House of Laborde de Monpezat
Encyclopedia
The House of Laborde de Monpezat is a French
family, known since the seventeenth century, associated with the Danish Royal Family
by marriage. In 1967 Henri de Laborde de Monpezat
wed Hereditary Princess Margrethe of Denmark
, of the ruling House of Glücksburg. In the event of ascension to the Danish throne of their son or male-line descendant, the main branch of the Danish Royal Family will belong patrilineally
to the Laborde de Monpezat lineage. However, it is unclear which name the royal family will use in this event.
in southwestern France which took the name Laborde de Monpezat, following the marriage of Jean Laborde to Catherine d'Arricau, dame de Monpezat on 16 August 1648. Letters patent
of ennoblement were issued by Louis XIV of France
in 1655. But the elevation in status depended legally upon the family's recognition as noble by the province of Béarn
, where their lands were located, in the form of registration of the king's decree by the Béarnaise Estates
which, in 1703 and again in 1707, rejected the Laborde de Monpezat petition for validation.
Nonetheless, the family survived the French Revolution
under the name of Monpezat. By Napoleonic
decrees, the family's requests to legally change their surname to de Laborde-Monpezat (on 14 July 1860) and then to de Laborde de Monpezat (on 19 May 1861) were granted. Under the present form of the name, the family supplied a mayor to the town of Pau in 1875; Aristide de Laborde de Monpezat (1830–1888), great grandfather of Prince Henrik.
Sometime late in the nineteenth century, the Laborde de Monpezats assumed the comital
style, using it as if it were a titre de courtoisie
(that is, as an unofficial prefix rather than as a substantive title
, e.g. "comte André de Laborde de Monpezat" rather than "André de Laborde, comte de Monpezat"). Traditionally the royal court
and French society accepted such usage by genuinely noble families. However neither the nobility nor hereditary title of the Laborde de Monpezats is acknowledged as historically valid by the Encyclopédie de la fausse noblesse et de la noblesse d'apparence (Encyclopedia of False and Seeming Nobility), nor did Régis Valette include the family in his Catalogue de la noblesse française (2002). On the other hand, since the title was assumed by Prince Henrik's ancestor prior to the twentieth century, it is possible he was unaware of the misuse until his family's history was scrutinized by genealogists
after his engagement. Henrik's 1996 autobiography acknowledges the unsuccessful ennoblement.
origin. Nonetheless, no prince's marriage to a person who lacked male-line descent from royalty or nobility had been accepted as dynastic by the sovereign in the course of Denmark's history as a hereditary monarchy prior to Hereditary Princess Margrethe's marriage in June 1967. From the date of that marriage "Count" Henri de Laborde de Monpezat was designated Prince Henrik of Denmark. In 2005, his wife having reign
ed as Queen Margrethe II since 1972, Henrik was officially declared Denmark's Prince Consort.
On 30 April 2008, the title "Count of Monpezat" (greve af Monpezat), was conferred by the Queen on both of her sons, and made hereditary for their descendants in the male-line
, for both males and females. The Queen's Private Secretary
Henning Fode commented, "The Queen and the Prince Consort have considered this for quite some time, and it has led to the belief that it was the right thing to do."
In fact, Henrik had mentioned the possibility of associating his family name with that of his royal descendants as long ago as 1996, stating in his published memoir
, "During our generation the future sovereign will perhaps receive approval to see 'Monpezat' added to the dynastic name of Oldenburg-Glücksborg". While being interviewed by the French weekly Point de Vue in October 2005, Henrik raised the issue shortly after the birth of Crown Prince Frederick's firstborn child, Prince Christian
, who is expected to inherit the Danish crown eventually: "It also makes him very proud and happy that Monpezat will be added to this small grandson's future name as Prince of Denmark. 'It is a great joy for me that his French roots will also be remembered.'" Although no announcement was made at that time, Prince Christian does now include (part of) his French grandfather's surname among his hereditary titles. The grant does not extend this Danish comital title to Henrik himself, however. Nor has the Danish Crown
issued a proclamation or statement indicating the name that the royal dynasty will bear after Queen Margrethe's reign (in accordance with tradition, she reigns as a member of her father's dynasty, the House of Glücksburg).
