#house of hohenberg

[dreamconsumer]

Maximilian, Duke of Hohenberg (1902-1962).

[archduchessofnowhere]

Do you know about the potential marriage between Crown Prince Rudolf and Archduchess Maria Antonietta of the Tuscan branch? Read (unsure if it's accurate) how Emperor Franz Joseph I because of her tuberculosis, but reminds of Ludwig I of Bavaria initially opposing his third son Prince Luitpold marrying Archduchess Maria Antonietta's own aunt Augusta Ferdinanda who although died young, she did also bare four children who had long lives of their own.

Hello anon! This is a subject I've tried to look into, and honestly I find it equally frustrating and fascinating.

Many of Rudolf's biographers state that his first love was Archduchess Maria Antonietta, the only child of Ferdinando, last Grand Duke of Tuscany, by his first wife Princess Anna of Saxony. The story goes that they fell in love around 1878, and as you said, that she was considered a potential bride for the Crown Prince until her tuberculosis became evident. Some authors choose to end the story there, but others go even farther and talk of a secret marriage in 1880 - which would make Rudolf's marriage to Stephanie of Belgium in 1881 invalid. Maria Antonietta eventually died in 1883, at the age of 25.

But what these biographers sometimes don't mention is that in 1937 a man called Robert Pachmann claimed that he was Rudolf and Maria Antonietta's secret love child, born a month before the archduhcess' death, and that since his alleged parents had been legally married, he was the real head of the House of Habsburg and not Otto von Habsburg, Emperor Karl I's eldest son.

While before the invention of DNA tests it was very common that a person would randomly pop out claiming they were someone famous' lost child, what I find particularly interesting about this case is how FAR the Pachmanns went, going to trial several times, to the point that in 1965 Theodor Pachmann, Robert's son, was legally recognized as a Habsburg by a Vienese regional court, and again - even more explicitly - in 1976, when a judge ruled that he was a great-grandson of Franz Josef and Ferdinando of Tuscany. All these veredicts, however, were based solely on the testimony of Robert Pachmann's mother, who in 1925 stated that her son was actually Rudolf's and Maria Antonietta's. It was only in 2013 when two of Theodor's sons finally compared their DNA against a Habsburg: Georg Hohenberg, Archduke Franz Ferdinand's grandson. Which came out negative. Despite this, Robert Pachmann's descendants still claim to be descendants of Rudolf, mostly because they don't understand why Robert and Theodor would've spent so many years at court fighting for their case if it wasn't true [x].

From left to right: Crown Prince Rudolf, Robert Pachmann, Theodor Pachmann and Rainer Pachmann (Theodor's son). From Alles aus Neugier: 40 Geschichten aus 40 Jahren by Georg Markus

At this point I was so down the rabbit hole that I thought, ok, there must have been some kind of rumor about Rudolf and Maria Antonietta, and Robert Pachmann built his story around that. After all, his descendants insist that there is evidence of a "love story" between them. But here is the thing: I can't find a single mention of a potential engagement or a rumored affair between Rudolf and Maria Antonietta from before Pachmann made his claim. In fact I can't even find a single mention of Rudolf and Maria Antonietta ever being in the same room together, though I assume they must have met at least once in court. Of course, just because I haven't found it doesn't mean it doesn't exist, so if any of you ever come across any sort of story (it doesn't matter if it's just rumors!) about Rudolf and Maria Antonietta from before 1937, please let me know!

[pokadandelion]

Sophie Duchess of Hohenberg (1868 - 1914)

[germanaustriannoblesandroyals]

House of Chotek & of Habsburg: Countess Sophie Chotek of Chotkowa and Wognin

Sophie was born as the fifth child of Count Bohuslav Chotek of Chotkow and Wognin and his wife Countess Wilhelmine Kinsky of Wchinitz and Tettau. Her siblings were Count Wolfgang Chotek, Countess Zdenka Chotek, Princess Marie of Thun and Hohenstein, Countesses Karoline and Henriette of Nostitz-Rieneck, Countess Oktavia of Schönburg-Glachau and Countess Antoinette Wuthenau-Hohenthurm.

Sophie grew up in Dresden where her father had worked as diplomat. She had received an education and led the household of her father after her mother had died. When she fell for her future husband Archduke Franz Ferdinand, most of her sisters were already married and one of them even served Crown Princess Stéphanie of Austria-Hungary as a lady-in-waiting. When exactly the couple actually met for the first time is debated to this day. The time frame is somewhen between 1894 and 1897. However this may be, they were able to spent a few days icognito at Bad Neuenahr in 1898 with the help of a former lady-in-waiting of Franz Ferdinand’s aunt Empress Elisabeth.

