Élisabeth de Chimay


Martha Marie Élisabeth Antoine de Chimay was a French-born Belgian writer and princess. She wrote a work on Thérésa Tallien as well as an autobiography.

Biography

Born in Bordeaux on 20 March 1926, she was the daughter of Octave Manset and Marie-Charlotte Guestier, whose families were involved in the Bordeaux wine business. Her parents died in a car accident in 1939 and her brother, Édouard, died in 1940 during World War II. On 18 December 1947, she married Élie de Riquet, Prince de Chimay, a descendant of Pierre-Paul Riquet, the engineer responsible for constructing the Canal du Midi. They had three children: Philippe, Marie-Gilone, and Alexandra.
A close friend of Fabiola of Belgium, de Chimay immersed herself in the heritage of the and preservation of the archives of the Chimay Castle. She also held a Baroque music festival from 1957 to 1980.
Élisabeth de Chimay died in Chimay on 2 August 2023, at the age of 97.

Publications