Queen Margrethe and Prince Henrik also acquired a private French residence, the Château de Cayx
in Cahors
, France, where the Prince Consort, his children and grandchildren can entertain their French relatives and the Queen can dedicate time to her love of painting. Since 1988, she has exhibited in several specialised galleries.
Prince Joachim, and his descendants now bear a coat-of-arms differenced from those of Denmark's royal arms with a Monpezat inescutcheon and princely coronet
, although the Crown Prince continues to bear the royal arms differenced with his own coronet.
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
family, known since the seventeenth century, associated with the Danish Royal Family
Danish Royal Family
The Danish Royal Family includes the Queen of Denmark and her family. All members except the Queen hold the title of Prince/Princess of Denmark with the style of His/Her Royal Highness or His/Her Highness. The Queen is styled Her Majesty. The Queen and her siblings belong to the House of...
by marriage. In 1967 Henri de Laborde de Monpezat
Henrik, Prince Consort of Denmark
Henrik, Prince Consort of Denmark , is the husband of the Queen of Denmark, Margrethe II.-Early life:Henrik was born in Talence, Gironde, France...
wed Hereditary Princess Margrethe of Denmark
Margrethe II of Denmark
Margrethe II is the Queen regnant of the Kingdom of Denmark. In 1972 she became the first female monarch of Denmark since Margaret I, ruler of the Scandinavian countries in 1375-1412 during the Kalmar Union.-Early life:...
, of the ruling House of Glücksburg. In the event of ascension to the Danish throne of their son or male-line descendant, the main branch of the Danish Royal Family will belong patrilineally
Patrilineality
Patrilineality is a system in which one belongs to one's father's lineage. It generally involves the inheritance of property, names or titles through the male line as well....
to the Laborde de Monpezat lineage. However, it is unclear which name the royal family will use in this event.
Family background
The Labordes were a well-to-do family of the middle-class originating from the region of BéarnBéarn
Béarn is one of the traditional provinces of France, located in the Pyrenees mountains and in the plain at their feet, in southwest France. Along with the three Basque provinces of Soule, Lower Navarre, and Labourd, the principality of Bidache, as well as small parts of Gascony, it forms in the...
in southwestern France which took the name Laborde de Monpezat, following the marriage of Jean Laborde to Catherine d'Arricau, dame de Monpezat on 16 August 1648. Letters patent
Letters patent
Letters patent are a type of legal instrument in the form of a published written order issued by a monarch or president, generally granting an office, right, monopoly, title, or status to a person or corporation...
of ennoblement were issued by Louis XIV of France
Louis XIV of France
Louis XIV , known as Louis the Great or the Sun King , was a Bourbon monarch who ruled as King of France and Navarre. His reign, from 1643 to his death in 1715, began at the age of four and lasted seventy-two years, three months, and eighteen days...
in 1655. But the elevation in status depended legally upon the family's recognition as noble by the province of Béarn
Béarn
Béarn is one of the traditional provinces of France, located in the Pyrenees mountains and in the plain at their feet, in southwest France. Along with the three Basque provinces of Soule, Lower Navarre, and Labourd, the principality of Bidache, as well as small parts of Gascony, it forms in the...
, where their lands were located, in the form of registration of the king's decree by the Béarnaise Estates
The States
The States or the Estates signifies the assembly of the representatives of the estates of the realm, called together for purposes of legislation or deliberation...
which, in 1703 and again in 1707, rejected the Laborde de Monpezat petition for validation.
Nonetheless, the family survived the French Revolution
French Revolution
The French Revolution , sometimes distinguished as the 'Great French Revolution' , was a period of radical social and political upheaval in France and Europe. The absolute monarchy that had ruled France for centuries collapsed in three years...
under the name of Monpezat. By Napoleonic
Second French Empire
The Second French Empire or French Empire was the Imperial Bonapartist regime of Napoleon III from 1852 to 1870, between the Second Republic and the Third Republic, in France.-Rule of Napoleon III:...
decrees, the family's requests to legally change their surname to de Laborde-Monpezat (on 14 July 1860) and then to de Laborde de Monpezat (on 19 May 1861) were granted. Under the present form of the name, the family supplied a mayor to the town of Pau in 1875; Aristide de Laborde de Monpezat (1830–1888), great grandfather of Prince Henrik.
