Lady Nicholas Windsor

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Lady Nicholas Windsor
Born	August 07, 1969 (age 37) London, England
Other names	Paola Doimi di Delupis
Spouse	Lord Nicholas Windsor
Parents	Louis Doimi di Delupis and Ingrid Detter

Lady Nicholas Windsor (née Paola Doimi di Delupis, previously Paola Doimi de Frankopan; born 7 August 1969) is the wife of Lord Nicholas Windsor, the younger son of the Duke and Duchess of Kent.

1 Background
2 Marriage
3 Footnotes
4 External links

[edit] Background

Paola Doimi di Delupis was born in London in 1969 ^[1]. Her father is Don Louis Doimi di Delupis, a minor member of the Croatian nobility who is of Italian heritage ^[2]. He is a barrister, being a member of Middle Temple, though is better known as a successful businessman. Her Swedish-born mother, Ingrid Detter, is a lawyer of international repute ^[3]. Paola's father's family had fled to England from Croatia during World War II ^[4], and while they now live in Kensington, they still own a castle in Croatia. Paola studied at Wycombe Abbey School and Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge.

In February 2000 she and her family legally changed their surname, under British law, to Doimi de Lupis de Frankopan and adopted the title of "Prince" and "Princess", having used this style since 1991 ^[5]. Frankopan is Croatia's most aristocratic name, and the last of the family died out in the late 19th century. Louis had been denied membership of the Croatian Nobility Association because of the disputed use of his title. Ivo Durbesic, the association’s president, told The Times: “He took the name Frankopan, but he is not a descendant of the Frankopan family. He is aristocratic but derives from the Doimi de Lupis bloodline. We strongly disliked the fact that he was using the name Frankopan without any proof that he was related to that family.”

The Encyclopaedia Yugoslavika records that, after Prince Fran Krsto was executed, the only Frankopan to survive was Urio, whose line died out in the late 19th century.

Nepo Kuzmanic, a leading Croatian genealogist, said: “There is no family tree or genealogy available to prove the noble continuity.”

John Kennedy, editor of the Almanach de Gotha, the directory of Europe’s nobility, said: “You can call yourself whatever you want, but it is more an aspirational title than one they have inherited.”

Paola's brother Peter defends the use of the Frankopan name and princely title as merely "reflection of the age of the family" ^[6]. He said that his branch of the family had split from the Frankopans in the 13th century. “In 1991 we took back the name of Frankopan. It was considered by my family and the government at the time as an appropriate thing to do.” ^[7]. While her family styles her "Princess" Paola Doimi de Frankopan, the Court Circular styled her with the honorific Donna, a sign of her being minor nobility, while her parents were styled Don and Donna. Also, the Croatian Nobility Association has denied membership to Paola's father Louis on the grounds that he adopted the de Frankopan surname "without any proof that he was related to that family" ^[8]. However, the family claims to descend from a minor branch of the Frankopan house that orginated in the 15th century^[9].

[edit] Marriage

Lord Nicholas and Donna Paola, both Roman Catholics, met at a New York party in 2001 ^[10], and their engagement was announced on 26 September 2006 ^[11]. They married in a civil ceremony on 19 October 2006 in a London register office ^[12], and they married in a religious ceremony on 4 November in the Church of Santo Stefano degli Abissini, in The Vatican. This was thought to be the first time ever a member of the British Royal Family had married in the Vatican ^[13]. Any children they have will not hold any title, but sons will be in succession to the Kent Dukedom and, in the unlikely event they are not brought up Catholics, in line to the British Throne as well.

Lord and Lady Nicholas are expecting their first child in the later half of 2007 [1]. Regardless of gender, the child will not be titled, and will only carry the Windsor surname.