Olympia Bonaparte, Princess Napoléon (''Olympia Elene Marie''; née Countess Olympia von und zu Arco-Zinneberg, born 4 January 1988), is the consort of

Jean-Christophe, Prince Napoléon Jean-Christophe, Prince Napoléon, Prince of Montfort (born ''Jean-Christophe Louis Ferdinand Albéric Napoléon Bonaparte''; 11 July 1986) is a French businessman and the disputed head of the Imperial House of France, and as such the heir of ...

, the disputed head of the

House of Bonaparte The House of Bonaparte (originally ''Buonaparte'') is a former imperial and royal European dynasty of French and Italian origin. It was founded in 1804 by Napoleon I, the son of Corsican nobleman Carlo Buonaparte and Letizia Buonaparte (née ...

and, in the view of

Bonapartist Bonapartism () is the political ideology supervening from Napoleon Bonaparte and his followers and successors. The term was used in the narrow sense to refer to people who hoped to restore the House of Bonaparte and its style of government. In ...

s, the pretender to the abolished French imperial throne.

Early life and family

Countess Olympia Elene Marie von und zu Arco-Zinneberg was born on 4 January 1988 in

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 ...

to Count Riprand von und zu Arco-Zinneberg (1955-2021) and his wife, Archduchess Maria Beatrice of Austria-Este. Through her father she is a great-great-granddaughter of Ludwig III and Maria Theresa of Austria-Este, the last

king King is a royal title given to a male monarch. A king is an Absolute monarchy, absolute monarch if he holds unrestricted Government, governmental power or exercises full sovereignty over a nation. Conversely, he is a Constitutional monarchy, ...

and

queen Queen most commonly refers to: * Queen regnant, a female monarch of a kingdom * Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king * Queen (band), a British rock band Queen or QUEEN may also refer to: Monarchy * Queen dowager, the widow of a king * Q ...

Bavaria Bavaria, officially the Free State of Bavaria, is a States of Germany, state in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the list of German states by area, largest German state by land area, comprising approximately 1/5 of the total l ...

. Through her mother she is the granddaughter of

Robert, Archduke of Austria-Este Robert, Archduke of Austria-Este (given names: ''Robert Karl Ludwig Maximilian Michael Maria Anton Franz Ferdinand Joseph Otto Hubert Georg Pius Johannes Marcus d'Aviano''; 8 February 1915 – 7 February 1996), was the second son of Charles I of A ...

and Princess Margherita of Savoy-Aosta. She is a great-granddaughter of

Charles I Charles I may refer to: Kings and emperors * Charlemagne (742–814), numbered Charles I in the lists of Holy Roman Emperors and French kings * Charles I of Anjou (1226–1285), also king of Albania, Jerusalem, Naples and Sicily * Charles I of ...

and

Zita of Bourbon-Parma Zita of Bourbon-Parma (Zita Maria delle Grazie Adelgonda Micaela Raffaela Gabriella Giuseppina Antonia Luisa Agnese; 9 May 1892 – 14 March 1989) was the wife of Charles I, the last monarch of Austria-Hungary. She was also the last Empress o ...

, the last

emperor The word ''emperor'' (from , via ) can mean the male ruler of an empire. ''Empress'', the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife (empress consort), mother/grandmother (empress dowager/grand empress dowager), or a woman who rules ...

and

empress The word ''emperor'' (from , via ) can mean the male ruler of an empire. ''Empress'', the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife (empress consort), mother/grandmother (empress dowager/grand empress dowager), or a woman who rules ...

of Austria. Olympia is also the great-great-great-great-grandniece of

Marie Louise, Duchess of Parma Marie Louise (Maria Ludovica Leopoldina Franziska Theresia Josepha Lucia; 12 December 1791 – 17 December 1847) was Duchess of Parma from 11 April 1814 until her death in 1847. She was Napoleon's second wife and as such Empress of the French a ...

, the second wife of

Napoleon I Napoleon Bonaparte (born Napoleone di Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French general and statesman who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led Military career ...

Personal life

Olympia graduated from

Yale University Yale University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701, Yale is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Stat ...

with a bachelor's degree in

political science Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and Power (social and political), power, and the analysis of political activities, political philosophy, political thought, polit ...

and from

Columbia University Columbia University in the City of New York, commonly referred to as Columbia University, is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Churc ...

in 2015 with a

Master of Arts A Master of Arts ( or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA or AM) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Those admitted to the degree have ...

degree in

art history Art history is the study of Work of art, artistic works made throughout human history. Among other topics, it studies art’s formal qualities, its impact on societies and cultures, and how artistic styles have changed throughout history. Tradit ...

. She played on the women's college club

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey in North America) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an Ice rink, ice skating rink with Ice hockey rink, lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. Tw ...

teams of both Yale and Columbia. She currently works in London as the creator and chief curator of a photography collection. She met

during a semester studying abroad in Paris. They became engaged in May 2019. Her engagement ring includes a diamond from the tiara of

Eugénie de Montijo Eugénie de Montijo (; born María Eugenia Ignacia Agustina de Palafox y Kirkpatrick; 5 May 1826 – 11 July 1920) was Second French Empire, Empress of the French from her marriage to Napoleon III on 30 January 1853 until he was overthrown on 4 ...

