Nancie accompanied Eleonore to afternoon tea at the farm belonging to the Prince and Princess of Bourbon-Parme and found them charming people. They had three children. She had to address them as 'Votre Altesse Royale' but nothing fazed this 22 year old scots girl from Kilmacolm. She took it all in her stride.
During her time at le Maquis at Valescure she also met Didi and Pierre d'Agay from the chateau d'Agay , Princess Mimi Galitzine, Princess Anne de Ligne, Consuelo de Saint-Exupery (wife of Antoine de Saint-Exupery who wrote ' Le Petit Prince') , Charles-Henri de Mirepoix, and Ebles' cousin, Bruno Sanderval. Admiral Godefroy, whom she met on her arrival was Eleonore's step-father.
In 1935 the Chabannes threw a Fancy-Dress Cous-cous party for their friends. at the Maquis. Consuelo de Saint-Exupery was a Spanish lady, Eliza Johnstone-Douglas was a Hawaiian lady, Eleonore an Arabian Princess, Ebles a Chinese Emperor, Grisel de Winton a Chinaman and Nancie was Cleopatra. Consuelo and her husband Antoine had lived in Morocco for a time so I wondered if the cous-cous idea came from her.
Didi, the wife of Pierre d'Agay was, in fact Antoine de Saint-Exupery's sister and so was Consuelo's sister in law. Charles-Henri de Mirepoix was related to the Chabannes family as his grandmother was Henriette Chabannes .I'm not sure if Nancie knew all the connections of family and friends.
Many of them are buried in the graveyard at Saint Raphael. Admiral Rene Godefroy is buried there with his wife Sybille, Eleonore's mother. She divorced Jean Goulden to marry Rene, his best friend.
Admiral Godefroy was Admiral of the French fleet during the Second World War. He was in charge of Force X at Alexandria, in Egypt. Born in 1885 he died in 1981, aged 96.
This graveyard is also the resting place of Coulou's parents in law, Donald and Jeanne Gurrey. As active members of the Anglican Church special permission was granted for them to be buried there.
No comments:
Post a Comment