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 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 ...

and the father of her six children, including her successor Jean, Grand Duke of Luxembourg. By birth to his father

Robert I, Duke of Parma Robert I (Italian: ''Roberto Carlo Luigi Maria''; 9 July 1848 – 16 November 1907) was the last sovereign Duke of Parma and Piacenza from 1854 until 1859, when the duchy was annexed to Sardinia-Piedmont during the ''Risorgimento''. He was a m ...

, he was a member of the

House of Bourbon-Parma The House of Bourbon-Parma ( it, Casa di Borbone di Parma) is a cadet branch of the Spanish royal family, whose members once ruled as King of Etruria and as Duke of Parma and Piacenza, Guastalla, and Lucca. The House descended from the Fren ...

and one descendant of King Philip V of Spain. Prince Félix was the longest-serving consort of Luxembourg.

Early life

Prince Félix was one of the 24 children of the deposed

, being the duke's sixth child and third son by his second wife,

Maria Antonia of Portugal Maria may refer to: People * Mary, mother of Jesus * Maria (given name), a popular given name in many languages Place names Extraterrestrial *170 Maria, a Main belt S-type asteroid discovered in 1877 *Lunar maria (plural of ''mare''), large, da ...

. His maternal grandparents were Miguel of Portugal and

Adelaide of Löwenstein-Wertheim-Rosenberg , house = Löwenstein-Wertheim-Rosenberg , father = Constantine, Hereditary Prince of Löwenstein-Wertheim-Rosenberg , mother = Princess Agnes of Hohenlohe-Langenburg , birth_date = , birth_place = Kleinheubach, Kin ...

. He was born in Schwarzau am Steinfeld.birth record in church book
of parish Schwarzau am Steinfeld, p. 02-Taufe_0031 He was also the younger brother (by sixteen months) of Empress Zita of Austria. Of the twelve children of Duke Robert's first marriage to Maria-Pia of the Two Sicilies, three died as infants, six had learning difficulties, and only three married. Despite the loss of his throne, Duke Robert and his family enjoyed considerable wealth, traveling in a private train of more than a dozen cars among his castles at Schwarzau am Steinfeld near

Vienna en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...

Villa A villa is a type of house that was originally an ancient Roman upper class country house. Since its origins in the Roman villa, the idea and function of a villa have evolved considerably. After the fall of the Roman Republic, villas became ...

Pianore in northwest Italy, and the magnificent Château de Chambord in France. Less than four months after Robert's death in 1907 the

Grand Marshal Grand marshal is a ceremonial, military, or political office of very high rank. The term has its origins with the word "marshal" with the first usage of the term "grand marshal" as a ceremonial title for certain religious orders. The following ...

of the Austrian Court declared six of the children of his first marriage legally incompetent, at the behest of Duchess Maria Antonia. Nonetheless, Robert's primary heir was Elias,

Duke of Parma The Duke of Parma and Piacenza () was the ruler of the Duchy of Parma and Piacenza, a historical state of Northern Italy, which existed between 1545 and 1802, and again from 1814 to 1859. The Duke of Parma was also Duke of Piacenza, excep ...

, (1880–1959), the youngest son of the first marriage and the only one to father children of his own. Duke Elias also became the legal guardian of his six elder siblings. Although Félix's elder brothers, Prince Sixte and Prince Xavier, eventually sued their half-brother Duke Elias to obtain a greater share of the

ducal Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and sovereign princes. As royalty or nobility, they are ranke ...

fortune, they lost in the French courts, leaving Prince Félix with modest prospects. Félix served in the

Austrian Austrian may refer to: * Austrians, someone from Austria or of Austrian descent ** Someone who is considered an Austrian citizen, see Austrian nationality law * Austrian German dialect * Something associated with the country Austria, for example: ...

