Has Lord Snowdon found his new countess?

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For the past two years, the Earl of Snowdon has been snapped with Isabelle Chopin de la Bruyere.  The Daily Mail's gossip columnist, Richard Eden has written several articles about this romance.  The most recent article was published on March 8th.  This article featured photos of the couple exchanging kisses!

Kissing leads to marriage, right? 

Lord Snowdon's first marriage to Lady Serena Stanhope, daughter of the 12th Earl of Harrington ended when the couple separated in early 2020.  They have since divorced.   Lord Snowdon and Serena, Lady Snowdon have two children:  Charles, Viscount Linley, 24, and 21-year-old Lady Margarita Armstrong-Jones.

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 Isabelle Anne Cecile Chopin de la Bruyere was born in France in September 1971.  She is the daughter of Jean Henri Brion Chopin de la Bruyere (1928-1990) and his second wife, Christine Soulie.  He has three children from his first marriage to Solange Batshell and no children from his third marriage to Ana Maria Nasi, an Argentine national.

Jean de la Bruyere was born in Paris, France in 1928.  He emigrated to Alberta, Canada in 1952  Two years later with his friend Alastair  "Sandy" Auld Mactaggart, younger son of Sr John Mactaggart, 2nd Bt.. founded the Maclab Development Group (then known as Maclab Enterprises).  The two men met at Harvard University, where they were living in the same dorm.

Sandy and Jean "formed a friendship that would last a lifetime and produce a successful business partnership that would transform a city."   Isasbelle's older half-brother Marc, who is now one of the managers of the firm, told the Toronto Globe & Mail in 2017.  "They were complete opposites. Sandy was the brake, my father was the accelerator. Sandy was very conservative, my father was rock 'n' roll. Sandy was strategic, my father was a deal-maker. Sandy was a Scot, my father was a Frenchman."

Jean de la Bruyere, who was a naturalized Canadian citizen, and Mactaggart  "built the suburban dream in Edmonton, creating the sprawling subdivisions on the edge of the city so in demand at the time," according to the Globe & Mail.

Isabelle's father died on April 6, 1990, in Edmonton.  His family placed a death notice in the Los Angeles Times as Maclab Enterprises also developed properties in California.  The obituary noted his youngest daughter, Isabelle-Anne was then living in Los Angeles, where her late father owned property.  In December 1985,  Isabelle was the maid of honor at her older half-sister, Jacqueline's marriage to Herve Farman.

She is a great-granddaughter of French aviation pioneer, Louis Charles Breuget.

https://www.centennialofflight.net/essay/Dictionary/Breguet/DI12.htm

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 Isabelle attended Northwood School in Lake Placid, New York, where she graduated in 1989.  She headed back to Paris and the American University of Paris.  In 1994, she received a BA in Art History.

It was back to the United States and the Christies' Education Program, where Isabelle earned a Master's degree in Nineteenth and Twentieth Century Art in 1996.

She spent more than 20 years working for Christie's, first as a Specialist in Impressionist and Modern Art and head of Orientalist Art Sales.  This would be followed by positions in Europe and in the Middle East.   Isabelle was the Head of Client Advisory and Senior Director, Chairman's Office, Europe, Middle East, Russia & India, a position she held for nearly 11 years before she left Christie's in September 2023.

Isabelle de la Bruyere is now the first CEO of the Opera Gallery Group.   The founder of the Opera Gallery Group said after announcing Isabelle as the company's first CEO “We are thrilled to bring Isabelle de La Bruyère on board as the first CEO of Opera Gallery Group. As a globally recognized art expert, Isabelle is poised to guide our trajectory toward greater accomplishments in the years to come. We are indeed fortunate to have her expertise and invaluable insights into the nuances of the art market. With Isabelle’s vision and expertise, we are confident that Opera Gallery will play an even more significant role in the global art arena. We are excited to begin our collaborative journey with Isabelle."

Isabelle's job will be to oversee the "group's global operations and strengthen the Group's markets and influence."

https://www.operagallery.com/

In early 2024, Artnet sat down with de la Bruyere to "find out how she fell in love with art and the little life moments she treasures most."  Isabelle said her greatest asset is "determination."   She told Artnet she was "blown away" by Manet's A Bar at the Folies-Bergére at the Courtauld Institute.  Isabelle said she was "blown away by the anguish and emotion that I felt from the central figure. This particular piece was so poignant to me that I even wrote my thesis on it in college."

She said the most "overrated thing in the world world" is "buying with your ears, rather than your eyes.  I think it's important to trust your instincts and pay attention to how a piece makes you feel."

She was also asked about her "most treasured possession."  Isabelle responded with: "A priceless and intangible possession is time spent with my son."   She said her best investment is "My friendships."

Isabelle de la Bruyere's first marriage to Saudi filmmaker, Hani M S Farsi ended in divorce before 2004.  It was a brief marriage, which took place in London on October 27, 2000.  The marriage is listed in the England & Wales, Civil Registration Marriage Index, 1916-2005.  The middle initial for the bride is Isabelle A. 

In April 2004, Hani married Rebecca Lobdell. 

None of the interviews with Isabelle de la Bruyere provide information about her son, apart from the fact she has a son. The All England & Wales, Civil Registration Birth Index, 1916-2007 does not include registration for a birth of a male child with the mother's maiden name as de la Bruyere.  It is possible that the child was born before or after her marriage or in another country, perhaps France, as Isabelle is a French national.

https://www.enigma-mag.com/hani-farsi/

Thanks to a genealogist, we have learned Lord Snowdon and Isabelle de la Bruyere are 11th cousins. Their common ancestor is Guilheim Ramon, Baron de Cauna (1443-1502), and his wife Jeanne de Bazillac (c1453-1490).  Isabelle is a descendant of the eldest son,  Baron Etienne de Cauna (1480-1544).  Lord Snowdon's lines of descent are from Patris de Cauna, seigneur de Fousseries (d 1528) and Helene du Boutet (d 1528).    Yes, lines of descent.  David has numerous lines of descent from Patris, whose great-great-great-great-granddaughter, Eléonore Desmier d'Olbreuse (1639-1722). 

Eléonore, Duchess of Brunswick (Royal Collection)

In 1676, she married Georg Wilhelm, Duke of Brunswick-Celle (1624-1705).  She had been his mistress for at least a decade. In 1666, she gave birth to a daughter, Sophia Dorothea.  It was not until 1680 that Eléonore's position as Duchess of Brunswick was recognized.  Her daughter's new title was Princess Sophia of Brunswick-Lüneburg-Celle.  Georg Wilhelm's younger brother, Ernst August, Elector of Hanover (1629-1698) whose wife, Sophia, was the heiress presumptive to the British throne.  

 Sophia Dorothea's legitimation made it possible for Ernst August's eldest son, Georg Ludwig, to marry his first cousin.

The marriage took place in 1682.  A year later, Sophia Dorothea gave birth to a son, Georg.  A daughter, Sophia Dorothea was born in 1687.   The marriage between the future George I (who succeeded Queen Anne in 1714) stands as one of the most miserable and cruel marriages among members of the British Royal Family. 

Lord Snowdon has several lines of descent from Eléonore and the Duke of Brunswick.