The relationship only became public in 1899. The year before, Sophie had made clear she wanted to live closer to her lover, since she was still living with her father in Dresden. But Franz Ferdinand wanted to avoid the Viennese gossip and suggested she should apply as a lady-in-waiting to Archduchess Isabella, The Duchess of Teschen, who lived with her family in Bratislava. Isabella was supposedly a difficult mistress to please, so Sophie was reluctant but eventually did apply and received the post. From now on, Franz Ferdinand accepted every invitation of Archduke Friedrich’s family and visited them twice or thrice a week. Isabella hoped he was interested in her eldest daughter Archduchess Maria Christina of Austria-Teschen. One day, Isabella discovered a locket that Franz Ferdinand had dropped on the tennis court and opened it. She had expected to find a picture of her daughter in it but instead she found one of Sophie inside.

As soon as the relationship became public, the court tried to separate the couple. Sophie was not of high enough rank for a member of the House of Habsburg’s main line and heir to the throne, although her family had been nobles since the middle ages. Only when Franz Ferdinand’s stepmother Infanta Maria Theresa of Portugal spoke to Emperor Franz Joseph, the couple received permission to marry morganatically on April 8th, 1900, which they did less than three months later on July 1st. The condition was that Franz Ferdinand signed a document which effectively removed his future children from the line of succession and prevented him from crowning, in case of a succession to the throne, Sophie Empress of Austria, Queen of Hungary, Bohemia, Croatia or any other Habsburg realm or even making her an archduchess. This was especially important since Hungary did not practise the concept of morganatical marriages but instead viewed all marriages as equal. For her wedding, Sophie received the title of Fürstin (Princess) of Hohenberg and the style of Serene Highness. Nevertheless, Sophie was treated as a second-class noble by the Viennese society. The only one she was closed with in the Imperial family was Crown Prince Rudolf’s widow Princess Stéphanie of Belgium.

Only in 1909, after the birth of all of her children, she received the elevation to Duchess and the style of a Highness. She received many congratulation letters for it, one of them came form the German Emperor Wilhelm II who was a friend of her husband. But while her husband ranked only below The Emperor as his heir, she ranked behind all the archduchesses as well as the mediatized princesses and countess of Austria and Hungary. This difference in rank kept some courts from hosting the couple as it was difficult to do so without making any mistakes. But this did not keep the Romanian King Karl I. and his wife Elisabeth of Wied in 1909 and the British King George V and his wife Mary of Teck in 1913 from hosting them.

A little more than half a year after their visit to Britain, Sophie and Franz Ferdinand were dead. They were assassinated in Sarajevo. While he was shot in the neck, a bullet hit her in the abdomen. Their last recorded conversation was her asking him what had happened to him and him begging her to stay alive for the children while calling her by her nickname Sopherl. The murder of Sophie and Franz Ferdinand is regarded as the spark that set World War I in motion. Even in death, protocol took presedence. Franz Ferdinand had the right to be buried in the Imperial Crypt but Sophie did not. Instead they had requested to be buried together at the Habsburg’s summer home of Arstetten castle.

Their children Sophie, Maximilian and Ernst were raised by Sophie’s sister Henriette while their legal guardian became their uncle and good friend of their father Prince Jaroslav of Thun and Hohenstein. Sophie and Maximilian decided to forgive Nedeljko Čabrinović for the murder of their parents after her showed regret for doing it while Ernst did not sign the letter they wrote to him. Ernst and Maximilian were later imprisoned in a concentration camp in Dachau for making anti-Nazi statements after the Annextion of Austria by The Third Reich. But they survived their imprisonment. Through her daughter Sophie is an ancestor of the actors Friedrich and Max von Thun. The latter actually played Franz Ferdinand’s cousin Crown Prince Rudolf in a miniseries in 2006.

// Florinda Bolkan in The Day That Shook the World (1975)

______________________________________________________________

Requested by anonymous

[venicepearl]

Princess Sophie Marie Franziska Antonia Ignatia Alberta of Hohenberg (24 July 1901 – 27 October 1990) was the only daughter of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria and his morganatic wife Sophie, Duchess of Hohenberg, both of whom were assassinated at Sarajevo on 28 June 1914. Their assassination triggered the First World War, thus Sophie and her two brothers are sometimes described as the first orphans of the First World War.

