Princess Marie des Neiges
Countess of Castillo de la Mota
Princess Marie des Neiges in 1970
Born (1937-04-29) 29 April 1937
Paris, French Third Republic
Names
French: Marie des Neiges Madeleine Françoise de Bourbon-Parme[1]
Spanish: María de las Nieves Magdalena Francisca de Borbón-Parma
HouseBourbon-Parma
FatherPrince Xavier, Duke of Parma and Piacenza
MotherMadeleine de Bourbon-Busset
Occupationornithologist

Princess Marie des Neiges Madeleine Françoise of Bourbon-Parma, Countess of Castillo de la Mota (Spanish: María de las Nieves de Borbón-Parma, French: Marie des Neiges de Bourbon-Parme; born 29 April 1937) is a French aristocrat, ornithologist, and Carlist activist. She is the youngest daughter of Prince Xavier, Duke of Parma and Madeleine de Bourbon-Busset. A progressive Carlist, she supported the liberal reforms to the party made by her elder brother, Prince Carlos Hugo, Duke of Parma, and rejected the conservative faction of the party created by her younger brother, Prince Sixtus Henry, Duke of Aranjuez. In her youth, she was a prominent socialite in Parisian society. Marie des Neiges has a doctorate in biology and worked as an ornithologist. She is a recipient of the Grand Cross of the Sacred Military Constantinian Order of Saint George and the Grand Cross of the Order of Prohibited Legitimacy.

Active in events linked to the former Duchy of Parma and Piacenza, the Princess carries out activities linked to the memory of her late sisters, such as the presidency of the «Academic Senate of the Studium» or of the «Marie-Thérèse of Bourbon-Parma International Award».[2] She also created an award, the "Doña Maria de las Nieves of Parma Award", given to people who have made significant contributions to their communities and the world at large.[3]

Early life and family

Princess Marie des Neiges of Bourbon-Parma was born in Paris on 29 April 1937 to Prince Xavier, Duke of Parma and Piacenza and Madeleine de Bourbon-Busset.[4][5] Her father was the titular Duke of Parma, the Carlist pretender to the Spanish throne, and the head of the House of Bourbon-Parma.[6][7] Her mother was the daughter of Georges de Bourbon-Busset, Count de Lignières and a member of the non-dynastic Bourbon-Busset line of the House of Bourbon.[8] She is a sister of Prince Carlos Hugo, Duke of Parma, Princess Marie Thérèse, Princess Cécile Marie, Princess Marie Françoise, and Prince Sixtus Henry, Duke of Aranjuez.[9]

Her father created her Countess of Castillo de la Mota. Throughout her youth, she was active in society and attending various balls, including the Paris Ball held at the French Embassy in Brussels.[10] She was educated in the United States and in Quebec.[11] In 1964, she attending the wedding of Princess Irene of the Netherlands and her brother, Prince Carlos Hugo, in Rome.[12]

Activism

Princess Marie des Neiges (behind Princess Irene of the Netherlands) acts as godmother at the christening of her niece Princess Maria Carolina, daughter of her brother Prince Carlos Hugo, 1974.

A Carlist, she supported the progressive reforms of her brother, Carlos Hugo, alongside her sisters Cécile Marie and Marie-Thérèse. She denounced the traditionalist agenda and Carlist claim made by her brother, Sixtus Henry.[13][14] She attended Carlist gatherings around Spain to support political causes.[15] Marie des Neiges presided over an important gathering of Carlists in Montejurra in 1974.[16] She was present at the Montejurra massacre on 9 May 1976. As a reward for her hard work for Carlism and Spain, she was made Countess of Castillo de la Mota by her father.[17]

In 1976 she was expelled from Spain: she did not care about the order, however, and in response, she visited the spanish city of Santander, where she stayed for two days and where she attended carlist events and where she met great carlist personalities.[18]

Recent years

In 2016, Marie des Neiges visited the former ducal lands of Parma, and was received by the city of Fontanellato's mayor, Francesco Trivelloni.[19] She had previously visited Parma to attend the christening of her grandnephew Prince Carlos Enrique of Bourbon-Parma, of whom she was named godmother.[20][21] In 2018, Marie des Neiges, Marie-Thérèse, and Cécile Marie reconciled with their sister, Marie-Françoise, ending their dispute over conflicting approaches on Carlism.[22] The sisters spent a lot of time together after reconciling.[22] As her sister, Cécile Marie, became ill, she helped care for her.[15]

In March 2020, upon the death of her sister Marie-Thérèse, Marie des Neiges became the new President of the Academic Senate of the Studium in Monferrato, Italy. The office had belonged to Marie-Thérèse until her death. Marie des Neiges was contacted by Dr. Roger Rossell, Academic Senator in charge of international relations, who asked her if she wanted to become President, and she accepted. She also became President of the «Marie-Thérèse of Bourbon-Parma International Award» (so named in honor of her sister), already in its third edition.[23]

