Prince Jean, Duke of Vendôme

Prince Jean
Duke of Vendôme (more)
Born	19 May 1965
Spouse	Philomena de Tornos Steinhart
Issue	Prince Gaston Princess Antoinette Princess Louise-Marguerite Prince Joseph
House	Orléans
Father	Prince Henri, Count of Paris
Mother	Duchess Marie Therese of Württemberg
Religion	Roman Catholic

Prince Jean of Orléans, Duke of Vendôme (Jean Charles Pierre Marie; born 19 May 1965, Paris, France), also called Jean d’Orléans, is the second son of Prince Henri, Count of Paris, Duke of France, the Head of the House of Orléans, and Duchess Marie Therese of Württemberg. According to the Orléanists, he is in the line of succession to the French throne.

Marriage and issue

Jean of Orléans with Philomena and their son Gaston

Prince Jean was due to marry Duchess Tatjana of Oldenburg (b. 1974) in 2001. Duchess Tatjana is the youngest daughter of Duke Johann of Oldenburg and Countess Ilka of Ortenburg. Her elder sister Eilika married Archduke Georg of Austria in 1997. However, the wedding was cancelled at the last minute because of a dispute over religion. Jean's father Henri feared the Orléans claim to the throne would be compromised if there were to be a Protestant heir.^[1]

On 29 November 2008, the Count of Paris announced the engagement of the Duke of Vendôme to Maria Magdalena Philomena Juliana Johanna de Tornos y Steinhart, born in Vienna on 19 June 1977.^[2] The civil wedding, conducted by Mayor Rachida Dati, took place on 19 March 2009 in Paris. The religious wedding was held on 2 May 2009 at the Cathédrale Notre-Dame at Senlis,^[3] with a reception at Château de Chantilly.^[4] The bride wore a gown by Christian Lacroix and a jacket embroidered by Maison Lesage.^[5]

Philomena is the daughter of Alfonso de Tornos y Zubiría (b. Getxo, 13 October 1937), of Basque ancestry, and wife (m. Vienna, 18 September 1976) Maria Antonia Anna Zdenka Edle von Steinhart (b. 1944), of Austro-Hungarian ancestry.^[6][7] She has a sister named María Magdalena (b. 1980) and a brother named David (b. 1982). Her paternal grandparents were Juan de Tornos y Espelíus (b. 2 April 1905), secretary of the Don Juan, Count of Barcelona, and wife (m. 1930 or 1931) María del Carmen Zubiría y Calbetón (b. 29 June 1906), daughter of the 2nd Marqués de Yanduri.^[8] Her maternal grandparents were Ferdinand Edler von Steinhart (1910–1998) and wife (m. September 1939) Gabriele Felicitas Murad von Werner (1913–1994), paternal granddaughter of Murad Effendi.^[9]

She spent part of her youth in the Auvergne and studied at the Lycée Maritime in Ciboure.^[10]

The couple have four children:

• Prince Gaston Louis Antoine Marie of Orléans (born 19 November 2009 in Paris), his six godparents are: Prince Eudes, Duke of Angoulême (paternal uncle), Magdalena de Tornos (maternal aunt), Prince Carlo, Duke of Castro, Princess Astrid of Belgium, Archduchess of Austria-Este, Count François-Pierre de Feydeau and Magdalena, Countess de El Abra.
• Princess Antoinette Léopoldine Jeanne Marie of Orléans (born 28 January 2012 in Vienna), her six godparents are: David de Tornos (maternal uncle), Princess Leopoldine of Liechtenstein (her first cousin), Count Damian von Schönborn-Buchheim (father's first cousin), Francesca Lopez de la Osa, Leopoldo Gavito and Dominique de Layre.
• Princess Louise-Marguerite Eléonore Marie of Orléans (born 30 July 2014 in Poissy), her five godparents are: Princess Marguerite of Liechtenstein (her first cousin), Princess Sibilla of Luxembourg, Philippe d'Albert, 13th duc de Luynes, Don Alvaro-Jaime de Orléans-Borbón and Archduke Michael of Austria.
• Prince Joseph Gabriel David Marie of Orléans (born 2 June 2016), his six godparents are: Prince Johann Wenzel of Liechtenstein (his first cousin), Afonso, Prince of Beira, Benedikt du Cassé, Princess Marie-Liesse d'Orléans (father's sister-in-law), Princess Tılsım of Liechtenstein and Kildine Stevenson (father's first cousin).

