:''In the Vietnamese name below,'' Nguyễn ''is the surname.'' Crown Prince Nguyễn Phúc Bảo Long (4 January 1936 – 28 July 2007) was the eldest son of

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 ...

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 ...

's last emperor. He headed the House of Nguyễn Phúc from 30 July 1997 until his death.

Biography

Bảo Long was born at Kien-Trung Palace,

Huế Huế () is the capital of Thừa Thiên Huế province in central Vietnam and was the capital of Đàng Trong from 1738 to 1775 and of Vietnam during the Nguyễn dynasty from 1802 to 1945. The city served as the old Imperial City and admi ...

on 4 January 1936, to Emperor

and his first wife, Empress

Nam Phương Empress Nam Phương (4 December 1914 – 16 September 1963), born Marie-Thérèse Nguyễn Hữu Thị Lan, was the last empress consort of Vietnam. She was the wife of Bảo Đại (), the last emperor of Vietnam (officially named as Đại ...

. On 7 March 1939, he was invested and proclaimed Crown Prince, the official heir to the throne, in a

Confucian Confucianism, also known as Ruism or Ru classicism, is a system of thought and behavior originating in ancient China. Variously described as tradition, a philosophy, a religion, a humanistic or rationalistic religion, a way of governing, or ...

ceremony at Can-Chanh Palace in Huế. In 1947, Empress Nam Phuong left Vietnam with the crown prince and his siblings. They lived at the Château Thorenc outside

Cannes Cannes ( , , ; oc, Canas) is a city located on the French Riviera. It is a commune located in the Alpes-Maritimes department, and host city of the annual Cannes Film Festival, Midem, and Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity. The ...

, France, and he grew up as a member of the

Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwide . It is am ...

. File:Young prince Bao Long.jpg, Young crown prince in Crown prince royal dress File:Crown prince Bao Long.jpg, Young crown prince at Crown prince ceremony

Education

He received his education at the École des Roches boarding school at Maslacq, then at Clères,

Normandy Normandy (; french: link=no, Normandie ; nrf, Normaundie, Nouormandie ; from Old French , plural of ''Normant'', originally from the word for "northman" in several Scandinavian languages) is a geographical and cultural region in Northwestern ...

. He then went to Paris and studied law and political science to prepare him to serve on state affairs. In 1953, Crown Prince Bảo Long attended the

coronation of Elizabeth II The coronation of Elizabeth II took place on 2 June 1953 at Westminster Abbey in London. She acceded to the throne at the age of 25 upon the death of her father, George VI, on 6 February 1952, being proclaimed queen by her privy and executive ...

in London, as a representative of the Vietnamese Imperial Family.

Military service

Crown Prince Bảo Long served in the

French Foreign Legion The French Foreign Legion (french: Légion étrangère) is a corps of the French Army which comprises several specialties: infantry, cavalry, engineers, airborne troops. It was created in 1831 to allow foreign nationals into the French Army ...

in the

Algerian War The Algerian War, also known as the Algerian Revolution or the Algerian War of Independence,( ar, الثورة الجزائرية '; '' ber, Tagrawla Tadzayrit''; french: Guerre d'Algérie or ') and sometimes in Algeria as the War of 1 November ...

and he highly distinguished himself, earning the

Croix de Guerre The ''Croix de Guerre'' (, ''Cross of War'') is a military decoration of France. It was first created in 1915 and consists of a square-cross medal on two crossed swords, hanging from a ribbon with various degree pins. The decoration was first awa ...

(Cross of Military Valor) with three stars for his courage in battle. His other decorations are the Grand Cross of the National Order of Merit, the decoration of the Golden Gong 2nd Class, the Grand Cross of the Royal Order of Cambodia, the Order of the Million Elephants and the White Parasol of Laos and the

Queen Elizabeth II Coronation Medal The Queen Elizabeth II Coronation Medal (french: link=no, Médaille du couronnement de la Reine Élizabeth II) is a commemorative medal instituted to celebrate the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II on 2 June 1953. Award This medal was awarded ...

. After 10 years of service in the French Foreign Legion, he returned to Paris, France, where he worked in a bank.The Nguyen Phuoc Dynasty Genealogy
Royal Ark He spent the remainder of his life as an investment banker.

