Prince Wauthier de Ligne (1952-2022), First Cousin of Grand Duke of Luxembourg

Prince Wauthier.

On Monday, 15 August, Prince Wauthier de Ligne died in hospital near Beloeil following a long illness. He was seventy years-old. 

Prince Antoine de Ligne and Princess Alix of Luxembourg on their wedding day, 1950.

Born on 10 July 1952 at the familial home, Château de Beloeil, Prince Wauthier Philippe Féliz Marie Lamoral de Ligne was the son of Prince Antoine, 13th Prince de Ligne (1925-2005), and Princess Alix of Luxembourg (1929-2019), who wed in 1950. Coincidentally, Prince Wauthier and his first cousin Archduchess Alexandra of Austria were both born on 10 July 1952 at Beloeil; Alexandra is the daughter of Wauthier's aunt Princess Yolande and her late husband Archduke Carl Ludwig of Austria. Wauthier had six siblings: Prince Michel (b.1951; married Princess Eleonora of Orléans-Brangaça), Princess Anne-Marie (b.1954), Princess Christine (b.1955; married Prince Antônio of Orléans-Brangaça), Princess Sophie (b.1957; married Count Philippe de Nicolay), Prince Antoine (b.1959; married Countess Jacqueline de Lannoy), and Princess Yvonne (b.1964; married Hugo Townsend, the son of Group Captain Peter Townsend, who was once very close to Princess Margaret). 

LIFE magazine dubs Wauthier the "Scene-stealing Prince" in 1958. He was almost six years-old and an attendant at an aunt's wedding.

The closest that Wauthier ever came to publicity was in 1958, when he got a little squeamish during the wedding of his aunt Princess Marie Adelaide of Luxembourg to Count Karl Josef Henckel von Donnersmarck.

Prince Félix and Grand Duchess Charlotte. Photo (c) Cour Grand-Ducale.

Prince Wauthier's paternal grandparents were Prince Éugene de Ligne and Philippine de Noailles. His maternal grandparents were Grand Duchess Charlotte of Luxembourg and Prince Félix of Bourbon-Parma. Wauthier's paternal aunt is Archduchess Yolande of Austria (b.1923; née Princess de Ligne), who married Archduke Carl Ludwig, a son of Wauthier's maternal great-aunt, Empress Zita of Austria. Wauthier's brother Michel is the head of the princely house; and their sister Christine is the wife of Prince Antonio, who will likely be the eventual head of the imperial house of Brazil. Additionally, Wauthier's first cousin is Grand Duke Henri of Luxembourg.

In 1976, Prince Wauthier married Countess Marguerite Régine Marie Françoise Xavière de Renesse (b.1955), the daughter of Count Guy de Renesse and Countess Elisabeth de Limburg-Stirum. The couple had three children: Prince Philippe (b.1977; married Laetitia Rolin), Princess Yolande (b.1979; married Paul Weingarten), and Princess Elisabeth (b.1983; married Baron Baudouin Gillès de Pélichy).

The funeral of Prince Wauthier de Ligne will take place on 22 August at l'église Saint-Pierre de Belœil.

May the Prince Rest in Peace. 

Source: Le château de Belœil perd l’un de ses princes, Wauthier de Ligne 

Sculptures of King Michael and Queen Mother Helen of Romania

King Michael.

In the Museo Pietro Canonica at the Villa Borghese in Rome, there are two sculptures of a mother and a son, a queen mother and a king. Both likenesses were created in marble by Italian artist Pietro Canonica (1869-1959). The sculptures depict King Michael I of Romania and his beloved mother Queen Helen of Romania. 

Queen Mother Helen.

To learn more, please visit the website of the museum:

Museo Pietro Canonica a Villa Borghese

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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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