Sometime late in the nineteenth century, the Laborde de Monpezats assumed the comital
Count
A count or countess is an aristocratic nobleman in European countries. The word count came into English from the French comte, itself from Latin comes—in its accusative comitem—meaning "companion", and later "companion of the emperor, delegate of the emperor". The adjective form of the word is...
style, using it as if it were a titre de courtoisie
Courtesy title
A courtesy title is a form of address in systems of nobility used for children, former wives and other close relatives of a peer. These styles are used 'by courtesy' in the sense that the relatives do not themselves hold substantive titles...
(that is, as an unofficial prefix rather than as a substantive title
Substantive title
A substantive title is a title of nobility or royalty held by someone , which was acquired either by direct grant or inheritance...
, e.g. "comte André de Laborde de Monpezat" rather than "André de Laborde, comte de Monpezat"). Traditionally the royal court
Royal court
Royal court, as distinguished from a court of law, may refer to:* The Royal Court , Timbaland's production company*Court , the household and entourage of a monarch or other ruler, the princely court...
and French society accepted such usage by genuinely noble families. However neither the nobility nor hereditary title of the Laborde de Monpezats is acknowledged as historically valid by the Encyclopédie de la fausse noblesse et de la noblesse d'apparence (Encyclopedia of False and Seeming Nobility), nor did Régis Valette include the family in his Catalogue de la noblesse française (2002). On the other hand, since the title was assumed by Prince Henrik's ancestor prior to the twentieth century, it is possible he was unaware of the misuse until his family's history was scrutinized by genealogists
Genealogy
Genealogy is the study of families and the tracing of their lineages and history. Genealogists use oral traditions, historical records, genetic analysis, and other records to obtain information about a family and to demonstrate kinship and pedigrees of its members...
after his engagement. Henrik's 1996 autobiography acknowledges the unsuccessful ennoblement.
Danish titles
Danish law never officially required that royal spouses be of aristocraticAristocracy
Aristocracy , is a form of government in which a few elite citizens rule. The term derives from the Greek aristokratia, meaning "rule of the best". In origin in Ancient Greece, it was conceived of as rule by the best qualified citizens, and contrasted with monarchy...
origin. Nonetheless, no prince's marriage to a person who lacked male-line descent from royalty or nobility had been accepted as dynastic by the sovereign in the course of Denmark's history as a hereditary monarchy prior to Hereditary Princess Margrethe's marriage in June 1967. From the date of that marriage "Count" Henri de Laborde de Monpezat was designated Prince Henrik of Denmark. In 2005, his wife having reign
Reign
A reign is the term used to describe the period of a person's or dynasty's occupation of the office of monarch of a nation or of a people . In most hereditary monarchies and some elective monarchies A reign is the term used to describe the period of a person's or dynasty's occupation of the office...
ed as Queen Margrethe II since 1972, Henrik was officially declared Denmark's Prince Consort.
On 30 April 2008, the title "Count of Monpezat" (greve af Monpezat), was conferred by the Queen on both of her sons, and made hereditary for their descendants in the male-line
Patrilineality
Patrilineality is a system in which one belongs to one's father's lineage. It generally involves the inheritance of property, names or titles through the male line as well....
, for both males and females. The Queen's Private Secretary
Private Secretary to the Sovereign
The Private Secretary to the Sovereign is the senior operational member of the Royal Household of the Sovereign of the United Kingdom, as distinct from the Great Officers of the Household. The Private Secretary is the principal channel of communication with Her Majesty's Government and the...
Henning Fode commented, "The Queen and the Prince Consort have considered this for quite some time, and it has led to the belief that it was the right thing to do."
In fact, Henrik had mentioned the possibility of associating his family name with that of his royal descendants as long ago as 1996, stating in his published memoir
Memoir
A memoir , is a literary genre, forming a subclass of autobiography – although the terms 'memoir' and 'autobiography' are almost interchangeable. Memoir is autobiographical writing, but not all autobiographical writing follows the criteria for memoir set out below...
