The Sixtieth Birthday of the Duc de Broglie

The Duke of Broglie

Philippe, Duc de Broglie, marks his sixtieth birthday today.

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Prince Jean and Princess Micheline de Broglie.

Born at Paris on 28 September 1960, Prince Philippe-Maurice Albert Victor Amédée César de Broglie was the second son of Prince Jean de Broglie (1921-1976) and his wife Micheline Segard (1925-1997), who married in 1948. Jean and Micheline had three sons: Victor-François, Duc de Broglie (1949-2012); Philippe-Maurice, Duc de Broglie (b.1960); and Prince Louis-Albert (b.1963).

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Philippe's father Jean de Broglie was a French politician and served General Charles de Gaulle. Jean was one of the negotiators of the Évian Accords, which ended the Algerian War, formalised the idea of a cooperative exchange between the two countries, and recognised the full independence of Algeria from France. Jean de Broglie was assassinated on 24 December 1976 while exiting the home of Pierre de Varga, his financial advisor.

Louis, Duc de Broglie, in 1929.

In 1987, Philippe's elder brother Victor-François succeeded as Duc de Broglie following the death of their first cousin twice removed: Louis, Duc de Broglie (1892-1987), the son of Victor, Duc de Broglie (1846-1906) and his wife Pauline de La Forest d'Armaillé (1851-1928). Louis de Broglie was a renowned physicist. In 1929, the Duc de Broglie won the Nobel Prize for Physics. Louis never married, and, thus, upon his death, the ducal title was inherited by Victor-François.

Victor-François, Duc de Broglie

Prince Victor-François de Broglie was twenty-seven when his father Jean was assassinated. A decade later, he became the 8th Duc de Broglie at the age of thirty-seven. Victor-François served as the mayor of Broglie for several years. Although he never married, the duke did have one child, Nicolas de Broglie, in 1987 by Caroline Tirouflet. Victor-François died in February 2012 at the age of sixty-two.

Philippe, duc de Broglie.

Philippe, duc de Broglie, is the owner of the Grand Hôtel de Tours and a lover of Art Deco objects d'art and furniture. Having never married nor had issue, his heir is his younger brother, Prince Louis Albert, who is married, but has no children. Therefore, in time, it is likely that the ducal title will pass to Philippe's first cousin Prince Antoine (b.1951) and his male descendants.