The engagement of Hedwige de la Rochefoucauld, daughter of the Duke of Doudeauville, and Prince Sixtus of Bourbon-Parma, was announced earlier today in Paris, reports the New York Times.
Prince Sixtus is said to be the favorite brother of former Empress Zita of Austria. He was able to maintain a close relationship with his sister even though he served with the Belgian army during the recent world war. He is also highly regarded by his brother-in-law, the former Emperor Karl.
Sixtus was born in 1886 and is six years older than his sister, Zita. He and his brother, Prince Xavier, served in with the Belgian Army and both received the War Cross from French President Poincaré. He is the eldest son of the late Duke Roberto I of Parma, by his second wife, Infanta Maria Antonia of Portugal.
Hedwige Francoise Louise Marie de la Rochefoucauld was born at Paris on February 15, 1896. Her mother is Princess Louise Radziwill, who is the eldest daughter of Prince Constantine Radziwill and Louise Blanc, eldest daughter of the late Francois Blanc and his second wife, Marie Charlotte Hensel.
Hedwige is a great-great-granddaughter of Prince Antoni Radziwill and Princess Louise of Prussia. Her mother's first cousin is Princess Marie Bonaparte (the daughter of Marie-Felix Blanc and Prince Roland Bonaparte), who is the wife of Prince George of Greece. Francois Blanc was a French businessman who established the casino at Monte Carlo.
ReplyDeleteWas this marriage considered equal by the then head of house of Parma, Duke Elias ?
Elias did not but in 1959, his son Roberto Hugo did recognize the marriage.
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ReplyDeleteSince Sixtus was dead in 1934, it's a bit surprising but I guess Roberto did it when he recognized Xavier's marriage to Madeleine de Bourbon. It was probably a general reconciliation between Roberto and his father's half-brothers. Thank you.