Laetitia Marie Madeleine Susanne Valentine de Belzunce d'Arenberg (born September 2, 1941),
[''Genealogisches Handbuch des Adels, Fürstliche Häuser'' XVI. "Haus Österreich". C.A. Starke Verlag, 2001, p.103. .] known as Laetitia d'Arenberg, is a
French Uruguayan
French Uruguayans (french: Franco-Uruguayen; es, Franco-Uruguayos) are Uruguayans, Uruguayan citizens of full or partial French people, French ancestry. French Uruguayans form the third largest ancestry group after Spanish Uruguayans and Itali ...
businesswoman.
Personal life
She was born on September 2, 1941, in
Brummana
Brummana ( ar, برمانا) is a town in the Matn District of the Mount Lebanon Governorate in Lebanon. It is located east of Beirut, overlooking the capital and the Mediterranean. Brummana has long been a summer destination for visitors and loca ...
,
Mandate for Syria and the Lebanon
The Mandate for Syria and the Lebanon (french: Mandat pour la Syrie et le Liban; ar, الانتداب الفرنسي على سوريا ولبنان, al-intidāb al-fransi 'ala suriya wa-lubnān) (1923−1946) was a League of Nations mandate foun ...
(now
Lebanon
Lebanon ( , ar, لُبْنَان, translit=lubnān, ), officially the Republic of Lebanon () or the Lebanese Republic, is a country in Western Asia. It is located between Syria to the north and east and Israel to the south, while Cyprus li ...
).
She is a daughter of Henri de Belzunce,
''Marquis'' de Belzunce, and Marie-Thérèse de la Poëze d'Harambure (1911–2005), members of the historical French nobility by birth.
Her father was an officer in the
Moroccan Tirailleurs and died fighting for France at the
Battle of Monte Cassino
The Battle of Monte Cassino, also known as the Battle for Rome and the Battle for Cassino, was a series of four assaults made by the Allies against German forces in Italy during the Italian Campaign of World War II. The ultimate objective was ...
on May 13, 1944.
[Enache, Nicolas. ''La Descendance de Marie-Therese de Habsburg, Reine de Hongrie et de Bohême''. ICC, Paris, 1996. pp. 121, 131. in French.] He belonged to a family of ancient
nobility in France, originally from
Lower Navarre, who held the ''
seigneurie In English law, seignory or seigniory, spelled ''signiory'' in Early Modern English (; french: seigneur, lit=lord; la, senior, lit=elder), is the lordship (authority) remaining to a grantor after the grant of an estate in fee simple.
''Nulle terre ...
'' of Belzunce near
Bayonne
Bayonne (; eu, Baiona ; oc, label= Gascon, Baiona ; es, Bayona) is a city in Southwestern France near the Spanish border. It is a commune and one of two subprefectures in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department, in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine re ...
(where the family was notable since the 12th century) and had received the ''
Honneurs de la Cour
The Honneurs de la Cour (Honors of the Court) were ceremonious presentations to the sovereign at the Palace of Versailles, Royal Court of France that were formal for women but more casual for men. It was an honour granted only to the families of N ...
'' at Paris in 1739.
On August 20, 1949, her mother was remarried to Prince Erik Engelbert,
11th Duke of Arenberg (1901–1992). In 1951, she moved with her family to
Uruguay
Uruguay (; ), officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay ( es, República Oriental del Uruguay), is a country in South America. It shares borders with Argentina to its west and southwest and Brazil to its north and northeast; while bordering ...
because her family feared the expansion of the
Korean War
, date = {{Ubl, 25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953 (''de facto'')({{Age in years, months, weeks and days, month1=6, day1=25, year1=1950, month2=7, day2=27, year2=1953), 25 June 1950 – present (''de jure'')({{Age in years, months, weeks a ...
to Europe.
[de Badts de Cugnac, Chantal. Coutant de Saisseval, Guy. ''Le Petit Gotha''. Nouvelle Imprimerie Laballery, Paris 2002, p. 702 (French) ] On February 15, 1956, Laetitia and her brother (Rodrigue) were adopted by their stepfather, the Duke of Arenberg.
Her legal surname became "de Belzunce d'Arenberg", and she became one of the heirs to his personal fortune.
On June 19, 1965, she was married civilly to
HIRH Archduke Leopold Franz of Austria-Tuscany at
St. Gilgen, Austria. The religious nuptials followed on July 28 at
Menetou-Salon
Menetou-Salon is a commune in the Cher department in the Centre-Val de Loire region of France. Inhabitants of the area are known as ''Monestrosaloniens''.
Geography
The commune is located 16 kilometres North of Bourges on the RD11.
Direction ...
, France.
