HENRIETTE OF BELGIUM: (1870-1948) Princess Henriette of Orleans, Duchess of Vendome, sister of ...

HENRIETTE OF BELGIUM: (1870-1948) Princess Henriette of Orleans, Duchess of Vendome, sister of Albert I, King of the Belgians. A.L.S., Henriette, Duchesse de Vendome, Princesse de Belgique, four pages, 8vo, Cannes, 23^rd January 1924, to [Maurice] Herbette (‘Chere Excellence’), on the Princess’s monogrammed stationery from the Chateau St. Michel, in French. The Princess informs her correspondent that she was asked to form a French national league in honour of Cardinal Mercier on the occasion of his Nous d’Or, ‘et l'idee a ete accepte avec un tel enthousiasme que je recois des tas de lettres tous les jours, me disant qu'il fallait pousser et agrandir ce geste national d'union sacree’ (Translation: ‘and the idea was accepted with such enthusiasm that I receive piles of letters every day telling me that we needed to push and expand this national gesture of sacred union’), further explaining that she is the President of the league, alongside the Duke of Vendome, and that she had invited Alexandre Millerand, Raymond Poincare, as well as Cardinals, Marshals and Bishops to be Honorary Presidents, all of whom kindly accepted, and continuing ‘Je sais que vous faites partie du comite belge mais je viens vous demander a vous et a Madame Herbette, d'etre nos Vice-Presidents avec le General Gouraud et la Marquise de Chaponay (la belle mere de ma fille Genevieve) qui a tellement travaille pour les Belges dans ses magnifiques oeuvres de charite’ (Translation: ‘I know that you are part of the Belgian committee but I have come to ask you and Madame Herbette to be our Vice-Presidents with General Gouraud and the Marquise de Chaponay (the mother-in-law of my daughter Genevieve) who has worked so hard for the Belgians in her magnificent works of charity’). The Princess also states that she regrets her stays in Belgium did not coincide with Herbette’s, ‘et que je n'ai pas encore pu accepter votre offre de venir diner chez vous - En dehors du plaisir de vous revoir la renommee de votre table est telle, que c'est un plaisir d'y etre convie’ (Translation: ‘and that I have not yet been able to accept your offer to come and dine with you – apart from the pleasure of seeing you again, the reputation of your table is such that it is a pleasure to be invited there’). Accompanied by the original Registered envelope, hand addressed by the Princess and bearing an excellent red wax seal to the verso. VG

Maurice Herbette (1871-1929) French diplomat who served as Ambassador to Brussels.

Desire-Joseph Mercier (1851-1926) Belgian cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church, Archbishop of Mechelen (1906-26) and Primate of Belgium, noted for his staunch resistance to the German occupation of 1914-18 during World War I.