Engagement & wedding of Pss. Alix de Ligne and Guillaume de Dampierre - Feb&June 2016


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Congratulations to the now Countess Alix and Count Guillaume. :twohearts:

Thank you to everyone who provided photos, videos and info of the wedding.
Her wedding dress wasn't one of my favourites because I thought the fringes spoilt it. Without them, I would've liked it. The veil on the other hand is beautiful and it was interesting to read the history behind it. Is it the original veil or a replica? (I'm thinking along the lines of the British christening gown, when they had to make a replica for Viscount Severn because it got too frail.) It would be incredible if it were the original one from Napoleon II. The bridesmaids and page boys wore very nice outfits, I particularly like the bridesmaids dresses.

It was nice to see so many royal guests there. Was Prince Edouard de Ligne and his family there? I don't think I saw them in the photos. Chateau de Beloeil looks like a beautiful place for a reception!
 
The veil is indeed the original one. It's part of the lace that was used on the cot of "the king of Rome", the only child of Napoleon Bonaparte & Marie-Louise of Austria. It came into Alix's family through marriage... I don't know on which side of the family though. The fabric dates from 1811. As you can see it's decorated with bees, a very recurrent symbol of Napoleon's reign.
 
maria-olivia said:
It is Napoleon Ii's small baptism Veil worn before by Princess Christine de Ligne.
de Ligne Veil and Bragancia tiara.
Click to expand...
After Princess Amelia of Orleans-Braganca's wedding it was reported that the tiara was a Ligne heirloom. But it wasn't made clear if her mother, Princess Christine, had inherited it from her own family, or if it was a loan from the de Ligne relatives. Now that Princess Alix has worn it, I assume that it is owned by her father, Prince Michel de Ligne. I think that she would have worn the Ligne bandeau otherwise.

For those who don't usually follow tiara appearances:
This tiara was first seen when Princess Amelia of Orleans-Braganca married James Spearman in 2014. Some time later, pictures appeared that showed that Princess Christine of Orleans-Braganca (the aunt of Princess Alix de Ligne and mother of Amelia) had already worn this tiara at the pre-wedding of Guillaume and Stephanie in Luxembourg in 2012. This wedding is now the third time that we see this specific tiara.
 
Hannelore said:
The veil is indeed the original one. It's part of the lace that was used on the cot of "the king of Rome", the only child of Napoleon Bonaparte & Marie-Louise of Austria. It came into Alix's family through marriage... I don't know on which side of the family though. The fabric dates from 1811. As you can see it's decorated with bees, a very recurrent symbol of Napoleon's reign.
Click to expand...

The best link and possible connection would likely be through Caroline Bonaparte, Napoleon's sister. Though she had 2 daughters, the veil could have remained in the family with her DIL, the wife of her son Lucien. Lucien had one daughter Princess Anna. Anna's daughter died young, but her son married. She had one granddaughter Philipinna who married Eugene, 11th prince of Ligne. Eugene was Michel's grandfather.
 
carlota said:
i am not surprised - i would have renounced too if i were her. brazil has little chance of becoming a monarchy, and even if it did alix's position is so far down that it really is irrelevant to even think about requesting permission for her marriage.
Click to expand...

She and her then fiance visited her uncle to request his permission for their marriage be regarded as dynastic, and he denied, but gave his blessing to the union.

Even if the chances of a restoration in Brazil are small (and that's debatable), Princess Alix's rights to the throne weren't a mere afterthought for her.
 
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Queen Mathilde looks wonderful! And yes is icy blue!!
 
Indeed it is her wnderful ice blue dress .
Queen Mathilde should never do a "faux pas"
 
Cris M said:
She and her then fiance visited her uncle to request his permission for their marriage be regarded as dynastic, and he denied, but gave his blessing to the union.
Click to expand...
I must have missed that detail until now; personally I had hoped that Prince Luiz would grant his permission, just like his father had previously done for Princess Pia when she married the Count de Nicolay, and also taking into consideration the fact that there aren't much Brazilian dynasts left...
 
What is Princess Alix's title following her wedding?
 
MAfan said:
I must have missed that detail until now; personally I had hoped that Prince Luiz would grant his permission, just like his father had previously done for Princess Pia when she married the Count de Nicolay, and also taking into consideration the fact that there aren't much Brazilian dynasts left...
Click to expand...

I agree with you. Now I hope Prince Rafael and his sister will be able to marry accordingly the House rules.

An Ard Ri said:
What is Princess Alix's title following her wedding?
Click to expand...

Her Highness Countess Guillaume de Dampierre or Her Highness Princess Alix, Countess de Dampierre.
 
Oh, I didn't realise that Mathilde attended, that was a nice surprise (or for me at least). I didn't know that she was friends with the de Ligne/de Dampierre family. That was a great photo of her at the wedding.