Dragoon Dragoons were originally a class of mounted infantry, who used horses for mobility, but dismounted to fight on foot. From the early 17th century onward, dragoons were increasingly also employed as conventional cavalry and trained for combat w ...

s as

Lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations. The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often ...

and

Captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

, but resigned his commission in November 1918.

Marriage to Grand Duchess Charlotte

On 6 November 1919 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 ...

, the prince married his first cousin Grand Duchess Charlotte of Luxembourg, having been admitted to the nobility of Luxembourg and also made ''Prince of Luxembourg'' by Grand Ducal decree the day before. Unlike some European consorts, Félix neither adopted his wife's dynastic surname (of

Nassau Nassau may refer to: Places Bahamas *Nassau, Bahamas, capital city of the Bahamas, on the island of New Providence Canada *Nassau District, renamed Home District, regional division in Upper Canada from 1788 to 1792 *Nassau Street (Winnipeg), ...

), nor relinquished his own title and name "Prince of Bourbon-Parma". His traditional

style Style is a manner of doing or presenting things and may refer to: * Architectural style, the features that make a building or structure historically identifiable * Design, the process of creating something * Fashion, a prevailing mode of clothing ...

as a Bourbon prince of the

Parmesan Parmesan ( it, Parmigiano Reggiano; ) is an Italian hard, granular cheese produced from cows’ milk and aged at least 12 months. It is named after two of the areas which produce it, the provinces of Parma and Reggio Emilia (''Parmigiano'' ...

branch is the reason that

cadet A cadet is an officer trainee or candidate. The term is frequently used to refer to those training to become an officer in the military, often a person who is a junior trainee. Its meaning may vary between countries which can include youths in ...

members of the Grand Ducal Family of Luxembourg enjoy the style of ''

Royal Highness Royal Highness is a style used to address or refer to some members of royal families, usually princes or princesses. Monarchs and their consorts are usually styled ''Majesty''. When used as a direct form of address, spoken or written, it t ...

'' (but that style belongs to the

monarch and

heir apparent An heir apparent, often shortened to heir, is a person who is first in an order of succession and cannot be displaced from inheriting by the birth of another person; a person who is first in the order of succession but can be displaced by the b ...

by right, as the historical prerogative of grand-ducal

dynasties A dynasty is a sequence of rulers from the same family,''Oxford English Dictionary'', "dynasty, ''n''." Oxford University Press (Oxford), 1897. usually in the context of a monarchical system, but sometimes also appearing in republics. A d ...

). Felix was president of the Luxembourg

Red Cross The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is a Humanitarianism, humanitarian movement with approximately 97 million Volunteering, volunteers, members and staff worldwide. It was founded to protect human life and health, to ensure re ...

between 1923 and 1932 and again between 1947 and 1969. He was also Colonel of the Luxembourg Volunteers Company since 1920 and Inspector-General of the Luxembourg Army between 1945 and 1967.

Urban legend An urban legend (sometimes contemporary legend, modern legend, urban myth, or urban tale) is a genre of folklore comprising stories or fallacious claims circulated as true, especially as having happened to a "friend of a friend" or a family m ...

has it that Félix lost the Grünewald, a forest owned by the Grand Duchess, at a casino in 1934, but this is false; part of the property was sold, along with Berg Castle, to the Luxembourgian government, with the revenue paying for the upkeep of the grand-ducal household, and was not spent on personal consumption, let alone gambling losses. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

the

grand ducal family The Grand Ducal Family of Luxembourg constitutes the House of Luxembourg-Nassau, headed by the sovereign Grand Duke, and in which the throne of the grand duchy is hereditary. It consists of heirs and descendants of the House of Nassau-Weilburg, ...

left Luxembourg shortly before the arrival of

Nazi Nazism ( ; german: Nazismus), the common name in English for National Socialism (german: Nationalsozialismus, ), is the far-right totalitarian political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in ...

troops A troop is a military sub-subunit, originally a small formation of cavalry, subordinate to a squadron. In many armies a troop is the equivalent element to the infantry section or platoon. Exceptions are the US Cavalry and the King's Troo ...

