Prince Jacques of Bourbon-Parma

Prince Jacques of Bourbon-Parma (Jacques Marie Antoine Robert Valdemar Charles Felix Sixte Ansger; 9 June 1922 – 5 November 1964) was a French prince, pilot and racing car driver, from the House of Bourbon-Parma.

He was the brother of Anne of Romania and a first cousin of Tsar Boris III of Bulgaria and Jean, Grand Duke of Luxembourg.

Life Jacques was born in Longwy, France, on 9 June 1922, his parents' first wedding anniversary. He was the eldest child of Prince René of Bourbon-Parma and Princess Margrethe of Denmark. His parents were residing in Luxembourg but crossed the border for his birth as they wanted their son to be a French citizen. Paternally, he descended from Robert I, Duke of Parma; maternally, he descended from King Christian IX of Denmark. He was raised in Paris and attended the American School MacJannet in Saint-Cloud where his classmates included Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark.

On 9 June 1947, Jacques married Countess Birgitte of Holstein-Ledreborg (1922–2009), a descendant of Count Ludvig of Holstein-Ledreborg, sometime council president of Denmark. They had three children: Prince Philippe George Karl Valdemar René Joseph Marie of Bourbon-Parma (born 22 January 1949) who married Annette Smith in 1979. They have two sons. Princess Lorraine Charlotte Tatjana Ebba Johanna Maria Antonia Josephine Renée of Bourbon-Parma (born 27 July 1951) Prince Alain Jean Knud Bernhard Felix Maria René Joseph of Bourbon-Parma (born 15 May 1955) who married Inge Birgitte Vedel Andersen in 2001, without issue.

After the war, he settled in Denmark. He worked for Danish Air Lines and Danish Air Taxa before retiring from flying in 1949 and working for the meat company Kristoffersen & Dehn. In the 1950s, he became interested in motor racing. He was protector of the Roskilde Ring and chairman of the Roskilde Motor and Rally Club. He won the 1959 Danish Touring Car Championship in the 1001-1300 cm3 class. He is buried in Lejre near Ledreborg, the ancestral seat of his wife's family.

Honours

Ancestry