Royal Beginnings

A HISTORIC CHATEAU IN FRANCE, PASSED DOWN THROUGH ONE FAMILY, DOUBLES AS A BED-AND-BREAKFAST.

- Monique van der Pauw

BUILT ON THE FOUNDATIONS OF A MEDIEVAL FORTRESS, Chateau de Prye has an intriguing history. The castle, located in La Fermeté, a small village in Burgundy, France, once belonged to several noble families, including the king and queen of Poland, John Sobieski III and his French wife, Marie de la Grange d’Arquien. In 1771, it became the property of a family whose descendants still own the domain.

In recent years the impressive castle was revived by the youngest generation: Antoine-Emmanuel and Magdalena du Bourg de Bozas, who live here with their four daughters. They opened up Chateau de Prye for guests by creating wonderful guestrooms that make you feel like royalty.

LIVING IN A FAIRY TALE

Surrounded by 385 acres of gardens, meadows and forests, and enclosed by a 4-mile wall, the 20,000-square-foot estate is listed as a monument historique.

After inheriting the property at age 21, Antoine-Emmanuel took on the huge responsibility of saving the castle. It has always been an idyllic place for him since childhood. “My grandparents lived at the castle, and I would visit them during my holidays,” he says. “In winter they lived in Paris and would come back to Prye for the hunting period … I remember long walks in the park where I could see the deer, roe deer and stags, and fishing for pike and perch in the river L’Ixeure. It was a fantastic place [for] adventures in and outside the castle.”