess Monica, 1958.

Our best wishes to the Princess on her birthday!

The 90th Birthday of Princess Isabelle d'Orléans, Countess of Schönborn-Buchheim

Count Friedrich Karl von Schönborn and Princess Isabelle d'Orléans at the funeral of Madame the Countess of Paris, 2003.

Today, Princess Isabelle d'Orléans celebrates her ninetieth birthday!

Isabelle with her grandparents/godparents: Princess Elizabeth of Orléans-Branganza and the Duke of Guise, 1932.

The baptism of Princess Isabelle. From left to right: Princess Isabelle, Countess d'Harcourt; the Count of Paris, Prince Pedro of Orléans-Braganza, the Duchess of Guise, Queen Marie-Amélie of Portugal, the Duke of Guise, and Princess Elizabeth of Orléans-Braganza. In front is the Countess of Paris with little Princess Isabelle. Photo (c) Getty Images / Keystone-France.

Born on 8 April 1932 at Woluwé-Saint-Pierre in Belgium, Princess Isabelle "Isa" Marie Laura Victoire d'Orléans was the first child of Prince Henri and Princess Isabelle, the Count and Countess of Paris. 

Prince Henri, future Count of Paris, with his sister Princess Isabelle. Photo (c) Getty Images / Keystone-France.

The Count and  Countess of Paris with their eleven children. Photo (c) Getty Images / STF.

Isabelle had ten younger siblings. She was followed by Prince Henri (1933-2019), Princess Hélène (b.1934), Prince François (1935-1960), Princess Anne (b.1938), Princess Diane (b.1940), the twins Prince Michel and Prince Jacques (b.1941), Princess Claude (b.1943), Princess Chantal (b.1946), and Prince Thibaut (1948-1983). Princess Isabelle obtained an education in social work and nursing. In the late 1950s and early 1960s, Isabelle worked as a volunteer nurse in Paris in addition to working in a psychiatric facility in Brooklyn. 

Princess Isabelle on the cover of Paris Match.

Princess Isabelle and Count Friedrich Karl at home. Photo (c) Getty Images / Jack Garofalo.

In September 1964, Princess Isabelle d'Orléans married Count Friedrich Karl von Schönborn-Buchheim (b.Schönborn 30 March 1938), the second son of Count Georg von Schönborn-Buchheim (1906-1989) and Countess Elisabeth Orssich de Slavetich (1902-1967). The couple had first met in 1954 at a ball. Isabelle's religious wedding was held discretely at Dreux. 

Friedrich Karl and Isabelle with their children. Photo (c) Getty Images / Slim Aarons. 

Count Karl Friedrich and Princess Isabelle have five children: Hereditary Count Damian (b.1965; married Deirdre Mary Ascough), Count Vinzenz (b.1966; married Katharina Maria Christiane Martina Graf (b.1975), Countess Lorraine Marie (b.1968; married Count Wilhelm von Spee), Countess Claire Marie (b.1969; married Wolfgang Liechtenfeld), and Count Melchior Raphael (b.1977; married Bernadette von Mentzingen). 

Princess Isabelle in 2000. Photo (c) Seeger-Presse.

Our best wishes to the Princess on her birthday!

The 60th Birthday of Prince Carl Christian of Hohenzollern

Prince Carl Christian in the arms of his great-grandfather King Gustaf VI Adolf of Sweden while his mother Princess Birgitta looks on, 1962.

Today, Prince Carl Christian of Hohenzollern celebrates his sixtieth birthday!

Prince Johann Georg and Princess Birgitta with their three children: Prince Carl Christian, Princess Désirée, and baby Prince Hubertus, 1966.
Photo (c) Getty Images / Keystone-France.

Born on 5 April 1962 at Munich, Prince Carl Christian Friedrich Johannes Meinrad Maria Hubertus Edmund of Hohenzollern was the first child of Prince Johann Georg of Hohenzollern (1932-2016) and Princess Birgitta of Sweden (b.1937), who wed in 1961. Carl Christian was followed by a younger sister and a brother: Princess Désirée (b.1963) and Prince Hubertus (b.1966).

 

Prince Carl Christian and Princess Nicole on their wedding day, 1999.
Photo (c) Seeger-Presse.

Princess Nicole with Prince Nicolas, and Prince Carl Christian at the wedding of Prince Hubertus in 2000.

 

In July 1999, Prince Carl Christian married Nicole Neschitsch (b.1968). Later that year, the couple welcomed the birth of their son and only child, Prince Nicolas.

 

Our best wishes to Carl Christian on his birthday!