Prince Wauthier de Ligne (1952-2022), First Cousin of Grand Duke of Luxembourg

Prince Wauthier.

On Monday, 15 August, Prince Wauthier de Ligne died in hospital near Beloeil following a long illness. He was seventy years-old. 

Prince Antoine de Ligne and Princess Alix of Luxembourg on their wedding day, 1950.

Born on 10 July 1952 at the familial home, Château de Beloeil, Prince Wauthier Philippe Féliz Marie Lamoral de Ligne was the son of Prince Antoine, 13th Prince de Ligne (1925-2005), and Princess Alix of Luxembourg (1929-2019), who wed in 1950. Coincidentally, Prince Wauthier and his first cousin Archduchess Alexandra of Austria were both born on 10 July 1952 at Beloeil; Alexandra is the daughter of Wauthier’s aunt Princess Yolande and her late husband Archduke Carl Ludwig of Austria. Wauthier had six siblings: Prince Michel (b.1951; married Princess Eleonora of Orléans-Brangaça), Princess Anne-Marie (b.1954), Princess Christine (b.1955; married Prince Antônio of Orléans-Brangaça), Princess Sophie (b.1957; married Count Philippe de Nicolay), Prince Antoine (b.1959; married Countess Jacqueline de Lannoy), and Princess Yvonne (b.1964; married Hugo Townsend, the son of Group Captain Peter Townsend, who was once very close to Princess Margaret). 

LIFE magazine dubs Wauthier the “Scene-stealing Prince” in 1958. He was almost six years-old and an attendant at an aunt’s wedding.

The closest that Wauthier ever came to publicity was in 1958, when he got a little squeamish during the wedding of his aunt Princess Marie Adelaide of Luxembourg to Count Karl Josef Henckel von Donnersmarck.

Prince Félix and Grand Duchess Charlotte. Photo (c) Cour Grand-Ducale.

Prince Wauthier’s paternal grandparents were Prince Éugene de Ligne and Philippine de Noailles. His maternal grandparents were Grand Duchess Charlotte of Luxembourg and Prince Félix of Bourbon-Parma. Wauthier’s paternal aunt is Archduchess Yolande of Austria (b.1923; née Princess de Ligne), who married Archduke Carl Ludwig, a son of Wauthier’s maternal great-aunt, Empress Zita of Austria. Wauthier’s brother Michel is the head of the princely house; and their sister Christine is the wife of Prince Antonio, who will likely be the eventual head of the imperial house of Brazil. Additionally, Wauthier’s first cousin is Grand Duke Henri of Luxembourg.

In 1976, Prince Wauthier married Countess Marguerite Régine Marie Françoise Xavière de Renesse (b.1955), the daughter of Count Guy de Renesse and Countess Elisabeth de Limburg-Stirum. The couple had three children: Prince Philippe (b.1977; married Laetitia Rolin), Princess Yolande (b.1979; married Paul Weingarten), and Princess Elisabeth (b.1983; married Baron Baudouin Gillès de Pélichy).

The funeral of Prince Wauthier de Ligne will take place on 22 August at l’église Saint-Pierre de Belœil.

May the Prince Rest in Peace. 

Source: Le château de Belœil perd l’un de ses princes, Wauthier de Ligne