The countdown to the new edition of the Debutante Ball has begun. On November 30, a group of young people from all over the world will be presented to society at the Shangri-La hotel in Paris, located in front of the Eiffel Tower. In the list of participants you will find Eugenia de Borbónthe eldest daughter of Luis Alfonso de Borbón and Margarita Vargas, 18 years old, the only Spanish representative.
© GTRESAs her mother confessed two weeks ago, the young woman, who is passionate about horse riding and fashion and is going to wear a design from the Carolina Herrera brand, is preparing for the appointment with great enthusiasm, since she is following the steps of the Duke of Anjou. “She is very happy. Her father did it many years ago and she was excited about it. If she is happy, so am I.”
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© GTRESTo remember Luis Alfonso de Borbón’s time at the Debutante Ball, we must go back to the 1996 edition, almost three decades ago. In that year the event took place at the Hotel de Crillon with 26 ladies and their respective cavaliers. The master of ceremonies was the journalist Emmanuel Brantes and all the proceeds went to finance the research carried out by the Pierre and Marie Curie University in the French capital.
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© GTRESThe Duke of Anjou accompanied the Italian Robinia Mentasti-Granelli, who dressed in Valentino. The young woman is the daughter of Floriana and Bruno Mentasi Granelli, former partner of Tele + and former owner of San Pellegrino mineral water. After selling the latter company, he created the company Central Energy Italia and became one of the trusted men of the then president Silvio Berlusconi. In 2004, she passed through the altar with the German count Ignaz Graf zu Toerring-Jettenbach. Together they have formed a very large family, welcoming 5 children.
© Getty ImagesIn 1996, Luis Alfonso de Borbón was 22 years old. Seven years earlier, that fateful January 30, 1989, he had been orphaned by his father after losing his father, the Duke of Cádiz, while skiing in the United States. A misfortune to which was added the premature death of his brother Francisco, only 11 years old, in February 1984 due to a traffic accident. Although his mother, Carmen Martínez-Bordiú, lived in Paris, the Duke of Anjou preferred to remain in Madrid with his grandmother, Carmen Franco. In the capital he completed his university studies in finance and business administration at CUNEF.
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© GTRESWhat is the Debutante Ball?
© GTRESThe Debutante Ball is a tradition that dates back to the 18th century when English ladies were presented in society before the Queen. A custom that was reinvented in Paris in 1994. Currently, its main goal is to celebrate “excellence, women’s empowerment and harmony between debutantes and gentlemen around the world.” Likewise, in each edition funds are raised for a charitable cause. It is an invitation-only event and is hosted by Ophelie Renourd.
© GTRESThe participants of this 2024
Among the companions who will live this experience with Eugenia de Borbón are: Lucía Ponti, granddaughter of the Italian actress Sofía Loren; Ella-Yamm, whose parents are supermodel Qiqi Yam and actor Simon Yam; Mina Muniz, daughter of artists Vik Muniz and Janaina Tschäpee; Madelyn Netto, daughter of designer David Netto, a well-known interior designer and writer who has worked for the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times and Town & Country; and Sienna Galliene, whose mother, Ségole Galliene-Frere, debuted 30 years ago.
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© GTRESThe knight who will be with Eugenia is Archduke Charles Constantine of Habsburg-Lorraine20 years old. The young man is part of one of the oldest and most important lineages in history, since he is the son of the aristocrat Eilika von Oldenburg and Archduke George, who occupies third place in the line of succession to the former Austro-Hungarian throne and is ambassador of Hungary in France.
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