Sunday 30 January 2011

Prince Charles-Philippe & Princess Diane, Duchesse de Cadaval.




The Grand Master Emeritus Prince Charles-Philippe d'Orleans and his wife Princess Diane, Duchesse de Cadaval, recently granted a private tour of their home in Évora, the palace of the dukes of Cadaval and its superb chapel, to the travel guide ViaMichelin. (See here)


The website says:
"It's not every day that we visit a historical monument with his owners. In Évora, the palace of the dukes of Cadaval belongs to the family of Diana Alvares Pereira de Melo, Duchess of Cadaval. Built on top of Évora, facing the famous Roman temple, this building was a gift in 1390 to an ancestor of Diana, Martim Afonso de Melo, by King John I. Protected by two towers topped with battlements, the palace, whose facade was rebuilt in the 17th century, adopts a pentagonal shape. The galleries house works of art, pieces of furniture and documents relating to the history of the families of both spouses."



Prince Charles-Philippe and Princess Diana were married in 2008 in the Cathedral of Évora by Père Claude Giraud, Dean of Orleans Cathedral and Assistant Chaplain General of the Grand Priory Of France.


Princess Diane is the 11th Duchess of Cadaval, a title confirmed by Dom Duarte Pio, Duke of Braganza, Head of the Royal House of Portugal, and a decendant of Blessed Nuno de Santa Maria Àlvares Pereira, O. Carm. (1360-1431), the Condestável (“Constable,” meaning General) known in Portugal as “the Father of the Nation.” (See this previous entry)
The Duchesse is the author of a best-selling historical novel about Queen Maria Pia of Portugal.

Prince Charles-Philippe d'Orleans, Duke of Anjou, son of Prince and Princess Michael of France and nephew of the Count of Paris, has tried to show "the image of a modern prince, dynamic, courageous and determined."


As recent events have shown, the Prince inspires loyalty and is greatly loved and admired in the Grand Priory of Great Britain and indeed throughout the Order.