Diane, Dowager Duchess of Württemberg (''née'' Princess Diane of Orléans; born 24 March 1940) is a French-German painter, sculptor, writer and philanthropist. She is the widow of

Carl, Duke of Württemberg Carl Herzog von Württemberg (''Carl Maria Peter Ferdinand Philipp Albrecht Joseph Michael Pius Konrad Robert Ulrich''; 1 August 1936 – 7 June 2022) was the head of the House of Württemberg from 1975 to 2022. He was succeeded by his grandson ...

, head of the

House of Württemberg The House of Württemberg is an uradel, ancient German nobility, German dynasty and former royal family of the Kingdom of Württemberg. History County The House probably originated in the vicinity of the Salian dynasty. Around 1080 the ancestors ...

. She is the fourth daughter and sixth child of Henri, Count of Paris,

Orléanist Orléanist () was a 19th-century French political label originally used by those who supported a constitutional monarchy expressed by the House of Orléans. Due to the radical political changes that occurred during France in the long nineteenth ...

pretender to the throne of France, and his wife,

Princess Isabelle of Orléans-Braganza Isabelle of Orléans-Braganza (Isabelle Marie Amélie Louise Victoire Thérèse Jeanne; 13 August 1911 – 5 July 2003) was the consort of the Orléanist pretender to the French throne, Henri, Count of Paris (1908–1999), Henri, Count of Paris, ...

Early life

Diane was born in

Petrópolis Petrópolis (), also known as the Imperial City, is a municipality in the Southeast Region of Brazil. It is located in the state of Rio de Janeiro, northeast of the city of Rio de Janeiro. According to the 2022 Brazilian census, Petrópolis mun ...

Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...

, the fourth daughter and sixth child of the

claimant to the French throne, Henri, Count of Paris, and his wife,

. At the time of her birth, as a claimant to the throne, her father was banned from living in France. Thus, she was born in her mother's native Brazil. In 1950, the ban was lifted and the family moved to France. Diane attended the

Académie Julian The () was a private art school for painting and sculpture founded in Paris, France, in 1867 by French painter and teacher Rodolphe Julian (1839–1907). The school was active from 1868 through 1968. It remained famous for the number and qual ...

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

Career and patronages

The Duchess became interested in silk painting at the age of 14. She received formal training at the

. She worked in a variety of techniques such as silk screen printing, oil painting, stuccowork, glass and wood painting. In 1971, following an illness caused by using lead-based paints, Diane began sculpting. She signs her works as DxDiane. The letter D placed before Diane signifies '' Dimanche de Pâques'', the day of her birth. She is a patron of the Smolny Institute of Liberal Arts and Science. In 1979, the Duchess established an eponymous foundation, "Diane Herzogin von Württemberg, Prinzessin von Frankreich-Stiftung," to aid disadvantaged children.

Marriage and issue

In 1956, on a cruise organized by Queen Frederica of Greece, Diane met Duke Carl of Württemberg, son and heir of

Philipp Albrecht, Duke of Württemberg Philipp Albrecht, Duke of Württemberg (born ''Georg Philipp Albrecht Carl Maria Joseph Ludwig Hubertus Stanislaus Leopold Herzog von Württemberg''; 14 November 1893 – 15 April 1975) was the son of Albrecht, Duke of Württemberg, and Archduches ...

, and his wife,

Archduchess Rosa of Austria Archduchess ''Rosa'' Maria Antonie Roberta Josepha Anna Walburga Carmela Ignazia Rita de Cascia of Austria (German: ''Rosa Maria Antonie Roberta Josepha Anna Walburga Carmela Ignazia Rita de Cascia, Erzherzogin von Österreich''; 22 September 1906 ...

. In 1957, her brother,

Henri Henri is the French form of the masculine given name Henry, also in Estonian, Finnish, German and Luxembourgish. Bearers of the given name include: People French nobles * Henri I de Montmorency (1534–1614), Marshal and Constable of France * H ...

, married Carl's sister, Marie-Thérèse. On 21 July 1960, Diane married Carl at

Altshausen Altshausen is a small Swabian municipality with around 4,100 inhabitants, near the city of Ravensburg in Baden-Württemberg, in southern Germany. Geography Altshausen is situated in Upper Swabia, about 40 kilometers north of Lake Constance. Nor ...

. The wedding celebrations lasted three days. Diane wore a

Dior Christian Dior SE (), commonly known as Dior, is a French Multinational corporation, multinational luxury goods company that is controlled and chaired by French businessman Bernard Arnault, who also heads LVMH. , Dior controlled around 42% of ...

gown designed by Yves Saint Laurent. In 1975, Carl succeeded his father as head of the

. They have six children and sixteen grandchildren: * ''Friedrich'' Philipp Carl Franz Maria, Hereditary Duke of Württemberg (

Friedrichshafen Friedrichshafen ( or ; Low Alemannic: ''Hafe'' or ''Fridrichshafe'') is a city on the northern shoreline of Lake Constance (the ''Bodensee'') in Southern Germany, near the borders of both Switzerland and Austria. It is the district capital (''K ...

