Three Generations of French Princes

One can only but wish that last year's birth if Prince Gaston, firstborn child of Prince Jean and Princess Philomena of France, Dukes de Vendôme, will serve as a bridge to repair and maybe even rebuild the very damaged relations with the Count of Paris.

Family quarrels within the French Royal House are legendary. The present Count of Paris had a rocky relationship, at nest, with his own father, the late Count of Paris (1908-1999). The divorce of the present Count of Paris from his first wife, the Duchess de Montpensier, alienated Prince Henri from his children, who received the unmitigated support of their late grandfather. Through the decades since much acrimony was launched at each side, particularly after the present Count of Paris remarried last year his long-time lady friend, the Princess de Joinville, Micaela Cousiño y Quiñonez de León.

As a fervent supporter of the Orléans, it is my sincerest wish for 2011 to see much peace within the ranks of this august family.