Prince Jacques de Bourbon-Parma
(1922 - 1964)
Profile
Prince Jacques de Bourbon-Parma was trained as pilot in the Norwegian Air Force in Canada, but did not finish training before the war ended. He was a French citizen, but was related to the Danish, and thus also Norwegian, royal family.
Prince Jacques de Bourbon-Parma was born on 9 June 1922 in Longwy, France, the son of Prince René of Bourbon-Parma (1894-1962) and Princess Marguerite of Denmark (1895-1992). His great grandfather was King Christian IX of Denmark. Prince Jacques’ parents lived in Colmar-Berg in Luxembourg, but Princess Margrethe crossed the border to France shortly before his birth because the parents wanted their son to be born in France, and thus becoming a French citizen.[1]
Childhood years in Paris
Prince Jacques was raised in Paris, France, and attended the American School MacJannet in St Cloud in Paris in the late 1920s. His classmates included among others his cousin Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark, who would later become Prince Philip, Duke of Edinbourgh.[2]
In early 1940, in the face of events in Europe, his father was not able to remain passive; he wanted to play an active part in the war. For historic reasons, as a descendant of the Bourbon family he was banned by law to serve in the French army. His father volunteered, in stead, for the Finnish army in January 1940 and travelled from Paris via Copenhagen to Stockholm.[3] He did not participate in the fighting, but on behalf of Marshall Mannerheim he travelled to Rome, London and Paris rallying support for the Finnish cause.[4] Soon after his return to France, German troops crossed the border.
Escape from France
In June 1940, as the fall of France became evident, Princess Marguerite and the youngest son, Prince André was the only members of the family left in Paris. The mother organized a car and headed off for Normandie to pick up Prince Jacques and his brother Prince Michel at their boarding school in Normandy. She had lost contact with her husband, who was on a business trip in Southern France and the daughter, Princess Anne, who was in the eastern parts of the country. They drove towards Bordeaux, and from there through Spain to Lisbon, Portugal. About a month later, they were all safe and reunited in Lisbon.[5]
The family decided to travel to the United States, but were unable to obtain tickets for all for the same Atlantic crossing. Prince Jacques and his mother departed Lisbon onboard the SS Excalibur on 26 September 1940 arriving in New York on 5 October. The voyage seems to have been arranged by the Danish Consulate in Paris and similarly their contact in the United States was the Danish Consulate General in Washington, D.C.[6] They spent the first nights at the Waldorff Astoria Hotel in New York. The rest of the family arrived in New York on 11 October, having left Lisbon on the 2nd onboard the SS Excambion.[7]
At the beginning the family lived with friends in New York, but wanting to manage on their own, the father got a job in the perfume business and the mother in a millinery. They lived in a small department on Manhatten. Princess Marguerite later worked as a saleswomen in the custom department of Jay Thorpe in 57th street.[8]
Prince Jacques and his brother attended the Collège Jean-de-Brébeuf, a Jesuit school in Montreal. While at this college, he was an active member of the Canadian Officers Training Corps (C.O.T.C.) and among the participants when the contingent trained alongside active service troops for fourteen days in a camp in 1941.[9]
Trained as a pilot
Prince Jacques enlisted in the Royal Norwegian Air Force on 23 November 1942.[10] His application had been pending for some time at that point.
In mid-1942, there was a change in the general policy for accepting foreign volunteers in the Royal Norwegian Air Force. The tightened policy was instigated by the British Security Co-ordination (BSC), a covert organisation et up in New York City by MI6to investigate enemy activities, prevent sabotage against British interests in the Americas, and mobilise pro-British opinion in the Americas. The correspondence regarding the matter show that Prince Jacques had applied to enlist in the air force in Canada no later than August 1942, but that his application was pending due the new policy. A letter from Admiral Henry Diesen, who was war commissioner and responsible for the recruitment from 1941-44, reveals that a representative from the BSC) had suggested that Prince Jacques’ application, though a foreign citizen, would most likely be accepted given his close relation to the Norwegian royal family; King Haakon VII was his great-uncle.[11]
He became part of the pilots’ training class no. 15 (Kull XV) from 12 August 1943. Hugo Holten Møller, a Danish volunteer, was part of this course as well, but he did not finish the course.
Flying training commenced at the Elementary Flying Training School on 25 October 1943 through to 15 January 1944. He was posted to 16 Service Flying Training School at Hagersville on 12 February 1944. Initially the course was scheduled to end on 30 June 1944, but he seems to have been training in Hagersville until 25 August 1944.
He was promoted to the rank of Quartermaster (kvartermester) during this period.[12]
He participated in a refresher course in military disciplines at Vestle Skaugum from 13 September 1944,[13] before being transferred overseas arriving in London from Canada on 21 October 1944.[14]
He continued training as a pilot in the United Kingdom. It is presumed that he served at an Operational Training Unit somewhere on the British Isles, but so far no specific reference has been found. He was posted to one of the Norwegian squadrons following their return to Norway after the liberation.[15] At some point he converted from fighter aircraft to multiple-engined aircraft. He flew ambulance service in the northern parts of Norway for some time.[16] He was discharged from the Norwegian Air Force on 1 May 1946.[17]
As a French citizen he was not eligible for the Christian X Memorial Medal for participation in the war, but he was awarded the Christian X Liberty Medal for his contribution to the Danish cause during the war in 1947.[18]
After the war
Prince Jacques returned to Denmark after the war, where he married Birgitte Holstein-Ledreborg in Copenhagen on 9 June 1947.
