Death & Funeral of Prince Henri, Count of Paris - 21 Jan. / 2 Feb. 2019


If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
See posts with no answers
Somebody said:
Not one royal house sent their reigning monarch, so while I agree that princess Lea wasn't the obvious choice, I didn't expect Philippe. Princess Astrid (godmother to prince Gaston) was the one I expected to attend (just like princess Sibilla, godmother of Louise-Margerite, was the Luxembourg representative).
Click to expand...

Yep, I did say either him or a more major part of the BRF (e.g. Astrid) - I was just explaining why I thought it would've been good for him to go ? I had him in mind because Queen Sofia was on the guest list but as a former queen I guess she was representing as a personal friend of the Orleans family.
Interesting no reigning monarchs went though. Maybe that was a "policy" which would also explain why Moulay Hassan went instead of his father (good for him to start going on engagements abroad).

An Ard Ri said:
Whilst I agree that I was surprised by Princess Léa attendance but perhaps the Belgian Royal Family had no real relationship with the late Count?
Click to expand...

Interesting point. I guess the BRF felt more obliged to send a representative due to the French speaking and Orleanist connections through King Louis Philippe they had with the late Count. Who knows, though, perhaps Lea herself was friends with the Orleans family.
 
Last edited:
Count of Paris was a private citizen of aristocratic origins. Why would anyone expect European heads of state at his funeral unless they were close personal friends?
 
Minister of Court said:
Count of Paris was a private citizen of aristocratic origins. Why would anyone expect European heads of state at his funeral unless they were close personal friends?
Click to expand...



True. Most of the attendees probably went on a personal basis. We’re making this a bigger issue than it is as I was just wondering - that’s all ?
 
maria-olivia said:
Princess Lea was not asked to represent Belgium , but is was her own will. She liked to be seen and pictured and I feel sorry about the un royal way she was dressed.
Click to expand...

HereditaryPrincess said:
Who knows, though, perhaps Lea herself was friends with the Orleans family.
Click to expand...

I also am inclined to think Princess Léa was attending as a friend in her own right, as she and the Réthys appear not to enjoy a close enough relationship to the main line of the Belgian royal family to be sent as their representative.
 
maria-olivia said:
There was a close relationship between the former Comte et Comtesse de Paris with Prince Leopold and Princess Astrid when they lived at the manoir d' Anjou. I think Princess Astrid is Princess Hélène Godmother. They attend Princess Astrid Wedding with Archduke Lorenz.
There was no close relationship between the late Comte de Paris and his second wife with King Baudouin, King Albert II and King Philippe.
Princess Lea was not asked to represent Belgium , but is was her own will. She liked to be seen and pictured and I feel sorry about the un royal way she was dressed.
Click to expand...

Both Astrid and Leopold served as godparents to Helene. She is Helene Astrid Leopoldine in honor of her godparents. Leopold was also godfather to Helene's son Count Louis. Since then the only royal godparent link to Belgium is Jean's son Gaston who has Princess Astrid as a godmother.
 
Spanish Royal Family has always been close to the Orleans because of the family ties of the Countess of Barcelona, especially Infanta Pilar. Prince of Asturias went to the funeral of the previous Count of Paris, and the infantas Cristina and Pilar to the one of the Countess. With Henri they have had less relationship, but they keep it with some of his brothers and sisters.

Queen Sofia is now charged with representing the family in this type of event ... Juan Carlos has never liked funerals and has mobility problems. Infanta Pilar was going to attend but she was admitted to the hospital on Saturday.
 
Duc_et_Pair said:
The Belgian non-attendance is even more remarkable since the late Prince Henri was born in Belgium, in Sint-Pieters-Woluwe (Woluwe-Saint-Pierre) and has lived there until WWII. The family d'Orléans lived at the Manoir d'Anjou between 1913 and 1940. The late prince was born there.

Manoir d'Anjou street view: https://blogikohvik.files.wordpress.com/2016/04/dsc_3086.jpg

Manoir d'Anjou park view: https://blogikohvik.files.wordpress.com/2016/04/dsc_3091.jpg
Click to expand...

What a striking residence. I agree about the underwhelming presence of the BRF at the funeral.

And I am beginning to think there may be a story behind it.:sad:
 
Moonmaiden23 said:
What a striking residence. I agree about the underwhelming presence of the BRF at the funeral.

And I am beginning to think there may be a story behind it.:sad:
Click to expand...

It may be a case of the newer generations of both families not being particularly close.

The late King Baudouin and Queen Fabiola were close to Henri Sr and Isabelle. There was also a friendship between certain of the Orléans children and the Belgian RF. However, Henri Jr did not maintain the ties that his parents had with some of their relations. His divorce from Marie-Thérèse and his civil remarriage to Micaela damaged his standing with certain relations with strong religious beliefs. At either Henri Sr or Isabelle's funeral, there was the matter of Fabiola walking past Micaela at the mass in order to offer the Sign of Peace to Marie-Thérèse (who, at the time, was still Henri Jr's wife according to the Catholic Church, since an annulment was not obtained until some years later). Henri Jr and Micaela rather withdrew into their own life in Paris.