They have two children:
*Archduke Sigismund Otto of Austria, Prince of Tuscany
(born April 21, 1966, in
Lausanne
, neighboring_municipalities= Bottens, Bretigny-sur-Morrens, Chavannes-près-Renens, Cheseaux-sur-Lausanne, Crissier, Cugy, Écublens, Épalinges, Évian-les-Bains (FR-74), Froideville, Jouxtens-Mézery, Le Mont-sur-Lausanne, Lugrin (FR-74), ...
), married on September 11, 1999, in
Kensington
Kensington is a district in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea in the West End of London, West of Central London.
The district's commercial heart is Kensington High Street, running on an east–west axis. The north-east is taken up b ...
, Elyssa Juliet Edmonstone (born September 11, 1973, in
Glasgow
Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...
), daughter of
Sir Archibald Bruce Charles Edmonstone, 7th Baronet
The Edmonstone Baronetcy, of Duntreath in the County of Stirling, is a title in the Baronetage of Great Britain. It was created 20 May 1774 for Archibald Edmonstone, 11th of Duntreath, Member of Parliament for Dunbartonshire and Ayr Burghs. He w ...
, and Juliet Elizabeth Deakin (daughter of
Major-General Peter Deakin). They have three children. They divorced on June 25, 2013, with annulment in 2016. He is now head of the
Tuscan Grand Ducal branch of the
House of Habsburg-Lorraine
The House of Habsburg-Lorraine (german: Haus Habsburg-Lothringen) originated from the marriage in 1736 of Francis I, Holy Roman Emperor, Francis III, Duke of Lorraine and Bar, and Maria Theresa, Maria Theresa of Austria, later successively List ...
.
*Archduke Guntram Maria of Austria, Prince of Tuscany
(born July 21, 1967, in
Punta del Este), married on April 13, 1996, in
Cuernavaca, Debora de Sola (born January 21, 1970, in
San Salvador
San Salvador (; ) is the capital and the largest city of El Salvador and its eponymous department. It is the country's political, cultural, educational and financial center. The Metropolitan Area of San Salvador, which comprises the capital i ...
), daughter of Orlando de Sola and Marion Liebes. They have two children.
Laetitia and her husband divorced on May 21, 1981, at
Salzburg
Salzburg (, ; literally "Salt-Castle"; bar, Soizbuag, label=Bavarian language, Austro-Bavarian) is the List of cities and towns in Austria, fourth-largest city in Austria. In 2020, it had a population of 156,872.
The town is on the site of the ...
, Austria.
Archduke Leopold Franz moved to Europe and remarried a commoner in June 1993 (and was again divorced in 1998). He renounced his headship of the
House of Tuscany in favor of his and Laetitia's elder son on April 12, 1994, while Laetitia remained in Uruguay. Some years later she was remarried, to John Anson.
Honours
By decree of the
President of the French Republic,
Nicolas Sarkozy
Nicolas Paul Stéphane Sarközy de Nagy-Bocsa (; ; born 28 January 1955) is a French politician who served as President of France from 2007 to 2012.
Born in Paris, he is of Hungarian, Greek Jewish, and French origin. Mayor of Neuilly-sur-Se ...
, on April 10, 2009, Laetitia d'Arenberg was accorded the medal of the
Legion of Honor
The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon ...
in the grade of Knight (''Chevalier''). This distinction was awarded in recognition of her thirty years of professional success that encompassed commitment to numerous social projects in Uruguay, particularly to benefit disadvantaged children and young people addicted to drugs. The official award ceremony occurred on September 24, sponsored by a French Senate delegation during an official visit to Uruguay, led by Senator
Jean-Marc Pastor and accompanied by Senators
Rémy Pointereau
Rémy Pointereau (born 30 March 1953) is a member of the Senate of France, representing the Cher department. He is currently a member of The Republicans, having been a member of its predecessor party, The Union for a Popular Movement.
Career ...
,
François Fortassin
François Fortassin (2 August 1939 – 15 May 2017) was a French politician and a member of the Senate of France. He represented the Hautes-Pyrénées department and was a secretary of the Senate and a member of the Radical Party of the Left
...
,
Gérard Miquel
Gérard Miquel (born 17 June 1946) was a member of the Senate of France, representing the Lot department from
1992 to 2017. He was a member of the Socialist Party
Socialist Party is the name of many different political parties around the wor ...
and
Annie Jarraud-Vergnolle
Annie Jarraud-Vergnolle (born 7 February 1948) is a member of the Senate of France, representing the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department. She is a member of the Socialist Party
Socialist Party is the name of many different political parties aro ...
.
See also
*
House of Arenberg
*
Famille de Belzunce
References
External links
Francia condecora a la Princesa Laetitia d’ArenbergRemise de la Légion d'Honneur à SAS Princesse Laetitia d’Arenberg (24 septembre 2009).Laetitia D'Aremberg, la princesa gauchaEl País: Príncipe de Punta
{{DEFAULTSORT:Arenberg, Laetitia
Dukes of Arenberg
Uruguayan businesspeople
Uruguayan people of French descent
1941 births
Living people
Uruguayan women in business