Tuesday, December 22, 2009

Dowager Princess of Monaco has died


December 22, 1925

The Associated Press is reporting the death of the Dowager Princess of Monaco. The former Marie Alice Heine died suddenly today in Paris.

The daughter of a New Orleans banker, Alice Heine was born on February 10, 1858. She married the 7th Duke of Richelieu in 1875. He died in 1880.

After his death, Alice married in 1889 to Prince Albert I of Monaco. The new Princess of Monaco sought to establish the principality as a cultural center. Her marriage was not a happy one, and in 1902, the couple separated officially but were never divorced.

Marie Alice was born at 900 Rue Royale in New Orleans' French Quarter. Her French-born father Michael came from a prominent German banking family. He was also a cousin of the German writer, Heinrich Hesse. Her mother, Marie-Amelie Miltenberger, was the daughter of a New Orleans architect.
The Dowager Princess is survived by her son, Armand, the 8th Duke of Richelieu.

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