Prince Alonso of Orléans-Bourbon, son of the 7th Duke of Galliera, is engaged to Countess Charlotte de Liedekerke de Pailhe. The descendant of the kings of Spain and his fiancée only had to make the news official, they who appear radiant at each of their appearances during evenings in high society.
Read also: Engagement of Princess Marie Caroline of Liechtenstein
Engagement of Prince Alonso of Orléans-Bourbon with Countess Charlotte de Liedekerke
Whether at the ball of the Hospital Service of the Order of Malta in Switzerland or at the Bal du Léma in November 2023, Prince Alonso of Orléans-Bourbon was accompanied by Countess Charlotte de Liedekerke de Pailhe. This royal couple had not escaped us. Already in November 2022, during the previous edition of the Bal du Léman, Histoires Royales met the prince and the countess. Just a year ago, the couple was about to get engaged.
Alfonso de Orleans-Borbón y Ferrara-Pignatelli and Véronique Goeders have now announced, jointly with Count and Countess de Liedekerke, the engagement of their children, Alonso and Charlotte. Alonso descended from the Spanish branch of the Orléans, whose ancestors were made infantes of Spain. His father, Alfonso d’Orléans-Bourbon is the 7th Duke of Galliera, a title of the Kingdom of Italy, which Alonso will one day inherit.
Read also: The Marquis de Brissac is engaged to a countess
In 1812, then king of Italy, Napoleon created the Duchy of Galliera for Joséphine de Leuchtenberg, daughter of Prince Eugène de Beauharnais. Josephine will become Queen of Sweden by marrying King Oscar I. In 1837, after tough negotiations, King Oscar separated from the duchy and its properties, purchased by the Marquis Raffaele de Ferrari. The granting of the title to the marquis will be confirmed by Pope Gregory XVI. A few years later, Charles-Albert of Savoy, king of Sardinia, confirmed his recognition of the title. At the death of the Duke, without an heir to take over the succession, the Duchess, a fervent Orleanist, bequeathed her Italian properties in 1877 to Prince Antoine d’Orléans, Duke of Montpensier, the last son of Louis-Philippe I, the former king of the French. .
Read also: The coveted squire of King Charles III announces his engagement
In 1888, on the death of the Dowager Duchess of Galleria, King Humbert I of Italy recognized the succession of the title of Duke of Galliera to Antoine d’Orléans. The title has remained a title of the Italian nobility, although it is worn today by Spaniards. The son of Antoine de Bourbon, also named Antoine, married his first cousin, Infanta Eulalie de Bourbon, daughter of Queen Isabella II of Spain. Their son married Princess Beatrice of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, daughter of the ruler of the duchy of the same name and granddaughter of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom. Their son and grandsons married the daughter of an Italian senator for one and a descendant of the princes of Strongoli for the other.
Alfonso de Orleans-Borbón y Ferrara-Pignatelli, current 7th Duke of Galliera was born in 1968 in Santa Cruz de Tenerife. He inherited the title upon the death of his grandfather in 1997, his own father having died at age 34 in 1975. In 1994 he married Belgian Véronique Goeders. The Duke of Galliera created the Racing Engineering motorsport team, the first Spanish team to participate in the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2000. The couple had a son, Alonso, born in 1994.
Alonso has a degree in psychology from the Complutense University of Madrid and a master’s degree in organizational psychology from the University of Maastrich. He also obtained a doctorate from HEC Lausanne, in organizational behavior studies. Countess Charlotte is the daughter of Count Benoît de Liederkeke de Pailhe and Caroline Vinel. She worked in Paris in communications for the luxury sector, before moving to Madrid for her studies. She notably holds a master’s degree in innovation and entrepreneurship. The first mention of the Liedekerke family dates back to a document from 1301. This ancient Belgian family was ennobled with the title of count in 1816 by William I, Dutch stadtholder. The title of count had already been granted to the head of the family since the 17th century.
Nicolas Fontaine
Editor-in-chief
Nicolas Fontaine has been a designer-editor and author for numerous Belgian and French brands and media. A specialist in royal family news, Nicolas founded the site Histoires royales of which he is the editor-in-chief. [email protected]