[royal-confessions]

“Franz Ferdinand and Sophie are two of my favourite royals. It's a shame most people know them only as "those people whose deaths started World War 1", if they remember Sophie at all.“ - Submitted by Anonymous

[incorrect-leviathan-quotes]

Alek: What should I do?

Volger: Oh...this is where I give you advice and pretend you're going to listen to it. I like this part.

[tiny-librarian]

Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his daughter Sophie.

Source

[pwlanier]

Interior of Steeles place. House of the Singing Winds. Nashville, Brown County, Indiana. Photo by Frank Hohenberger 1876-1963. Courtesy Indiana University archives

[archduchessofnowhere]

Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria and his wife, Sophie, Duchess of Hohenberg at the wedding of Franz Ferdinand's nephew Archduke Karl and Princess Zita, October 21 of 1911.

[pokadandelion]

Princess Elisabeth and Princess Marie Adelaide of Luxembourg

[germanaustriannoblesandroyals]

Master Post - Members who married into a royal or noble house

Disclaimer: If a person married someone from the same house as they were born into, I have not listed them in this list. Please look at the list sorted by birth for them. Houses that rule(d)/reside(d) in other countries but originally came from German and/or Austrian territories and/or are generally regarded as belonging to this cultural room are listed among the German & Austrian Houses.

German & Austrian Houses

House of Babenberg

Princess Eudokia Laskarina of Nicaea, The Hereditary Duchess of Austria

Princess Theodora Angelina of Byzantium, The Duchess of Austria & Styria

Princess Theodora Komnene of Byzantium, The Duchess of Bavaria & Austria

House of Castell

Baroness Ottilie of Faber, Countess of Faber-Castell

House of Coburg (Cadet branch of the House of Wettin)

Princess Louise of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg, The Duchess of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld (1st marriage)

Princess Mary of Teck, The Queen of the United Kingdom & British Dominions, The Empress of India

Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom (wife of Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha)

House of Faber

Ottilie Richter, Baroness of Faber

House of Habsburg (incl. Habsburg-Lorraine)

Anna Plochl, Countess of Meran

Princess Charlotte of Belgium, The Empress of Mexico, Archduchess of Austria

Infanta Eleanor of Portugal, Holy Roman Empress, The Archduchess of Austria

Eleonore Magdalene of Neuburg, Holy Roman Empress

Elisabeth in Bavaria, The Empress of Austria

Princess Elisabeth Christine of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel, Holy Roman Empress

Queen Joanna of Castile, León and Aragon (Consort of Philip the Handsome, Archduke of Austria and The Duke of Burgundy)

Princess Maria Anna of Bavaria, The Archduchess of Inner Austria-Styria

Maria Beatrice d’Este, The Duchess of Massa & Carrara, Archduchess of Austria

Mary, The Duchess of Burgundy

Princess Sophie of Bavaria, Archduchess of Austria

Countess Sophie Chotek of Chotkowa and Wognin, The Duchess of Hohenberg

Princess Stéphanie of Belgium, The Crown Princess of Austria, Hungary and Bohemia

House of Hanover (Cadet branch of the House of Welf)

Princess Adelaide (Adelheid) of Saxe-Meiningen, The Queen of the United Kingdom and Hanover

Princess Caroline of Ansbach, The Queen of Great Britain

Princess Caroline of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel, The Queen of the United Kingdom and Hanover

Princess Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, The Queen of Great Britain, Ireland and Hanover

Frederica (Friederike) of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, The Queen of Hanover, The Duchess of Cumberland and Teviotdale (3rd marriage)

Princess Victoria of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld, The Duchess of Kent (2nd marriage)

House of Hesse

Princess Alice of Great Britain and Ireland, The Grand Duchess of Hesse and by Rhine

Princess Cecilie of Greece and Denmark, The Hereditary Grand Duchess of Hesse and by Rhine

Princess Christina of Saxony, The Landgravine of Hesse

House of Hohenlohe-Langenburg

Princess Feodora of Leininigen, The Princess of Hohenlohe-Langenburg

House of Hohenstaufen

Irene of Byzantium, The Queen of the Germans, The Duchess of Swabia

House of Hohenzollern

Princess Augusta of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach, The German Empress

