Prince Achi of Greece Turns Twenty!

Prince Achileas-Andreas of Greece and Denmark

Today HRH Prince Achileas-Andreas of Greece and Denmark celebrates his twentieth birthday!

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The prince was born on 12 August 2000 at NewYork–Presbyterian Hospital, New York City.. He is the third child and second son of Crown Prince Pavlos of Greece and Crown Princess Marie Chantal (née Miller). Achi, as he is known in the family, has two older siblings: Princess Maria-Olympia (b.1996) and Prince Constantine-Alexios (b.1998). Achileas-Andreas was followed by two younger brothers: Prince Odysseus-Kimon (b.2004) and Prince Aristidis-Stavros (b.2008).

 

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The christening of Prince Achileas-Andreas took place on 7 June 2001 at the Greek Cathedral of Saint Sophia in London. The Archbishop of Thyateira and Great Britain, Gregorios, officiated over the ceremony. The prince's godparents are Princess Theodora of Greece and Denmark; Infanta Elena of Spain, Duchess of Lugo; Prince Alexander von Furstenberg; Crown Prince Kardam of Bulgaria; Princess Rosario of Bulgaria; Prince Guillaume of Luxembourg; and Miss Veronica Toub.

 

 

 

 

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Opa!

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Achileas-Andreas was educated at Wellington College in Berkshire. With his parents and younger siblings, the prince moved back to New York City when his sister Olympia and brother Tino started university. In June 2019, Achileas-Andreas graduated from Dwight High School in New York. In September 2019, Achi of Greece began attending NYU (New York University).

 

The Duchess de Almenara Alta (1924-2022)

 

Soledad Martorell y Castillejo, 8th Duquesa de Almenara Alta, died on 6 August 2022 in Madrid.

Sol's parents.

Born on 8 July 1924 at Madrid, María Soledad "Sol" Martorell y Castillejo was the daughter of Don Francisco de Borja Martorell y Téllez-Girón, 7th Duque de Almenara Alta (1898-1936), an aide to King Alfonso XIII of Spain, and María de los Dolores Castillejo y Wall (1898-1983), lady-in-waiting to Queen Victoria Eugenia. Sol was joined by two younger sisters: doña María de la Concepción Martorell y Castillejo, Condesa de Alba de Liste (1926-2017), and doña María de los Ángeles Martorell y Castillejo, Marquesa de Villel (d.2021). Their father was killed during the Spanish Civil War.

On 4 June 1948 at the Iglesia de Santa Bárbara in Madrid, Soledad married Juan Pedro Soto y Domecq (d.2004). The couple had nine children: María del Carmen de Soto y Martorell, Condesa de Darnius (b.1952), María de la Soledad de Soto y Martorell; Francisco de Borja de Soto y Martorell, Duque de Escalona (1954-1997); María Inmaculada de Soto y Martorell; María del Patrocinio de Soto y Martorell; Juan Pedro de Soto y Martorell, Marqués de la Lapilla; Dolores de Soto y Martorell; Fernando de Soto y Martorell, Marqués de Paredes; and Manuel de Soto y Martorell, Marqués de Albranca. 

May the Duchess Rest in Peace.

Source: 

Soledad Martorell Castillejo, la discreta señora de ‘cas Duc’ que amaba Menorca

Wedding Bells: Xenia Trotzky and Count Frederic von Brandenstein-Zeppelin

 Xenia Trotzky and Count Frederic von Brandenstein-Zeppelin celebrated their religious marriage on 30 July 2022 at Gröbming. The couple were civilly married on 11 June at Schluechtern.

Born on 23 February 1993, Xenia Trotzky is the daughter of Sergei Sergejewitsch Trotzky (b.1948) and Princess Felicitas of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (b.1958), who wed in 1987. Xenia is the fourth of sixth children. Xenia's paternal grandparents are Serge Constantinovitch Trotzky (1901-1965) and Jacqueline de Cock; her maternal grandparents are Prince Johannes Heinrich of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (1931-2010) and Baroness Gabriele von Fürstenberg (1921-2007). Xenia Trotzky studied management at HSE University; she is an account manager for Oracle in Amsterdam. 

