HGD Stéphanie's Family - The de Lannoys

[julliette]

The castle is really beautiful. I like the fact that it is surrounded by water... It gives it a special charm

[claypoint2]

Originally Posted by IslandDweller

I hope it's okay that I've taken the liberty of starting a thread on Stephanie's family. Her sister-in-law Beatrice Spates - wife of her eldest brother Jehan - has a varied lineage. She was born in 1968 in Washington DC to Alfred Waters Spates of Maryland USA and Belgian aristocrat Marie Renée Kneppelhout van Sterkenberg.

If I am not mistaken, the Belgian noble title in Beatrice Spates's family was carried by her maternal grandmother, Countess Madeleine du Chastel de la Howarderie, who married Cornelius Kneppelhout van Sterkenburg (not Sterkenberg), a Dutch man. The Kneppelhout van Sterkenburg family does not belong to the Belgian aristocracy, although some of its members may have carried the title of Jonkheer (Esquire) in the Netherlands.

[IslandDweller]

Thanks for that info, claypoint2. I always think of "aristocrat" as being a more fluid term, to describe a high-bred, highly-placed person with nobility/gentry in their family tree, and that one can be an aristocrat without being a noble. However, I know that's probably more of a personal interpretation.

Regardless, I'm glad someone's contributed to this interesting topic.

[Marengo]

The Knepelhout van Sterkenburg family at least belongs to the Dutch patriciate. In the Netherlands the difference between the nobility and the patriciate isn't all that large and the two usually intermarried. The Knepelhourts married into well known families like the Beelaerts van Bloklands and the Rijckevorsels.

---
BTW Stephanie's sister-in-law Jkvr. Alice van Havre is somewhat related to Queen Mathilde. Her uncle Jhr. Roland van Havre married Jkvr. Marie-Madeleine Kervyn d' Oud Mooreghem. After she became a widow, Marie-Madeleine married Count Henri d'Udekem d'Acoz, eldest brother of Mathilde's father Patrick.

[principessa]

Stephanie has become an aunt again. Her brother Christian and his wife Luisa got parents of her third child, Jaques at Stephanie's birthday.
Luxarazzi : New Nephew for the Hereditary Grand Duchess

[Rayarena]

Yes, I saw all four parts. It's excellent. I was happy to see Stephanie included and participating in a discussion about her husband's great-grandmother. My French is not that good, but at some moment something was said about the Lannoy's in relation to the late President Roosevelt. Are the Lannoy's somehow related to Roosevelt? Also, my French is good enough to understand that the late Grand Duchess Charlotte was a close friend of Roosevelt. Am I correct, however, did they say at some point that Roosevelt's ancestors may have been Luxembourgish and that's why there was such an affinity between Charlotte and Roosevelt? By the way, Charlotte was amazing. I had no idea that she was in her youth such an attractive woman, so tall, poised and dignified, and what I would call elegance personified.

[Moonmaiden23]

Yes Rayarena, the De Lannoys apparently have a Dutch/Flemish line of descent and a French one. America's great WWII president, Roosevelt, was from the Dutch branch through his mother Sara Delano. "Delano" is an Americanized version of De Lannoy.

Grand Duchess Charlotte and her son then-Prince Jean, made a State visit to the US in April 1963. The State Dinner given them by JFK and Jackie is considered one of the most memorable and elegant in White House history. You can see video of it on Youtube. Jacqueline Kennedy was pregnant, and she and the Grand Duchess discussed the fact that her daughter-in-law Josephine Charlotte was also expecting.

Sadly,Jackie's infant son died soon after birth that summer but Josephine-Charlotte gave birth to Prince Guillaume weeks later.

There exists a boulevard in Luxembourg named for President Kennedy, and dedicated to his memory.

[Lady Nimue]

Originally Posted by Moonmaiden23

Yes Rayarena, the De Lannoys apparently have a Dutch/Flemish line of descent and a French one. America's great WWII president, Roosevelt, was from the Dutch branch through his mother Sara Delano. "Delano" is an Americanized version of De Lannoy.

Fascinating, Moonmaiden23. Thank you for that little bit. I'd never been aware of that. Now I am.

[Moonmaiden23]

Hi Lady Nimue...neither was I, until Countess Stephanie de Lannoy married HGD Guillaume a couple of years ago. Then it was in all the Royalty magazines and articles.

You can see Stephanie discuss it a little in the videos above...fascinating!

[Sancia]

Originally Posted by Moonmaiden23

Yes Rayarena, the De Lannoys apparently have a Dutch/Flemish line of descent and a French one. America's great WWII president, Roosevelt, was from the Dutch branch through his mother Sara Delano. "Delano" is an Americanized version of De Lannoy.

Grand Duchess Charlotte and her son then-Prince Jean, made a State visit to the US in April 1963. The State Dinner given them by JFK and Jackie is considered one of the most memorable and elegant in White House history. You can see video of it on Youtube. Jacqueline Kennedy was pregnant, and she and the Grand Duchess discussed the fact that her daughter-in-law Josephine Charlotte was also expecting.

