| Home |
| The Museum |
| The Association |
| Countess of Paris |
| News |
| Membership |
| Publications |
| Bibliography |
| Contacts |
| Links |
Princess Isabelle of Orleans and Braganza
Countess of Paris (Château of Eu 1911-Paris 2003)
Founder and First President of the Association of the Friends of Louis-Philippe at the Château of Eu
Her birth took place at in Eu in 1911 just beside the royal palace in the Pavillon des Ministres, so-called as it was used by the ministers of King Louis-Philippe. The Princess spent a happy childhood divided between Normandy and her grandparents’ residence at Boulogne-sur-Seine near Paris. As the granddaughter of Prince Gaston of Orleans, Count of Eu and Louis-Philippe’s grandson, and of Dona Isabel de Braganza, heir to the throne of Brazil and Emperor Pedro II’s daughter, Princess Isabelle grew up among the memories of the French Royal Family and the Brazilian Imperial Family. In 1930 she became engaged to the pretender to the French throne, whom she claimed to have been in love with since the age of twelve. Princess Isabelle had a legendary wedding at the Orleans Palace in Palermo, Sicily on 8 April 1931 when she wed her second cousin Prince Henri of France, Count of Paris and also another descendant of King Louis-Philippe as well as of forty other kings of France 1.
Fondly called “the most beautiful Princes in Europe” by Czar Ferdinand of Bulgaria, Princess Isabelle became the Countess of Paris at the age of twenty and would henceforth form with the Prince one of the most mythical French couples of the twentieth century. As the young couple was forbidden to reside in France by an Exile Law, they first settled in Belgium before moving to Morocco, Spain and finally to Portugal before returning to France in 1952 when the law was repealed 2
The Count and Countess of Paris would become parents eleven princes and princesses, some of whom were soon to get married after the Royal Family had settled down at their residence – Le Manoir du Cœur Volant at Louveciennes near Paris in 1953. The period of these royal weddings, which took place from the late 1950’s to the early 1960’s, was one of the most grandiose and most publicised in the recent history of the family of Princes of France.
With her instinctive, questioning and cultivated intellect, combined with an ounce of originality and an ever-perfect appearance, the Countess of Paris soon became one of the key emblematic figures among European royalty thanks to her simplicity and her charisma. Like a real sovereign, she would embody the permanence and tradition of the heritage of the French Monarchy through a rare ideal of grace and beauty that never failed to impress on every occasion – attracting eye-catching attention and causing all those present to bow in her honour. Fully aware of her role and influence owing to the prestigious title of Countess of Paris that she bore, she admitted : “It is one of the finest titles in the world. To bear this title is like being guided by a star. However the title does not make the person, it is up to us to serve it, and I hope that my grandchildren’s generation will do likewise for I place all my trust in them”.3.
The life of the Countess of Paris, or Madame as everyone called her, spanned the entire 20th century. It was spent throughout Europe and the world at the castles and palaces of her family, visiting here children and grandchildren, without ever forgetting her birthplace - the Château of Eu - to where she would return for regular stays until the end of her days. From 1963 onwards she had settled within the castle grounds at the Pavillion Montpensier which had been built by the Grande Mademoiselle, King Louis XIV’s cousin. It was there that she would write her Memoirs – Tout m’est bonheur (1978) followed by Les chemins creux (1981) which became best-sellers and were translated into many foreign languages. The Countess also chose Eu as the place where she celebrated in turn her 70th Birthday (1981), the Millennium of the Capetians (1987), her 80th Birthday (1991), the knighting of her grandson Prince Foulques of Orleans, as well as her 90th Birthday (2001). On these occasions which remain fresh in many people’s memories, Madame’s extended family travelled from Brazil, Belgium, Austria, Germany, Spain, Portugal, Italy and Morocco while representatives of the European royal families and many faithful friends from Eu were also guests. After a special mass at the Collegial Church, the participants would attend the garden party held in the Château grounds where among elegant hats, bowing and curtseying one and all celebrated she who with her 120 descendants is rightfully known as the “Grandmother of Europe”. Thus for a short while Eu would once live as in the days of the former French monarchy. Madame declared: “I was born in Eu… and I hope to remain here until I die ! Sometimes I feel like being quite selfish and to never leave here at all. When the weather is fine, it’s the most beautiful place in the world. I am most attached to this property which has belonged to the Capetians since William the Conqueror wed Mathilda of Flanders in 1050. One should never forsake one’s place of birth. I have chosen to live in the Pavillon Montpensier and from my windows I can see my oak trees. I am passionate about trees and about the sea, especially the sea at Le Tréport and at Mers”4.
As Founder and first President of the Association of the Friends of the Louis-Philippe Museum at the Château of Eu since 1985, the late Countess of Paris attended all Annual General Meetings as well as each Board meeting; being personally involved in ensuring the Association remained a dynamic one. Madame had taken to heart the aim to bring the Château of her ancestors back to life, that residence which she was so fond of and which has remained in the hands of the Capetian dynasty for more than a thousand years.
On July 5th 2003, the Countess of Paris passed away while she was being read the Letters of the Palatine Princess, who was the second wife of Monsieur – Louis XIV 5.
May the Association of the Friends of the Louis-Philippe Museum at the Château of Eu pursue her work thanks to your generosity.
X. Dufestel, Eu, November 2006
2 Since 1886, the year of the elaborate wedding between Princess Amélie of Orleans and Dom Carlos of Portugal, prince and heir to the Portuguese throne, the heads of the Royal families who had previously ruled in France as well as their firstborn heirs were banned from France by a State Law which was only repealed in 1950.
3 Extract from Paris-Normandie newspaper, Rouen 1991.
4 Ibidem. 1991
5 Madame, the Countess of Paris was laid to rest in the Royal Chapel of Saint-Louis at Dreux (Eure-et-Loir), the burial place of the French Royal Family. This monument which is open to visitors, is one of the finest examples of 19th century romantic funerary architecture in France.
Bibliography (all works in French):
Isabelle, comtesse de Paris, Tout m’est bonheur, Ed. R. Laffont, Paris 1978.Isabelle, comtesse de Paris, Les chemins creux, Ed. R. Laffont, Paris 1981.
Isabelle, comtesse de Paris, Haut de Gamme. L’art de vivre à la française, Ed. Flammarion, Paris 1985.
Isabelle, comtesse de Paris, Blanche de Castille, mon aïeule, Ed. R. Laffont, Paris 1991.
Isabelle, comtesse de Paris, Moi, Marie-Antoinette, Ed. R. Laffont, Paris 1993.
Isabelle, comtesse de Paris, Mon bonheur de grand-mère, Ed. R. Laffont, Paris 1995.
Isabelle, comtesse de Paris, La reine Marie-Amélie, grand-mère de l’Europe, Ed. Perrin, Paris 1998.
Isabelle, comtesse de Paris, l’Album de ma vie, Ed. Perrin, Paris 2002.