Jean and Philomena seem better tasked with restoring links with their other royal relations.
 
Last edited:
:previous: The incident with Fabiola walking past Micaela to embrace the Duchess of Montpensier first at the Funeral Mass of Isabelle Comtesse de Paris is exactly the same one I read years ago and referred to in a previous post..thank you Benjamin! ;)

At the time, Point de Vue described this gesture by the then widowed queen of the Belgians as "pointed" and "theatrical".
 
Last edited:
Are there any news of Micaela's state of health…. I Wonder when she is gone, will be be buried in Dreux ?
 
Wonder if Micaela will be healthy enough to attend. Any news ????
 
Some first pictures from the mass today for the Henri , Count of Paris, in the church of Saint-Germain-l'Auxerrois


https://scontent.fath3-3.fna.fbcdn....=6e2536331143e04b55e41a65135017ba&oe=5D02A7D6
https://scontent.fath3-3.fna.fbcdn....=8c410b9093be4dddbd0de6aee0838d6c&oe=5D19BAC5
https://scontent.fath3-4.fna.fbcdn....=9dd2cc7b733ff2d83288815cb0ec8403&oe=5D4CB555
https://scontent.fath3-3.fna.fbcdn....=2ee8f2854de1d16d19981cd72d783024&oe=5D1DB467
https://scontent.fath3-3.fna.fbcdn....=c235ac831329c8a70886a289ff35e4b5&oe=5D0FDA80
https://scontent.fath3-4.fna.fbcdn....=a46854f96c21440500346c5a06a85819&oe=5D12FAC2
https://scontent.fath3-3.fna.fbcdn....=0b05c6603a1d6c4793dfc328667bb5f9&oe=5D4B49E1
https://scontent.fath3-4.fna.fbcdn....=a0117b0010222ca341b6ff83d13ec3ba&oe=5D19C728
https://scontent.fath3-3.fna.fbcdn....=a4f2b52ba38394e6ce7214cdb752aa06&oe=5D1D5F90
https://scontent.fath3-4.fna.fbcdn....=4d64af71b5d766b8eb21396ffd5998ce&oe=5D4F7096
https://scontent.fath3-4.fna.fbcdn....=40bef2c42d277af5569621ceda2a7393&oe=5D1C7E67
https://scontent.fath3-3.fna.fbcdn....=63143e9688e45992026253a05cea8b88&oe=5D05B59A
https://scontent.fath3-3.fna.fbcdn....=f63a81d64071bb0557c0a4387c2c90b7&oe=5D149A3C
 
Last edited:
Given its close proximity to the Louvre Palace the church of Saint-Germain l'Auxerrois was a royal Parish church and nice to see its still used by members of the defunct royal house.
 
I do not understand why the Duchess of Montpensier , his ex wife is sitting in the front such as Jean the Comte de Paris.
I should heve seen her next to her Son Eudes , duke d' Angoulème
 
I hope to see Don Duarte of Bragancia and Prince Michel of Greece.
 
But also the wife of Prince Jean did not attend. strange that there are no News about the Health status of the Dowager Countess of Paris.
 
Stefan said:
But also the wife of Prince Jean did not attend. strange that there are no News about the Health status of the Dowager Countess of Paris.
Click to expand...

Part of me very much doubts that we will ever see the Dowager Countess attend an Orléans family function again.

Sad, but not totally unexpected, one supposes.
 
:previous: Sadly I think the same. She has missed a few functions now IIRC.

This is a very poignant photo of the Duchess of Montpensier.
 
Where was Philomena? I believe I saw Prince Eudes with Marie-Liesse.

The Dutchman in me misses the flowers. The church is so cold. I saw the same in the Chapel in Dreux: no green, no flower decorations. The same with the funeral of Cardinal Danneels, so cold without green and flowers. But that is personal taste.
 
Last edited:
HereditaryPrincess said:
:previous: Sadly I think the same. She has missed a few functions now IIRC.

This is a very poignant photo of the Duchess of Montpensier.
Click to expand...

Thank you for sharing that picture, Hereditary Princess.

I noticed that the Duchess still wears a gold band on her left ring finger.

Hopefully both Marie-Thérèse and Micaëla will experience peace after what is surely a great loss to both of them.
 
Benjamin said:
Part of me very much doubts that we will ever see the Dowager Countess attend an Orléans family function again.

Sad, but not totally unexpected, one supposes.
Click to expand...
Could imagine that too. But they could at last provide some News about her health statues.
 
.

Here are some photos of the Dowager Countess of Paris at a mass for the late Count of Paris at the Saint Germain l Auxerrois church in Paris yesterday, April 1:


** ppe gallery ** profimedia gallery **
 
So not even the present Comte de Paris and his brother….I really Don't like Micaela very much but for me it is an insult !
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

Marengo
Jean, Comte de Paris, Head of the Royal House of France, Wife & Family 1, Feb 2019 -
10 11 12
Replies
350
Views
51K
Blog Real
Blog Real
E
Death & Funeral of Princess Alix of Luxembourg, Dowager Princess of Ligne: Feb. 2019
2
Replies
59
Views
14K
HereditaryPrincess
HereditaryPrincess

Latest posts

Back
Top Bottom