Friday, December 5, 2008

Austria - Limburg-Stirum wedding

Archduchess Marie Christine of Austria and Count Rodolphe of Limburg-Stirum will be married tomorrow at Saint Rombaut Cathedral in Mechelen, Belgium. The Roman Catholic ceremony will be preceded by the civil marriage at the Mechelen town hall.
This will be a grand occasion largely due to the two families. The Archduchess is the eldest of five children of Archduke Christian of Austria and Princess Marie Astrid of Luxembourg. Christian is the son of the late Archduke Karl Ludwig and his wife, Princess Yolande de Ligne. Karl Ludwig was a son of Emperor Karl and Empress Zita of Austria.
Marie Astrid is the eldest child of Grand Duke Jean of Luxembourg and his late wife, Princess Josephine Charlotte of Belgium. Thus, Marie Astrid is a niece of King Albert II of the Belgium. Her mother-in-law, Yolande, is a sister of the late Prince of Ligne, who married Princess Alix of Luxembourg, Grand Duke Jean's youngest sister.
Count Rodolphe's father, Count Christian, is a younger brother of the late Count Evrard of Limburg-Stirum, who was married to Princess Helene of France.

There will, of course, be a smattering of Luxembourg and Belgian royals and nobles, including Grand Duke Henri and Grand Duchess Maria Teresa of Luxembourg. Other royal guests will include The Duke and Duchess of Braganza, Crown Princess Margarita of Romania and her husband, Prince Radu, Crown Prince Alexander and Crown Princess Katherine of Yugoslavia and Prince Jean-Christophe Napoleon.
The witnesses for the wedding are Princess Maria Annunciata of Liechtenstein (the bride's first cousin), Baroness Elisabeth Gillès de Pélichy (nee Princess de Ligne, and a second cousin of the bride), Princess Xenia of Galitzine (another second cousin of the bride, daughter of Archduchess Marie-Anne of Austria) and Counts Philippe and Francois de Limburg-Stirum and Countess Marie de Limburg-Stirum (the groom's brothers and sister.)
Archduchess Gabriella, 14, who is Marie-Christine's younger sister, will be a bridesmaid. Other bridal attendants including Princesses Laya and Nora of Auersperg (first cousins of the bride, daughters of Archduchess Constanza, Princess of Auersperg-Trautson). Princess Charlotte and Prince Leopold of Nassau (children of Prince Guillaume and Princess Sibilla of Luxembourg), Archduchess Antonia of Austria (daughter of Archduke Carl Peter and his wife, Princess Alexandra of Wrede (Carl is a first cousin to the bride's father), Archduchess Isabelle of Austria (daughter of Archuke Simeon and Archduchess Maria of Austria) and Count Constantino Secco di Aragona (son of Archduchess Catherine of Austria, a first cousin of the bride's father), Count Jean of Limburg-Stirum and Edouard Misone.

http://www.mechelen.be/cms/documenten//00000_2008-12-06_Details_prinselijk_huwelijk_Mechelen.pdf

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