Archduke Leopold Franz of Austria (1942-2021), Former Head of the Grand Ducal Tuscan Habsburgs

A portrait of Archduke Leopold Franz.

According to his son Archduke Sigismund, Archduke Leopold Franz of Austria, former titular Grand Duke of Tuscany, died in June 2021. Leopold Franz was seventy-eight years-old. He is survived by his two sons, Sigismund and Guntram, as well as by five grandchildren.

Archduchess Dorothea and Archduke Gottfried of Austria, Titular Grand Duke and Grand Duchess of Tuscany.

Archduke Leopold Franz Peter Ferdinand Maria Joseph Gottfried Georg Karl Otto Rudolf Michael of Austria, titular Hereditary Grand Duke of Tuscany was born on 25 October 1942 at Leutstetten, Bavaria. He was the only son of Archduke Gottfried of Austria (1902-1984) and Princess Dorothea of Bavaria (1920-2015), who married in 1938. Leopold Franz had three sisters: Archduchess Elisabeth (b.1939), Archduchess Alice (b.1941), and Archduchess Antoinette (b.1950). The paternal grandparents of Leopold Franz were Archduke Peter Ferdinand of Austria and Princess Maria Cristina of Bourbon-Two Sicilies. The maternal grandparents of Leopold Franz were Prince Franz of Bavaria and Princess Isabella of Croÿ.

Archduke Leopold Franz and Archduchess Laetitia of Austria, titular Hereditary Grand Duke and Hereditary Grand Duchess of Tuscany, with their sons Archduke Sigismund and Archduke Guntram.

In 1965, Leopold Franz married Laetitia de Belzunce d'Arenberg (b.1941), eldest child and only daughter of Marquis Henri de Belzunce (1909-1944) and his wife Marie-Thérèse de la Poëze d'Harambure (1911-2005). Through her mother, Archduchess Laetitia was a first cousin of Count Romée de La Poëze d’Harambure, who was the first husband of Princess Anita of Hohenburg, the daughter of Duke Franz Ferdinand of Hohenberg and Princess Elisabeth of Luxembourg, who was herself the niece of Crown Princess Antonia of Bavaria. Leopold Franz and Laetitia had two children together: Archduke Sigismund of Austria, Prince of Tuscany (b.1966) and Archduke Guntram of Austria, Prince of Tuscany (b.1967). Leopold Franz and Laetitia divorced in 1981. He married for a second time on 18 June 1993 to Marta Perez Valverde, a Salvadoran-born Viennese psychoanalyst; the couple divorced in 1998. Upon his second marriage, Leopold renounced his rights as titular Grand Ducal throne of Tuscany in favour of his elder son Sigismund, the current head of the House of Tuscany. 

May Leopold Franz Rest in Peace.

The 60th Birthday of Fürstin Nadejda von Starhemberg

Nadejda.

Today, Fürstin Nadejda von Starhemberg celebrates her sixtieth birthday! Born on 29 Jun 1961 at Köln-Lindenthal, Countess Nadejda von Abensperg und Traun was born as the daughter of Count Ernst Ferdinand von Abensperg und Traun and Felicia Guepin. In September 1988, Nadejda married Fürst Georg Adam von Starhemberg (b.1961). The couple have four children, two sons and two daughters.

Our best wishes to Fürstin Nadejda on her birthday!

45 Years of Marriage for Archduke Rudolf and Archduchess Marie Hélène of Austria

Rudolf and Marie Hélène on the day of their religious wedding.

Today, Archduke Rudolf and Archduchess Marie Hélène of Austria celebrate their forty-fifth wedding anniversary. The couple were civilly married on 28 Jun 1976 at Overijse, Belgium. Their religious wedding took place on 3 July 1976 at Brussels. Archduke Rudolf of Austria (b.1950) was the son of Archduke Carl Ludwig of Austria (1918-2007) and Princess Yolande de Ligne (b.1923). Baroness Marie Hélène de Villenfagne de Vogelsanck (b.1954) was the daughter of Baron Guy de Villenfagne de Vogelsanck (1927-2018) and Baroness Marina de Crombrugghe de Looringhe (b.1933). Archduke Rudolf and Archduchess Marie Hélène of Austria have eight children, six sons and two daughters.

