Family Portrait, VIII

The baptism of Princess Marguerite of Savoy Aosta at the Capodimonte Palace, Naples, Italy, in 1930. From left to right, Duke Emmanuel Philibert of Aosta, Queen of Italy Elena of Montenegro, whose hand my father, Prince Christopher, is kissing. Next to him, Anne of France, the future Duchess of Aosta and mother of the newborn, with her sister, my mother, Françoise. To the far right, the Duke of Bergamo.

 

301In Cairo, my grandmother, the Duchess of Guise, visits Sultana Melek at her palace. The Sultana was the widow of Sultan Hassan of Egypt.

 

380In Scotland, Princesses Isabelle and Louise of France with their brother, Prince Ferdinand of France. Their father, and my great grandfather, the Count of Paris Phillip of Orléans, was exiled to England. He enjoyed hunting in Scotland, a trip he made every year. This time he brought his children along with him.

 

381

While the Count of Paris was hunting in England, his brother, the Duke of Chartres, who was not exiled, was free to go fox hunting in the forests of Chantilly, owned at the time by his uncle, the Duke of Aumale. Riding sidesaddle is the Duchess of Chartes, Françoise of Orléans.


390Isabelle and Françoise of Orléans, assisting with the fox hunt of their grandfather, the Duke of Chartres, in the forest of Chantilly. The latter, Françoise, was my mother.


by  Prince Michael of Greece