 His mother's branch of the House of Ligne are also the heirs to a French princely family, the House of La Trémoille; His maternal uncle is Prince Charles-Antoine Lamoral de La Trémoïlle, 13th Duke of Thouars.Emmanuel does not use his hereditary title in professional contexts; however, he is legally a prince in the Belgian nobility, the title having been conferred upon the family by King Albert I in 1929.His elder brother, Prince Frédéric de Merode, is married and heir to his father's multiple titles as head of the family.