Countess Valentine Marie Henriette de Riquet de Caraman–Chimay (15 February 1839 – 25 August 1914) was a Belgian princess.
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Early life
She was a younger daughter of Belgian diplomat and industrialist Joseph de Riquet de Caraman, 17th Prince de Chimay, and memoirist Émilie Pellapra, the widow of Comte de Brigode. From her parents' marriage, she had three siblings: Joseph de Riquet de Caraman-Chimay, Emilie de Riquet de Caraman (wife of Frédéric Lagrange), and Eugène de Riquet de Caraman (who married Louise de Graffenried-Villars). From her mother's first marriage, she had an elder half-brother, Henri, Marquis of Brigode who was the Mayor of Romilly (and married Annette du Hallay-Coëtquen).
Her paternal grandparents were François-Joseph-Philippe de Riquet, 16th Prince de Chimay, and Thérésa de Cabarrus, one of the leaders of Parisian social life during the Directory. His maternal grandparents were Françoise-Marie LeRoy and wealthy financier Henri de Pellapra, though Émilie claimed to be a daughter of Napoleon. Her niece, Hélène Marie de Riquet de Caraman, married John Francis Charles, 7th Count de Salis-Soglio.
Personal life
Her first marriage was to Prince Paul de Bauffremont-Courtenay (1827–1893), son of Alphonse de Bauffremont, on 13 April 1861. He was a French general who known for leading the 'Charge de Sedan' alongside Gaston Alexandre Auguste in 1870. Before their divorce in 1875, they were the parents of two daughters: