Who really was Irina-Pacifica (“Princess Irene”) Ghika??
Was she part of the royal family of Ghika? Driven out of Rumania by the Russians after WWII? A Parisian fashion model/mannequin? And whatever happened to her? Is she still living? If so, where? After their time together, did she ever publicly speak of her time with Errol? Was/is she related to the Blessed Vladimir Ghika, recently beatified by Pope Francis? (He died in a Soviet prison in 1954 as a result of “bestial” torture for the “high treason” of being Catholic.)
(This may be a mystery and mission for EuroHeinz, the Errol Enigma Hunter.)
— Tim
I have wondered about her too
Wouldn’t it be fascinating to learn what she knew and felt about her romance with Errol, Maria. Though I haven’t conducted an extensive search, I have found no record of her death. Being that she was born in 1932, she could well be alive, still only in her early Eighties. I also wonder if and how the collapse of Communism in Rumania impacted her life.
m.libertatea.ro/detalii/articol/printesa-ghica-dragoste-errol-flynn-luna-iubirii-378134.html…
[img]http://static.cinemarx.ro/poze/cupluri/er/p/errol-flynn-princess-irene-ghika-9926.jpg[/img]
Sorry, I can only come up with this article on a website. The Princess was 5′ 6″ if anyone was interested
LONDON Nov 15 Errol Flynn veteran of many Hollywood love stories announced tonight his engagement to teenager Princess Irene Ghica exiled descendant of the founders of modern Romania. The screen star who has been married twice, is 40 years old. His prospective bride whom he met six months ago is 19 years old and a divorcee. Flynn presently is in London for a personal appearance at a royal command film performance Thursday. He sports a beard for the forthcoming lead in and will leave for India immediately after the royal ap. Engagement Ring Needed I am very happy and am hunting for an engagement said Flynn and we plan to be married in Paris or London late next Flynn last was prominently in the news when divorced July 7 by his wife Nora Eddington 24 in Las Vegas Nev. Before that he was fined in New York last December for kicking a police man. Lily Damita film was awarded a divorce from Flynn in Hollywood, April 8 1943 on grounds of mental cruelty. Flynn said he met his intended third wife in Paris six months ago through mutual friends and only got the princess consent to marriage last Sunday. She is the slender five foot six inch daughter of Prince Jean Ghica who was killed in a plane crash 12 years ago and Princess Ebi Ghica. The latter second husband named was at Deauville French resort area about three years ago. Princess Irene was married to a young Frenchman two years ago and divorced early this year. After that she obtained a job as a mannequin in the middle class Parisian dress house of Juliet Verneuil where she was working when she met the dashing Flynn. The princess said in Paris that it was love at first sight when she met Flynn at a Paris cocktail patty last spring. Flynn described the princess as belonging to one of the four oldest and wealthiest landowning families in Romania. He said she left Bucharest five years ago to escape the Russians. The princess said in Paris that she and Flynn spent most of the summer at Cannes Cap and other French Riviera spots. Her father was a Romanian pilot in the first world war and her ancestors ruled a Romanian principality for two centuries beginning in the 17th century. The family name variously spelled Ghica Ghika or Ghyka originally was of humble origin and is said to have come from Albania. The members became princes of Moldavia and Walachia
Someone of this stature and note cannot just “disappear”, you’d expect at least an obituary to show up somewhere. Too bad none of us are fluent in the Romanian language, or know someone over there we could lean on to do some sleuthing! You’re right, she’d only be in her 80’s and could very well be alive. Such intrigue!
Did a bit more research, this is the link, nothing new but every little bit helps!
www.digi24.ro/Stiri/Digi24/Timp+liber/Stil+de+viata/BONTON++O+printesa+de+Romania++Irene+Ghica++a+fost+logodnica+lui+Errol+Flynn…
This might help also
www.cunoastelumea.ro/romance-frumoase-si-faimoase-irene-ghica-cea-care-i-a-furat-inima-lui-errol-flyn/…
Click on the translation button for English translation for the last two entries!
Right you are, Zaca. Perhaps one of our distinguished EFB sleuthing team can learn more from one or more of this official Ghika Squad – with apparently worldwide and multilinguistic roots!
www.ghika.net…
Ahoy to The Zaca! I’m not positive what this recent article says, or even what language it’s saying it in, but near the end it may be indicating the Irene is 84 and living discretely in Paris. Someone’s got to interview her about Flynn! … I wonder if she ever met Olivia over there.
m.adevarul.ro/locale/calarasi/amorul-nebun-printesa-irene-ghica-faimosul-errol-flynn-l-a-fermecat-romanca-starul-american-1_56254d5af5eaafab2cd44224/…
Princess Irene Pacifica Ghica got introduced to Errol via his pest pal Freddie McEvoy, who had oily business ties with Romania, at a restaurant in Paris. Or so the legend goes. She was only 19, a divorcee, and a half orphan. She lost out to Patrice Wymore to become Mrs Flynn III. She may have briefly been married to William Marshall, direcor and producer of Errol`s French flic “Cap Fab” and of the short film “Hello God”, who got lost in the tussle. Ghica renounced the role of “Cynthia Winthrop”.
I got as far as this link and when you scroll down enough you will find the Princess’ name, you need to subscribe to their website to perhaps see the marriage certificate between her and Marshall.
search.ancestry.com…
Superb work, Don Jan!!! I will try to get to aa Ancesry database ASAP!
Perhaps Marshall included more in his supposedly somewhat revealing book, too. Jeez, despite bombing so bad with Captain Fabe, this guy sure did “good” with the babes.
articles.latimes.com…
[img]http://www.theerrolflynnblog.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/ginger.jpg[/img]
Plus he was the last not the least husband of Ginger Rogers.
As they allegedly say in Budapest, ghikaheinz, multamesc! Big Freddie pops up again. Be it by bobsled, at a Grand Prix, betting the horses, bedding in the boudoir, and/or in Paris partaking of a little goulash, the Big Mac was there wirh Errol!
Below is Ion Ghika’s humble abode. I believe Irina’s father, Ion Ghika, aka Jean (the pilot), was named for the apparently more royal and heretofore more famous Ion of earlier days.
Not to scare anyone, but Ghikas also appear in a biography of the Dracula family. Not saying they were blood-relatives (so to speak), but Errol did seem to attract a number of blood-suckers during his days (and nights.)
We need you great skills on this one, huntheinz! The Ghika Squad will surely know someting of Irina. Word is they even had family in Old Vienna.
www.ghika.net…
www.genealogytoday.com…
[img]http://www.ghika.net/Images/Arbre/A18_Liens_04_800.JPG[/img]
[img]http://www.hausderdonau.com/images/img-ghica-1.jpg[/img]
She almost looks like the model that made the first ever Barbie doll.
I don’t know how you knew that, twinarchers, but you hit and split the bullseye! … Maybe “Barbie” derives from “Barbarian”. … Anyhoo, if it was Mattel, it had to be swell.
[img]http://www.popfi.com/wp-content/uploads/barbie_1959_first_editions.jpg[/img]
Now we know why she was hired as a “mannequin”. … Those runner-up Barbies ALL look like they could have been modelled after Errol’s harem