Marie-Hélène de Rothschild
| Marie-Hélène de Rothschild | |
|---|---|
| Born |
Marie-Hélène van Zuylen van Nyevelt November 17, 1927 New York City, United States |
| Died | March 1, 1996 (aged 68) Touques, Calvados, France |
| Nationality | French |
| Spouse(s) |
François de Nicolay (m. 1950; div. 1956) Guy de Rothschild (m. 1957) |
Marie-Hélène Naila Stephanie Josina de Rothschild (pronounced: [ma.ʁi e.lɛn də ʁɔt.ʃild]) (November 17, 1927 – March 1, 1996) was a French socialite who became a doyenne of Parisian high-society and was a member of the prominent Rothschild banking family of France.
Born Baroness Marie-Hélène Naila Stephanie Josina van Zuylen van Nyevelt van de Haar in New York City, she was the eldest of the three children of Marguerite Marie Namétalla (1901–1970) and Baron Egmont Van Zuylen van Nyevelt (1890–1960). Her mother was born in Egypt of Syrian-immigrant parents, and her father was a diplomat and businessman of Jewish and Dutch descent. Marie-Hélène's paternal grandmother was Baroness Hélène de Rothschild (1863–1947), the first woman to take part in an international motor race and the daughter of Baron Salomon James de Rothschild. Marie-Hélène's paternal grandfather was the Dutch Roman Catholic Baron Etienne van Zuylen van Nyevelt (1860–1934) of the House of Van Zuylen van Nievelt.
She was educated at Marymount College in Tarrytown, New York and after finishing school she went to Paris.
Marie-Hélène was married twice:
Her husband and his sisters, Jacqueline and Bethsabée, had been raised at the magnificent Château de Ferrières in the country outside of Paris. Seized by the Germans during the occupation of France in World War II, the château remained empty until 1959 when the newlywed Rothschilds decided to reopen it. Marie-Hélène took charge of refurbishing the huge château, making it a place where European nobility mingled with musicians, artists, fashion designers and Hollywood movie stars at grand soirées. Much talked about for the lavish and creative theme balls and charity fundraisers she organized both in Paris and New York, in 1973, she brought together five French couturiers and five American designers for a fashion show at the Théâtre Gabriel in the Château de Versailles.
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