Thursday, August 8, 2019

Alvar Count d'Alcantara de Querrieu (1935-2019)




Alvar Etienne, Count d'Alcantara de Querrieu was born at Uccle, Belgium on January 30, 1935, the son of Pierre, Count d'Alcantara de Querrieu (1907-1944) and HSH Princess Stephanie of Windisch-Graetz (1909-2005), who was the daughter of HI & RH Archduchess Elisabeth of Austria and HSH Prince Otto of Windisch-Graetz. 

Alvar was a great-grandson of Archduke Rudolf, Crown Prince of Austria, and Princess Stephanie of Belgium, and a a great-great-grandson of Emperor Franz Josef of Austria and King Leopold II of the Belgians.

Although the family name is Spanish in origin, the family has been members of the Belgian nobility since 1842.  A decade later, the head of the family received the title Count.

Alvar succeeded to the title when he was nine years old as his father, a member of the Belgian resistance, died in the Sachsenhausen concentration camp.

He was married twice. His first wife, Finnish-born Anita Damsen died at the age of 43 in 1980.    Their marriage took place in Helsinki on July 19, 1956.  A year after her death,  Count Alvaro married Daniele van Ham (1942) at Jodoigne, Belgium on November 27, 1981.

Count Alvaro is survived by his widow, Countess Daniele, and three children, Patricia,  Fréderic Pierre and Veronique and grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

Fréderic succeeds to the title of Count d'Alcantara de Querrieu.

Alvar was a first cousin of HSH Princess Stephanie of Windisch-Graetz, who died on July 12.

https://royalmusingsblogspotcom.blogspot.com/2019/07/princess-stephanie-of-windisch-graetz.html



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