A visit to Chatsworth -- Sort of

Last Saturday - August 10 - a friend and I visited Sotheby's on York Avenue in New York City to see the Treasures of Chatsworth.

Chatsworth is the home of the Duke and Duchess of Devonshire.

I visited Chatsworth, which is in Derbyshire,  in the early 1990s.  It rained the entire time. I would love to see it again.  This exhibit is a very good introduction to Chatsworth and the Cavendish family.

The exhibit is free and features artwork and jewels from the the Duke of Devonshire's private collection.

The entry to the exhibit features a film on Chatsworth and its visitors including Queen Mary and Adele Astaire.  Kathleen Kennedy is also in the film. In May 1944, she married William Cavendish, Marquess of Hartington, eldest son and heir of the 10th Duke of Devonshire.  Four months after the wedding, Lord Hartington was killed by a sniper in Belgium.  In 1948, Lady Hartington died in a plane crash.

The tour moves into a large room with a panoramic film of the interiors and exteriors of Chatsworth.   On prominent display in the center of the room is the Devonshire tiara.   The rest of the exhibit includes portraits of family members including  Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire and the famed Lucien Freud portrait of the late Deborah, Duchess of Devonshire (one of the Mitford sisters), several Canalettos,  sculpture, the Devonshire parure,  Deborah's Coronation robes and the 11th Duke's Garter Robe and Order.

There is a companion exhibit: Inspired by Chatsworth - A Selling Exhibit. The items in the latter exhibit are for sale. 

 The Chatsworth exhibition is free to the public and runs through September 13.

Kathleen Kennedy

Adele Astaire

12th Duke (Stoker)

The Duchess of Devonshire  (Amanda)

Deborah, Duchess of Devonshire  by Lucien Freud

11th Duke by Lucien Freud

Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire (Lady Georgiana Spencer)

Evelyn, Duchess of Devonshire  (wife of 9th Duke)

the Canalettos

there are about 8 or so videos that are shown in a loop throughout the day

Lady Burlington

the Duchess of Devonshire's costume from the Duchess of Devonshire's ball in 1897

Devonshire Parure

We also visited the Inspired by Chatsworth exhibit.  These works of art are for sale.  The Chatsworth exhibition returns to Chatsworth.

This would like nice on my dining room wall

Napoleon

https://www.sothebys.com/en/series/treasures-from-chatsworth-the-exhibition

The website includes more information about the exhibit and includes several of the videos that we saw on Saturday.   The exhibit is FREE!  Definitely worth the trip to NYC.  I had a time ticket, but you can walk in and see the exhibit as well. 

https://www.chatsworth.org/

An heir for the Isenburgs

The Princess of Isenburg has given birth to a son and heir.  The announcement was made on the Prince of Isenburg's official website.

The Hereditary Prince was born in Munich on August 8.  He has been named Franz Salvator Ferdinand Bonifacius Wilhelm Maria.

This is the third child for the Prince and Princess of Isenberg.  They have to young daughters, Princess Alix and Princess Zita.

HSH  Alexander Wolfgang Georg Paul Maria, Prince of Isenburg married  Dr. Sarah Lorenz, a plastic surgeon on June 14, 2014.  He succeeded as Prince following the death of his father, Franz Alexander, in May 2018.

https://isenburg.de/2019/08/freudige-nachricht-aus-dem-schloss-birstein/

Scenes from The King's Cup Regatta

Today would have been a good day to be in Cowes on the Isle of Wight  to watch the King's Cup Regatta.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge took part in the race - eight sailboats racing representing their charities.


Bear Gryllis won the race.  He was the skipper of Tusk.  The Duke of Cambridge's Child Bereavement sailboat came in third and the Duchess of Cambridge's Royal Foundation came in dead last.  The sailboat was disqualified after the start of the second race.  The Duchess received a large wooden spoon as the last place finisher.

The race took place in the Solent.

Prince George and Princess Charlotte of Cambridge and their maternal grandparents, Michael and Carole Middleton, were on board another ship to watch the race.

https://www.thekingscup.com/

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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

The Prince of Castell-Rüdenhausen brings his bride home

The Prince and Princess of Castell-Rüdenhausen @Ulrike Bartsch  (all photos)

Bring your bride home and introducing her to the community is a tradition in the Princely House of Castell-Rüdenhausen that goes back to the 19th Century.

Everyone in the village of Rüdenhausen (nearly 900 residents) was invited to the Prince's party at his "stately castle with a park."

The Heimführung is the third and final part of the celebrations for the marriage of Prince Otto and Sophia Mautner von Markhof.  The couple were married in a civil ceremony at Rüdenhausen on December 29.

The couple were married in a religious ceremony on June 15 in Vienna, where the bride's family lives.

The Heimführung was held on August 3.  The entire town turned out as did the Prince and Princess's family and friends.

The families celebrated members of local clubs and the residents of the Rüdenhausen community on the castle grounds, where cake and other foods were on offer. 

The Princess and Princess of Leiningen with their younger son, Prince Hermann

The celebrations began at noon with a procession of the newlyweds and their families.  Mayor Gerhard Ackermann, who married the couple in December, welcomed the couple.  Afterward, the procession moved toward into the castle grounds where Otto's mother's family flag was lowered and replaced by the Mautner von Markhof family flag.

The Prince of Leiningen

The bride's parents Theodor Ritter Mautner von Markhof and Countess Marie Antoinette von und zu Clam-Martinic and Maria Dowager Princess of Castell-Rüdenhausen and her grandson, Prince August of Lowenstein-Wertheim-Rosenberg.  Her daughter Olga is married to Prince Dominik, the youngest son of the Prince and Princess of Lowenstein-Wertheim-Rosenberg, is married to Countess Olga of Castell-Rüdenhausen,

Count Anton & Countess Anna and Princess Olga (siblings of Otto) with Olga's husband, Prince Dominik of Lowenstein-Wertheim-Rosenberg with their two children, Prince August in Anton's arms and Prince Casimir in front of Olga.

