Queen Mathilde's Family - d'Udekem d'Acoz

[maria-olivia]

He could not have done this !

 

[Marchesina]

He could not have done this !

why? he's a distant relative of the Queen, it's not like he's a member of the royal family or lives with belgians' money

 

[Marengo]

I suppose he is free to do whatever he wants, he has citizen rights like everybody else. But it isn't advisable for relatives of royals to be too outspoken.

If I understand correctly the VCP is a fringe party that started due to dissatisfaction with the course of the CD&V (Christian Democrats). I assume that they are very conservative. The party didn't get any seats during the previous Flemish elections btw.

The count (and his brother Henri) had a fight with their brother Patrick that lasted two decades about the inheritance of their mother. It seems that things are mended now, though the count said in an interview that he doesn't see Mathilde often and that he doesn't have her phone number.

Apparently count Raoul is also the godfather of Pss Mathilde:

Dooppeter Mathilde blikt vooruit op troonswissel

 

[Marengo]

'Nonkel Henri', count Henri d'Udekem d'Acoz (eldest brother of Mathilde's father, the late count Patrick) has donated his castle, the Couthof in Proven, Poperinge, to his nephew Count Bernhard d'Udekem d'Acoz.

Count Henri doesn't have any children himself. 'Bernhard is the only son of count Raoul d'Udekem, who is the 2nd of the Udekem brothers. Bernhard will be the 'head' of the family after his uncle and father pass away. Although the castle is on his name, he has no plans to move yet. His uncle and aunt will remain in the castle for now.

Count Bernhard is a civil engeneer and lives in Ruddervoorde and used to be a member of the municipial counsil. He is married to the historian Jkvr. Marie-Pierre Verhaegen and has two sons (Pierre and François) and one daughter (Charlotte). They already live in a castle; castle Raepenburg in Ruddervoorde that used to belong to the Outryve d'Ydewalle family of the mother of count Henri. His wife is the author of a book about Belgian nobles in the resistance movement during WWII btw.

The castle will be renovated. Lately the house has fallen a bit in decay, count Henri has even received an official warning from the monument organisation & risks a fine if he lets the property fall apart further. After the renovations the castle will be open to the public on saturdays from 10.00- 16.00.

Couthof in Proven blijft in familie | Focus & WTV

Neef Mathilde krijgt kasteel Couthof | HLN Poperinge

Courtesy: ATR

 

[Marengo]

Raoul d' Udekem d'Acoz, uncle and godfather of Queen Mathilde, gave an interview to VTM's royalty. The count said that Flemish seperatist politician Bart de Wever is right: ' Belgium is an impossible country, Flanders and Wallonia are two seperate republics'.

he does have praise for the king and queen and says that they are doing well. He also adds that with Frank van Daele they have a very wise counsillor.

The count used to be a member of the Christian Democrat party and is a Fleming.

http://www.nieuwsblad.be/article/detail.aspx?articleid=DMF20141019_01329207

Edit:
note that in 2009 the count was accusing his Losange nieces and nephew of mending the family feud with their uncle Henri for material reasons: the uncle doesn't have any children and the inheritance still has to be devided. They did not go to count Raoul yet, as he says he has 4 children that will share his inheritance.

http://www.clint.be/nieuws/prinses-mathilde-aast-op-erfenis-nonkel-henri

In 2014 Count Raoul repeated once again that there was no contact with the Losange branch of the family.

http://www.hln.be/hln/nl/922/Nieuws...van-koningin-Mathilde-wil-huurder-kwijt.dhtml

 

[Marengo]

An article from 18 october 2014 about Henri d'Udekem d'Acoz, Mathilde's uncle:

Oom van Mathilde verdacht van oplichting - De Standaard

http://www.7sur7.be/7s7/fr/1502/Bel...athilde-devant-le-juge-pour-escroquerie.dhtml

Apparently the count is suspected of fraud. Together with another suspect he tried to take 100.000 euros in bribes from a man, by selling plots of agriculture land as plots of plots of land where it is allowed to build on, with the promise to arrange building permits. This has been going on for 4 years.