Princess Augusta Victoria (Auguste Viktoria) of Schleswig-Holstein, The German Empress

Elisabeth Christine of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel-Bevern, The Queen of Prussia

Princess Elisabeth of Wied, The Queen & Princess of Romania

Princess Elisabeth Ludovika of Bavaria, The Queen of Prussia

Frederica (Friederike) of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, Princess Louis Charles of Prussia (1st marriage)

Princess Hermine Reuß, “German Empress”

Jadwiga Jagiellon, Electress of Brandenburg

Louise of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, The Queen of Prussia

Princess Sophia Dorothea of Hanover, The Queen in Prussia

Princess Victoria of Great Britain and Ireland, Princess Royal, The German Empress

House of La Marck

Jeanne d’Albret, The Duchess of Jülich-Cleves-Berg

House of Limburg-Luxemburg

Elizabeth of Pomerania, Holy Roman Empress

House of Nassau

Princess Sophie of Württemberg, The Queen of the Netherlands

House of Oldenburg

Princess Adelheid of Hohenlohe-Langenburg, The Duchess of Schleswig-Holstein

Princess Juliane of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel-Bevern, The Queen of Denmark and Norway

House of Supplinburg

Richenza of Northeim, Holy Roman Empress

House of Thurn and Taxis

Helene in Bavaria, The Hereditary Princess of Thurn and Taxis

House of Welf (without the British Hanover branch)

Princess Elisabeth of Brandenburg, The Duchess of Brunswick-Calenberg-Göttingen

Elisabeth of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, Princess of Brunswick-Lüneburg aka Grand Duchess Anna Leopoldovna of Russia

House of Wettin (without the Coburg branch)

Princess Amalie Auguste of Bavaria, The Queen of Saxony

Princess Feodora of Hohenlohe-Langenburg, The Duchess of Saxe-Meiningen

Princess Maria Anna of Bavaria, The Queen of Saxony

Sibylle of Cleves, The Electress of Saxony

House of Wittelsbach

Elizabeth Stuart, The Queen of Bohemia & Electress Palatine

Kunigunde of Austria, The Duchess of Bavaria-Munich

Princess Louise d’Orléans, Princess of Bavaria

Archduchess Maria Antonia of Austria, The Electress of Bavaria

Princess Marie of Prussia, The Queen of Bavaria

The House of Württemberg

Princess Antoinette of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld, Duchess of Württemberg

Princess Marie Auguste of Thurn and Taxis, The Duchess of Württemberg

The Ottonians

Adelaide of Burgundy, Holy Roman Empress, Queen of Italy

Theophanu, Holy Roman Empress

Foreign Houses

House of Bourbon

Jeanne d’Albret, The Queen of Navarre and The Duchess of Vendôme

Archduchess Maria Antonia “Marie Antoinette” of Austria, The Queen of France

House of Braganza

Archduchess Maria Leopoldina, The Empress of Brazil, The Queen of Portugal and the Algarves 

Byzantine Imperial Family

Konstanze “Anna” of Hohenstaufen, The Empress of Nicaea

House of Ivrea

Elisabeth “Beatrix” of Swabia, The Queen of Castile, León & Galicia

House of Lorraine

Archduchess Maria Anna of Austria, Princess of Lorraine and Bar

The Archduchess Maria Theresa (Maria Theresia) of Austria, Holy Roman Empress (marriage formed new House of Habsburg-Lorraine)

House of Medici

Archduchess Johanna of Austria, The Grand Duchess of Tuscany

House of Radziwiłł

Princess Luise of Prussia, Princess Radziwiłł

House of Romanov (incl. Romanov-Holstein-Gottrop)

Princess Alix of Hesse and by Rhine aka Empress Alexandra Feodorovna of Russia

Princess Elisabeth of Hesse and by Rhine, Grand Duchess Elizabeth Feodorovna of Russia

Princess Sophie of Anhalt-Zerbst, The Empress Regnant of Russia aka Catherine the Great

House of Tudor

Anne of Cleves, The Queen of England

House of Valois

Elisabeth (Isabeau) of Bavaria, The Queen of France

House of Vasa

Princess Maria Eleonora of Brandenburg, The Queen of Sweden

Minor Nobles

Anna Constantia of Brockdorff, The Imperial Countess of Cosel

Helene Baltazzi, The Baroness of Vetsera

Maria Anna Mozart, The Imperial Countess Berchthold

Marie Karoline of Mollard, The Imperial Countess of Fuchs to Bimbach

Sophia Botta, The Dark Countess of Hildburghausen

Sophie of Pannwitz, Countess of Voß

[incorrect-leviathan-quotes]