Born on 31 May 1987 at Biberach, Count Frederic Constantin Hubertus von Brandenstein-Zeppelin is the son of Count Albrecht von Brandenstein-Zeppelin (b.1950) and Countess Nadine zu Ortenburg (b.1957), wed in 1981. Frederic is the fourth of sixth children. Frederic's paternal grandparents are Count Alexander von Brandenstein-Zeppelin (1915-1979) and Baroness Ursula von Freyberg-Eisenberg-Allmendingen (1917-1985); his maternal grandparents are Count Aurel zu Ortenburg (1927-2001) and Countess Isabelle Adrienne von Bentinck (1925-2013). Count Frederic von Brandenstein-Zeppelin is a lawyer in Düsseldorf; he will one day succeed his paternal uncle Count Constantin von Brandenstein-Zeppelin, the owner of Brandenstein Castle, in the administration of the family's forestry business. 

Our congratulations to the newlyweds and their families!

Source for civil wedding: Brandenstein-Neffe vor dem Traualtar: Adel feiert Hochzeit im Bergwinkel

Princess Gabrielle d'Arenberg (1920-2022)

Princess Charles de Ligne, Madame Bertrand de la Haye Jousselin and Princess Armand d'Arenberg at a Parisian ball, 1950. Photo (c) Robert Doisneau.

On 1 August, Princess Gabrielle d'Arenbeg died at her home in Paris. She was 101 years-old.

Born on 8 September 1920 at Biarritz, Gabrielle Marie de Lambertye-Gerbéviller was the eldest daughter of Charles de Lambertye-Gerbéviller, marquis de Gerbéviller (1883-1940), and Lorena Sancho-Mata y Contreras (1896-1991), who wed in 1919. Gabrielle was joined by two younger sisters: Maria del Rosario (b.1922; married Prince Jean Charles de Ligne de La Trémoïlle), and Leontine (1925-2016; married Prince Albert-Edouard de Ligne). 

In August 1941 at Paris, Gabrielle de Lambertye-Gerbéviller married Prince Armand-Louis Hélie d'Arenberg (1906-1985). The couple had two children, a daughter and a son: Princess Mirabelle (b.1947; married 1st Louis-Jean Loppin, Comte de Montmort; married 2nd Georges Hervet) and Prince Charle (b.1949; married 1st Philomène Toulouse; married 2nd Diane d'Harcourt). 

The funeral of Princess Gabrielle will take place on 8 August at the parish church in Gerbeviller; she will be buried in the family vault.

Source: Disparition de la princesse Gabrielle d’Arenberg

May the Princess Rest in Peace.

Royal Engagement: Prince Ludwig of Bavaria and Sophie Evekink

Sophie and Ludwig.

The engagement of Prince Ludwig of Bavaria and Sophie Evekink was recently announced.

Prince Ludwig of Bavaria, the eldest son and third child of Prince Luitpold (b.1951) and Princess Beatrix of Bavaria (b.1951; née Wiegand), was born at Landsberg am Lech on 14 June 1982. The prince spent his childhood at Schloss Kaltenberg with his parents and siblings. Ludwig attended the Rhabanus-Maurus-Gymnasium St. Ottilien in Eresing, Bavaria. From a young age, Ludwig showed an interest in technology and founded his own IT company at the age of eighteen. The prince then went on to study law and eventually received his juris doctorate. Thereafter, Ludwig spent a period of time under the tutelage of Duke Franz of Bavaria at Schloss Nymphenburg. As Head of House, the Duke has worked to guarantee that the prince, who is currently fourth in line to the Bavarian royal house after Duke Franz, Duke Max, and Prince Luitpold, will be adequately prepared to assume the duties that will be his when he becomes head of the royal family. Currently, Prince Ludwig runs the charitable foundation Hilfsverein Nymphenburg. Since 2011, he is mainly involved in East Africa and the country of Kenya, in particular. Through Hilfsverein Nymphenburg, Ludwig is engaged in fostering nutrition programs and social projects for children. Prince Ludwig lives ten months of the year in East Africa and two months in Bavaria, where he carries out representative duties on behalf of the Royal House. Along with Benedikt Wahler, Ludwig co-founded Startup Lions in 2015, which is described as follows on its website: “We are an impact sourcing digital service provider, and innovative startup incubator. We offer clients high quality outsourcing services in IT & Media tasks, simple and repetitive ones but also more complex creative and technical ones in the field of programming, graphic design and video and music production. We enable the youth living in rural, economically depressed regions of East Africa, to develop their talent and make a career while staying in their home regions.” Ludwig serves as CEO of Startup Lions, which is based in Turkana in northern Kenya. 