When the article was printed, the court in Gent was taking the case into consideration.

***

This was followed up by this article from 15 April 2015.

http://www.gva.be/cnt/dmf20150415_0...es-moet-hij-binnenkort-naar-de-strafrechtbank

The case has been sent to the court in Gent. The second suspect is Henri's employe Hans Velle. The plaintive is Hugo Wolfcarius.

The count denies involvement. But apparently there is an illigally recorded tape in the possession of Wolfcarius where Henri says that he is the 'boss' in this affair.

There is no evidence that a payment was ever made.

***
And another one from April 28th.

http://kw.knack.be/west-vlaanderen/...eeuwt-onschuld-uit/article-normal-181049.html

The count is recovering from an operation of his prostate. He can already sit in a chair but due to his knees has to use a wheel chair. His wife Marie-Madeleine is taking care of him.

They decline to say anything about the case, other than that the count is innocent.

 

[leidi]

Mathilde is such a great queen, too bad she keeps being kinda dragged down by her family, her father and uncles have really liked to do things the "wrong" way.

 

[maria-olivia]

Mathilde loves to be Queen , you are right about her family even her own late Father!

 

[Marengo]

The family seems to have (had) a troubled relationship indeed. There seems to be an amount of bad blood between the uncles and Mathilde's mother in particular. I suppose one could argue that it was a good preparation for HM's life with her in-laws.

For now the uncle is only a suspect so let's see how things will develop.

 

[Biri]

What had her father done?

 

[eya]

Were the family of Queen Mathilde live?I mean the sisters and brother?

 

[Duc_et_Pair]

Mathilde's eldest sister Elisabeth Countess d'Udekem d'Acoz is married with the Marquess Alfonso Pallavicini. She lives in Belgium, France and in Italy. The Marquess Pallavicini was in the board of BNP Paribas but has now joined a private equities firm in Brussels.

Mathilde's youngest sister Hélène Countess d'Udekem d'Acoz is married with the Baron Nicolas Janssen. The family is one of the richest of Belgium. Baron Nicolas Janssen worked at the Cabinet of the Prime Minister. I believe at the moment he is in the diplomatic service. They live in the Brussels region.

Mathilde's mother the Dowager Countess Patrick d'Udekem d'Acoz née Anne Marie Countess Komorowska lives with her son (Mathilde's only brother) Charles-Henri Count d'Udekem d'Acoz on the Château de Losange in Villers-la-Bonne-Eau (deep in the Ardennes). As Mathilde's father was a younger son, he inherited a "smaller" domain than his elder brothers who live at Couthof in Poperinge (Charles) and Raepenburg in Ruddervoorde (Raoul). The lack of monumentality however is compensated with the fantastic green surroundings where Mathilde's parent and brother live, the magnifique lush green Ardennes forests.

 

[eya]

Thank you very much who answer me.

 

[eya]

They know what job do Mathilde brother?

 

[Lee-Z]

They know what job do Mathilde brother?

According to their website he is an attorney at the company "Urban Law"

 

[eya]

I don't know they have website thanks Lee-Z.

 

[Duc_et_Pair]

UrbanLaw sounds as a cool lawyers' office with hipsters etc. The partners forming the office however are remarkably "wellborn" and reside at the chique Avenue Lloyd George in Brussels: Pierre-Anne Countess du Monceau de Bergendal (specialized in corporate law), Charles-Henri Count d'Udekem d'Acoz (specialized in town planning and regulation law), Laure Countess de Riollet de Morteuil (specialized in civil real estate law)...

 

[Duc_et_Pair]

The d'Udekem d'Acoz family really almost exclusively marrries with nobility.

Queen Mathilde's own father Patrick Count d'Udekem d'Acoz married Anne Marie Countess Komorowska.

Mathilde's eldest sister Elisabeth Countess d'Udekem d'Acoz married Alfonso Margrave Pallavicini. They have two children: Olympia and Adalberto, niece respectively nephew to Queen Mathilde.

Mathilde's youngest sister Hélène Countess d'Udekem d'Acoz married Nicolas Baron Janssen. They have two children: Cordelia and Alastair, niece respectively nephew to Queen Mathilde.