, 1 June 1961 – near

Ebenweiler Ebenweiler is a village in the district of Ravensburg in Baden-Württemberg in Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and ...

, 9 May 2018). He married in

on 11 November 1993 to Princess Wilhelmine Friederike Pauline Elisabeth ''Marie'' of Wied (born

Munich Munich is the capital and most populous city of Bavaria, Germany. As of 30 November 2024, its population was 1,604,384, making it the third-largest city in Germany after Berlin and Hamburg. Munich is the largest city in Germany that is no ...

, 27 December 1973), with issue: ** Wilhelm Friedrich Carl Philipp Albert Nikolaus Erich Maria, Duke of Württemberg (

Ravensburg Ravensburg ( or ; Swabian: ''Raveschburg'') is a city in Upper Swabia in Southern Germany, capital of the district of Ravensburg, Baden-Württemberg. Ravensburg was first mentioned in 1088. In the Middle Ages, it was an Imperial Free City and ...

, 13 August 1994), succeeded his grandfather as head of the

in 2022 ** Duchess Marie-Amélie Diane Katharina Beatrix Philippa Sophie (

, 12 March 1996). She is married to Baron Franz-Ferdinand von Feilitzsch. ** Duchess Sophie ''Dorothée'' Martina Johanna Henriette Charitas Maria (

, 19 August 1997) * Duchess ''Mathilde'' Marie-Antoinette Rosa Isabelle (b.

, 11 July 1962). She married in 1988 to Erich, Prince of Waldburg zu Zeil und Trauchburg (b. 1962), with issue. * Duke ''Eberhard'' Alois Nikolaus Heinrich Johannes Maria (b.

, 20 June 1963). He married in 2011 (divorced in 2016) to Lucia ''Desiree'' Copf (b.

Samedan Samedan (, locally ) is a town and municipalities of Switzerland, municipality in the Maloja Region in the Switzerland, Swiss Cantons of Switzerland, canton of Grisons. It is served by Samedan railway station on the Rhaetian Railway network and ...

, 29 December 1969), and married secondly in 2023 Gaby Maier (b. 1970), with issue (from his first marriage). * Duke ''Philipp'' Albrecht Christoph Ulrich Maria (b.

, 1 November 1964). He married in 1991 to Duchess Marie-Caroline in Bavaria, with issue. * Duke ''Michael'' Heinrich Albert Alexander Maria (b.

, 1 December 1965). He married in 2006 to ''Julia'' Ricarda Storz (b.

, 4 April 1965), without issue. * Duchess Eleonore ''Fleur'' Juanita Charlotte Eudoxie Marie-Agnès (b.

, 4 November 1977). She married in 2003 to Count Moritz von Goëss (b. 1966), with issue.

Honours and awards

Honours

National honours

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

: Member of the Order of the Legion of Honour, 2010 * : Member of the

Decoration of Merit The Decoration of Merit is an important military decoration for bravery in the Netherlands. The medal was established by the Dutch minister of defence, Wim van Eekelen, on 16 April 1987. The award was created by ministerial decree and is therefo ...

, 2011

Foreign honours

* Italy **

Sovereign Military Order of Malta The Sovereign Military Order of Malta (SMOM), officially the Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of Saint John of Jerusalem, of Rhodes and of Malta, and commonly known as the Order of Malta or the Knights of Malta, is a Catholic lay religious ...

: Knight Grand Cross of the

Order of Merit The Order of Merit () is an order of merit for the Commonwealth realms, recognising distinguished service in the armed forces, science, art, literature, or the promotion of culture. Established in 1902 by Edward VII, admission into the order r ...

, 2000 ** : Knight Commander of the

Order of Saint Sylvester The Pontifical Equestrian Order of Saint Sylvester (, ), sometimes referred to as the Sylvestrine Order, or the Pontifical Order of Pope Saint Sylvester, is one of five Papal order of knighthood, orders of knighthood awarded directly by the Pope ...

Awards

* ''Prix Européen de la Culture,'' 1999 * "DODO" Prize for Women, 2003 * Montblanc de la Culture Arts Patronage Award, 2005 * Honorary Doctorate,

Saint Petersburg State University Saint Petersburg State University (SPBGU; ) is a public research university in Saint Petersburg, Russia, and one of the oldest and most prestigious universities in Russia. Founded in 1724 by a decree of Peter the Great, the university from the be ...

, 2010

Works

*''I.K.H. Diane Herzogin von Württemberg, Prinzessin von Frankreich'' ; Diane Herzogin von Württemberg, Roger Orlik ; Sp-Verlag (2002) *''Kunsthandwerk, Gemälde, Skulpturen'' ; Diane von Württemberg ; Ulm : Süddt. Verl.-Ges., 1991.

References

External links

*
Personal website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Diane Of Wurttemberg, Duchess Living people 1940 births French princesses Princesses of France (Orléans) Duchesses of Württemberg German sculptors 20th-century German painters German women writers German philanthropists German women philanthropists German Roman Catholics People from Petrópolis Knights of the Legion of Honour Recipients of the Order of Merit of Baden-Württemberg 21st-century German painters