Apple Martin was the belle of the ball at Le Bal des Débutantes as she graced the spotlight in a bespoke, baby-blue Cinderella gown by Valentino on Saturday night.
The 20-year-old, who is the daughter of Coldplay frontman Chris Martin and Hollywood actress Gwyneth Paltrow, was invited to ‘Le Bal’ alongside a host of talented young women to celebrate their achievements.
As Apple’s parents, Chris and Gwyneth, beamed at her from the sidelines, the young composer was accompanied by her cavalier, Count Leo Cosima Henckel von Donnersmarck.
While the débutantes take centre stage, each is paired with a ‘cavalier’ who are often young men from similarly distinguished backgrounds, to make their grand entrance at the ball.
Apple’s dashing plus one Leo hails from the Austro-Hungarian noble family House of Henckel von Donnersmarck. He is the son of film director Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck and Christiane Asschenfeldt, the first International Executive Director of Creative Commons.
© Le Bal / Borde / Moreau / BestimageLeo is the descendant of a large and noble Austro-German family who were central figures of the 2nd Industrial Revolution, spearheading technological innovations like mild steel puddling metal factories, three-high rolling mills and soda-pulping in Germany.
Aside from his family connections, little is known about Apple’s sandy-blonde date, who has just one Instagram post shared on his private profile, captioned “Paris and Rome” which shares a gallery of photographs captured in whimsical Marie Antoinette-esque homes.
© Le Bal / Borde / Moreau / BestimageIt’s not the first time the Henckel von Donnersmarck family have graced the Débutante Ball. In 2023, Leo’s sister Countess Lara Cosima made her glittering debut at Le Bal, dazzling in an ethereal grey Jean Paul Gaultier gown, paired with the Couteulx Floral Diamond Tiara provided by V MUSE jewellery.
The stylish It-girl Lara Cosima was interning at Dior at the time of her débutante shining moment, earning herself more than 60 million views on TikTok after sharing her ‘get ready with me’ videos.
What is Le Bal des Débutantes?
HELLO!’s Royal Correspondent Danielle Stacey explains: “A traditional debutante ball, which is sometimes referred to as a coming-out party, is a formal ball where young women known as debutantes or debs make their formal entrance to society. The debutante balls are usually white-tie affairs with ball gowns for ladies.
“Debutante balls were made popular during Queen Charlotte’s reign in the late 1700s/early 1800s, where debutantes of wealthy families were presented at the British royal court. As we’ve seen depicted in the likes of Bridgerton, after being presented at court, the debutantes were allowed to immerse themselves into high society and were able to marry eligible bachelors.
“The debutante balls continued long after Queen Charlotte’s death in 1818, but they were later discontinued at Buckingham Palace by Queen Elizabeth II in 1958. There were still debutante balls held around the UK in the 1960s and 1970s – Queen Camilla herself was a debutante in London in 1965.”
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