Count Evrard of Limburg-Stirum and Princess Helene of France - 1957


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In 1957 Princess Helene of France, 2nd daughter of the count and countess of Paris, married count Evrard of Limburg-Stirum in Dreux, Normandy, France. The gown was designed by Dior. The princess wears the tiara that her mother received from the Action Française.


Noblesse & royautes posted a link to this video today:

Mariage de la princesse Hélène d'Orléans et du Comte de Limbourg - Vidéo Ina.fr

Among the guests were Queen Frederica of Greece, Prince Juan Carlos of Spain and Princess Alexandra of Kent.

According the the Leeuwarder Courant there was a pre-wedding dinner the evening before the wedding at the Manoir de Coeur Volent in Louveciennes, the residence of the count of Paris. (Note that Proust used this manoir as his inspiration for the house of the indefeatable Madame Verdurin)

The dinner was attended by Q. Frederika, CP Constantine and Princess Sofia of Greece, Prince Victor-Emmanuel of Italy, Prince Juan Carlos of Spain, Pss Alexandra of Kent, Prince Jean of Luxembourg.

The wedding costed the count of Paris 50.000 euros (re-calculated and not indexed to the present day value) and it was pointed out that the count still had 10 other children that needed to get married. They also point out that the second night of the bridal weeks was supposed to be spent in Moulins. However, when the couple arrived in the village, all hotels were fully booked due to an agricultural exhibition.
 
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Thank you! I love watching videos of past Royal weddings, those were the days. Sigh.
 
On the front page of Paris Match , her Wedding Picture and "les plus beaux yeux de France". France most beautiful eyes !
I don't know the Count of Paris was that happy her daughter marrying a belgian Count? But Evrard was really a charming Man , it was a love wedding until the end.
 
On the front page of Paris Match , her Wedding Picture and "les plus beaux yeux de France". France most beautiful eyes !
I don't know the Count of Paris was that happy her daughter marrying a belgian Count? But Evrard was really a charming Man , it was a love wedding until the end.

The family Van Limburg Stirum is one of the most ancient noble Houses in Europe, spread over the Low Countries and neighbourging Germany. I think, for a Princess of a long non-reigning family, it was a good match.

Prince Henri d'Orléans (the father of the bride) was one of the most disastrous Chefs of the House ever, so a possible "mésalliance" of his daughter was the least of his problems, I think.

Prince Henri inherited the fortune of the House of Orleans, worth hundreds of millions. The inheritance included a manor house in Brussels, a château in the Ardennes, a palazzo in Palermo, a ranch in Portugal, an estate in Louveciennes and most of Neuilly, as well as hundreds of paintings and millions worth of diamonds that once belonged to Queen Marie-Antoinette.

When Henri died nothing was left. The current Duc d'Orléans once stated that, in spiriting away the family fortune, his late father had accomplished a feat unmatched even by the Revolution...


:ermm:
 
Count Evrard's Father was one of the 3 Belgian members of the Golden Fleece.
but his son Thierry has in Huldenberg a bed and breakfast.
 
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The family Van Limburg Stirum is one of the most ancient noble Houses in Europe, spread over the Low Countries and neighbourging Germany. I think, for a Princess of a long non-reigning family, it was a good match.

Prince Henri d'Orléans (the father of the bride) was one of the most disastrous Chefs of the House ever, so a possible "mésalliance" of his daughter was the least of his problems, I think.

Prince Henri inherited the fortune of the House of Orleans, worth hundreds of millions. The inheritance included a manor house in Brussels, a château in the Ardennes, a palazzo in Palermo, a ranch in Portugal, an estate in Louveciennes and most of Neuilly, as well as hundreds of paintings and millions worth of diamonds that once belonged to Queen Marie-Antoinette.

When Henri died nothing was left. The current Duc d'Orléans once stated that, in spiriting away the family fortune, his late father had accomplished a feat unmatched even by the Revolution...


:ermm:
Added to all that he wasn't the nicest of men either. You can't blame a troubled marriage on just one of the two involved but the Countess had to put up with alot.
 