She works as a ornithologist and has a doctorate in biology.[24]

Princess Marie des Neiges received a Grand Cross of the Sacred Military Constantinian Order of Saint George, a Grand Cross of the Order of St. Lodovico, and a Grand Cross of the Order of Prohibited Legitimacy.[25]

Ancestry

Honours

References

  1. ↑ "Genealogy of the House of Bourbon-Parma". Capet.
  2. ↑ "LA INFANTA MARÍA DE LAS NIEVES PRESIDENTA DE LA ACADEMIA DE MONFERRATO". Carlismo Digital (in Spanish). 30 March 2020. Retrieved 24 January 2023.
  3. ↑ "Horta awarded Doña Maria de las Nieves de Parma Prize". Tatoli (Agencia Noticiosa de Timor-Leste). 5 October 2023. Retrieved 12 January 2024.
  4. ↑ Marcellus Donald R. von Redlich, Pedigrees of Some of the Emperor Charlemagne's Descendants, volume I (1941; reprint, Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.A.: Genealogical Publishing Company, 2002), page 60. Hereinafter cited as Pedigrees of Emperor Charlemagne, I.
  5. ↑ C. Arnold McNaughton, The Book of Kings: A Royal Genealogy, in 3 volumes (London, U.K.: Garnstone Press, 1973), volume 1, page 448. Hereinafter cited as The Book of Kings.
  6. ↑ de Badts de Cugnac, Chantal. Coutant de Saisseval, Guy. ‘’Le Petit Gotha’’. Nouvelle Imprimerie Laballery, Paris 2002, (French) p. 586-589 ISBN 2-9507974-3-1
  7. ↑ "Borbon Parma". House of Borbon Parma. Retrieved 12 September 2022.
  8. ↑ Enache, Nicolas. La Descendance de Marie-Therese de Habsburg. ICC, Paris, 1996. pp. 416-417, 422. (French). ISBN 2-908003-04-X
  9. ↑ Devan McGuinness (28 March 2022). "The First Royal Dies Due to Coronavirus". Cafe Mom. Retrieved 12 September 2022.
  10. ↑ "The princesses Cécile and Marie-des-Neiges de Bourbon-Parme. - Vintage Photograph". IMS Vintage Photos. Retrieved 12 September 2022.
  11. ↑ Bernier Arcand, Philippe, « Les Bourbon-Parme dans les institutions d’enseignement du Québec », Histoire Québec, 202, p. 24-28 (lire en ligne [archive])
  12. ↑ "Louis de Bourbon Parma and Marie des Neiges". Bridgeman Images. Retrieved 12 September 2022.
  13. ↑ The first signs of discord between the two brothers, already grave and possibly including violence, were noted in 1967. García Riol 2015, p. 112. As late as 1972 relations between Carlos-Hugo and Sixte were still correct, as Sixte served as godfather at the christening of his brother's first daughter, Margarita. Heras y Borrero 2010, p. 110
  14. ↑ Caspistegui Gorasurreta 1997, pp. 272–3
  15. 1 2 "Memoria de una luchadora solidaria y antifranquista". Levante. 2 September 2021.
  16. ↑ "HOMENAJE POR SU ANIVERSARIO A DOÑA MARÍA DE LAS NIEVES". Asociación 16 de abril (in Spanish). Retrieved 25 January 2023.
  17. ↑ García Riol 2015, p. 255
  18. ↑ "Doña María de las Nieves de Borbón-Parma pasó el sábado y el domingo en Santander". FUNDACIÓN JUAN MARCH (in Spanish). 17 May 1976. Retrieved 24 January 2023.
  19. ↑ "Principesse della Reale Casa Borbone Parma in visita alla Rocca di Fontanellato". Fontanellato (in Italian). 2016.
  20. ↑ "Il re d'Olanda e altri ospiti blasonati al battesimo del principe Carlo Enrico: le foto". Gazzetta di Parma (in Italian). 25 September 2016. Retrieved 25 September 2016.
  21. ↑ "El rey Guillermo de Holanda, padrino del "otro" príncipe de Asturias". El Mundo (in Spanish). 27 September 2016. Retrieved 25 January 2023.
  22. 1 2 "Charles-Henri de Lobkowicz: "Marie-Thérèse de Bourbon-Parme ne laissait personne indifférent"". Point de vue. 16 April 2020.
  23. ↑ "LA INFANTA MARÍA DE LAS NIEVES PRESIDENTA DE LA ACADEMIA DE MONFERRATO". Carlismo Digital (in Spanish). 30 March 2020. Retrieved 24 January 2023.
  24. ↑ Marie des Neiges settled as an ornithologist and was engaged in protecting the Extremadura nature, Cecile specialized in theology and archives. Neither has married and neither maintained public profile, except attending family feasts and some events related to Parma, Heras y Borrero 2010, p. 150
  25. 1 2 3 4 "S.A.R. Principessa Maria des Neiges".
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