Princess Stephanie of Windisch-Graetz

Princess Stephanie of Windisch-Graetz (9 July 1909 in Ploskovice, Bohemia – 7 September 2005 in Uccle, Belgium) was the daughter of Archduchess Elisabeth Marie of Austria (1883–1963), only child of Crown Prince Rudolf of Austria and Princess Stéphanie of Belgium, and Prince Otto Weriand of Windisch-Graetz (1873–1952). She was the great-grandchild of Emperor Franz-Joseph and Empress Elisabeth ('Sissi') of Austria. She was also the great-grandchild of King Leopold II of Belgium.

Her full name was Stéphanie Eleonore Maria Elisabeth Kamilla Philomena Veronika zu Windisch-Grätz in German, and Stéphanie Éléonore Marie Élisabeth Camille Philomène Véronique de Windisch-Grätz in French. She may have been named after her maternal grandmother, Princess Stéphanie of Belgium. Her nickname in the family was Fée.

Parents' separation, effect on life As a child she suffered greatly from her mother's frequent absences, and her parents' inharmonious marriage. The couple separated in 1924 and divorced in 1948. Her mother went to Brussels with the four children, where Princess Clementine of Belgium offered refuge.

In 1921, Archduchess Elisabeth had begun a relationship with the Austrian socialist member of parliament Leopold Petznek, whom she eventually married in 1948. Stéphanie got along well with her stepfather. Her relationship with her mother was not very good, and worsened after her second marriage. Archduchess Elisabeth did not like Karl-Axel Björklund, and forbade him entry to her house. Stéphanie provided financial support to her father Otto Weriand in later life.

Stéphanie had three elder brothers: Prince Franz Joseph zu Windisch-Grätz (1904–1981) Prince Ernst zu Windisch-Grätz (1905–1952) Prince Rudolf zu Windisch-Grätz (1907–1939)

First marriage In 1933, Stéphanie married Count Pierre d'Alcantara de Querrieu (2 November 1907 – 14 October 1944). Count d'Alcantara was the son of Jean d'Alcantara de Querrieu and Baroness Marie-Lucie t'Kint de Roodenbeeke. Count d'Alcantara was a member of the household of King Leopold III. In 1942 he was arrested by the Gestapo and died two years later in the Sachsenhausen concentration camp. She had one child by her first husband: Count Alvar Etienne d'Alcantara de Querrieu (30 July 1935 – 5 August 2019)

Second marriage

In 1945, after the death of her husband, she married Karl-Axel Björklund (1906–1986). She had one child by her second husband: Bjorn-Axel Björklund (20 October 1944 – 7 September 1995)

Later life During her long life, Stéphanie traveled extensively, especially in Africa, where her brother François-Joseph lived in Kenya, and also in South America, particularly in Argentina.

Ancestry