Added to all that he wasn't the nicest of men either. You can't blame a troubled marriage on just one of the two involved but the Countess had to put up with alot.

Well that is why they separated i guess
 
I don't know the Count of Paris was that happy her daughter marrying a belgian Count?

Well, apart from being ancient family, Limburg family was also belonged to the list of mediatized families with the same rights as the reigning ones, although the Count didn't belong to the mediatized branch.

Apart from that, Evrard's mother was also mediatized Princess, so, for the Princess of non-reigning family and for that time, when a lot of royalty started marrying non-royals, it could be said that it was "good enough", imo.
 
Well, apart from being ancient family, Limburg family was also belonged to the list of mediatized families with the same rights as the reigning ones, although the Count didn't belong to the mediatized branch.

Apart from that, Evrard's mother was also mediatized Princess, so, for the Princess of non-reigning family and for that time, when a lot of royalty started marrying non-royals, it could be said that it was "good enough", imo.

Specially when one compares it with the marriage of her youngest sister Chantal who married a french Baron.
 
Well, apart from being ancient family, Limburg family was also belonged to the list of mediatized families with the same rights as the reigning ones, although the Count didn't belong to the mediatized branch.

Apart from that, Evrard's mother was also mediatized Princess, so, for the Princess of non-reigning family and for that time, when a lot of royalty started marrying non-royals, it could be said that it was "good enough", imo.
The today extant branches of the House of Limburg-Stirum do not, to my knowledge, belong to the mediatized houses being descended from earlier cadet branches and not to the reigning family that went extinct before 1815. That said, mediatized or not, they still belong to one of the oldest Houses in Western Europe whose anciennity is only matched by the Houses of Capet, Brabant and a few others.
 
At that time , before 1960 ana a few years later ,the eldest Princesses of France Isabelle , Hélène , Anne and Diane often so often seen. Their hairdresser was Alexandre de Paris .
Remember the two Wurtenberg Weddings
 
The today extant branches of the House of Limburg-Stirum do not, to my knowledge, belong to the mediatized houses being descended from earlier cadet branches and not to the reigning family that went extinct before 1815. That said, mediatized or not, they still belong to one of the oldest Houses in Western Europe whose anciennity is only matched by the Houses of Capet, Brabant and a few others.

Yes, I said that Count does not belong to the mediatized line, but still, your point is right. Limburg-Stirum family does belong to the House of Berg-Altena which goes back to 11th century, when the first Count Adolf I von Berg was born, way back in 1045.
 
Yes, I said that Count does not belong to the mediatized line, but still, your point is right. Limburg-Stirum family does belong to the House of Berg-Altena which goes back to 11th century, when the first Count Adolf I von Berg was born, way back in 1045.

In 1874 Prince Willem, the Prince of Orange, requested permission from his parents (King Willem III and Queen Sophie of the Netherlands born Princess von Württemberg) to marry Anna Mathilde gravin Van Limburg Stirum.

Both King Willem III and Queen Sophie saw this as a mésalliance. Also the countess' parents (Leopold graaf and Julie Marie gravin Van Limburg Stirum née Barre) were against the proposed alliance.

The Dutch Government however (Minister of Justice Gerrit de Vries Azn, the then "Prime Minister", and Minister of Colonies Isaäc Dignus Franssen van de Putte) made pleas in favour of the Prince of Orange, realizing that chances on furtherer serious liasons amoureuses by the Prince were rare. Reportedly the King was furious by the ministers' interference in what he regarded as a private matter.
 
Yes, I said that Count does not belong to the mediatized line, but still, your point is right. Limburg-Stirum family does belong to the House of Berg-Altena which goes back to 11th century, when the first Count Adolf I von Berg was born, way back in 1045.
Added to that through their Ezzonid ancestors they can be traced further back to the 9th century.
 
In 1874 Prince Willem, the Prince of Orange, requested permission from his parents (King Willem III and Queen Sophie of the Netherlands born Princess von Württemberg) to marry Anna Mathilde gravin Van Limburg Stirum.

