Heir of Napoleon to Marry Great Grand-Daughter of Austrian Emperor

[Vetus Ordo]

Heir of Napoleon to Marry Great Grand-Daughter of Austrian Emperor

In Daily Mail.

London-based heir to Napoleon Bonaparte - who shares the Little General's famous name - is set to marry the great-grand-daughter of Austria's last emperor.

Jean-Christophe Napoleon Bonaparte, 32, is sole heir to Emperor Napoleon I. He's marrying Countess Olympia von und zu Arco-Zinnerberg, 31, from Austria. She is the great-granddaughter of Karl I of Austria, and the pair are distantly related. The couple say their union is a love match, and not a nod to shared history. The first Napoleon married Archduchess Marie-Louise of Austria in a political move.



More than 200 years after Napoleon married the Archduchess of Austria, the former Imperial House of France and the House of Hapsburg will unite once again, when Bonaparte's heir - who carries on the family name - marries the great-grand-daughter of Austria's last emperor. 

London-based private equity manager Jean-Christophe Napoleon Bonaparte, 32, is the great-great-great nephew of Napoleon Bonaparte I, Emperor of France. He's set to marry Countess Olympia von und zu Arco-Zinnerberg, 31, the great-granddaughter of Karl I, after proposing with a ring set with a 40 carat diamond taken from the crown of Napoleon III's wife. The pair are distantly related as Countess Olympia is the great-great-great niece of Napoleon's wife, Archduchess Marie-Louise of Austria.

The union has echoes of Napoleon's marriage to Archduchess Marie-Louise of Austria in 1810, which was designed to secure an ally in his war against Britain and Russia and bring conflict between the two countries to a halt. However, the pair say that their wedding in October 2019 is a love match, and not designed to further any political ambitions. He said: 'It's a story of love rather than a nod to history. When I met Olympia, I plunged into her eyes and not into her family tree. Afterwards we were able to smile at this historical coincidence.'

Although not well known outside of France, followers of the Bonapartist movement see Jean-Christophe as a kind of French hero, in a time when the country is losing faith in modern politicians. And his supporters are reportedly hoping that the union will propel Bonaparte into the spotlight to play an 'influential role in public affairs', according to The Times. Bonapartists view Jean-Christophe as the head of the former Imperial House Of France.  Indeed, his own grandfather Louis, Prince Napoléon, said in his will that he wanted his grandson, then 11, to succeed him as head of the Imperial House, after falling out with his son, Charles, for embracing republican principles and re-marrying without his permission.



The family history that has led to the historic union between Countess Olympia and Jean-Christophe Prince Napoleon. Jean Cristophe is the great-great-nephew of Napoleon.

Jean-Cristophe has played an influential role in public affairs, appearing alongside the royals of European countries such as Belgium and The Netherlands at official engagements, such as the anniversaries of the Battle of Waterloo. His bride-to-be has a degree in Political Science from Yale, and is believed to have met her fiancé while spending a semester in Paris. The couple are keen to honour their heritage by marrying at Les Invalides, where Napoleon's body was brought back from St Helena after his exile from France. Jean-Christophe told the French newspaper Le Figaro that their marriage was 'the fruit of European reconciliation and construction, which I believe in enormously'.   

He went on to say he felt a deep commitment and sense of duty to France, and that he was keen to honour the legacy of his ancestors. He said: 'The Bonapartes have always been modern men in the avant-garde and helping their era to move forward, and figures who have built their own lives with an extraordinary freedom. I firmly intend to pursue my heritage in this direction.'

Napoleon married Archduchess Marie-Louise, a niece of Marie Antoinette, in 1810 after divorcing his wife Josephine, when she failed to produce an heir. Napoleon's only son died young, leaving his sole successor Napoleon III, who ruled France between 1848 and 1870. Napoleon III was Jean-Christophe's great-great grandfather. The modern-day Bonaparte has insisted that echoes of the past in the French-Austrian alliance with his wife-to-be are purely coincidental.

Bonaparte, who is fluent in French, English, and Spanish, has been working for Blackstone group, the private equity firm, in London since graduating Harvard Business school in 2017. The couple plan to stay in London after the wedding.

Tarik Bougherira, an art expert who specialises in items linked to the emperor, described Bonaparte to The Times as 'a modern prince who understands the problems of of today and is playing a role befitting of our era.' The road to the wedding hasn't been all smooth, though. Last month the countess left her handbag in their unlocked Mercedes outside a hotel on the streets of Paris. When they returned, the couple discovered a thief had taken her bag, alongside her £1 million engagement ring, which had been set with a 40 carat diamond taken from the crown of Napoleon III's wife. 

Luckily the thief was caught and the ring returned. 

[Maximilian]

Napoleon III was Jean-Christophe's great-great grandfather.

Not according to the chart provided.