Alix, Princess de Ligne (Alix Marie Anne Antoinette Charlotte Gabrielle; 24 August 1929 – 11 February 2019) was the fourth daughter and youngest child of
Charlotte, Grand Duchess of Luxembourg, and
Felix of Bourbon-Parma.
[de Badts de Cugnac, Chantal. Coutant de Saisseval, Guy. ''Le Petit Gotha''. Nouvelle Imprimerie Laballery, Paris 2002, pp. 678-680. (French) ] She was, by birth, Princess of Luxembourg, Princess of Nassau and Princess of Bourbon-Parma.
She was a sister of Grand Duke
Jean and aunt of
Grand Duke Henri
Henri (french: Henri Albert Gabriel Félix Marie Guillaume, ; born 16 April 1955) is the Grand Duke of Luxembourg. He has reigned since 7 October 2000. Henri, the eldest son of Grand Duke Jean and Princess Joséphine-Charlotte of Belgium, is ...
.
World War II
Facing the German invasion in 10 May 1940 during
World War II, the
Grand Ducal Family of Luxembourg left the country to find refuge in
Portugal, after receiving transit visas from the Portuguese consul
Aristides de Sousa Mendes
Aristides de Sousa Mendes do Amaral e Abranches () GCC, OL (July 19, 1885 – April 3, 1954) was a Portuguese consul during World War II.
As the Portuguese consul-general in the French city of Bordeaux, he defied the orders of Antóni ...
, in June 1940. They arrived at Vilar Formoso on 23 June 1940. After travelling through Coimbra and Lisbon, the family first stayed in
Cascais
Cascais () is a town and municipality in the Lisbon District of Portugal, located on the Portuguese Riviera. The municipality has a total of 214,158 inhabitants in an area of 97.40 km2. Cascais is an important tourism in Portugal, tourist de ...
, in Casa de Santa Maria, owned by Manuel Espírito Santo, who was then the honorary consul for Luxembourg in Portugal. By July they had moved to Monte Estoril, staying at the Chalet Posser de Andrade. On 10 July 1940, Princess Alix, together with her father
Prince Félix, her siblings,
Heir Prince Jean,
Princess Elisabeth,
Princess Marie Adelaide,
Princess Marie Gabriele and
Prince Charles
Charles III (Charles Philip Arthur George; born 14 November 1948) is King of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms. He was the longest-serving heir apparent and Prince of Wales and, at age 73, became the oldest person to ...
, the nanny Justine Reinard and the chauffeur Eugène Niclou, along with his wife Joséphine, boarded the ''S.S. Trenton'' headed for New York City.
A fuga da família grã-ducal
, by Margarida de Magalhães Ramalho (2019).
Marriage and issue
On 17 August 1950 in
Luxembourg Princess Alix married
Antoine, 13th Prince de Ligne,
(8 March 1925 – 21 August 2005). They have issue:
*
Michel, 14th Prince de Ligne (born 26 May 1951) married Princess Eleonora of Orléans-Braganza on 10 March 1981. They have two children and two grandchildren.
* Prince Wauthier de Ligne (born 10 July 1952 – 15 August 2022) – In 1976 he married Countess Regine de
Renesse. They have three children and seven grandchildren.
* Princess Anne de Ligne (born 3 April 1954) – 1981 married Olivier Mortgat on 30 May 1981. They have two daughters.
* Princess Christine de Ligne (born 11 August 1955) – 1981 married Prince Antonio of Orléans-Braganza on 25 September 1981. They have four children and two grandchildren.
* Princess Sophie de Ligne (born 23 April 1957) married Count Philippe de Nicolay, son of
Marie-Hélène de Rothschild
Marie-Hélène Naila Stephanie Josina de Rothschild (; November 17, 1927 – March 1, 1996) was a French socialite who became a doyenne of Parisian high-society and was a member of the prominent Rothschild banking family of France.
Early life ...
on 26 June 1982. They have two sons.
* Prince Antoine Lamoral de Ligne (born 28 December 1959) married Countess Jacqueline de
Lannoy on 16 June 2001. They have three children.
* Princess Yolande de Ligne (born 16 June 1964) married Hugo Townsend (born 1945), son of
Group Captain Peter Townsend
Group Captain Peter Wooldridge Townsend, (22 November 1914 – 19 June 1995) was a British Royal Air Force officer, flying ace, courtier and author. He was equerry to King George VI from 1944 to 1952 and held the same position for Queen Eliza ...
in 1994. They have four children.
Ancestry
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Alix, Princess Of Ligne
1929 births
2019 deaths
Luxembourgian princesses
Princesses of Bourbon-Parma
House of Ligne
House of Nassau-Weilburg
People from Colmar-Berg
Princesses of Ligne