The last Heimführung took place 36 years ago when Otto's father,  Johann-Friedrich brought his wife, Countess Maria von  Schönborn-Wiesentheid,  to Rüdenhausen.

Many of the women including the Princess of Castell-Rüdenhausen wore traditional dirndls.

Otto succeeded his father in 2014.

Thank you to Ulrike Bartsch who took the photos and is the copyright holder.

https://www.br.de/nachrichten/bayern/adels-event-ruedenhausen-feiert-heimfuehrung-mit-fuerstenpaar,RXzbYVK

https://www.mainpost.de/regional/kitzingen/Fuerst-Otto-heiratet-seine-Sophia;art773,10143192

Princess Martha Louise stops using her title for business

Embed from Getty Images

Princess Martha Louise, the elder child of King Harald V of Norway, announced today on Instagram that she will cease to use her title for her commercial ventures.

Embed from Getty Images 

 Controversy has swirled around the Princess since the announcement of her new relationship and partnership with American-born Shaman Durek.  The Norwegian media - as well as members of the princess' own family -- were discussing privately and publicly -- how Martha Louise should be styled when she is involved with seminars and other projects that are seen to embrace alternative lifestyles.

The answer came earlier today with an announcement on the Princess' Instagram account.  She acknowledged the "many discussions about my use of my title in a commercial context.  The fact that I have used Princess in the title of my tour.  I have said before that I am very sorry, and I stand by that.  It was a mistake and I understand that it provokes when the princess title is used this way. 

"The discussions are something that I have taken seriously, and in collaboration with my family we have found that it is best that we make some changes.  We have therefore jointly come to the conclusion that I use the title princess when I represent the Royal House, do my official assignments at home and abroad and in private contexts. From now own I will not use my princess title for commercial purposes. I only use Märtha Louise.

"I have found this to be a good solution where there is a clear distinction between my business activities and my role as representative of the Royal House, and that I have thus created room for greater freedom in my business activities."

The Princess has opened a second Instagram account for her business activities.

@martha.louise.intuitive

The Palace has also released a statement.  I used Google translate as the announcement is in Norwegian only.

"Use of title
Princess Märtha Louise, in consultation with her family, has decided that from now on she will not use the princess title in her business activities.
The princess will continue to use her title when representing the King's House and in a private context, but will use her name (Märtha Louise) when she runs a profitable business."

https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_VakA6HvvSxa-12kXXbOyMg


http://royalmusingsblogspotcom.blogspot.com/2019/05/princess-martha-louise-announces-she-is.html

http://royalmusingsblogspotcom.blogspot.com/2019/05/martha-says-she-will-live-with-shaman.html


http://royalmusingsblogspotcom.blogspot.com/2019/05/martha-and-durek-talk-about-their-love.html


http://royalmusingsblogspotcom.blogspot.com/2019/05/church-changes-mind-says-no-to-princess.html


http://royalmusingsblogspotcom.blogspot.com/2019/05/martha-louises-use-of-her-title-causing.html

http://royalmusingsblogspotcom.blogspot.com/2019/06/king-harald-confirms-conversation-with.html

http://royalmusingsblogspotcom.blogspot.com/2019/05/crown-prince-haakon-talks-about-sisters.html


http://royalmusingsblogspotcom.blogspot.com/2019/05/will-martha-louise-give-up-her-title.html

Princess Ilona of Liechtenstein (1921-2019)

The Princely House of Liechtenstein has announced the death of HSH Princess Ilona of Liechtenstein.   She died on August 2nd at the age of 98.

The official announcement does not state where she died.

Princess Ilona was the second wife of Prince Constantin Franz Nikolaus Karl Heinrich Dagobert Anton von Padua Ildefons Maria of Liechtenstein  (1911-2001) His first wife, Maria Elisabeth von Leutzendorff who was killed in an air raid on  Vienna in September 1944.

Countess Ilona Mária Antonia Erzsébet Gabrielle Katharina Karolina Esterházy von Galántha was born at Sárosd, Hungary,  on May 17, 1921, the first of three children of  Count László Alexander Hubert Felix József Esterházy von Galántha and Countess Sarolta Széchényi v.Sárvár-Felsövidék.

Her first marriage Ilona was first married at Budapest on August 23, 1943 to Count Miklós Cziráky v.Czirák u.Dénesfalva, took place at Budapest on August 23, 1943. The marriage ended tragedy just a year later in September 1944  when  Count Miklós was killed in action at Arad, Romania.

The couple did not have any children.

Princess Ilona is survived by her younger brother, Count Bela Esterházy von Galántha.

Ilona' married Prince Constantin  in a civil ceremony at Vaduz.  The religious ceremony took place at the cathedral in Vaduz on January 10, 1977.

The official announcement states that the late Prince Constantin was Prince Hans Adam II's uncle.  This is incorrect.

Prince Constantin was the fourth child of Johannes Franz Alfred Maria Caspar Melchior Balthasar of Liechtenstein and Countess  Maria Andrássy von Czik-Szent-Király u.Krasna-Horka   Prince Constantin was a first cousin of the late Prince Franz Joseph II of Liechtenstein (1906-1989), the eldest son of {which would make Hans Adam his first cousin once removed.

The funeral will take place on August 16 in the cathedral.  This will be followed by internment in the family crypt in Vaduz.

https://www.vaterland.li/liechtenstein/vermischtes/prinzessin-ilona-von-und-zu-liechtenstein-verstorben;art171,395228