Marie-Félix Blanc was one of two daughters of Francois Blanc (d. 1877), Director of the Casino at Baden and later of the Société des Bains de Mer of Monaco. At the time, Marie-Félix's marriage to Prince Roland Bonaparte on 17 November 1880 was considered a great social triumph, as indeed was her daughter's union with Prince George of Greece and Denmark, through whom Marie Bonaparte became related to most of the crowned heads of Europe. In her memoirs, 'A La Memoire des Disparus' (1958), Marie acknowledged that it was her mother, a talented musician, who bequeathed to her a love of music and poetry, as well as the Blanc wealth.