From the Archives, 1972: Blue Blood Anonymous

“Throughout the First World War, the aristocracy suffered more than any other class, and although the hard-core international Freemasonry was weakened by the new nationalists, the aristocracy remained strong nonetheless. rice field.

“In Poland, Hungary and Germany they held property and controlled the army and government. In Poland the Radziwill family owned one million acres of land.

“Between the two wars, Mussolini and Hitler used the nobility to cover up their regime.

“In World War II, more national aristocrats were obliterated. In Poland, they were depleted by the German and Red Army. executed thousands of noble conspirators.

“Finally, the nobility of Eastern Europe was drowned when Bolshevik divisions surged into Germany, Austria, Hungary and Czechoslovakia.

“Despite all this, there is still an aristocracy in Western Europe. It is very strong in Spain, Portugal, West Germany and France.

It’s scary to live with your ancestors

Count Stanislas de Hautecroc said, “Our castle does not look terrifying, but neither does it impress.”

“There are chapels where our ancestors are buried. Each has an old marble plate with his name and what he did.

“But it’s a terrible thing to live with your ancestors.”

Count Stanislas (Stan) is French and a “modern aristocrat”. I have an Australian wife, Diana.

Early 30s, civil engineer, 6 years in Australia.

The Autoclocks now live in a sophisticated apartment in Double Bay. During their visit to France last year they bought a house in Mass in Provence, near Cannes in the south of France but near Grasse. .

They have a 13-month-old daughter, Eloise.

Since their marriage, they have spent two years at the construction site of the Rostock Dam on the Paterson River near Gresford, while Earl Stanislas has lived in Dampier, Western Australia for eight months.

For eight months, not a single drop of rain fell. It was very different from Weil, the family castle in Savez, Picardy, about 150 miles north of Paris.

A name with 1000 years of history

Count Francis Pongratz de St Miklos de Oval became an Australian citizen 26 years ago.

“I asked for Australian citizenship,” he said.

“I don’t go under my title much these days. Others call me Count. I don’t.”

“But I don’t understand why the name had to be changed.

“It has lived for 1000 years. We were given the title in 1228.

“If it was enough for all the upheaval that happened then, it’s enough today.”

He came to Australia in 1947 on the immigration ship Fairsea as one of the first immigrants after World War II.

He soon took a job with the in-house airline, then with Qantas as Diplomatic Liaison Officer and Specialized Sales Advisor, covering Religious Affairs, International Trade Fairs, Motor Racing, Equestrian Affairs and Art Gallery Liaison.

In 1902 his father was Governor General of Slovakia.

Loading

The Countess owned two fortresses, one on each side of the Vag River in Slovakia. But when the old count resigned as governor, he took his family to Budapest.

That is why the current Earl of Ponglaise does not remember. He has never wanted to go back and see the castle, especially since he learned it was in ruins.