Mathilde's eldest uncle Henri Count d'Udekem d'Acoz is married to Jonkvrouw Marie-Madeleine (of the barons) Kervyn d'Oud Mooreghem. The couple have no children.

Mathilde's youngest uncle Raoul Count d'Udekem d'Acoz is married to Jonkvrouw Françoise (of the barons) de Maere d'Aertrijcke. They have four children, they are Queen Mathilde's cousins:

- Anne Countess d'Udekem d'Acoz (unmarried)

- Diane Countess d'Udekem d'Acoz is marrried to Jonkheer Benoît de Lhoneux. They have six children: Arnaud, Blandine, Évrard, Juliette, Cécile and Ferdinand.

- Bernard Count d'Udekem d'Acoz is married to Jonkvrouw Marie-Pierre Verhaegen. They have three children: Pierre, Charlotte and François.

- Nadine Countess d'Udekem d'Acoz is married to Jonkheer Pierre-Alexandre (of the Knights) David. They have three children: Héloïse, Clément and Victor.

 

[eya]

Is very interested to see the future wife the Mathilde brother if he break the tradition.

 

[Duc_et_Pair]

Is very interested to see the future wife the Mathilde brother if he break the tradition.

Some while ago I have read rumours about Charles-Henri and a certain lady De Hemptinne. That is a Belgian noble family. We will see...

 

[eya]

Why almost this noble families from Germany,Belgium, Austria etc. married always another nobles and the royals don't?

 

[Lee-Z]

Why almost this noble families from Germany,Belgium, Austria etc. married always another nobles and the royals don't?

Maybe not a popular opinion but what i think:
reigning royal families are sure of their position and don't necessarily *need* a marriage to keep up the standard. Noble families, especially in countries were nobility doesn't really matter anymore, have much greater need to keep the name and fame as they are, and that is often established by marrying into an equal (or higher ranked) family

 

[eya]

It has a logical your opinion. I think and something else. Maybe manages to keep in closed cycle on the dating between them to zeroed which others chances. Maybe is excessive but is the view.

 

[Duc_et_Pair]

Maybe not a popular opinion but what i think:
reigning royal families are sure of their position and don't necessarily *need* a marriage to keep up the standard. Noble families, especially in countries were that doesn't really matter anymore, have much greater need to keep the name and fame as they are, and that is often established by marrying into an equal (or higher ranked) family

I agree with that observation but to my personal opinion also reigning royal families should remain connected to the grand dynasties which are all linked and very intertwined with regional, national and international histories through the centuries.

No any marriage, neither between 'commoners', between 'blue blood' or a mix of it guarantees succes. But for me someone as Lady Melissa Percy (daughter of the 12th Duke of Northumberland) as a partner for Prince William or Prince Harry speaks so much more than a Kate Middleton or Chelsey Davy. She brings history, greatness and a bit of Downton Abbey with her. It is the same as Lady Serena Stanhope (daughter of the 12th Earl of Harrington), Lady Diana Spencer (daughter of the 8th Earl Spencer), Marie-Christine von Reibnitz (daughter of a Baron von Reibnitz and a Countess Szapáry von Muraszombath, Széchysziget und Szapár). They bring something extra that a Chelsy Davy, Mike Tindall or Sophie Winkleman don't.

Exactly because the world of royalty and nobility is such an apart, exclusive world, I became intrigued. When they become just ordinary like you and me then the 'specialness' to follow them disappears quickly. When looking to a Laurentien Brinkhorst, a Daniel Westling or a Letizia Ortiz, I feel like watching actors playing a role. Mathilde d'Udekem d'Acoz and Stéphanie de Lannoy are often seen as "boring" but I like their style more. That is just a personal feeling.

 

[dbarn67]

Why almost this noble families from Germany,Belgium, Austria etc. married always another nobles and the royals don't?

My personal speculation is there more wills like that of the grandfather of Prince Gustav of Berleberg, who's last will and testament require marriages (if no specifically Aryan) to those of equal or higher rank to be able to inherit what ever's left in the family coffers. My gut tells me that the will was like others of that particular social set of the time.