, "During our generation the future sovereign will perhaps receive approval to see 'Monpezat' added to the dynastic name of Oldenburg-Glücksborg". While being interviewed by the French weekly Point de Vue in October 2005, Henrik raised the issue shortly after the birth of Crown Prince Frederick's firstborn child, Prince Christian
Prince Christian of Denmark
Prince Christian Valdemar Henri John of Denmark, Count of Monpezat , is a member of the Danish Royal Family. He is the elder son of Crown Prince Frederik and his wife, the Australian born Crown Princess Mary. He is a grandson of Queen Margrethe II of Denmark and her husband Prince Henrik...
, who is expected to inherit the Danish crown eventually: "It also makes him very proud and happy that Monpezat will be added to this small grandson's future name as Prince of Denmark. 'It is a great joy for me that his French roots will also be remembered.'" Although no announcement was made at that time, Prince Christian does now include (part of) his French grandfather's surname among his hereditary titles. The grant does not extend this Danish comital title to Henrik himself, however. Nor has the Danish Crown
Danish Royal Family
The Danish Royal Family includes the Queen of Denmark and her family. All members except the Queen hold the title of Prince/Princess of Denmark with the style of His/Her Royal Highness or His/Her Highness. The Queen is styled Her Majesty. The Queen and her siblings belong to the House of...
issued a proclamation or statement indicating the name that the royal dynasty will bear after Queen Margrethe's reign (in accordance with tradition, she reigns as a member of her father's dynasty, the House of Glücksburg).
Queen Margrethe and Prince Henrik also acquired a private French residence, the Château de Cayx
Château de Cayx
The Cayx Palace is a residence of the Danish Royal Family located in the wine district of Cahors in southern France.In medieval times the castle formed part of the defences of the town of Luzech due to its dominance of the Lot River....
in Cahors
Cahors
Cahors is the capital of the Lot department in south-western France.Its site is dramatic being contained on three sides within an udder shaped twist in the river Lot known as a 'presqu'île' or peninsula...
, France, where the Prince Consort, his children and grandchildren can entertain their French relatives and the Queen can dedicate time to her love of painting. Since 1988, she has exhibited in several specialised galleries.
Prince Joachim, and his descendants now bear a coat-of-arms differenced from those of Denmark's royal arms with a Monpezat inescutcheon and princely coronet
Coronet
A coronet is a small crown consisting of ornaments fixed on a metal ring. Unlike a crown, a coronet never has arches.The word stems from the Old French coronete, a diminutive of coronne , itself from the Latin corona .Traditionally, such headgear is – as indicated by the German equivalent...
, although the Crown Prince continues to bear the royal arms differenced with his own coronet.
Family tree
- Jean de Laborde, dates unknown
- Jean de Laborde, ca. 1620 - ????
- Paul de Laborde de Monpezat, 1672 - ????
- Louis de Laborde de Monpezat, 1711–1761
- Antoine de Laborde de Monpezat, 1743–1787
- Jean de Laborde de Monpezat, 1786–1863
- Aristide de Laborde de Monpezat, 1830–1888
- Henri de Laborde de Monpezat, 1868–1929
- André de Laborde de Monpezat, 1907–1998
- Henrik, Prince Consort of DenmarkHenrik, Prince Consort of DenmarkHenrik, Prince Consort of Denmark , is the husband of the Queen of Denmark, Margrethe II.-Early life:Henrik was born in Talence, Gironde, France...
, born 1934 - Frederik, Crown Prince of DenmarkFrederik, Crown Prince of DenmarkFrederik, Crown Prince of Denmark, Count of Monpezat, is the heir apparent to the throne of Denmark. Frederik is the elder son of Queen Margrethe II and Henrik, the Prince Consort.-Name and christening:...
, born 1968 - Prince Christian of DenmarkPrince Christian of DenmarkPrince Christian Valdemar Henri John of Denmark, Count of Monpezat , is a member of the Danish Royal Family. He is the elder son of Crown Prince Frederik and his wife, the Australian born Crown Princess Mary. He is a grandson of Queen Margrethe II of Denmark and her husband Prince Henrik...
, born 2005
External Articles
- Statistics from INSEE relating to the name Laborde de Monpezat supplied by Géopatronyme (French)
- Statistics from INSEE relating to the name Laborde de Montpezat (variant with a t) supplied by Géopatronyme (French)