Our congratulations to Archduke Rudolf and Archduchess Marie Hélène on their anniversary!

Wedding Date Fixed for the Duke of Noto and Lady Charlotte Lindesay-Bethune!

The engaged couple.

Prince Jaime of Bourbon-Two Sicilies, Duke of Noto, and Lady Charlotte Diana Lindesay-Bethune will marry in Palermo on 25 September 2021. Their union will take place ninety years after the 1931 nuptials of the Count and Countess of Paris, the groom's great-grandparents, and in the same location. Jaime and Charlotte's engagement was announced in May 2020. 

 

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Don Jaime de Borbón y Landaluce was born at Madrid on 26 June 1992 as the first child of Prince Pedro of Bourbon-Two Sicilies (b.1968) and Doña Sofía Landaluce y Melgarejo (b.1973). Jaime's parents married on 30 March 2001 at the Club de Hierro, Madrid, in an intimate ceremony attended by their family and close friends. In due time, Jaime was joined by six younger siblings: Juan (b.2003), Pablo (b.2004), Pedro (b.2007), Sofía (b.2008), Blanca (b.2011), and Maria (b.2015).

 

Anne and Carlos

 

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The paternal grandparents of Prince Jaime, Duke of Noto, are the Infante Don Carlos of Spain, Prince of Bourbon-Two Sicilies, Duke of Calabria (1938-2015), and Princess Anne d'Orléans (b.1938). The maternal grandparents of Prince Jaime are Don José Manuel Landaluce y Dominguez (b.1944) and Doña Blanca Melgarejo y Gonzales (1946-2009). Jaime is a great-grandson of the late Count and Countess of Paris.

 

Anne and Carlos

 

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The paternal grandparents of Prince Jaime, Duke of Noto, are the Infante Don Carlos of Spain, Prince of Bourbon-Two Sicilies, Duke of Calabria (1938-2015), and Princess Anne d'Orléans (b.1938). The maternal grandparents of Prince Jaime are Don José Manuel Landaluce y Dominguez (b.1944) and Doña Blanca Melgarejo y Gonzales (1946-2009). Jaime is a great-grandson of the late Count and Countess of Paris. Jaime's grandfather the Infante Don Carlos, Duke of Calabria, did not recognise the marriage of Pedro and Sofía as equal. In May 2002, a delegate of the Spanish branch of the Constantinian Order of Saint George wrote the following regarding the couple's union: "The marriage of the Duke of Noto was not authorised in accordance with the requirements of the Law on marriages of the Two Sicilies of 1829. No formal authorisation was given, the marriage did not conform to past precedents in the House, and the invitations were issued in the name of the bride and groom rather than jointly with the groom's parents. The descendants of this marriage will not therefore be Two Sicilies dynasts." Two years later, on June 2004, the same representative of the order, who was also a friend of the late Infante D. Carlos, stated: "D. Sofia is accorded the title of 'Duchess of Noto', but the children are not T-S dynasts; they are however Spanish dynasts. In the view of the Infante D. Carlos, they are Excelentisimo Senores." However, at some unknown date, presumably in or after 2004, the Infante D. Carlos decided to recognise the marriage of his son and daughter-in-law as dynastic. This change of heart was influenced by the Infante's first cousin and dear friend King Juan Carlos of Spain granting approval for the 2004 marriage of the Prince of Asturias, now King Felipe VI of Spain, to Letizia Ortiz Rocasolano, now Queen Letizia of Spain. Since this retroactive demorganatisation, the children of the Duke and Duchess of Noto (titled Duke and Duchess of Calabria since 2015) bear the style of Royal Highness and the title of Prince(ss) of Bourbon-Two Sicilies.

 

The 16th Earl of Lindsay

 

Lady Charlotte Diana Lindesay-Bethune was born on 12 May 1993 as the youngest child of the 16th Earl of Lindsay (James Randolph Lindesay-Bethune; b.1955) and the Countess of Lindsay (née Diana Mary Chamberlayne-Macdonald; b.1961). Lady Charlotte's parents' married on 2 March 1982. The couple have four other children: Lady Frances Lindesay-Bethune(b.1986); Lady Alexandra Lindesay-Bethune (b.1988); the Honourable William Lindesay-Bethune, Viscount Garnock (b.1990); and the Honourable David Lindesay-Bethune (b.1993; twin brother of Lady Charlotte).