That’s the secret to my relationship with Volger. He talks a lot, I pretend I’m listening, and then I do what I want

Alek

[griffinrampant]

Arms of Rottenburg am Neckar, Germany

In use since 1282

Blazon: Per fess argent and gules

These arms are apparently an even-more-simplified version of the arms of the house of Hohenberg, which are barry of four argent and gules. The family originated in Austria; though I don’t have any solid evidence, it doesn’t seem like too much of a stretch to connect their family arms to the national arms of gules a fess argent.

[thearrangment-phff]

LXX.

February 2019

“Thank you so much for inviting us,” smiled Isabella.

“It’s no problem at all. I invited Marie Christine and she suggested to invite you as well. You did come to these as a child with your mother,” replied Henri, Isabella’s uncle.

“I did love the orchestra. Sometimes it was the only thing that brought me joy.”

“Come! Teresa will be so happy to see you and the boys. Marie Christine and her children are already at the palace. We’ll have lunch before heading to the Philharmonic tonight.”

“Okay. Thank you again,” smiled Isabella.

Henri, Isabella, Charlie, and Bertie went back to the Palais Grand-Ducal where Isabella was greeted by her sister, her three nephews and her little 3-month-old niece. Their cousin Felix and his two children Amalia and Liam were also at the palace but she was not greeted by them. Isabella had fond memories of her own childhood playing with her siblings and cousins in the palace.

7-year-old Leopold had taken charge over the care of his younger siblings, cousins, and second cousins. Constantin, Gabriel, Amalia, and Liam had bonded more than ever before with 9-month-old Charlie, Bertie, and 2-month-old Charlotte being doted upon by everyone in the room. The children running around the palace and the gardens were a sight that few have ever enjoyed.

“How many more months until the newest little addition to the family is born?” asked Marie Christine.

“About 3 months left. I think this one will be born around the same time that Charlie and Bertie were,” answered Isabella.

“You aren’t finding out whether it’s a boy or girl, again right?”

“No, we aren’t. I want it to be another surprise but I have names picked out.”

“Can I hear? Or is that another secret,” asked Marie Christine.

“Mary Astrid for a girl and Robert is it’s a boy. Both honor my side of the family and his.”

“What about godparents? It’s getting so soon to your due date you must have thought of them already.”

“I have some ideas but there is only one I know for sure. I was going to ask you later- “

“I would be so honored Belle!”

“You ruined my surprise,” laughed Isabella.

“Sorry! In all honesty, I was hoping for you to name me a godparent. I was so surprised that you didn’t ask any of us to be godparents to Charlie and Bertie.”

“I couldn’t choose! They are my eldest children now and I didn’t want to disappoint anyone. There’s five of you and now that I look back, I should’ve made you and Alexander, Charlie and Bertie’s godparents but it’s too late now. Now this newest little one will have an aunt for a godmother,” explained Isabella.

Marie Christine looked around the room while holding her infant daughter in her arms, “Where did the kids go?”

Isabella looked around the room finding her sons missing as well, “Did they go with uncle Henri?”

The two women scattered around some of the rooms before hearing the yelling of Marie Christine’s sons in the garden, “Oh thank god.”

“Uncle Henri! You scared us half to death!” yelled Isabella from across the gardens.

“Mama look who’s here! It’s great-grandpapa,” yelled Leopold pointing towards Jean.

Jean, Grand Duke of Luxembourg was farther away than the children. His eldest son Henri was holding Bertie while Jean was holding Charlie in their arms. The two women went to their side and smiled at the sight of their grandfather holding his fourteenth great-grandchild. The thought of living to see so many great-grandchildren born was a likely dream of Isabella. She would grow old and see her children and grandchildren marry and start families of their own.

“I thought you were at Berg,” said Marie Christine to Jean.

“I heard you and Belle were coming. I wanted to see you two and your children,” replied Jean.  

“We could’ve come to you so you wouldn’t have to travel here,” argued Isabella.

“It’s only a thirty-minute car drive. I’ll be fine.”

“Something could have happened,” warned Isabella.

“Is there any news on Aunt Alix?” asked Marie Christine.

“It won’t be long,” whispered Henri.

