Queen Evangeline LXXXVI, Bella Elisabeth Cortez, will reign over the 2025 Mardi Gras festivities in Lafayette. She is the daughter of Glenn David Cortez and the former Elisabeth Ransome Kraft. She is also the granddaughter of Ralph Edward Kraft and the former Bella Elisabeth “Cherie” Chappuis.
Queen Bella’s family has a long history of involvement in Mardi Gras festivities. Her mother was presented in the Krewe of Gabriel Fall Presentation Ball in 1995 and reigned as Queen Evangeline LVIII in 1997. Her father is a board member of the Krewe of Gabriel, served as president of the Greater Southwest Louisiana Mardi Gras Association in 2021, and was Captain of the Ball in 2023. Her grandmother, Cherie Chappuis Kraft, reigned as Queen Evangeline XXVII in 1966. She was also the Queen of Les Brigands de Lafitte in 1965. Her grandfather, Ralph Edward Kraft, was a Royal Duke in 1983 and reigned as King Gabriel LXVIII in 2007. Bella’s great-grandmother, Bella Nickerson Chappuis Abramson, reigned as Queen Evangeline IV in 1937, and her great-grandfather, Richard Dudley Chappuis Sr. was King Gabriel XXXIII in 1972.
“I’ve learned so much from them,” Cortez said. “Grace, elegance, beauty. I’ve learned manners and how to be a kind lady. My grandmother and my mom are my main role models.”…