, the last Empress of the French and wife of

Napoleon III Napoleon III (Charles-Louis Napoléon Bonaparte; 20 April 18089 January 1873) was President of France from 1848 to 1852 and then Emperor of the French from 1852 until his deposition in 1870. He was the first president, second emperor, and last ...

. Olympia and Jean-Christophe first held a civil marriage on 17 October 2019 at the town hall of

Neuilly-sur-Seine Neuilly-sur-Seine (; 'Neuilly-on-Seine'), also known simply as Neuilly, is an urban Communes of France, commune in the Hauts-de-Seine Departments of France, department just west of Paris in France. Immediately adjacent to the city, north of the ...

. They then held a religious Catholic ceremony on 19 October 2019, celebrated by Antoine de Romanet at the Cathedral of Saint-Louis des Invalides, followed by a reception at the

Château de Fontainebleau Palace of Fontainebleau ( , ; ), located southeast of the center of Paris, in the commune of Fontainebleau, is one of the largest French royal châteaux. It served as a hunting lodge and summer residence for many of the French monarchs, includ ...

. The wedding festivities were attended by members of European royal and noble families including

Henri, Grand Duke of Luxembourg Henri (; , ; born 16 April 1955) is Grand Duke of Luxembourg, reigning since 2000. He is the eldest son of Jean, Grand Duke of Luxembourg, Grand Duke Jean and Princess Joséphine Charlotte of Belgium, Princess Joséphine-Charlotte of Belgium, a ...

;

Guillaume, Hereditary Grand Duke of Luxembourg Prince Guillaume, Hereditary Grand Duke of Luxembourg (''Guillaume Jean Joseph Marie''; born 11 November 1981), is the heir apparent to the Luxembourg throne since October 2000 and regent of the country since October 2024, as the son of Grand ...

;

Stéphanie, Hereditary Grand Duchess of Luxembourg Princess Stéphanie, Hereditary Grand Duchess of Luxembourg (born Countess Stéphanie de Lannoy on 18 February 1984), is the wife of Hereditary Grand Duke Guillaume, the Succession to the Luxembourger throne, heir apparent to the throne of Luxe ...

; Princess Maria Laura of Belgium, Archduchess of Austria-Este;

Pavlos, Crown Prince of Greece Pavlos, Crown Prince of Greece, Prince of Denmark (; born 20 May 1967) is a Greek financier who is the former heir apparent to the defunct throne of Greece, becoming the Head of the Royal House of Greece upon his father's death on 10 January ...

; Princess Maria-Olympia of Greece and Denmark;

Prince Philippos of Greece and Denmark Prince Philippos of Greece and Denmark (; born 26 April 1986) is the youngest child of Constantine II and Anne-Marie, who were the last King and Queen of Greece, from 1964 to 1973. Early life and education Philippos was born at St Mary's ...

;

Nina Flohr Princess Nina of Greece and Denmark (née Nina Nastassja Flohr; born 22 January 1987) is a Swiss businesswoman, heiress and socialite. She is a member of the non-reigning Greek royal family and a member of the extended Danish royal family as th ...

;

Prince Félix of Luxembourg Prince Félix of Luxembourg, Prince of Bourbon-Parma and Nassau (Félix Léopold Marie Guillaume; born 3 June 1984) is the second son of Henri, Grand Duke of Luxembourg, and Maria Teresa, Grand Duchess of Luxembourg. He is currently fourth i ...

;

Princess Claire of Luxembourg Princess Claire of Luxembourg (born Claire Margareta Lademacher, 21 March 1985) is a member of the Grand Ducal Family of Luxembourg. She is the wife of Prince Felix, who is fourth in the line of succession to the throne of Luxembourg. Claire ...

; Prince Christian of Hanover; Princess Christian of Hanover;

Princess Beatrice of York Princess Beatrice, Mrs Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi (Beatrice Elizabeth Mary; born 8 August 1988) is a member of the British royal family. She is the elder daughter of Prince Andrew, Duke of York, and Sarah, Duchess of York. She is a niece of Charles ...

; and

Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi Edoardo Alessandro Mapelli Mozzi (born 19 November 1983) is a British property developer descended from Italian nobility. He is the founder and chief executive of Banda Property, a property development and interior design company. He became a me ...

. Their wedding marked the first time in over two hundred years that a marriage between the

House of Habsburg The House of Habsburg (; ), also known as the House of Austria, was one of the most powerful Dynasty, dynasties in the history of Europe and Western civilization. They were best known for their inbreeding and for ruling vast realms throughout ...

and the

had taken place. The Princess gave birth to a son, Louis Charles Riprand Victor Jérôme Marie, on 7 December 2022 in

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 ...

Ancestry

References

{{Bonaparte princesses by marriage 1988 births 20th-century Austrian women 21st-century Austrian women 20th-century German women 21st-century German women Living people House of Arco German Roman Catholics Austrian Roman Catholics Nobility from Munich Princesses by marriage Princesses Napoléon Columbia University alumni Yale University alumni