“I wonder how Christine feels. Gaelle has been in mourning for the past month. I don’t think she wants to come back to me and I wouldn’t blame her. I’ll more than likely loose Gaelle and Christine within weeks of each other,” explained Isabella.

“Do you have any ideas for replacements?” asked Jean.

“No, not really.”

“Antonia from my sister Marie Gabriele is a religious sister she would do good to replace Gaelle. My sister Elisabeth’s granddaughter Elizabeth is just a couple years older than you and her mother Sophie would love to have her by her side. She does want Elizabeth to marry already,” suggested Jean.

“Hohenberg Sophie?” asked Marie Christine.

“Yes, that one.”

“Why not just ask her to be a lady-in-waiting to Belle? She’s older and more experienced with a royal title. She meets the criteria,” asked Marie Christine.

“She is still in her late fifties. I think she would be more than capable,” added Jean.

“I will think about it,” ended Isabella. Charles had started to cry in his great-grandfather's arm. Isabella looked at her watch and noticed it was about time to feed the boys, “Do you think you can help me?” asked Isabella to her sister.

“Of course,” answered Marie Christine. With her daughter in her arms, she turned to her uncle, “Do you mind holding Charlotte?”

“Yes, it’s fine,” replied Henri.

Isabella grabbed Charles from Jean’s arms, Charlotte was given to Henri, then Albert was given to Marie Christine. The two women went back into the palace while Isabella tried to calm down Charles.

“Where is Harry?” asked Marie Christine.

“He went to a football match yesterday and had some meeting today. He’s had a more busy month than me,” answered Isabella.

“That’s understandable though. There was a death in the family and you are heavily pregnant with two boys who aren’t even a year old. You have the right to take it easy.”

“Once this newest one is born, they are going to simply put me on overseas engagements. Emily, my private secretary, talked with the offices of The Queen and The Prince of Wales. They now see me a foreign tool,” explained Isabella.

“That’s good. You did always want to help other people.”

“Harry is the ambassador to the youth commonwealth I believe. It’s something like that so most of my time will be spent out of London.”

“That’s good too. London is a drag and you never liked it anyway. You made up whatever excuse to come be with family.”

“I can’t do that anymore.” Once the two women reached a quiet room, Isabella got comfortable and started to breastfeed Charles, “Sometimes I look back and think about when I was a human rights officer, single, and living in Geneva. I miss it sometimes but then I remember that in my position now, I can make a larger and long-lasting impact.”

“See that’s such good progress you’ve been making!” smiled Marie Christine.

“I know but sometimes I just want to take the easy way out and run away from all responsibilities. Doing nothing can be a good thing.”

“That’s more like the depression talking.”

“I don’t have depression,” argued Isabella.

“How else do you explain what you're going through?”

“Please let’s not do this now. I don’t want to talk about those types of things right now. Let’s enjoy this day and the fact that we are together.”

“Okay... Imre and Kathleen are in Belgium for when Luisa gives birth.”

“I can’t wait. Everyone will officially have children of their own,” smiled Isabella.

Marie Christine was going to say something until their cousin Felix had come into the room. Isabella at the time was now feeding Albert and had a cover over her so no one could see anything.  

“Hello!” smiled Felix.

“Where were you?!” asked Marie Christine.

“I had to run a few errands in Dudelange,” answered Felix.

“And what are you doing in Dudelange?” asked Isabella.

“Claire and I are moving to Germany.”

“Germany? Why on earth would you move there?” asked Isabella.

“For Claire and something to do with bioethics. She wants to go for her doctorates and Germany is the best option for us,” replied Felix.

“Good for her! She is a modern-day hero,” smiled Marie Christine.

Henri, Felix, Amalia, Liam, Marie Christine, Leopold, Constantin, Gabriel, and Isabella went to the orchestra. Charlotte, Charles, and Albert had stayed at the Palais grand-ducal with Maria Teresa, Guillaume, the brother of Henri, and his wife Sibilla who were more than happy to take care of the infants.  

The group returned to the palace only to have a footman whisper into Henri’s ear that made his smile drop. Alix, Dowager Princess of Ligne nee Princess of Luxembourg, Princess of Nassau, and Princess of Bourbon-Parma had died that night. It was a somber night before the Luxembourg Grand Ducal Palace announced her death the next morning.