, settling in France until their capitulation, in June 1940. Subsequently, the family and the Grand Duchess' ministers received transit visas to Portugal from the Portuguese consul

Aristides de Sousa Mendes Aristides de Sousa Mendes do Amaral e Abranches () GCC, OL (July 19, 1885 – April 3, 1954) was a Portuguese consul during World War II. As the Portuguese consul-general in the French city of Bordeaux, he defied the orders of Antóni ...

, in June 1940. They arrived at Vilar Formoso on 23 June 1940. After traveling through Coimbra and Lisbon, the family first stayed in

Cascais Cascais () is a town and municipality in the Lisbon District of Portugal, located on the Portuguese Riviera. The municipality has a total of 214,158 inhabitants in an area of 97.40 km2. Cascais is an important tourist destination. Its marin ...

, in Casa de Santa Maria, owned by Manuel Espírito Santo, who was then the honorary consul for Luxembourg in Portugal. By July they had moved to Monte Estoril, staying at the Chalet Posser de Andrade. On 10 July 1940, Félix, together with his children, Heir prince Jean, Princess Elisabeth, Princess Marie Adelaide, Princess Marie Gabriele,

Prince Charles Charles III (Charles Philip Arthur George; born 14 November 1948) is King of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms. He was the longest-serving heir apparent and Prince of Wales and, at age 73, became the oldest person to a ...

and Princess Alix, the nanny Justine Reinard and the chauffeur Eugène Niclou, along with his wife Joséphine, boarded the ''S.S. Trenton'' headed for New York City, after which they moved to Canada.

Death

Prince Félix died at Fischbach Castle on 8 April 1970. His funeral mass was held at the Cathedral of Notre-Dame and he was later buried in the crypt of the cathedral.

Marriage and children

On 6 November 1919 in

, he married

. They had six children: * Jean, Grand Duke of Luxembourg (1921–2019), who married HRH

Princess Joséphine-Charlotte of Belgium Princess Joséphine-Charlotte of Belgium (11 October 1927 – 10 January 2005), was the Grand Duchess consort of Luxembourg as the wife of Grand Duke Jean. She was the first child of King Leopold III of Belgium, and sister of the late King Baudo ...

(1927–2005). Had issue. * Princess Elizabeth of Luxembourg (1922–2011), who married HSH

Franz, Duke of Hohenberg Franz Ferdinand, Duke of Hohenberg (13 September 1927 – 16 August 1977), was the eldest son of Maximilian, Duke of Hohenberg and Countess Maria of Waldburg zu Wolfegg und Waldsee. He was also a grandson of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austr ...

(1927–1977). Had issue. *

Princess Marie Adelaide of Luxembourg Princess Marie-Adélaïde of Luxembourg (Marie-Adélaïde Louise Thérèse Wilhelmine; 21 May 1924 – 28 February 2007) was a Luxembourgish princess, the third child and the second daughter of Grand Duchess Charlotte (1896–1985) and Prince Fe ...

(1924–2007), who married Karl Josef Graf Henckel von Donnersmarck (1928–2008). Had issue. * Princess Marie Gabriele of Luxembourg (born 1925), who married Knud Johan, Count of Holstein-Ledreborg (1919–2001). Has issue. * Prince Charles of Luxembourg (1927–1977), who married Joan Douglas Dillon (born 1935), the former wife of James Brady Moseley. Had issue. * Princess Alix of Luxembourg (1929–2019), who married

Antoine, 13th Prince of Ligne 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 Pri ...

(1925–2005). Had issue.

