Most people would have given a second glance to Baroness Marie Renée (Marina) Odile Magdeleine Andrée Ghislaine Josèphe de Villenfagne de Vogelsanck's death notice earlier this week. The death notice lists her children and their spouses, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren.
At the top of the list is Baroness Marina's son-in-law, HI & RH Archduke Rudolf of Austria, and his wife, Marie-Hélène. Rudolf is the son of the late Archduke Carl Ludwig of Austria and Princess Yolande de Ligne, and a grandson of Emperor Karl of Austria and Princess Zita of Bourbon-Parma.
Rudolf's MBA from INSEAD offered the opportunity for a career in wealth management, establishing AAA Gestion in Villars-sur-Glâne, Switzerland, which merged with Gutzwiller SA bank in 2014. Archduke Rudolf became a director with Gutzwiller.
The marriage between Archduke Rudolf and Baroness Marie-Hélène deVillenfagne de Vogelsanck took place in Brussels in May 1976. The couple has eight children: Archduke Carl-Christian (1977), Archduchess Priscilla (1979), Archduke Johannes (1981), Archduke Thomas (1983), Archduchess Marie-des-Neiges (1986), Archduke Franz Ludwig (1988), Archduke Michael (1990), and Archduke Joseph.
The family are devout Catholics. Archduke Rudolf is promoting the beatification of his grandmother, Zita, and the push toward sainthood for his grandfather, Blessed Charles I. He and his family are also involved in numerous religious charities. In a 1919 interview with the National Catholic Register, the archduke talked about taking "a lot of time to explain the faith and the liturgy to them.
"We took them to Mass often, even during the week. We made sure they went to holy confession. In our days, you can't say 'Children: Go to Church!' You have to say: 'Come with us to church.' It is not the way 50 or 60 years ago."
It was not a surprise to Rudolf and his wife that four of their children were "asked by Jesus to follow him, but they said Yes, and so it happened.
Archdukes Johannes, Thomas, Joseph, and Archduchess Marie-des-Neiges all joined Fraternité Eucharistein, a "new order, devoted to the Blessed Sacrament and Franciscan in its spirituality. Eucharastein reflects that the Eucharist is at the center of its life."
Archduchess Marie-des-Neiges took her perpetual vows in 2018. The following year, Johannes took his perpetual vows, and Thomas embraced the religious life. Joseph joined the Order in 2012.
The Eucharastein Order is now defined as a dystunctional order. The founder, Father Nicolas Buttet, was suspended and is no longer able to hear confessions, give communion, or visit the community. The suspension was ordered after the Catholic Church audited the fraternity, "where the exercise of authority within the fraternity was marked by an abusive, infantilising pyramid system that nullified individuals in various aspects of their being, particularly their psychology."
This article is in French.
https://www.24heures.ch/graves-dysfonctionnements-dans-une-communaute-catholique-218080835399
The death notice refers to Johannes and Thomas by their religious titles. Father Johannes and Brother Thomas. Marie-des-Neiges and Joseph are listed by their archducal titles. Joseph has also married.
Marie-des-Neiges left the Order in 2024 and now works as an administrative assistant with VINCI International, a French company that specializes in concessions, construction, and energy. Her younger brother spent ten years with the Euchararesteins and left in 2022.
The reasons for the siblings' departure from the Order are not known.
He married Marie-Gabrielle Pélissié du Rausas in a civil ceremony on December 29, 2025, which was followed by the Roman Catholic ceremony on the 31st.
The couple are 10th cousins, as they are both descendants of Count Michel Chamillart de La Suze (1652-1721) and Élisabeth Le Rebours (1659-1731). Marie-Gabrielle is the daughter of Christophe Pélissié du Rausas and Inès Maurel. Christophe is the Director of Operations with VINCI. They have a foundation that provides “ general, professional, human, and Christian ” education to disadvantaged youth.
https://www.experian.com/consumer-products/protect-my-id.html?pc=ref_exp_pmid
In 2023, Archduchess Marie-Gabrielle earned a Ph.D from the University of Tours in Ancient and Greek Classical Language and Literature. She has two Master's degrees from the Sorbonne University (Comparative Literature) and the University of Oxford (Classical Literature).
Marie-Gabrielle, who will celebrate her 27th birthday in February, is a Lecturer at the University of Tours. She was also raised in a devout Roman Catholic family, and supports several charitable organizations, including We Are Fratello, where Joseph is the Project Manager.
According to the death notice, Joseph's brother, Archduke Michael, is engaged to be married. His future wife is Jane Wu, the COO and Partner at Giada Ilardo Jewelry. She worked for Bulgari for six years, leaving in August 2024 to accept the position of Giada Hardo. Archduke Michael was a client advisor at Bulgari until April 2025, when he became a business developer at Prado in Zurich.
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| @Archduke Simeon of Austria |
In 2023, Leopold Dunning-Gribble married Alejandra Brunet Tarruella. Leopold is the son of Karl Dunning-Gribble and Archduchess Viridis of Austria, the daughter of Archduke Felix of Austria and Princess Anne-Eugenie of Arenberg. Viridis and Simeon are first cousins.
Alejandra is the daughter of María Tarruella y de Orio and Brunet Álvarez de Sotomayor. Carlos and Alejandra are descendants of José Luis de Oriol y Urigüen, 2nd Marqués Casa Oriol.
https://royalmusingsblogspotcom.blogspot.com/2010/05/archduke-rudolph-and-countess-xenia.html
https://royalmusingsblogspotcom.blogspot.com/2023/09/archduchess-yolande-of-austria-1923-2023.html
https://royalmusingsblogspotcom.blogspot.com/2025/03/hi-rh-archduchess-estelle-of-austria.html
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