Marie Say

Marie Say was born on August 25, 1857 in Verrières-le-Buisson near Paris. Her paternal grandfather, Louis Auguste Say, was the founder of the Say sugar company (now a subsidiary of Tereos). Her father, Constant André Say, ran the family business, which sold sugar made from beetroot.[1] Her uncle, Jean-Baptiste Say, was an economist and formulator of Say's law.

Her sister, Jeanne (1848–1916), married Roland, Marquis de Cossé-Brissac (1843–1871), and her brother, Henry (1855–1899), succeeded his father at the Say refinery.

Say purchased the château de Chaumont with her inheritance in 1875, at the age of seventeen.[2][3] Shortly after, she married Prince Amédée de Broglie,[1] at the Eglise de la Madeleine in Paris.[1]

Say became known as Princess Amédée de Broglie.[3] The couple entertained George V, Isabella II of Spain and Reza Shah as guests,[1] receiving the gift of an elephant from another guest, Jagatjit Singh.[1] The Say couple organized performances by the Paris Opera and the Comédie-Française for their guests.[1] They also resided at the Hôtel de Broglie, an hôtel particulier in Paris.[3]

Say was widowed in 1917.[3] In London on 19 September 1930 she non-dynastically married the former Spanish infante, Prince Luís Fernando de Orleans y Borbón, he being then 41 years old and she 72 years old.[4] According to Pierre de Cossé, Duc de Brissac, her second husband spent the vast majority of her fortune.[3]

Say died on July 15, 1943 in Paris.[4]

• August 25, 1857 – June 7, 1875: Miss Marie Say
• June 7, 1875 – September 19, 1930: Princess Amédée de Broglie
• September 19, 1930 – July 15, 1943: Señora Doña Marie de Orléans