Princess Mathilde Bonaparte
She was first cousin to Napoleon III. A great lady under the Second Empire, she was even more so under the Third Republic. The whole wide world would visit her in her hotel on Rue Courcelles and in her Château de Saint Gratien, amongst whom many intellectuals and many artists. She was a cultivated woman, with a strong personality. It was rumoured she had a thing for bearded men and that one of her more tenacious lovers was gifted with an enormous hairy apparatus.
The countess of Paris and the countess of Rambuteau
Two cousins jump roping. The countess of Rambuteau would later spend many years in a Nazi concentration camp and miraculously survive.
The count of Paris as an aviator
He possessed many talents, amongst which piloting a sport plane of which he was particularly fond.
Queen Sofía and King Manuel
The wedding of my parents Françoise and Christophe was the occasion for a great gathering of royals: catholic from the bride’s side, and orthodox and protestant from the groom’s side. Hence, King Manuel of Portugal, first cousin of my mother, was reunited with Queen Sofía of Greece, born princess of Prussia, and sister-in-law to my father. They had not seen each other in years.
Myself on a bicycle
Contrary to what those photos might have you believe, I never learnt to ride a bicycle.