Prince Christopher & his wives, Nancy Leeds & Francoise of Orleans

[Prince_Christopher]

Thanks, Ena!

I recently did find a copy and I am still enjoying reading it.  It's a very fun memoir!

[Ena]

Thanks, Ena!

I recently did find a copy and I am still enjoying reading it.  It's a very fun memoir!

Wonderful!  I am still waiting for my copy to arrive.  I've heard it's good but light reading, with a lot of anecdotes about the royals.  Are you finding that to be the case so far?

[Prince_Christopher]

Yes, Ena, exactly.

He mostly just glances over events, not very meaty, but still worthwhile.  I love readings from the royals' own perspectives.

[Prince_Christopher]

I think Prince Christopher is an often overlooked royal.  He had a really good position and perspective.

He was VERY well connected, especially among his first cousins and nieces and nephews.  He was witness to a lot of history, didn't have to actually worry about ruling, and was able to wander around and enjoy himself.  He made a lot of really interesting observations, and he was quite interested in the psychic world.  He seems to have been a caring individual, taking care of his mother in her old age.  He was one of those royals who saw the old world and the new.

However, I have several questions about him:

1.  He claims in his memoirs that his first wife was only 4 years older than him but other sites show her being 10 years older, which I think is probably right.  I wonder why he wrote this?

2.  He was only about 52 when he died, having just fathered his only child and written his memoirs.  What did he die from?  I wonder if his memoirs were written in anticipation of his life ending soon?

3.  Of course, his son, Prince Michael, was only an infant when his father died, and his mother, Princess Francoise, died in 1953 when Michael would have only been about 14 years old.  Who did Michael live with the rest of his childhood?

[ashdean]

Princess Françoise d'Orléans also came into the marriage with Christopher of Greece with a considerable dowry, centered mainly in jewels, properties and stocks.  As the daughter of the immensely wealthy Duc de Guise, the repository of many fortunes within the French Royal Family, Guise left financially endowed all his children.  I do not know, how much money Nancy leeds had, thus I cannot compare bwteen both, but Françoise was not poor by any means.

Arturo Beéche

Nancy Stewart Leeds reputedly inherited $75 million when William Leeds "the tin plate King" died.I doubt the Duc de Guise (however generous)was able to provide each of his three daughters with that kind of dowry !!!

[amelia]

I just would like to clarify. Who is prince Michael of Greece mother? Nancy Leeds?  Thank you

Amelia

[Benjamin]

Amelia,

Françoise d'Orléans was the mother of Michael. Françoise was Prince Christopher's second wife; Nancy Leeds, his first.

[Eric_Lowe]

Nancy Leeds also had a son, Billy Leeds who married Princess Xenia of Russia. Their home in Oyster Bay was the setting for Anna Anderson in the USA. Didn't know how much Chris got, but I think Billy Jr. got the bigger share.

[Eurohistory]

The bulk of the Leeds estate went to William B. Leeds, Nancy's son by her late first husband.

Arturo Beéche

[Eric_Lowe]

That's what I thought...

[TampaBay]

The bulk of the Leeds estate went to William B. Leeds, Nancy's son by her late first husband.

Arturo Beéche

Did Nancy divorce her first husband or was she a widow?


TampaBay

[ashdean]

She was the  widow of W B LEEDS. I seem to remember reading an article that Leeds was not Nancy's first husband but Christopher did not know....

[Eric_Lowe]

Really...Chris didn't know ? Who was the first then ? She was always refffered to as Mrs. Leeds. 

[griffh]

The very stunning second wife of Prince Christopher of Greece, Princess Francoise of France, daughter of the Duc and Duchesse De Guise.  Photograph, circa early 1930’s.



Francoise, Princess Christopher of Greece with her father, mother, sisters and brother. (sorry for the poor quality of my scan)

Seated left to right: 
Princess Francoise’s brother, the Comte de Paris; the Princess’s mother, the Duchess de Guise (a beautiful woman who looked almost as young as her daughters); and her father, the Duc de Guise.

Standing left to right: 
Princess Francoise’s sister, the Duchess of Acosta; Francoise, Princess Christopher of Greece; Princess Francoise’s sister, Princess Pierre Murat.  Photograph, circa late 1930’s.   

Prince Christopher met Princess Francoise of France at the marriage of Prince Philip of Hesse to Princess Mafalda of Italy which was held at Racconigi, the King of Italy’s palace near Turin.  However there were so many relatives that he did not get a chance to really become acquainted, though he found her enchanting. 

Interestingly enough it was after a visit by Prince’s niece, Princess Xenia, (Mrs. Leeds), that whilst seeing Xenia off before she sailed to Naples, Prince Christopher met Princess Francoise again.  This time he really fell in love with her. 

He confided his feelings to the Princess’ aunty, the Dowager Duchess of d’Aosta (who I believe was the beautiful Princess Helene de Orleans that had been the Empress Dowager of Russia’s first choice for her son to marry).  Then a year after confiding his feelings to the Dowager Duchess, the Duchess cabled Prince Christopher to come to Naples.  The rest is history.           

[KarlandZita]

Princess Françoise was a very beautiful and human person who only thought of making the good and to make people happy around her.

Here is a picture of her at the beginning of the Twenties, before her marriage with Prince Christophe of Greece :