Dominique de La Rochefoucauld-Montbel (born 6 July 1950, in Neuilly-sur-Seine, France) is a French humanitarian diplomat and member of the House of La Rochefoucauld. He is an Officer of the Légion d'Honneur and has served as Grand Hospitaller and president of the of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta.
La Rochefoucauld-Montbel married Pascale Marie Subtil, a financial controller and auditor (Dauphine University), in January 1984 in Connantre. They have three children: Marie, Gabriel, and Anne.
In recent history, he is a descendant of the following notable figures:
La Rochefoucauld-Montbel is the son of Charles Emmanuel and Joanna Forbes. He succeeded his father as Prince (Fürst) de La Rochefoucauld, a title granted to his great-grandfather Jules by the King of Bavaria in 1909. He also holds the French title of Count de La Rochefoucauld-Montbel. The La Rochefoucauld-Montbel family is listed in the Almanach de Gotha.
The princely branch of the family is closely associated with the Marian apparitions of Pellevoisin in France and with the discovery of the Lascaux Caves, which they once owned. This branch descends from the Dukes of Estissac and, through marriages, is connected to the Borghese of Roman nobility.
La Rochefoucauld-Montbel attended Worth School near Crawley, England, where one of his teachers was Fra' Andrew Bertie, who later became Grand Master of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta. He also studied at the Collège Champittet near Lausanne and the Institut Florimont near Geneva. He went on to study economics at the Institut supérieur du commerce de Paris.
From 1975 to 2004, he pursued a career in finance, working primarily in the gold market and currency exchange operations. Since 2003, he has managed a real estate consultancy and asset management company.
He serves as president of the SMLH Paris 17th section (an association of members of the Légion d'honneur) and as an administrator of the Society of the Friends of the Musée de la Légion d'honneur. He is also chancellor of the Académie des Psychologues du Goût.
In addition, he is president of the Foundation for Evangelization through the Media (FEM), created in 2008, and a shareholder in the media outlet Aleteia.
On 25 February 2025, he participated in the visit of Monsignor Celestino Migliore, Apostolic Nuncio to France, to the sanctuary of Pellevoisin, following the nihil obstat granted in September 2024 regarding the Marian apparitions reported by Estelle Faguette.
He has had, and continues to have, a long-standing involvement in the Order of Malta (see below).
In 1992, La Rochefoucauld-Montbel was received into the Order of Malta. In 2008, he took the promise as a Knight in Obedience. He currently holds the rank of Bailiff Knight Grand Cross of Honour and Devotion in Obedience.
La Rochefoucauld-Montbel has served in several positions within the French Association of the Order of Malta: Administrator since 1994, Vice-President from 1996 to 2000, President from 2000 to 2014, and Vice-President from 2014 to 2023.
He has been Vice-President of the French Foundation of the Order of Malta since 2008 and served as the official representative of the Order for the Hospital of the Holy Family in Bethlehem from 2009 to 2014. In 2010, he became a member of the International Hospital Council of the Sovereign Order of Malta in Rome.
In 2012, reflecting the historical ties between the French Navy and the Order of Malta, La Rochefoucauld-Montbel presented decorations to the naval frigates and .
At the Chapter General of the Order of Malta held on 30âÂÂ31 May 2014 in Rome, La Rochefoucauld-Montbel was elected Grand Hospitaller. He was re-elected at the Chapter General held on 1âÂÂ2 May 2019. In this capacity, he was responsible for the Order's humanitarian affairs and international cooperation worldwide. He also served as director of the Global Fund for Forgotten People.
He currently serves as Vice-President of the Foundation of the Order of Malta and President of its Historical Academy.
House of Bourbon-Two Sicilies: Bailiff Grand Cross of the Sacred Military Constantinian Order of Saint George