Joan Dillon

Joan de Noailles, Dowager Duchess of Mouchy (née Joan Douglas Dillon, later Princess Charles of Luxembourg; born January 31, 1935)[1] is an American-born French duchess, the first commoner to marry into the reigning dynasty of Luxembourg, and is the former president of French Bordeaux wine company Domaine Clarence Dillon.

Not to be confused with Joan Dillon (historic preservation activist).
Joan Dillon
Princess Charles of Luxembourg
Dowager Duchess of Mouchy
Born (1935-01-31) January 31, 1935
New York City, New York, U.S.
Spouse
James Brady Moseley
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(m. 1953; ann. 1963)​

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(m. 1967; died 1977)​

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(m. 1978; died 2011)​
IssueJoan Moseley
Princess Charlotte, Mrs. Cunningham
Prince Robert of Luxembourg
FatherC. Douglas Dillon
MotherPhyllis Chess Ellsworth
ReligionCatholicism

Biography

Joan Dillon is the daughter of U.S. Treasury Secretary C. Douglas Dillon and his wife, Phyllis Chess Ellsworth.[1] She came to live in Paris, France, with her family when her father was appointed American Ambassador in the 1950s. She initially found work with the Paris Review.[2]

After her marriage to Prince Charles of Luxembourg she discovered an interest in wine and the family interest in Haut-Brion.[2] From 1975 to 2008, Joan Dillon held the presidency of Domaine Clarence Dillon.[3] Her husband, Philippe de Noailles, Duc de Mouchy, was general manager. Under their direction the company bought Château La Mission Haut-Brion, Château Laville Haut-Brion and Château La Tour Haut-Brion in 1983. In 2008, Prince Robert of Luxembourg, her son by her marriage to Prince Charles of Luxembourg, became president of Domaine Clarence Dillon.

Wine Enthusiast Magazine describes Dillon as "a larger-than-life lady, with an indefinable, cultured, mid-Atlantic accent."[2]

Family

Dillon married firstly in Paris, France, on 1 August 1953 James Brady Moseley, great-grandson of industrialist Anthony N. Brady, grandnephew of philanthropist Nicholas Frederic Brady and first cousin of U.S. Treasury Secretary Nicholas F. Brady. The couple divorced in Washoe County, Nevada, US, on 12 December 1955; the marriage was annulled in Rome, Italy, on 22 June 1963.[1] They had a daughter, Joan Dillon Moseley Bryan Frost[4][5] (born 1954).

Dillon married secondly on 1 March 1967 Prince Charles, brother of Grand Duke Jean of Luxembourg, at the Catholic Church of St. Edward the Confessor in Sutton Park, Surrey, UK. The marriage was the first authorized of a Luxembourgeois prince to a commoner – authorized by Grand Ducal decree issued 16 February 1967. She was styled "Her Royal Highness Princess Joan of Luxembourg".[1] Prince Charles died in Imbarcati, Province of Pistoia, Italy, on 26 July 1977. They had two children:

Dillon married thirdly in Islesboro, Maine, on 3 August 1978 Philippe, 7th Duke de Mouchy (1922–2011). The marriage was without issue.[1]

References
  1. Genealogisches Handbuch des Adels, Fürstliche Häuser XVIII. "Luxemburg". C.A. Starke Verlag, 2007, pp. 83–84, 449–450. (German). ISBN 978-3-7980-0841-0.
  2. Roger Voss (January 5, 2001). "Changing Landscape For The Dillons Of Bordeaux". Wine Enthusiast Magazine. Retrieved 2014-08-10.
  3. Matasar, Ann B. (2006). Women of Wine: The Rise of Women in the Global Wine Industry. University of California Press. ISBN 0-520-24051-0.
  4. "Joan Dillon Moseley Wed to Gray Bryan 3d". The New York Times. 27 May 1973. Retrieved 23 October 2023.
  5. "Sophie Bryan, Lawrence Hollins". The New York Times. 27 June 1999. Retrieved 23 October 2023.
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