Antoine Maria Joachim Lamoral de Ligne, 13th Prince of Ligne, Prince of Épinoy, Prince of Amblise, GE (8 March 1925 – 21 August 2005) was the son of Eugène, 11th Prince of Ligne, and his wife, Philippine de Noailles.

Life and career

Prince Antoine escaped from occupied Belgium in February 1943 and joined the

RAF The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and ...

in June. After initial training in England, he won his wings at No. 34 Flying Training School in

Medicine Hat Medicine Hat is a city in southeast Alberta, Canada. It is located along the South Saskatchewan River. It is approximately east of Lethbridge and southeast of Calgary. This city and the adjacent Town of Redcliff to the northwest are with ...

, Canada, before returning to the UK for operational duty from December 1944 as a 2nd Lt. in the Belgian Air Force flying

Spitfires The Supermarine Spitfire is a British single-seat fighter aircraft used by the Royal Air Force and other Allied countries before, during, and after World War II. Many variants of the Spitfire were built, from the Mk 1 to the Rolls-Royce Grif ...

with 349 Squadron. Post-war, he attended the

Central Flying School The Central Flying School (CFS) is the Royal Air Force's primary institution for the training of military flying instructors. Established in 1912 at the Upavon Aerodrome, it is the longest existing flying training school. The school was based at ...

as a flying instructor with the reformed Belgian Air Force. Moved to 160 Wing until detached to Palestine on behalf of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs as UN Truce Observer during the formation of the State of Israel. Promoted to Captain in December 1948, he served as Deputy Flight Commander of 2 Squadron during 1949-50. Served as Assistant Military Attache in

Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...

1952-3, before returning to Belgium as Captain-Commandant to assume command of 9 Squadron flying

Gloster Meteor The Gloster Meteor was the first British jet fighter and the Allies of World War II, Allies' only jet aircraft to engage in combat operations during the Second World War. The Meteor's development was heavily reliant on its ground-breaking turb ...

8s. Prince Antoine resigned his commission on 1st September 1955 to join the first

Belgian Antarctic Expedition The Belgian Antarctic Expedition of 1897–1899 was the first expedition to winter in the Antarctic region. Led by Adrien de Gerlache de Gomery aboard the RV ''Belgica'', it was the first Belgian Antarctic expedition and is considered the firs ...

under Commandant Gaston de Gerlache (with whom he had trained in the RAF in 1943), leaving Belgium in 1957. He flew many exploration flights over Antarctica in Austers and

Bell 47 The Bell 47 is a single-rotor single-engine light helicopter manufactured by Bell Helicopter. It was based on the third Bell 30 prototype, which was the company's first helicopter designed by Arthur M. Young. The 47 became the first he ...

helicopters until returning to Belgium in March 1959; also took part in the subsequent Belgian expeditions in 1960 and 1965. He was the President of the Royal Belgian Aero Club for 20 years and President of the Belgian National Appeal for the World Wildlife Appeal for 10 years. He is a Chevalier of the Orders of Leopold and Leopold II and an Officer of the Order of the Crown. He was the 1,294th

Knight A knight is a person granted an honorary title of knighthood by a head of state (including the Pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church or the country, especially in a military capacity. Knighthood finds origins in the Gr ...

of the Order of the Golden Fleece in Austria. He died on 21 August 2005 at the castle of Belœil in Belœil, Belgium.

Family

He married Princess Alix of Luxembourg, daughter of

Prince Felix of Bourbon-Parma Prince Félix of Bourbon-Parma (later Prince Félix of Luxembourg; 28 September 1893 – 8 April 1970) was the husband of Charlotte, Grand Duchess of Luxembourg and the father of her six children, including her successor Jean, Grand Duke of ...

and

Charlotte, Grand Duchess of Luxembourg Charlotte (Charlotte Adelgonde Elisabeth Marie Wilhelmine; 23 January 1896 – 9 July 1985) reigned as Grand Duchess of Luxembourg from 14 January 1919 until her abdication on 12 November 1964. She acceded to the throne on 14 January 1919 fol ...

, on 17 August 1950 in

Luxembourg Luxembourg ( ; lb, Lëtzebuerg ; french: link=no, Luxembourg; german: link=no, Luxemburg), officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, ; french: link=no, Grand-Duché de Luxembourg ; german: link=no, Großherzogtum Luxemburg is a small lan ...

. They had seven children: * Michel, 14th Prince of Ligne (b. 26 May 1951), he married Princess Eleonora of Orléans-Braganza *Prince Wauthier de Ligne (10 July 1952 - 15 August 2022), he married Countess Regine van

Renesse Renesse ( zea, Renisse) is a village in the Dutch province of Zeeland. It is a part of the municipality of Schouwen-Duiveland, and lies about 28 km west of Hellevoetsluis. Renesse is a popular tourist resort with zero-fare bus services in th ...

. His funeral took place at the church of Saint-Pierre de Belœil on 22 August 2022. * Princess Anne-Marie de Ligne (b. 3 April 1954), she married Olivier Mortgat * Princess Christine de Ligne (b. 11 August 1955), she married Prince Antonio of Orléans-Braganza. *Princess Sophie de Ligne (b. 23 April 1957), she married Count Philippe de Nicolay, son of Baroness Marie-Hélène de Rothschild. *Prince Antoine de Ligne (b. 28 December 1959). he married Countess Minthia de Lannoy *Princess Yolande de Ligne (b. 16 June 1964), she married Hugo Townsend, son of Group Captain Peter Townsend

Ancestry

References

External links

1925 births 2005 deaths Nobility from Brussels #13 20th-century Spanish nobility Spanish princes Grandees of Spain Royal Air Force personnel of World War II Knights of the Golden Fleece of Austria {{europe-noble-stub