Titles, honours and awards

*28 October 1893 – 5 November 1919: ''His Royal Highness'' Prince Felix of Bourbon-Parma *5 November 1919 – 6 November 1919: ''His Royal Highness'' Prince Felix of Luxembourg *6 November 1919 – 12 November 1964: ''His Royal Highness'' The Prince Consort of Luxembourg *12 November 1964 – 8 April 1970: ''His Royal Highness'' Prince Felix of Luxembourg

Honours

* : Knight of the

Order of the Gold Lion of the House of Nassau The Order of the Gold Lion of the House of Nassau (french: Ordre du Lion d'Or de la Maison de Nassau, nl, Huisorde van de Gouden Leeuw van Nassau) is a chivalric order shared by the two branches of the House of Nassau (the Ottonian and Walramia ...

* : President of the Luxembourg Red Cross * Parmese Ducal Family: Grand Cross of the Order of St. Louis for Civil Merit * Austro-Hungarian Imperial and Royal Family: Grand Cross of the Royal Hungarian Order of St. Stephen (1917) * : Grand Cordon of the Order of Leopold * : Grand Cross of the Royal Norwegian Order of St. Olav (1964) * : Grand Cross of the Military Order of St. Benedict of Aviz (24 February 1950) * : Knight of the

Royal Order of the Seraphim The Royal Order of the Seraphim ( sv, Kungliga Serafimerorden; ''Seraphim'' being a category of angels) is a Swedish order of chivalry created by King Frederick I on 23 February 1748, together with the Order of the Sword and the Order of the P ...

(18 July 1951) * : Knight of the Order of the Royal House of Chakri (17 October 1960) * : Grand Cross of the

Order of the Netherlands Lion The Order of the Netherlands Lion, also known as the Order of the Lion of the Netherlands ( nl, De Orde van de Nederlandse Leeuw, french: L'Ordre du Lion Néerlandais) is a Dutch order of chivalry founded by King William I of the Netherlands on ...

Ancestry

Patrilineal descent

Felix's patriline is the line from which he is descended father to son. Patrilineal descent is the principle behind membership in royal houses, as it can be traced back through the generations - which means that if Prince Felix were to choose an historically accurate house name it would be Robertian, as all his male-line ancestors have been of that house. Felix is a member of the

, a sub-branch of the House of Bourbon-Spain, itself originally a branch of the

House of Bourbon The House of Bourbon (, also ; ) is a European dynasty of French origin, a branch of the Capetian dynasty, the royal House of France. Bourbon kings first ruled France and Navarre in the 16th century. By the 18th century, members of the Spani ...

, and thus of the

Capetian dynasty The Capetian dynasty (; french: Capétiens), also known as the House of France, is a dynasty of Frankish origin, and a branch of the Robertians. It is among the largest and oldest royal houses in Europe and the world, and consists of Hug ...

and of the Robertians. Felix's patriline is the line from which he is descended father to son. It follows the Dukes of Parma as well as the Kings of Spain, France, and Navarre. The line can be traced back more than 1,200 years from Robert of Hesbaye to the present day, through Kings of France & Navarre, Spain and Two-Sicilies, Dukes of Parma and Grand-Dukes of Luxembourg, Princes of Orléans and Emperors of Brazil. It is one of the oldest in Europe. #Robert II of Worms and Rheingau ( Robert of Hesbaye), 770 - 807 # Robert III of Worms and Rheingau, 800 - 834 #

Robert IV the Strong Robert the Strong (french: Robert le Fort; c. 830 – 866) was the father of two kings of West Francia: Odo (or Eudes) and Robert I of France. His family is named after him and called the Robertians. In 853, he was named ''missus dominicus'' ...

, 820 - 866 #

Robert I of France The name Robert is an ancient Germanic given name, from Proto-Germanic "fame" and "bright" (''Hrōþiberhtaz''). Compare Old Dutch ''Robrecht'' and Old High German ''Hrodebert'' (a compound of '' Hruod'' ( non, Hróðr) "fame, glory, honou ...

, 866 - 923 #

Hugh the Great Hugh the Great (16 June 956) was the duke of the Franks and count of Paris. Biography Hugh was the son of King Robert I of France and Béatrice of Vermandois.Detlev Schwennicke, '' Europäische Stammtafeln: Stammtafeln zur Geschichte der E ...