Both King Willem III and Queen Sophie saw this as a mésalliance. Also the countess' parents (Leopold graaf and Julie Marie gravin Van Limburg Stirum née Barre) were against the proposed alliance.

The Dutch Government however (Minister of Justice Gerrit de Vries Azn, the then "Prime Minister", and Minister of Colonies Isaäc Dignus Franssen van de Putte) made pleas in favour of the Prince of Orange, realizing that chances on furtherer serious liasons amoureuses by the Prince were rare. Reportedly the King was furious by the ministers' interference in what he regarded as a private matter.


Interesting information, thank you for sharing.
 
In 1874 Prince Willem, the Prince of Orange, requested permission from his parents (King Willem III and Queen Sophie of the Netherlands born Princess von Württemberg) to marry Anna Mathilde gravin Van Limburg Stirum.

Both King Willem III and Queen Sophie saw this as a mésalliance. Also the countess' parents (Leopold graaf and Julie Marie gravin Van Limburg Stirum née Barre) were against the proposed alliance.

The Dutch Government however (Minister of Justice Gerrit de Vries Azn, the then "Prime Minister", and Minister of Colonies Isaäc Dignus Franssen van de Putte) made pleas in favour of the Prince of Orange, realizing that chances on furtherer serious liasons amoureuses by the Prince were rare. Reportedly the King was furious by the ministers' interference in what he regarded as a private matter.

Did at this time the members of the dutch Roxal Family not need the permission of the Parliament fo a marriage like it is now? If that was the case such a marriage would habe not been a private matter.
 
Did at this time the members of the dutch Roxal Family not need the permission of the Parliament fo a marriage like it is now? If that was the case such a marriage would habe not been a private matter.

Yes, the procedure was identical as now. But of course the Government had to offer (and defend) a Bill of Consent for this marriage with Anna Mathilde gravin Van Limburg Stirum. And one member of said Government was against: the King...

According the third thick pile of the three Koningsbiografieën, the author Dik van der Meulen stated that King Willem III was -with the knife on his throat- willing to accept a foreign highborn lady. But a marriage with a Dutch freule (= synonym for an unmarried female noble) was absolutely unacceptable for the King.
 
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This has nothing to do with Count Evrard and Countess Hélène.
They have a very private life .
Catherine their only daughter was member of a "Secte " when she was young. Now she has a normal fife .
Comtess Hélène went recently in France where she is "Marraine" of the Regiment where her beloved late Brother François was Serving .
A great Lady !
 
This has nothing to do with Count Evrard and Countess Hélène.
They have a very private life .
Catherine their only daughter was member of a "Secte " when she was young. Now she has a normal fife .
Comtess Hélène went recently in France where she is "Marraine" of the Regiment where her beloved late Brother François was Serving .
A great Lady !
What is a "Marraine"?
 
In a family it is the Godmother , but in the Army "Marraine d'un Régiment " in english I don't know. Sorry about that.
 
In a family it is the Godmother , but in the Army "Marraine d'un Régiment " in english I don't know. Sorry about that.
Thanks, I get what you mean now even if I can't think of a special word for it.
 
In 1874 Prince Willem, the Prince of Orange, requested permission from his parents (King Willem III and Queen Sophie of the Netherlands born Princess von Württemberg) to marry Anna Mathilde gravin Van Limburg Stirum.

Both King Willem III and Queen Sophie saw this as a mésalliance. Also the countess' parents (Leopold graaf and Julie Marie gravin Van Limburg Stirum née Barre) were against the proposed alliance.

Countess Mathilde of Limburg-Stirum has some interesting descendants such as:

Samantha Cameron, wife of former Prime minister of Great Britain, David Cameron.

Cara Delevingne, famous fashion-model and actress.

The Hon. Mrs Timothy Knatchbull, daughter in law of late Patricia, Countess Mountbatten of Burma.
 
Paris Match said from Princess Hélène : les plus beaux yeux de France !
 
Princess Helene has been widowed since 2001 and is a happy grandmother of 10 grandchildren. And she has been living at Huldenberg ever since.
 
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