 

David, 15th Earl of Lindsay

The Douglas-Scott-Montagu family by Bassano Ltd in 1934.
Photograph (c) National Portrait Gallery.

The paternal grandparents of Lady Charlotte Lindesay-Bethune are David Lindesay-Bethune, 15th Earl of Lindsay (1926-1989) and the Honourable Mary-Clare Douglas-Scott-Montagu (1928-2016). The maternal grandparents of Lady Charlotte are Major Nigel Chamberlayne-Macdonald (1927-2013) and Penelope Chamberlayne (b.1932).

Religious Wedding Today for Princess Flaminia of Hohenzollern & Baron Károly von Stipsicz de Ternova

Károly and Flaminia on the day of their civil marriage, June 2020. Photograph (c) Atelier Sophia Galen.

Princess Flaminia of Hohenzollern and Baron Károly von Stipsicz de Ternova are to be religiously married today, 26 June 2021. The couple had originally scheduled their wedding for 4 July 2020 at St. Johann Church in Sigmaringen Castle; however, due to the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic, their nuptials had to be delayed. Károly and Flaminia were civilly married in July 2020 at St. Anton am Arlberg.

Countess Alexandra Schenk von Stauffenberg weds Hereditary Prince Karl Friedrich of Hohenzollern.

Princess Flaminia of Hohenzollern was born at Munich on 9 January 1992 as the third child and second daughter of the then-Hereditary Prince Karl Friedrich of Hohenzollern (b.1952) and his first wife Countess Alexandra Schenk von Stauffenberg (b.1960). Karl Friedrich and Alexandra had married in 1985; the couple had four children: current Hereditary Prince Alexander (b.1987), Princess Philippa (b.1988), Princess Flaminia (b.1992), and Princess Antonia (b.1995). Flaminia's parents divorced in 2010.

Princess Flaminia of Hohenzollern.

Baron Károly von Stipsicz de Ternova was born in 1990 as the second son of Baron Károly von Stipsicz de Ternova (b.1959) and his wife Elisabeth Lohne (b.1960). Princess Flaminia and Baron Károly are very distant cousins as both are descendants of Ferenc Thurzó (d.1576). Károly and Flaminia's engagement was announced in December 2018. 

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The 80th Birthdays of Michel & Jacques d'Orléans, the French Royal Twins

The twin French princelings.

Today, Prince Michel d'Orléans, Count of Évreux, and Prince Jacques d'Orléans, Duke of Orléans, celebrate their eightieth birthdays!

On 25 June 1941, Prince Michel Joseph Benoît Marie d'Orléans and Prince Jacques Jean Jaroslav Marie d'Orléans were born at Rabat, Morocco. The twin boys were the seventh and eighth children of Prince Henri and Princess Isabelle d'Orléans, Count and Countess of Paris. 

Prince Jacques, the Countess of Paris, and Prince Michel at the 90th birthday celebrations for their mother. Photograph (c) Getty Images / David Lefranc.

Princess Maria Anunciata of Liechtenstein To Marry This Weekend

Princess Maria Anunciata of Liechtenstein and Emanuele Musini attend the wedding of Prince Jean-Christophe Napoléon and Countess Olympia of Arco-Zinneberg, 2019.

Photograph (c) Schneider-Press/​SIPA/​Shutterstock.

It has been announced that Princess Maria Anunciata of Liechtenstein will marry her fiancé Emanuele Musini in a civil ceremony on this Saturday, 26 June, at the Villa della Tenuta di Fassia. The couple will celebrate their religious wedding at a later date in Vienna. Princess Maria Anunciata of Liechtenstein (b.1985) is the daughter of Prince Nikolaus of Liechtenstein (b.1947) and Princess Margaretha of Luxembourg (b.1957). Carlo Emanuele Guido Musini (b.1979) is the son of Monica Traglio and the late Nicolò Giovanni Maria Musini.

Note of 15 July 2021: In a recent interview with Point de Vue, Princess Maria Anunciata of Liechtenstein stated that she and Emanuele Musini actually had an engagement party on the date above. Their civil wedding will take place in August at Vaduz. Their religious wedding will occur in September in Vienna.