Monique Vinh Thuy (born Monique Baudot, 30 April 1946 – 27 September 2021) was the widow of the last Emperor of

Vietnam Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making it ...

Bảo Đại Bảo Đại (, vi-hantu, , lit. "keeper of greatness", 22 October 191331 July 1997), born Nguyễn Phúc Vĩnh Thụy (), was the 13th and final emperor of the Nguyễn dynasty, the last ruling dynasty of Vietnam. From 1926 to 1945, he was em ...

Biography

In 1969, Monique Baudot, a

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

citizen who was then working in the press department of the

Democratic Republic of the Congo The Democratic Republic of the Congo (french: République démocratique du Congo (RDC), colloquially "La RDC" ), informally Congo-Kinshasa, DR Congo, the DRC, the DROC, or the Congo, and formerly and also colloquially Zaire, is a country in ...

's embassy in France, met Emperor

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. ...

. The former Vietnamese monarch abdicated in 1945, a year later went to live overseas, returned to Vietnam in 1949 as Head of State of Vietnam, but was overthrown by his Prime Minister

Ngo Dinh Diem Ngô Đình Diệm ( or ; ; 3 January 1901 – 2 November 1963) was a South Vietnamese politician. He was the final prime minister of the State of Vietnam (1954–1955), and then served as the first president of South Vietnam (Republic o ...

in 1955. He lived in exile in France thereafter. In

around 1971, the former emperor and Baudot started to live together. They married in 1982. Since the death of her husband in 1997, Baudot has self-styled as ''Her Very Gracious Majesty Empress Thái Phương''. According to French media, she died on September 27, 2021, at the age of 75. Her funeral was held on October 14, 2021 at the Chapel Sainte-Bernadette d'Auteuil in Paris.

References

External links

Emperor Bảo Đại and Princess Vĩnh Thụy visit Thiên-Lý Bửu-Tòa Cao Dai Temple
''Dec. 2, 1982 at San Martin, California''

''English''

French {{DEFAULTSORT:Vinh Thuy, Monique Vietnamese princesses French diplomats 1946 births 2021 deaths Princesses by marriage