The Marquise de Ganay (1925-2022)

Philippine de Ganay in Venice, 2006.
Photo (c) Getty Images / Bertrand Rindoff Petroff.

Earlier this month, Philippine, Marquise de Ganay, died at the age of ninety-seven.

Born on 4 September 1925 at Paris, Philippine Louise Charlotte Marie de Noailles was the second child and first daughter of Henry de Noailles, Duc de Mouchy, Prince-Duc de Poix (1890-1947) and Marie de La Rochefoucauld (1901-1983), who wed in 1920. Philippine had an older brother and a younger sister: Philippe, Duc de Mouchy (1922-2011; married 1st Diane de Castellane; married 2nd Joan Dillon Douglas, widow of Prince Charles of Luxembourg) and Sabine de Noailles (1931-2010; married Nicolas Wyrubov)

Jean-Louis and Philippine in front of the Château de Courances.

Photo (c) Courances.

On 17 July 1946 at Paris, Philippine married Jean-Louis, Marquis de Ganay (1922-2013). The couple had four daughters: Anne-Marie de Ganay (b.1947; married Jean Claude Meyer), Martine de Ganay (1948-1984; married James Filmer-Wilson), Lauraine de Ganay (b.1951; married Serge de Ganay), and Valentine de Ganay (b.1962; married Markus Hansen). Along with her husband, Philippine was heavily involved in the restoration of the Château de Courances; her particular focus was on the castle's Japanese garden. Jean-Louis and Philippine de Ganay, along with their family, were one of the subjects of Robert Lacy's book Aristocrats.