Marie Say (1857–1943) was a French heiress and socialite.

Marie Say
Born25 August 1857
Died15 July 1943 (1943-07-16) (aged 85)
Paris, France
OccupationAristocrat
TitlePrincess de Broglie
Señora de Orléans
Spouse(s)Henri Amédée de Broglie
Luís Fernando de Orleans y Borbón
ChildrenAlbert, Antoinette, Jacques, Robert and Marguerite de Broglie
Parent(s)Constant André Say
Jeanne Marie Emilie Wey
RelativesLouis Auguste Say (paternal grandfather)
Château de Chaumont.

Early life

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Marie Say was born on 25 August 1857 in Verrières-le-Buisson near Paris. Her paternal grandfather, Louis Auguste Say, was the founder of the Say sugar company (now a subsidiary of Tereos). Her father, Constant André Say, ran the family business, which sold sugar made from beetroot.[1] Her granduncle, Jean-Baptiste Say, was an economist and formulator of Say's law.

Her sister, Jeanne (1848–1916), married Roland, Marquis de Cossé-Brissac (1843–1871), and her brother, Henry (1855–1899), succeeded his father at the Say refinery.

Adult life

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Say purchased the château de Chaumont with her inheritance in 1875, at the age of seventeen.[2][3] Shortly after, she married Prince Amédée de Broglie,[1] at the Eglise de la Madeleine in Paris.[1] They had five children (Albert, Antoinette, Jacques, Robert and Marguerite) together.

Say became known as Princess Amédée de Broglie.[3] The couple entertained George V, Isabella II of Spain and the Shah of Iran as guests,[1] receiving the gift of an elephant from another guest, Jagatjit Singh.[1] The couple organized performances by the Paris Opera and the Comédie-Française for their guests.[1] They also resided at the Hôtel de Broglie, an hôtel particulier in Paris.[3]

Say was widowed in 1917.[3] In London on 19 September 1930 she non-dynastically married the former Spanish infante, Prince Luís Fernando de Orleans y Borbón, he being then 41 years old and she 72 years old.[4] According to Pierre de Cossé, Duc de Brissac, her second husband spent the vast majority of her fortune.[3]

Death

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Say died on 15 July 1943 in Paris.[4]

Ancestry

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f Le Tigre, Olivier (May 25, 2008). "25 mai 1908 : Marie Say, le sacre de la princesse du sucre". Le Monde. Retrieved December 11, 2015.
  2. ^ "LE CHÂTEAU DE CHAUMONT-SUR-LOIRE". Domaine Chaumont. Archived from the original on December 26, 2015. Retrieved December 11, 2015.
  3. ^ a b c d e de Cossé Brissac, Pierre (1974). La suite des temps: (1939–1958). Paris, France: Grasset. ISBN 9782246798514. Retrieved December 6, 2015.
  4. ^ a b Genealogisches Handbuch des Adels, Fürstliche Häuser VIII. "Spanien". C.A. Starke Verlag, 1968, pp. 213–214. (German), (French). ISBN 978-3-7980-0849-6.