Isabella was now going to stay in Luxembourg until after the funeral. Harry had forgone all engagements after the announcement and took the train to Luxembourg to be with Isabella and their sons. Within hours of Harry being escorted into the palace, dozens of other royal family members had flooded into Luxembourg.  

The most powerful sight was Jean, Grand Duke of Luxembourg and his sister Princess Marie Gabriele, Dowager Countess of Holstein-Ledreborg being the last two of their generation. Everyone paid respects to the two siblings and the family of Princess Alix. Isabella was simply in shock at the death of her great-aunt Alix.  

The tragedy did not stop there. Grand Duke George Mikhailovich and Grand Duchess Olga Petrovna of Russia had come to pay their respects on behalf of the House of Romanov. During their brief time in Luxembourg, Grand Duchess Olga had suffered a miscarriage in the early months of her second pregnancy. Just a couple days later after the death of Princess Alix, Isabella’s lady-in-waiting Princess Charlotte of Murat had died of a heart attack.  

Harry watched Isabella slip into one of her depressive moods as death and loss were taking over. Princess Alix’s funeral was a close family event. Grand Duke George and Grand Duchess Olga had a small service in France for their child that they lost. Then the funeral of Princess Charlotte was an even smaller event. The last of the events was the mass to commemorate the deceased members of the Belgian Royal Family, at the Onze-Lieve-Vrouwkerk, in Laeken, Belgium.

Isabella had been utterly exhausted and barely left her bed unless someone was almost fully carrying her. On their way back to London Harry was tasked with dealing with everything about Isabella.

“Harry?”  

“What is it, Olympia?”

“Prince Joachim Murat is here. He is... was, the husband of Charlotte,” answered Olympia.

“Why is he here?”

“He wanted to talk to Isabella about Charlotte and her will.”

“She’s in bed. He’ll just have to talk to me then.”

A couple of minutes later a man came in with an air of arrogance. He was younger than Harry had expected and immediately shook Harry’s hand.

“I was hoping to speak with Isabella.”

“She’s in mourning and I don’t want to trouble her,” replied Harry.

“This concerns her not you.”

“She is my wife. Whatever you have to say to her, you can say to me.”

“My wife, god rest her soul, told me that you have no say in her trust. So no, I can’t say anything to you because I know it doesn’t matter,” said Joachim.

“Harry it’s fine.” The two men saw Isabella and Olympia at the door. “What are you doing here Joachim?”

“Charlotte wanted to have her will read with you in the room. My lawyer is right outside this room and I wanted us to sit down and listen. I know she left many things to you.”

“Alright. Olympia please bring the lawyer in.”

Everyone got situated around a coffee table and the will was smaller than everyone thought. Just a couple of pages and the lawyer explained the beginning and what was going to Joachim in case she died before him. Finally, Isabella’s name came up.

“To Isabella, I leave all my jewels and property in the Archduchess Isabella Trust. All of your female descendants may wear the jewels if they are born from a dynastic marriage and marry dynastically. All women who marry into your family will not wear them as per my will. I have several properties off the coasts of Italy, Croatia, and Greece. The choice to keep them or sell them is left up to you but all money made will go back to the trust for the upkeeping of the other properties.”

“Would I be able to see the jewels?” asked Isabella.

“They are in a bank in Belgium. We can go to the bank for you to review them before they go to your trust.”

“We can go once the period of mourning is over.”

“I was thinking sooner,” added Joachim.

“I don’t feel like going, we will wait,” replied Isabella.

“Alright,” grunted Joachim

“How large is her jewelry collection exactly?”

“About 5 tiaras, a dozen or so brooches, a couple of rings, a dozen pairs of earrings, two necklaces, and several other pieces. There are two parures but they were in the process of being dismantled to create tiaras on Princess Charlotte’s orders,” explained the lawyer.

“How dismantled are they? I want to see them,” asked Isabella.

“We have no idea, ma’am. The jeweler is in Austria and when Princess Charlotte died, he was ordered to stop working until we hear from you.”

“Tell him to continue his dismantle and reassemble according to Charlotte’s wishes. I trust her taste in jewels,” ordered Isabella.

“Of course ma’am.”

“Is that all?” asked Harry.

“There are other matters concerning the trust and money but I was told that Her Imperial Highness doesn’t deal with those matters, so yes, it is.”

[venicepearl]

Clemence of Austria (1262 – February 1293, or 1295) was a daughter of King Rudolph I of Germany and Gertrude of Hohenberg. She was a member of the House of Habsburg.