, 895 - 956 #

Hugh Capet Hugh Capet (; french: Hugues Capet ; c. 939 – 14 October 996) was the King of the Franks from 987 to 996. He is the founder and first king from the House of Capet. The son of the powerful duke Hugh the Great and his wife Hedwige of Saxony, ...

, 941 - 996 #

Robert II of France Robert II (c. 972 – 20 July 1031), called the Pious (french: link=no, le Pieux) or the Wise (french: link=no, le Sage), was King of the Franks from 996 to 1031, the second from the Capetian dynasty. Crowned Junior King in 987, he assisted his ...

, 972 - 1031 # Henry I of France, 1008–1060 #

Philip I of France Philip I (23 May 1052 – 29 July 1108), called the Amorous, was King of the Franks from 1060 to 1108. His reign, like that of most of the early Capetians, was extraordinarily long for the time. The monarchy began a modest recovery from the low i ...

, 1053–1108 #

Louis VI of France Louis VI (late 1081 – 1 August 1137), called the Fat (french: link=no, le Gros) or the Fighter (french: link=no, le Batailleur), was King of the Franks from 1108 to 1137. Chronicles called him "King of Saint-Denis". Louis was the first member ...

, 1081–1137 #

Louis VII of France Louis VII (1120 – 18 September 1180), called the Younger, or the Young (french: link=no, le Jeune), was King of the Franks from 1137 to 1180. He was the son and successor of King Louis VI (hence the epithet "the Young") and married Duchess ...

, 1120–1180 #

Philip II of France Philip II (21 August 1165 – 14 July 1223), byname Philip Augustus (french: Philippe Auguste), was King of France from 1180 to 1223. His predecessors had been known as kings of the Franks, but from 1190 onward, Philip became the first French m ...

, 1165–1223 #

Louis VIII of France Louis VIII (5 September 1187 – 8 November 1226), nicknamed The Lion (french: Le Lion), was King of France from 1223 to 1226. As prince, he invaded England on 21 May 1216 and was excommunicated by a papal legate on 29 May 1216. On 2 June 1216 ...

, 1187–1226 #Saint

Louis IX of France Louis IX (25 April 1214 – 25 August 1270), commonly known as Saint Louis or Louis the Saint, was King of France from 1226 to 1270, and the most illustrious of the Direct Capetians. He was crowned in Reims at the age of 12, following the d ...

, 1215–1270 #

Robert, Count of Clermont Robert of Clermont (1256 – 7 February 1317) was a French '' prince du sang'' who was created Count of Clermont in 1268. He was the sixth and last son of King Louis IX (Saint Louis) and Margaret of Provence.''Bourbon'', John Bell Henneman Jr. ...

, 1256–1317 #

Louis I, Duke of Bourbon Louis I, called the Lame (1279 – 22 January 1341) was a French '' prince du sang'', Count of Clermont-en-Beauvaisis and La Marche and the first Duke of Bourbon, as well as briefly the titular King of Thessalonica from 1320 to 1321. Life L ...

, 1279–1342 #

James I, Count of La Marche James I of Bourbon (1319 – 6 April 1362), was a French '' prince du sang'', and the son of Louis I, Duke of Bourbon and Mary of Avesnes. He was Count of Ponthieu from 1351 to 1360, and Count of La Marche from 1341 to his death. Hundred Y ...

, 1319–1362 #

John I, Count of La Marche John of Bourbon (John I/VII, Count of La Marche and of Vendôme), (1344 – 11 June 1393, Vendôme) was French '' prince du sang'' as the second son of James I, Count of La Marche and Jeanne of Châtillon. Life John was captured as a young ma ...

