Princess Margarete of Thurn and Taxis


Princess Margarete of Thurn and Taxis was the only daughter of Prince Alexander of Thurn and Taxis, Duke of Castel Duino, and his wife, Princess Marie Susanne of Ligne, making her a member of the House of Thurn and Taxis. She married Prince Gaetano of Bourbon-Parma in 1931, becoming member of the House of Bourbon-Parma.

Early life

Princess Margarete of Thurn and Taxis was born on 8 November 1909 in the Château de Belœil as the last children of Prince Alexander of Thurn and Taxis, and his first wife Princess Marie Susanne of Ligne. Her parents divorced in 1919.
At the time of her birth she possessed the style of Serene Highness as a member of the Princely House of Thurn and Taxis. She was also made Princess della Torre e Tasso in 1923 when her father was incorporated into the Italian nobility with the titles of "Prince della Torre e Tasso" and "Duke of Castel Duino", upon concession of Victor Emmanuel III of Italy, when Margarete's family moved to the Kingdom of Italy.
Princess Margarete was a passionate scholar of natural sciences. She spent most of her childhood between the Thurn und Taxis' Duino Castle, in Trieste, and the Château de Belœil, in Belgium.

Marriage and issue

Margarete married Prince Gaetano of Bourbon-Parma, the last child and son of Robert I, Duke of Parma and his second wife Infanta Maria Antónia of Portugal on 29 April 1931: the wedding took place in Paris, in the estate of Cardinal Archbishop Verdier whose residence had been transformed into a chapel. Nearly every great ruiling princely family in Europe was represented at the wedding. Some notable attendants were the Dowager Duchess of Parma, Prince Felix of Bourbon-Parma and his wife, the reigning Grand Duchess of Luxembourg, Grand Duchess Elena Vladimirovna, Prince Nicholas of Greece and Denmark, Princess Eugenie of Greece and Denmark, Infante Jaime, Duke of Madrid, Empress Zita and the Belgian ambassador, Edmond de Gaiffier d'Hestroy. After her marriage, Margarete used the style of "Royal Highness" with the title of "Princess of Bourbon-Parma", and was also known as "Princess Gaetano of Bourbon-Parma".
Margarete and Gaetano had one only daughter:
As wedding gifts from her husband, "according to family tradition", she received a necklace of three strands of pearls with an emerald brooch, and a ring with two cultured pearls. Her acquired aunt Princess Eugenie of Greece and Denmark, gave her an amethyst necklace on the occasion of her wedding. After the marriage, Margarete and Gaetano settled at Villa Borbone, near Lucca, and at Villa La Vallina, near Camaiore. They spent most time at Villa La Pianore, where they’d raise their daughter.
In the 1930s, she organized and attended progressive events sponsored by the House of Thurn and Taxis and by her father, in Trieste, always accompanied by her husband. These events were attended by the most important figures of Trieste, Gorizia, Udine, and other Friulian cities. She attended the wedding of Princess Maria Francesca of Savoy and Prince Louis of Bourbon-Parma in January 1939 at Palazzo del Quirinale, Rome.
After a few years of marriage, the Prince and Princess began to live apart. Margarete and Gaetano obtained a first Hungarian divorce, in Budapest, on 30 August 1940 and a French divorce on 24 January 1950. According to other sources, their final divorce arrived in 1955. Margarete was allowed to keep the title of "Princess of Bourbon-Parma" and the membership of the Royal House.
As a divorcee, she began to live between Italy, France, and Torremolinos, in Andalusia, Spain, from 1953.

Death

Princess Margarete died on 21 September 2006 at Hotel Atlantico, in Forte dei Marmi, Lucca, in Tuscany, aged 96. She was buried at the Castel Duino Cemetery, in Trieste.

Honours