Sadly,Jackie's infant son died soon after birth that summer but Josephine-Charlotte gave birth to Prince Guillaume weeks later.

There exists a boulevard in Luxembourg named for President Kennedy, and dedicated to his memory.

The de Lannoy family who becames the Delano family is not the same de Lannoy family HGD belongs to. There are many de Lannoy families not at all related. However, FDR and HGD Stéphanie are very distant cousins as they share a common ancestor at the beginning of the 16th century.

[4Pam]

Those are interesting facts about Stephanie's family. Great to learn about it too.

[Moonmaiden23]

Originally Posted by Sancia

The de Lannoy family who becames the Delano family is not the same de Lannoy family HGD belongs to. There are many de Lannoy families not at all related. However, FDR and HGD Stéphanie are very distant cousins as they share a common ancestor at the beginning of the 16th century.

I didn't say anything about it being the exact same family...I mentioned different lines of descent from the de Lannoys, both Flemish/Dutch and French.

Franklin Delano Roosevelt is from the Dutch branch and is indeed distantly related to Stephanie, as she herself mentioned in the France2 documentary on Guillaume's grandmother.

[PrincessOfPeace]

I think Stephanie is very pretty and seems like she is adjusting well to royal life. Lady Diana Spencer whose lineage is far greater than Stephanie's had a much more difficult time with the transition from nobility to life at court.

[fandesacs2003]

Originally Posted by PrincessOfPeace

I think Stephanie is very pretty and seems like she is adjusting well to royal life. Lady Diana Spencer whose lineage is far greater than Stephanie's had a much more difficult time with the transition from nobility to life at court.

Stephanie is around 30 years old, and she is into a marriage which seems harmonius and happy. Diana was only twenty, marrying a quite "uknown" man to her, whose mind and heart was otherwhere,,. she was feeling this since the beginning.
United Kinkdom is not Luxembourg, and in top of that, apparently Dians was left "alone" into her new duties, without help or advise.
All these factors make that there is no comparison between the two ladies, hopefully for Stephanie.

[Sancia]

Originally Posted by Moonmaiden23

I didn't say anything about it being the exact same family...I mentioned different lines of descent from the de Lannoys, both Flemish/Dutch and French.

Franklin Delano Roosevelt is from the Dutch branch and is indeed distantly related to Stephanie, as she herself mentioned in the France2 documentary on Guillaume's grandmother.

It has been proved they don't belong to the same line of descent. They are related and share common ancestors but not the de Lannoy ancestors. As I said, de Lannoy is a very common name in Flanders and the North of France. All the people named de Lannoy are not different lines of descent of the sames ancestries. Not at all. It would be like suggestion everyone named Dupont or Smith are different lines of descent of an only family.

[Moonmaiden23]

Originally Posted by Sancia

It has been proved they don't belong to the same line of descent. They are related and share common ancestors but not the de Lannoy ancestors. As I said, de Lannoy is a very common name in Flanders and the North of France. All the people named de Lannoy are not different lines of descent of the sames ancestries. Not at all. It would be like suggestion everyone named Dupont or Smith are different lines of descent of an only family.

True Sancia, but the point is that she and President Roosevelt are distantly related and share a name...those are the salient points.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Delano_family
If the connection was insignificant, Stephanie would not have spoken of it.

[Sancia]

Originally Posted by Moonmaiden23

True Sancia, but the point is that she and President Roosevelt are distantly related and share a name...those are the salient points.

Delano family - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
If the connection was insignificant, Stephanie would not have spoken of it.

I did not denied FDR and HGD Stéphanie are sharing a name. What I am trying to explain is that they are not sharing de Lannoy ancestors. Wikipedia link's statement is that the Delano family's ancestor is Guisbert de Lannoy. All the serious genealogical researchers in France and Belgium have studied the alleged connection between Jean de Lannoy and Guilbert de Lannoy and the current conclusion they all agree with is that Guilbert de Lannoy has never existed and that no one knows for sure who were Jean de Lannoy's parents. The de Lannoy family HGD belongs to has its share of familial legend about the name connection with FDR. I am sorry for HGD who looks very sympathetic to me but it is a wrong genealogical fact. I am deeply involved in genealogical researches in France and I can't say anything other than it is a familial legend, one like many others we so like to believe in.

[JessRulz]

A few posts not relevant to the topic at hand have been removed. Please remember that we discourage comparisons between royals.

[Rayarena]

Originally Posted by PrincessOfPeace

I think Stephanie is very pretty and seems like she is adjusting well to royal life. Lady Diana Spencer whose lineage is far greater than Stephanie's had a much more difficult time with the transition from nobility to life at court.

All due respect, I would be hesitant to say that Diana Spencer's lineage is far greater than Stephanie's. Stephanie comes from one of the most prestigious families in Belgium and while the late Diana had royal lines of descent, so does Stephanie, but the Lannoy's date back to the 1300's, while the Spencers became ennobled much later in 1603.

[Moonmaiden23]

Not most prestigious only in Belgium, but on the Continent as well, with connections to the Royal House of France through the de Lignes.