If any of you have read my blogpost, there's of course an error in the title and it should read Beloeil instead of Brussels. I had been thinking of Brussels at the time I was writing it, and accidentally (and embarrassingly!) wrote that instead of the correct location. It should hopefully be changed soon as I've PM'd one of the blog administrators on it. Just thought I'd let you know because it had been raised to me by a poster earlier.

Hannelore said:
The veil is indeed the original one. It's part of the lace that was used on the cot of "the king of Rome", the only child of Napoleon Bonaparte & Marie-Louise of Austria. It came into Alix's family through marriage... I don't know on which side of the family though. The fabric dates from 1811. As you can see it's decorated with bees, a very recurrent symbol of Napoleon's reign.
Click to expand...

Thank you for answering my question, I just wanted a confirmation since I had presumed so but was a little unsure still on whether it was a replica or an original. :) As I said before, that's incredible. Yes, I saw the bees, I thought they were very pretty decorations - I didn't realise their association with the Napoleonic era, though.

Countessmeout said:
The best link and possible connection would likely be through Caroline Bonaparte, Napoleon's sister. Though she had 2 daughters, the veil could have remained in the family with her DIL, the wife of her son Lucien. Lucien had one daughter Princess Anna. Anna's daughter died young, but her son married. She had one granddaughter Philipinna who married Eugene, 11th prince of Ligne. Eugene was Michel's grandfather.
Click to expand...

Thank you for adding on further information, I'd wondered about how it had been passed down too. I agree, that seems like the connection that makes the most sense.
 
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The bridal couple looks nice together and naturally very happy and in love.
Queen Mathilde in her pale ice-blue dress looked so lovely. Also liked the outfit Princess Tessy of Luxembourg wore. Other ladies looked quite boring.
 
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HereditaryPrincess said:
Oh, I didn't realise that Mathilde attended, that was a nice surprise (or for me at least). I didn't know that she was friends with the de Ligne/de Dampierre family.
Click to expand...

The de Ligne family ranks among the top of the Belgian aristocracy in Belgium. They're one of 7 families who are allowed to carry the title "prince". As such they've always frequented the Belgian royals. And they've been princes in Belgium far longer than the royal family - who were (German) princes of Saksen-Coburg before 1830 of course.

At the Jordanian state visit to Belgium last month, Alix's parents were among the guests: https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-GV1QHWLm...8cacwoWGCyLVNYU2vFg0KBzUcmwCLcB/s1600/00b.JPG

And it was at the castle of Beloeil that prince Philippe first met Marie-Alix d'Udekem who later presented him to her sister Mathilde... Queen Mathilde: Family: Marie-Alix d'Udekem
 
The King and the Queen of the Belgians never attend Princely and noble Belgian wedding.
Queen Mathilde came only for congratulations. Well done !
 
Hannelore said:
The de Ligne family ranks among the top of the Belgian aristocracy in Belgium. They're one of 7 families who are allowed to carry the title "prince". As such they've always frequented the Belgian royals. And they've been princes in Belgium far longer than the royal family - who were (German) princes of Saksen-Coburg before 1830 of course.

At the Jordanian state visit to Belgium last month, Alix's parents were among the guests: https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-GV1QHWLm...8cacwoWGCyLVNYU2vFg0KBzUcmwCLcB/s1600/00b.JPG

And it was at the castle of Beloeil that prince Philippe first met Marie-Alix d'Udekem who later presented him to her sister Mathilde... Queen Mathilde: Family: Marie-Alix d'Udekem
Click to expand...

I'm aware of the status of the de Ligne family, however I didn't know that they outrank the BRF in the terms of how long they have lived in Belgium. I'd forgotten about the BRF being German princes originally, which is strange since I always knew that they were members of the House of Saxe-Coburg Gotha.
Thank you for sharing the photos as well, they were nice to see - I like seeing old photos of royals and aristocrats.
 
HereditaryPrincess said:
I'm aware of the status of the de Ligne family, however I didn't know that they outrank the BRF in the terms of how long they have lived in Belgium. I'd forgotten about the BRF being German princes originally, which is strange since I always knew that they were members of the House of Saxe-Coburg Gotha.
Click to expand...

When Belgium became independent, the throne was offered to the then Prince de Ligne, but he said no. Had he accepted, this thread could be about the wedding of Princess Alix of Belgium.
 
We always learned that the de Ligne hoped to asked to be King.

The coalition of then choose Prince Leopold of SCG who had an excellent Reputation and so sadly lost his wife , his Son and his Throne to be King of the Belgians. He accepted after refusing the Throne of Greece.
 
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Tatania , it was a Tradition.

If they attend one , they have to attend all. They send their Children or Family
 
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