 

Sophie-Alexandra Evekink was born in 1989 in Singapore to a Dutch patrician family. She is a dual Canadian-Dutch citizen. Sophie gradated with a Bachelor’s degree in Politics and East European Studies from University College London.  Sophie works for the World Health Organisation in Geneva. She is currently a obtaining a Doctorate of Philosophy in Criminology from Oxford. Sophie has published two peer-reviewed articles:
"Retributive or Restorative? Prospects for Justice for Those Who Live Side by Side with Their Aggressors" and "Youth to Parent Violence: A More Complex Form of Family Violence?". Sophie Evekink is the daughter of Dorus E. Evekink (b.1941), a lecturer/program manager at Maastricht School of Business; she has at least two older brothers, Huibert Evekink and Paul Evekink.

 

Our congratulations to Sophie and Ludwig on their engagement!

 

Sources: 

Ludwig Prinz von Bayern hat sich verlobt

University of Oxford - Faculty of Law: Sophie Evekink

The 95th Birthday of Sylviane Muselier, Half-Sister of Queen Geraldine of Albania

Sylviane in front of portraits of her sister Queen Geraldine and her brother-in-law King Zog.

Today, Sylviane Girault Muselier turns ninety-five!

Gladys Virginia Stewart.

Born on 3 August 1927 at Mehun-sur-Yèvre, Centre-Val de Loire, Sylviane Girault was the eldest child of and Gontran Girault (1882-1964) and Gladys Virginia Stewart (1891–1947), who wed in 1926. Sylviane was joined by two younger siblings: Guy Girault (b.1930) and Patricia Girault (b.1932). Sylviane's mother Gladys had previously been married in 1914 to Count Gyula Apponyi de Nagy-Appony (1873–1924). From this marriage, Sylviane had three older siblings: Countess Geraldine (1915-2002; married King Zog I of the Albanians), Countess Virginia (1916-2002; married 1st András Baghy; married 2nd Joseph Blackburn; married 3rd József Máriássy), and Count Gyula (1923-1946).

The family at Marseilles in 1955.
(left to right) Sylviane, Queen Geraldine, Gontran Gilrault, Princess Senije, and Crown Prince Leka.

On 18 December 1955, Sylviane Girault married Maurice Muselier (1907-1989), the son of Admiral Émile Muselier, who fought against the Nazi invasion of France. The couple had two children: Corinne Muselier (married 1st Bernard Serour; married 2nd Roger Tréger) and French doctor and politician Renaud Muselier (b.1959; married Stéphanie Clément). 

Sylviane with her son Renaud and other family attend the royal wedding.
Photo (c) Seth B. Leonard.

In October 2016 in Tirana, Sylviane Muselier attended the wedding of her great-nephew Crown Prince Leka of Albania to Elia Zaharia. Seventy-eight years earlier, Sylviane was present for the wedding of Leka's grandparents, King Zog of Albania and Countess Geraldine Apponyi de Nagy-Appony. At the time of her half-sister's wedding in 1938, Sylviane was just ten years-old.

Sylviane Muselier and President Ilir Meta, 2017.

In 2017, the President of Albania awarded the Mother Teresa Medal to Sylviane Muselier. The award was given to Madame Muselier "as a testament of deep gratitude for her remarkable contributions, over many years, in four of sick children and Albanian families in need, for her concern and for her humanitarian and medical support as well as in recognition of the her promotion of the values and image of Albania and Albanians in France."

Sylviane with her great-nephew Crown Prince Leka and his wife Crown Princess Elia in 2019.

Our best wishes to Madame Muselier on her birthday!

The Wedding of Hereditary Prince Pál-Antal Esterházy von Galántha & Franziska von Reutter

On Saturday, 30 July 2022, Hereditary Prince Pál-Antal Esterházy von Galántha and Franziska von Reutter celebrated their religious marriage. 

Born in 1986, Hereditary Prince Pál-Antal Esterházy von Galántha is the only child of Fürst Anton Esterházy von Galántha (b.1936) and Ursula Koenig (b.1941). Born in 1989, Franziska von Reutter is the daughter of Georg von Reutter (b.1954) and Joanna Doubleday (b.1954). Hereditary Princess Franziska Esterházy von Galántha is a descendant of Archduke Johann of Austria and Anna Maria Josephine Plochl (created Countess von Meran).

Our congratulations to the couple on their special day!