 

[Duc_et_Pair]

My personal speculation is there more wills like that of the grandfather of Prince Gustav of Berleberg, who's last will and testament require marriages (if no specifically Aryan) to those of equal or higher rank to be able to inherit what ever's left in the family coffers. My gut tells me that the will was like others of that particular social set of the time.

I don't think there is any Will needed. We need to take into account that the nobility and the patriciate ("old money") is a natural habitat where "us knows us". When we see that the brother of Queen Mathilde, Charles-Henri comte d'Udekem d'Acoz is with two other noble ladies (Pierre-Anne comtesse du Monceau de Bergendal and Laure comtesse de Riollet de Morteuil) associate of a law firm, than it says a lot. Despite years of study at various universities (Charles-Henri in Paris, Pierre-Anne in Madrid, Laure in Louvain) meeting all sorts of folks, they decide to join into a law firm... So we may assume, apart from speculations about Wills and Testaments, that they simply feel more comfortable in "their own milieu".

By the way, inheritances play no role in this branch of the d'Udekem d'Acoz family. Mathilde, Élizabeth, Hélène and Charles-Henri have established the Groupement Forestier de Losange. The Château de Losange, the forests and agricultural domains belonging to it, the family collections, the enterprises and assets, all have been placed into this special family foundation, to prevent a break-up and hefty succession taxes. This means eventual testaments only will affect smaller private ownerships and not at all the bulk of the fortune.

 

[dbarn67]

I don't think there is any Will needed. We need to take into account that the nobility and the patriciate ("old money") is a natural habitat where "us knows us". When we see that the brother of Queen Mathilde, Charles-Henri comte d'Udekem d'Acoz is with two other noble ladies (Pierre-Anne comtesse du Monceau de Bergendal and Laure comtesse de Riollet de Morteuil) associate of a law firm, than it says a lot. Despite years of study at various universities (Charles-Henri in Paris, Pierre-Anne in Madrid, Laure in Louvain) meeting all sorts of folks, they decide to join into a law firm... So we may assume, apart from speculations about Wills and Testaments, that they simply feel more comfortable in "their own milieu".

By the way, inheritances play no role in this branch of the d'Udekem d'Acoz family. Mathilde, Élizabeth, Hélène and Charles-Henri have established the Groupement Forestier de Losange. The Château de Losange, the forests and agricultural domains belonging to it, the family collections, the enterprises and assets, all have been placed into this special family foundation, to prevent a break-up and hefty succession taxes. This means eventual testaments only will affect smaller private ownerships and not at all the bulk of the fortune.

The inheritance of the Mathilde's family was not the question I answered.

 

[Duc_et_Pair]

The inheritance of the Mathilde's family was not the question I answered.

I understood you referred to similar settlements like the Berleburg Will, making that nobles require marrying nobles to keep the family fortune together? Or have I completely misunderstood your post with the reference to the Berleburg Will? In any way, this theory does not apply to the d'Udekem d'Acoz family since they have already safely parked all their assets, out of any inheritances. (In casu: Charles-Henri can safely marry the illegal immigrant cleaning lady on the estate, if he wants).

 

[eya]

Irrelevant to all this the Chateau de Losanqe is very beautiful. And if understood correctly will inherit the Charles-Henri or have an interest and sisters?

 

[Duc_et_Pair]

The Château de Losange and its domains (forests, agriculture and enterprises) is placed into a special foundation to avoid a break-up. This means that a special legal entity owns the domain but that Mathilde, Élisabeth, Hélène and Charles-Henri can use it as if they were the owner.

It is a common phenomenon when children inherit wealth. Imagine that parents die and leave a large collection of artworks. The Tax Revenue Service will value all these artworks and lay a hefty tax bill on the floormat. Often this enforces children to sell family properties to pay the taxes. Then the remaining art needs to be distributed, which often leads to family feuds. Parents or heirs can choose to establish a foundation, a trust. All artworks become owned by the family trust. The heirs eventually can get a (lifelong) loan, being like an owner in daily life without actually having the ownership rights.