Philomena, Countess of Paris
Philomena, Countess of Paris (born Doña Maria Philomena Magdalena Juliana Johanna de Tornos y Steinhart; 19 June 1977) is an aristocrat of Hispanic-Austrian descent. She is the wife of Jean, Count of Paris, Orléanist claimant to the throne of France and head of the House of Orléans.
Philomena | |
---|---|
Countess of Paris | |
Consort of the Head of the House of Orléans | |
Tenure | 21 January 2019 - present |
Predecessor | Micaëla Cousiño Quiñones de León |
Born | Maria Philomena Magdalena Juliana Johanna de Tornos y Steinhart 19 June 1977 Vienna, Austria |
Spouse | |
Issue | Prince Gaston Princess Antoinette Princess Louise-Marguerite Prince Joseph Princess Jacinthe |
Father | Alfonso de Tornos y Zubiría |
Mother | Marie-Antoinette von Steinhart |
Religion | Roman Catholicism |
Early life and ancestry
Philomena is the daughter of Don Alfonso de Tornos y Zubiría (b. Getxo, 13 October 1937), of noble Basque ancestry, and his wife (married Vienna, 18 September 1976) Maria Antonia Anna Zdenka, Edle von Steinhart (b. 1944), of Austro-Hungarian ancestry.[1][2] Philomena has a sister named Maria Magdalena (1980), married to Count Jean d'Haussonville d'Andlau de Cléron d'Haussonville, director of the EPIC (public company) that manages the Château de Chambord[3] and a brother, David (1982). Her paternal grandparents are Don Juan de Tornos y Espelíus (former head of the personal secretariat of Infante Juan, Count of Barcelona, grandfather of the current King of Spain[4][5]) and Doña María del Carmen Zubiría y Calbetón, daughter of Don Luis de Zubiria y Urizar, 2nd Marquis de Yanduri. Her maternal grandparents were Dr. Ferdinand, Edler von Steinhart (1910–1998) and his wife (married September 1939) Gabriele Felicitas Murad von Werner (1913–1994), paternal granddaughter of Murad Effendi.[6]
Mutual ancestry with her husband
Prince Jean and Philomena are distantly related, both being descendants of Count Jaroslav Borzita von Martinitz (1582-1649) who served as Imperial Governor of Bohemia and his first wife Countess Maria Eusebie von Sternberg (1584-1634).
Life and education
She spent part of her youth in the Auvergne and studied at the Lycée Maritime in Ciboure.[7] Philomena, her husband Jean and their children lived at their family estate in Dreux, France, but in 2020 they moved to live in Montréal de l'Aude.
Marriage and children
Philomena married Prince Jean, Duke of Vendôme in a civil service on 19 March 2009 in Paris, conducted by Mayor Rachida Dati. The religious wedding was held on 2 May 2009 at the Cathédrale Notre-Dame at Senlis,[8] with a reception at the Château de Chantilly.[9] The bride wore a gown by Christian Lacroix and a jacket embroidered by Maison Lesage.[10]
The couple have five children:
- Prince Gaston Louis Antoine Marie d’Orléans (born 19 November 2009 in Paris), his six godparents are: Prince Eudes, Duke of Angoulême (paternal uncle), Countess Magdalena d'Haussonville (maternal aunt), Prince Carlo, Duke of Castro, Princess Astrid of Belgium, Archduchess of Austria-Este, Count François-Pierre de Feydeau and Magdalena, Countess de El Abra.
- Princess Antoinette Léopoldine Jeanne Marie d’Orléans (born 28 January 2012 in Vienna), her six godparents are: Don David de Tornos y Steinhart (maternal uncle), Princess Leopoldine of Liechtenstein (her first cousin), Count Damian von Schönborn-Buchheim (father's first cousin), Francesca Lopez de la Osa, Leopoldo Gavito and Dominique de Layre.
- Princess Louise-Marguerite Eléonore Marie d’Orléans (born 30 July 2014 in Poissy), her five godparents are: Princess Marguerite of Liechtenstein (her first cousin), Sibilla, Princess of Luxembourg, Philippe d'Albert, 13th Duke of Luynes, Don Alvaro-Jaime de Orléans-Borbón and Archduke Michael of Austria.
- Prince Joseph Gabriel David Marie d’Orléans (born 2 June 2016), his six godparents are: Prince Johann Wenzel of Liechtenstein (his first cousin), Infante Afonso, Prince of Beira (father's second cousin), Benedikt du Cassé, Princess Marie-Liesse, Duchess of Angoulême (father's sister-in-law), Princess Tılsım of Liechtenstein and Kildine Stevenson, née de Sambucy de Sorgue (father's first cousin).
- Princess Jacinthe Élisabeth-Charlotte Marie d’Orléans (born 9 October 2018 in Dreux). She was christened just four days after her birth at the Saint-Etienne Church in Dreux, France. Her godparents are Princess Maria-Immaculata of Liechtenstein (her first cousin), Prince Pierre d'Orléans (her first cousin), Prince Charles Philippe, Duke of Anjou (father's first cousin), Duchess Catherine of Gramont, Princess Silvia of Arenberg and Count Hervé de Solages.[11]
Dynastic honours
- Portuguese Royal Family: Dame Grand Cross of the Royal Order of Saint Isabel (27 October 2012, installed 6 November 2012)[12]
- Two Sicilian Royal Family: Bailiff Dame Grand Cross of Justice of the Sacred Military Constantinian Order of Saint George (19 March 2019, installed 13 May 2019)[13]
See also
References
- "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 27 May 2012. Retrieved 27 May 2012.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
- "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 4 May 2009. Retrieved 2 September 2009.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
- "Decree of December 10, 2009 appointing the Director General,Commissioner of the National Domain of Chambord - Mr. d'Haussonville (Jean)".
- "Angelfire.com".
- "Angelfire.com". Archived from the original on 2009-05-04. Retrieved 2019-01-24.
- "Philomena de Tornos y Steinhart, * 1977 - Geneall.net". Geneall.net. Retrieved 2017-05-23.
- "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 20 December 2012. Retrieved 18 March 2012.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
- "princesse - Un mariage tout en noblesse - ParisMatch.com". archive.is. 5 September 2012. Archived from the original on 5 September 2012.
- "Jean d'Orlean and Philomena de Tornos to have secind". Hellomagazine.com. Retrieved 2017-05-23.
- WWD Staff (2009-05-04). "Fashion Scoops: The Next Halston?… Something Lacroix…. – WWD". Wwd.com. Retrieved 2017-05-23.
- France, Centre. "Carnet rose - Une nouvelle princesse est née à Dreux". www.lechorepublicain.fr.
- http://princejeandefrance.fr/la-princesse-philomena-recue-dans-lordre-royal-de-sainte-isabelle/
- "Le comte et la comtesse de Paris reçus dans l'ordre de Constantinien". la-couronne.org. 19 May 2019. Retrieved 2019-05-30.
Bibliography
- Opfell, Olga S. (2001). "H.R.H. Henri, Count of Paris: Royal House of France House of Bourbon-Orleans". Royalty Who Wait: The 21 Heads of Formerly Regnant Houses of Europe. Jefferson. pp. 21–32.