Antoine Maria Joachim Lamoral de Ligne, 13th Prince of Ligne, Prince of

Épinoy Épinoy (; ) is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in the Hauts-de-France region of France southeast of Arras. Population See also *Communes of the Pas-de-Calais department The following is a list of the 887 communes of the Pas ...

, 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

Prince Antoine escaped from occupied Belgium in February 1943 and joined the RAF in June. After initial training in England, he won his wings at No. 34 Flying Training School in

Medicine Hat Medicine Hat is a city in Southern Alberta, southeast Alberta, Canada. It is located along the South Saskatchewan River. It is approximately east of Lethbridge and southeast of Calgary. This city and the adjacent Town of Redcliff, Alberta, R ...

, Canada, before returning to the UK for operational duty from December 1944 as a 2nd Lt. in the Belgian Air Force flying

Spitfires The Supermarine Spitfire is a British single-seat fighter aircraft that was used by the Royal Air Force and other Allied countries before, during, and after World War II. It was the only British fighter produced continuously throughout the ...

with 349 Squadron. Post-war, he attended the

Central Flying School The Central Flying School (CFS) is the Royal Air Force's primary institution for the training of military flying instructors. Established in 1912 at the Upavon Aerodrome, it is the longest existing flying training school in the world. The sch ...

as a flying instructor with the reformed

Belgian Air Force The Belgian Air and Space Component (, ) is the Air force, air arm of the Belgian Armed Forces, and until January 2002 it was officially known as the Belgian Air Force (; ). It was founded in 1909 and is one of the world's oldest air services. ...

. Moved to 160 Wing until detached to

Palestine Palestine, officially the State of Palestine, is a country in West Asia. Recognized by International recognition of Palestine, 147 of the UN's 193 member states, it encompasses the Israeli-occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and th ...

on behalf of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs as UN Truce Observer during the formation of the

State of Israel Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...

. Promoted to Captain in December 1948, he served as Deputy Flight Commander of 2 Squadron during 1949-50. Served as Assistant Military Attache in

Washington Washington most commonly refers to: * George Washington (1732–1799), the first president of the United States * Washington (state), a state in the Pacific Northwest of the United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A ...

1952-3, before returning to Belgium as Captain-Commandant to assume command of 9 Squadron flying

Gloster Meteor The Gloster Meteor was the first British jet fighter and the Allies' only jet aircraft to engage in combat operations during the Second World War. The Meteor's development was heavily reliant on its ground-breaking turbojet engines, pioneere ...

8s. Prince Antoine resigned his commission on 1 September 1955 to join the first

Belgian Antarctic Expedition The Belgian Antarctic Expedition of 1897–1899 was the first expedition to winter in the Antarctic region. Led by Adrien de Gerlache de Gomery aboard the RV ''Belgica'', it was the first Belgian Antarctic expedition and is considered the fir ...

under Commandant Gaston de Gerlache (with whom he had trained in the RAF in 1943), leaving Belgium in 1957. He flew many exploration flights over Antarctica in

Auster Auster may refer to: Places * Auster Glacier, located in East Antarctica * Auster Islands, East Antarctica * Auster Pass, located in East Antarctica * Auster Point, located in West Antarctica Other uses * Auster Aircraft, a former British air ...

s and

Bell 47 The Bell 47 is a single-rotor single-engine light helicopter manufactured by Bell Helicopter. It was based on the third Bell 30 prototype, which was the company's first helicopter designed by Arthur M. Young. The 47 became the first heli ...

helicopters until returning to Belgium in March 1959; also took part in the subsequent Belgian expeditions in 1960 and 1965. He was the President of the Royal Belgian Aero Club for 20 years and President of the Belgian National Appeal for the World Wildlife Appeal for 10 years. He is a Chevalier of the Orders of Leopold and Leopold II and an Officer of the Order of the Crown. He was the 1,294th

Knight A knight is a person granted an honorary title of a knighthood by a head of state (including the pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church, or the country, especially in a military capacity. The concept of a knighthood ...

of the

Order of the Golden Fleece The Distinguished Order of the Golden Fleece (, ) is a Catholic order of chivalry founded in 1430 in Brugge by Philip the Good, Duke of Burgundy, to celebrate his marriage to Isabella of Portugal, Duchess of Burgundy, Isabella of Portugal. T ...

in Austria. He died on 21 August 2005 at the castle of Belœil in Belœil, Belgium.

Family

He married

Princess Alix of Luxembourg Alix, Princess de Ligne (Alix Marie Anne Antoinette Charlotte Gabrielle; 24 August 1929 – 11 February 2019) was the fourth daughter and youngest child of Charlotte, Grand Duchess of Luxembourg, and Felix of Bourbon-Parma.de Badts de Cugnac, Chan ...

, daughter of

Prince Felix of Bourbon-Parma 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 and the father of her six children, including her successor Jean, Grand Duke of ...

and

Charlotte, Grand Duchess of Luxembourg Charlotte (''Charlotte Adelgonde Elisabeth Marie Wilhelmine''; 23 January 1896 – 9 July 1985) was Grand Duchess of Luxembourg from 14 January 1919 until her abdication on 12 November 1964. Her reign is the longest of any Luxembourgish monarc ...

, on 17 August 1950 in

Luxembourg Luxembourg, officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, is a landlocked country in Western Europe. It is bordered by Belgium to the west and north, Germany to the east, and France on the south. Its capital and most populous city, Luxembour ...

. They had seven children: * Michel, 14th Prince of Ligne (b. 26 May 1951), he married Princess Eleonora of Orléans-Braganza *Prince Wauthier de Ligne (10 July 1952 - 15 August 2022), he married Countess Regine van

Renesse Renesse () is a village in the Dutch province of Zeeland. It is a part of the municipality of Schouwen-Duiveland, and lies about 28 km west of Hellevoetsluis. Renesse is a popular tourist resort with zero-fare bus services in the area (in ...

. His funeral took place at the church of Saint-Pierre de Belœil on 22 August 2022. * Princess Anne-Marie de Ligne (b. 3 April 1954), she married Olivier Mortgat *Princess Christine de Ligne (b. 11 August 1955), she married Prince Antonio of Orléans-Braganza. *Princess Sophie de Ligne (b. 23 April 1957), she married Count Philippe de Nicolay, son of Baroness Marie-Hélène de Rothschild. *Prince Antoine de Ligne (b. 28 December 1959). he married Countess Minthia de Lannoy *Princess Yolande de Ligne (b. 16 June 1964), she married Hugo Townsend, son of Group Captain Peter Townsend

Ancestry

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ligne, Antoine De Ligne, 13th Prince De 1925 births 2005 deaths Nobility from Brussels #13 20th-century Spanish nobility Spanish princes Grandees of Spain Royal Air Force personnel of World War II Knights of the Golden Fleece of Austria