Princess Isabelle of Orléans (Isabelle Marie Laure Mercédès Ferdinande; 7 May 1878 – 21 April 1961) was a member of the French Orleanist royal family and by marriage

Duchess of Guise Lady of Guise Non hereditary, 950–? Elder House of Guise, ?–1185 House of Avesnes, 1185–1244 House of Châtillon, 1244–1404 House of Valois-Anjou, 1404–1417 Countess of Guise House of Valois-Anjou, 1417–1425 House of L ...

Biography

Early life

Isabelle was born at the

Château d'Eu The Château d'Eu is a former royal residence in the town of Eu, in the Seine-Maritime department of France, in Normandy. The Château d'Eu stands at the centre of the town and was built in the 16th century to replace an earlier one purposely de ...

, Eu ,

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

, the third daughter and fifth child of

Prince Philippe, Count of Paris Prince Philippe of Orléans, Count of Paris (Louis Philippe Albert; 24 August 1838 – 8 September 1894), was disputedly King of the French from 24 to 26 February 1848 as Louis Philippe II, although he was never officially proclaimed as such. ...

and Infanta Maria Isabel of Spain. In 1886, when she was eight years old, a

law Law is a set of rules that are created and are enforceable by social or governmental institutions to regulate behavior,Robertson, ''Crimes against humanity'', 90. with its precise definition a matter of longstanding debate. It has been vario ...

was promulgated by the Third Republic that effectively exiled all dynasties who formerly ruled France, whereupon she and her family moved to England.

Marriage and issue

As a young woman, Isabelle had many suitors, chief among them being the future

Albert I of Belgium Albert I (8 April 1875 – 17 February 1934) was King of the Belgians from 23 December 1909 until his death in 1934. Born in Brussels as the fifth child and second son of Prince Philippe, Count of Flanders and Princess Marie of Hohenzollern-S ...

. Albert, however, was forced to end the courtship under pressure from his uncle

King Leopold II * german: link=no, Leopold Ludwig Philipp Maria Viktor , house = Saxe-Coburg and Gotha , father = Leopold I of Belgium , mother = Louise of Orléans , birth_date = , birth_place = Brussels, Belgium , death_date = ...

, who feared that a marriage to the daughter of an exiled pretender to the French throne would result in backlash from the republican government in Paris.Voir Pierre Daye, ''Léopold II'', Fayard, 1934, p. 462 On 30 October 1899, Isabelle married her first cousin

Prince Jean, Duke of Guise Prince Jean of Orléans, Duke of Guise (Jean Pierre Clément Marie; 4 September 1874 – 25 August 1940), was the third son and youngest child of Prince Robert, Duke of Chartres (1840–1910), grandson of Prince Ferdinand Philippe and great- ...

(1874–1940). Jean was the son of prince

Robert, Duke of Chartres Prince Robert, Duke of Chartres (Robert Philippe Louis Eugène Ferdinand; 9 November 1840 – 5 December 1910), was the son of Prince Ferdinand Philippe, Duke of Orléans, and thus grandson of King Louis-Philippe of France. He fought for the Unio ...

(1840–1910) and Françoise d'Orléans (1844–1925). Upon the death of her brother, Philippe of Orléans, Duke of Orléans, claimant to the throne of France as "Philip VIII", the Duke of Guise became, at least for his Orleanist supporters, titular king of France as "Jean III". The title was disputed by members of the Spanish

Anjou Anjou may refer to: Geography and titles France * County of Anjou, a historical county in France and predecessor of the Duchy of Anjou **Count of Anjou, title of nobility *Duchy of Anjou, a historical duchy and later a province of France **Duk ...

branch of the family, descended from

Louis XIV , house = Bourbon , father = Louis XIII , mother = Anne of Austria , birth_date = , birth_place = Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye, Saint-Germain-en-Laye, France , death_date = , death_place = Palace of Vers ...

. The couple had four children: * Princess Isabelle of Orléans (1900–1983). First married in 1923 to

Bruno, Count of Harcourt Marie Hervé Jean Bruno d'Harcourt, Comte d'Harcourt (20 September 1899 – 19 April 1930) was a member of the French nobility and a Grand Prix motor racing driver. Biography Comte Bruno d'Harcourt was born in Vevey, Vaud, Switzerland, the ...

(1899–1930) and then to Prince Pierre

Murat Murat may refer to: Places Australia * Murat Bay, a bay in South Australia * Murat Marine Park, a marine protected area France * Murat, Allier, a commune in the department of Allier * Murat, Cantal, a commune in the department of Cantal Elsewhe ...

in 1934. * Princess Françoise of Orléans (1902–1953). Married to

Prince Christopher of Greece Prince Christopher of Greece and Denmark ( el, Χριστόφορος; 10 August 1888 – 21 January 1940) was the fifth and youngest son and youngest child of King George I of Greece, belonging to a dynasty which mounted and lost the throne of ...

in 1929. He was a son of King

George I of Greece George I ( Greek: Γεώργιος Α΄, ''Geórgios I''; 24 December 1845 – 18 March 1913) was King of Greece from 30 March 1863 until his assassination in 1913. Originally a Danish prince, he was born in Copenhagen, and seemed destined for ...

and Olga, Queen of Greece. They were parents of

Prince Michael of Greece Prince Michael of Greece and Denmark, (born 7 January 1939) is a Greek prince, historian, and author. He has written several historical books and biographies of Greek and other European figures, Montgomery-Massingberd, Hugh. " Burke’s Royal F ...

. *

Princess Anne of Orléans Princess Anne of Orléans (''Anne Hélène Marie''; 5 August 1906, Le Nouvion-en-Thiérache, Aisne – 19 March 1986, Sorrento) was a member of the House of Orléans and the Duchess of Aosta by marriage. She was the daughter of Prince Jean ...

(1906–1986). She married Prince Amedeo of Savoy, 3rd Duke of Aosta in 1927. * Henri, Count of Paris (1908–1999). He married

Princess Isabelle of Orléans-Braganza Princess Isabelle of Orléans-Braganza (Isabelle Marie Amélie Louise Victoire Thérèse Jeanne; 13 August 1911 – 5 July 2003) was a French-Brazilian memoirist and consort of the Orléanist pretender, Henri, Count of Paris. Early life Born ...

in 1931. Princess Isabelle died in

Larache Larache ( ar, العرايش, al-'Araysh) is a city in northwestern Morocco. It is on the Moroccan coast, where the Loukkos River meets the Atlantic Ocean. Larache is one of the most important cities of the Tanger-Tetouan-Al Hoceima region. Many ...

Morocco Morocco (),, ) officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is the westernmost country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It overlooks the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria to ...

Ancestry

References

, - {{DEFAULTSORT:Isabelle Of Orleans, Princess 1878 births 1961 deaths 19th-century French people 20th-century French people 19th-century French women 20th-century French women Princesses of France (Orléans) People from Eu, Seine-Maritime Dames of the Order of Saint Isabel Burials at the Chapelle royale de Dreux Children of Prince Philippe, Count of Paris