, 1344–1393 #

Louis, Count of Vendôme Louis de Bourbon (Louis I, Count of Vendôme) (1376 – December 21, 1446), younger son of John I, Count of La Marche and Catherine de Vendôme, was a French '' prince du sang'', as well as Count of Vendôme from 1393, and Count of Castres from ...

, 1376–1446 #

Jean VIII, Count of Vendôme Jean may refer to: People * Jean (female given name) * Jean (male given name) * Jean (surname) Fictional characters * Jean Grey, a Marvel Comics character * Jean Valjean, fictional character in novel ''Les Misérables'' and its adaptations * Je ...

, 1428–1478 # François, Count of Vendôme, 1470–1495 #

Charles de Bourbon, Duke of Vendôme Charles is a masculine given name predominantly found in English and French speaking countries. It is from the French form ''Charles'' of the Proto-Germanic name (in runic alphabet) or ''*karilaz'' (in Latin alphabet), whose meaning was " ...

, 1489–1537 #

Antoine of Navarre Antoine de Bourbon, roi de Navarre (22 April 1518 – 17 November 1562) was the King of Navarre through his marriage ('' jure uxoris'') to Queen Jeanne III, from 1555 until his death. He was the first monarch of the House of Bourbon, of which he ...

, 1518–1562 #

Henry IV of France Henry IV (french: Henri IV; 13 December 1553 – 14 May 1610), also known by the epithets Good King Henry or Henry the Great, was King of Navarre (as Henry III) from 1572 and King of France from 1589 to 1610. He was the first monar ...

, 1553–1610 #

Louis XIII of France Louis XIII (; sometimes called the Just; 27 September 1601 – 14 May 1643) was King of France from 1610 until his death in 1643 and King of Navarre (as Louis II) from 1610 to 1620, when the crown of Navarre was merged with the French crow ...

, 1601–1643 #

Louis XIV of France , 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 ...

, 1638–1715 # Louis, Dauphin of France (1661-1711), 1661–1711 #

Philip V of Spain Philip V ( es, Felipe; 19 December 1683 – 9 July 1746) was King of Spain from 1 November 1700 to 14 January 1724, and again from 6 September 1724 to his death in 1746. His total reign of 45 years is the longest in the history of the Spanish mo ...

, 1683–1746 #

Philip, Duke of Parma it, Filippo di Borbone , house = Bourbon-Parma (founder) , father = Philip V of Spain , mother = Elisabeth Farnese , birth_date = , birth_place = Royal Alcazar, Madrid, Spain , death_date = , death_place = Aless ...

, 1720–1765 #

Ferdinand, Duke of Parma Ferdinand I (''Ferdinando Maria Filippo Lodovico Sebastiano Francesco Giacomo''; 20 January 1751 – 9 October 1802) was Duke of Parma, Piacenza and Guastalla from his father's death on 18 July 1765 until he ceded the duchy to France by the Tre ...

, 1751–1802 # Louis of Etruria, 1773–1803 # Charles II, Duke of Parma, 1799–1883 #

Charles III, Duke of Parma , image = Charles III, Duke of Parma.JPG , caption = , birth_date = , birth_place = Villa delle Pianore, Lucca, Duchy of Parma , death_date = , death_place = Parma, Duchy of Parma , house = Bourbon-Parma , spouse = Princess Louise Mari ...

, 1823–1854 #

, 1848–1907 #Felix of Bourbon-Parma, 1893–1970

Footnotes and references

{{DEFAULTSORT:Felix of Bourbon-Parma, Prince People from Neunkirchen District, Austria House of Bourbon-Parma Members of the Council of State of Luxembourg Princes of Bourbon-Parma Felix of Bourbon-Parma, Prince Grand Ducal Consorts of Luxembourg Austro-Hungarian military personnel of World War I Luxembourgian people of World War II Grand Crosses of the Order of Aviz Grand Crosses of the Order of Saint Stephen of Hungary Burials at Notre-Dame Cathedral, Luxembourg 1893 births 1970 deaths