Titles, styles and honours^[11]

• His Royal Highness Jean d'Orléans, prince (fils) of France (1965–1987)
• His Royal Highness Jean d'Orléans, prince (fils) of France, Duke of Vendôme (1987–present)

He was created Duke of Vendôme (French: Duc de Vendôme) on 27 September 1987.

Honours

National Honours

•  France : Médaille de la Défense nationale, Bronze grade ^[12]

Foreign honours

•  Italy
  • Two Sicilian Royal Family: Knight Grand Cross of Justice of the Two Sicilian Royal Sacred Military Constantinian Order of Saint George^[13]

Ancestry

Ancestors of Prince Jean, Duke of Vendôme

16. Robert, Duke of Chartres               8. Jean d'Orléans, duc de Guise                       17. Princess Françoise of Orléans               4. Henri, comte de Paris                             18. Philippe, Count of Paris               9. Princess Isabelle of Orléans                       19. Infanta Maria Isabel of Spain               2. Henri, comte de Paris, duc de France                                   20. Prince Gaston, Count of Eu               10. Pedro de Alcântara, Prince of Grão Para                       21. Isabel, Princess Imperial of Brazil               5. Princess Isabelle of Brazil                             22. Count Johann Dobřzensky de Dobřzenicz               11. Countess Elisabeth Dobřzensky z Dobřzenicz                       23. Countess Elisabeth Kottulinsky von Kottulin               1. Prince Jean, Duke of Vendôme                                         24. Duke Philipp of Württemberg               12. Albrecht, Duke of Württemberg                       25. Archduchess Maria Theresa of Austria               6. Philipp Albrecht, Duke of Württemberg                             26. Archduke Carl Ludwig of Austria               13. Archduchess Margarete Sophie of Austria                       27. Princess Maria Annunciata of Bourbon-Two Sicilies               3. Duchess Marie Therese of Württemberg                                   28. Ferdinand IV, Grand Duke of Tuscany               14. Archduke Peter Ferdinand, Prince of Tuscany                       29. Princess Alice of Parma               7. Archduchess Rosa of Austria                             30. Prince Alfonso, Count of Caserta               15. Princess Maria Cristina of Bourbon-Two Sicilies                       31. Princess Antonietta of Bourbon-Two Sicilies

Footnotes

1. BBC new website
2. RoyalsPortal France/Tornos y Steinhart, announced: 28 November 2008
3. Paris Match royal blog http://www.parismatch.com/Royal-Blog/Monde/Photos/Le-mariage-de-Jean-d-Orleans-et-Philomena-en-images/princesse-93568/
4. France's Prince Jean d'Orleans to wed again in religious ceremony
5. Fashion Scoops http://www.wwd.com/fashion-news/fashion-scoops/fashion-scoops-the-next-halston-something-lacroix-2120285?full=true
6. http://www.angelfire.com/in/heinbruins/Philomena.html
7. http://www.angelfire.com/in/heinbruins/Steinhart.html
8. http://royalandco.wordpress.com/2008/12/02/jean-d-orleans-engaged-to-philomena-de-tornos/
9. http://www.geneall.net/H/per_page.php?id=1157716
10. http://www.noblesseetroyautes.com/nr01/2008/12/jean-de-france-et-philomena-de-tornos-photo/
11. de Montjouvent, Philippe. Le Comte de Paris et sa Descendance. Editions du Chaney, 1998, Charenton, France. pp. 214-346, 396-398. (French). ISBN 2-913211-00-3.
12. Sipa, Photo
13. http://www.constantinian.org.uk/heir-to-the-french-throne-and-former-french-minister-invested-into-the-order/

External links

• Official website (French)
• Duke of Vendôme Jean d’Orléans stakes his claim to French throne, The Times, 10 October 2009.