Eugène, 11th Prince of Ligne


Eugene de Ligne, 11th Prince de Ligne was the eldest son of Ernest, 10th Prince de Ligne and Diane de Cossé-Brissac. He also held the titles of Prince of Epinoy and Prince of Amblise and was Knight of the Golden Fleece.

Biography

After having carried out studies of philosophy and letters, Eugène completed in 1920 the diplomatic examination with distinction. He was sent to Bucharest, Paris, Madrid, London and Washington, D.C.
Eugène married Philippine de Noailles on 28 February 1917. She was a daughter of François Joseph de Noailles, Prince de Poix. They had two sons and two daughters:
  1. Baudouin, Prince of Ligne
  2. Princess Isabelle of Ligne
  3. Princess Yolande Marie Jeanne Charlotte de Ligne married Archduke Carl Ludwig of Austria
  4. Antoine Prince de Ligne
Following the death of his father in 1937, Eugène became 11th prince de Ligne. During the invasion of Belgium by the Germans in 1940, Eugène joined,, the motorized group at the vanguard. When Belgium was demobilized, he and his wife worked to provision the country and transformed the castle of Belœil into a hiding place for hundreds of Jewish children escaping the Holocaust, for which he and his wife received the honor of Righteous Among the Nations. After the Second World War, he was named ambassador of Belgium to India, and to Spain.

Honours