He joined the Danish Air Lines (Det Danske Luftfartsselskab)as pilot following his discharge from the Norwegian Air Force. On 4 November 1946, he was the second pilot of Danish Air Lines’ Douglas DC-3 OY-DCU Ulf Viking which made a security landing at the Værløse military airfield due to fogg covering the airport at Copenhagen/Kastrup.[19] He later joined the company Danish Air Taxa (Dansk Lufttaxa). On 2 August 1948, he was injured by the propeller blade during the start-up procedure.[20]
In 1949, he gave up flying altogether to be employed in the wholesale meat company Kristoffersen & Dehn.[21] He became a known figure in the Danish motor sport both because of his seat in the governing body of the Danish Automobile Sports Federation, and as a skilled driver.[22] Among many other races, he participated in a Lloyd Alexander in the Monte Carlo rally in 1959. Morian Hansen, former Royal Air Force pilot participated in the case as well.[23]
Prince Jaques was killed in a car accident on 5 November 1965 as his car collided with a lorry. He died instantly.[24] He was buried five days later at a ceremony at the chapel at the Ledreborg Palace.[25]
Endnotes
[1] Prinsesse Margrethes Søn er født i Frankrig, Fyens Stiftstidende, 15 Jul 1922, p. 3.
[2] Jacobs, H., A royal refugee, and his american refuge. Les Entretients - MacJannet Foundation, Spring 2012, p. 5-6.
[3] Le Prince René de Bourbon-Parme engagé volontaire est parti pour la Finlande, Paris-Soir, 15 Jan 1940, p. 3.
[4] Le Prince René Bourbon Parme ne croît pas a un armistice en Finlande, La Dépêche de Brest, 13 Mar 1940.
[5] En Fyrstefamilies omtumlede Skæbne. Ribe Stiftstidende, 21 Jun 1945, p. 8.
[6] Ancestry: New York, U.S., Arriving Passenger and Crew Lists (including Castle Garden and Ellis Island), 1820-1957.
[7] Ancestry: New York, U.S., Arriving Passenger and Crew Lists (including Castle Garden and Ellis Island), 1820-1957.
[8] Bourbon Princess Enjoys Work in New York Store, Lancaster New Era, 24 Jul 1944, p. 8.
[9] City C.O.T.C. Units to go to Camp, The Montreal Star, 21 Jun 1941, p. 3.
[10] DNA: Udenrigsministeriets gruppeordnede sager, 48.Y.90/Norge.
[11] NNA: RA, Forsvaret, Flyvåpnenes treningsleir 1940-1945, V/L0037: Ekspedisjonskontoret. 7. Organisasjon/8. Personellsaker., 1940-1945, 8/I a, Personellsaker. Rekruttering. Diverse 42-43-44.
[12] NNA: Forsvaret, Flyvåpnenes treningsleir 1940-1945, V/L0038: Ekspedisjonskontoret. 8. Personellkontoret, 1940-1945, 8/IIId, Personell-lister, Styrkelister etc for 1944 og 1945.
[13] NNA: Forsvaret, Flyvåpnenes treningsleir 1940-1945, V/L0038: Ekspedisjonskontoret. 8. Personellkontoret, 1940-1945, 8/IIId, Personell-lister, Styrkelister etc for 1944 og 1945.
[14] Forsvaret, Flyvåpnenes treningsleir 1940-1945, V/L0038: Ekspedisjonskontoret. 8. Personellkontoret, 1940-1945, 8/IIId II, Personell-lister fra London.
[15] Prinsesse Margrethes Søn Spitfirepilot. Berlingske Tidende, 21 Jun 1945, p. 5.
[16] Flyverprins Jacques gaar Handelsvejen. Hejmdal, 13 Aug 1949, p. 3.
[17] DNA: Udenrigsministeriets gruppeordnede sager, 48.Y.90/Norge.
[18] DNA: Udenrigsministeriets gruppeordnede sager, 48.Y.88a.
[19] Prins nødlander med Parismaskine i Værløse. Nationaltidende, 5 Nov 1946, p. 1.
[20] Prins Jacques ramt af Flyvemaskinepropel. Berlingske tidende, 3 August 1948, p. 5.
[21] Flyverprins Jacques gaar Handelsvejen. Hejmdal, 13 Aug 1949, p. 3.
[22] Prins Jacques - motorprinsen. Berlingske Tidende, p. 2.
[23] Klar til start mod Monte Carlo. Information, 9 Jan 1959, p. 3.
[24] Prins Jacques dræbt ved bilulykke ved Roskilde i aftes. Berlingske Tidende, 6 Nov 1964, p. 1.
[25] Prins Jacques blev bisat under megen deltagelse. Berlingske Tidende, 11 Nov 1964, p. 10.