Head of the Imperial House

In 1997, when the Emperor Bảo Đại died, Bảo Long inherited the position of head of the House of Nguyễn Phúc. He remained out of politics and lived quietly in Paris. File:Hoc3a0ng-te1bbad-be1baa3o-long.jpg, Crown prince Bảo Long File:5-anh-em-thai-tu-bao-long-1600855805.jpg, Crown prince Bảo Long (left) and younger siblings Following the death of Bảo Đại, Bảo Long allegedly sold the sword that was handed over in the 1945 abdication ceremony. During his time as head of the house, Bảo Long worked with Prince Bảo Vàng, who was appointed Grandmaster of the

Imperial Order of the Dragon of Annam The Imperial Order of the Dragon of Annam (, , ; french: Ordre impérial du Dragon d'Annam, Ordre du Dragon Vert) was created in 1886 in the city of Huế, by Emperor Đồng Khánh of the Imperial House of Annam, upon the "recommendation" of t ...

in 2005. The focus of the order is on humanitarian, educational, and cultural endeavours of the people of Vietnam. Although the

Vietnamese Constitutional Monarchist League Vietnamese Constitutional Monarchist League (VCML; vi, Liên Minh Quân Chủ Lập Hiến Đa Nguyên Việt Nam) is a monarchist and anti-communist organization that seeks to restore the Nguyễn dynasty to the throne under a constitutional m ...

wish to restore the Nguyễn dynasty to the throne under a

constitutional monarchy A constitutional monarchy, parliamentary monarchy, or democratic monarchy is a form of monarchy in which the monarch exercises their authority in accordance with a constitution and is not alone in decision making. Constitutional monarchies dif ...

, as in

Cambodia Cambodia (; also Kampuchea ; km, កម្ពុជា, UNGEGN: ), officially the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochinese Peninsula in Southeast Asia, spanning an area of , bordered by Thailand ...

and

Thailand Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is b ...

, Bảo Long did not support their political aspirations. Crown Prince Bao Long died at the Le Centre Hospitalier Gaston Ramon,

Sens Sens () is a commune in the Yonne department in Bourgogne-Franche-Comté in north-central France, 120 km from Paris. Sens is a sub-prefecture and the second city of the department, the sixth in the region. It is crossed by the Yonne an ...

Burgundy Burgundy (; french: link=no, Bourgogne ) is a historical territory and former administrative region and province of east-central France. The province was once home to the Dukes of Burgundy from the early 11th until the late 15th century. The ...

on 28 July 2007, with his brother, Bảo Thắng, succeeding him as head of the house.

Personal life

From the late 1960s until the early 1970s, Bảo Long was the companion of Isabelle Hebey (died 1996), an interior designer, who worked on his Paris residence. Though they planned to wed in June 1969,''The loversville, NYLeader Herald'', 22 February 1969, page 4 after Hebey's divorce from architect Marc Delanne, the marriage did not take place.

Honours

National

* Sovereign and Grand Master of the

. * The Boi Decoration, 1st class. * Knight Grand Cross of the National Order of Merit of Vietnam (15 June 1954).

Foreign

* Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Million Elephants and the White Parasol (Kingdom of Laos). * Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Order of Cambodia (Kingdom of Cambodia). * Knight Grand Cross of the

National Order of Merit An order of merit is conferred by a state, government or royal family on an individual in recognition of military or civil merit. Order of merit may also refer to: * FIFA Order of Merit, for significant contribution to association football * PDC ...

(French Republic). *

Cross for Military Valour The Cross for Military Valour (french: Croix de la Valeur Militaire) is a military decoration of France. It recognises an individual bestowed a Mention in Dispatches earned for showing valour in presence of an enemy, in theatres of operations wh ...

with red, silver and bronze stars (French Republic, 1958). *

Croix de guerre The ''Croix de Guerre'' (, ''Cross of War'') is a military decoration of France. It was first created in 1915 and consists of a square-cross medal on two crossed swords, hanging from a ribbon with various degree pins. The decoration was first awa ...

(French Republic). * North Africa Medal (French Republic, 1997). *

(United Kingdom, 2 June 1953).

References

Announcement of Crown Prince Bao Long's death by The Imperial Order of the Dragon of Annam

– by Edward J. Emering & John Sylvester, Jr.
Vietnamese crown prince passes away

The video about the official heir to the throne, in a

ceremony at Can-Chanh Palace in Huế on 7 March 1939. {{Vietnamese Pretenders 1936 births 2007 deaths People from Huế Pretenders to the Vietnamese throne Vietnamese Roman Catholics Heirs apparent who never acceded Soldiers of the French Foreign Legion People of the Algerian War Vietnamese expatriates in France Nguyen dynasty princes Recipients of the Croix de Guerre (France) Recipients of the Cross for Military Valour Vietnamese monarchists Recipients of the National Order of Vietnam Grand Cross of the Ordre national du Mérite