The Express.
London, England, 1863-06-12 00:00:00

• [Stamped, ld. Additional.]

THE MARRIAGE OP THE DUKE DE CHARTRES
AND THE PRINCESS FRANCOIS D'ORLEANS.

Yesterday morning, a ceremony of unusual in-
terest took place in the Roman Catholic Chapel near King-
ston—the marriage of two cousins of the illustrioes bona of
Orleans, grandchildren of King Louis Philippe and the
venerable Queen Marie Amelie. The noble family of Orleans
has lived at Claremont since the events of 1848, which de-
prived them of a throne and of everything hat honour, and
the saintly virtues of the ex-Queen, the geoerceity accessi-
bility, and kindness of the whole family to people of ill ranks
in Fier and the neighbourhood, have endeared them to the
public in so remarkable a degree, that a committee, of
which the curate (the rector being old and infirm) was
the honorary secretary, was nominated by the parishioners
for the purpose of devising some appropriate means of cele-
brating the auspicious event which united the Duke
of Chartres to the Prince de doinville's daughter. The com-
mittee succeeded in producing most excellent effects by
tasteful and varied devices. Two triumphal arches were
erected in Feher, with Saga and flowers and leaves; costly
flowers were plead in stands on the road aide; on nearly
every house, even the poorest, was some kindly token of
respect in the shape of • festoon or Bag. Three flap were
on the ample of Esher new church, a tribute which,
coupled with the fact of the curate being secretary of
the committee, showing that no difference of creed pre-
eluded the House of Orleans from showing acts of cha-
rity and kindness to their neighbours. The gram was
ens mass at flap ; harrnouio Zieplis took up posi-
tions long the route, and played at intervals ; school chil-
dren were decked out in their best, and wore favour., and
the gentlemen of Saber turned out from an early hour,
end arranged flowers and flags outside their houses in honour
of the day. Claremont itself was all alive by amen o'clock
in the moraine, what with postdated*, botcher,' carts,
cooks, confectioners, flower-bearers, and in short purveyors
of everything. At nine o'clock • royal salute of twenty-one
runs was fired by • battery of the 6th Surrey Artillery
Volunteers, commanded by Major Terry. The scarlet
uniforms and the smartness of theme volunteers were
greatly admired, but the appearance of the boys
of the troop mounted on donkeys, drawthg the
guns, was comical in the extreme • the Woolf is called, in
fact, the donkey artillery. About! ten o'clock the carriage
left Claremont for Kingston, four miles distant, and ell
along the route there were numerous spectators. About
half-past ten the Queen of the French drove up to the
chapel, leaning on the arm et her grandson, the Duke of
Chartres, and every hat was raised in sympathy and respect
foe the noble-minded lady who had pared through so many
vicissitudes, and yet lives, is her 82nd year, beloved and ve-
nerated by all. Shortly after this the mammy commenced.
The chapel, built by the late Mr. Raphael, M.P., was decorated
with flowers, flags, and festoons of leaves, and outside there
was • tempter/ aiming. The Right Rev. Dr. Grant, titular
Bishop of the Roman catholic* in Southwark district; Father
, Barham, of Richmond ; Father Holdstock, of Ham ; Father
Ainserceth, et Kingston (master of the ceremonta), the
Abbe Gentle, chaplain at Claremont, and two priests from
the Free= chapel, near Portman-aurae, received the bridal
party, after which the ceremony began. The Prince de
Jouiville (second an of Kim Louis Philippe) gave away his
daughter. The bishop, first in French, asked Robert Phi-
lipps Louis Eugene Ferdinand d'Orleansif he took Francoise
Marie of Orleans to be his wife "in Nickname and health, for
better for worse, for richer for poorer," and he answered
..re etas, in • firm and manly tone. To • similar question
the Princess responded Jr ves.c audibly but tremulously.
The sacrament was then administered in the usual form.
After the ceremony was concluded the school children at-
tached to the chapel, dressed neatly in white, with blue
sashes, strewed flowers on the path of the couple as they
left the sacred building, and many kindly wishes for the
welfare of the august pair and the ex-royal family of France
were audibly uttered. About one o'clock the school chil-
dren, headed by the band, went to Claremo rat-park, which
was then thrown open to the inhabitants of Esher. The
band played in front of the palms during the breakfast, to
which thirty-four guests were Moiled. A dieser was pro-
vided fur the children in the school, and there were all
kinds of rustic sports ; for the ladies and gentlemen a sump-
tuous entertainment was provided in the park. On Wednesday
evening Princess FfSll9OlO sent 801. forth, poor of the parish.
About one o'clock their Royal Highnesses the Prince and
Princess of Wales arrived to offer their congratulations to
the Duke and Duchess de Chartres, and stayed • consider-
able time in the palace. The Duke of Cambridge, the
Duchess of Cambridge, and the Princess Mary also paid
visits to their royal highoeues, as did some of the junior
members of the Queens family. Among the company at
Claremont were the Duke and Duchess d'Aumale, the Duke
de Nemours and Princedom Marguerite and Blanche, the
Prince and Princess de Joinville, the Count de Paris, Prisee
Philip of Wurtemburg, grandson of the ex-Queen, Priam
Marie of Orleans' son, Princess August:, with PriticePtolip,
Prince August of Sae Coburg, the Duke of Moutpeosier,
Prince Edward of Sane Weimar, C. 8., and a vast number of
distinguished members of the French nobility.
At 2 o'clock the illustrious guests sat down to break-
fast. The bride and bridegroom led the way from the
drawing-room, the Prince of Wales folbwiog with the
venerable Queen, who looked exceedingly well, and meal-
farted • lively interest in the festivities. The Count de
Paris came next, leading the Princess of Wales, who
never looked more charmingly beautiful and interestieg.
Prince Alfred followed, leading the Princess de Joinville ;
sod then came the Prince de Joioville with the Princess
Helena, the Duke of Cambridge with the Prince= Louth.,
the Duke d'Aurnale with the Duchess of Cambridge,
the Duke de Montpsusier with the Princess Mary, Prince
Edward of Saxe Weiruer with the Duchene Augustus of
Saxe Coburg, Prince Philip of Wurtemburg with the
Princess Marguerite of Coburg, the Prince of Leiniogen
with the Duche d'Aumale, io the order described. The
other guests at the royal table were the Priam Philippe
and Augustus of Saxe Coburg, and the ambassadors and
ministers present at the marrisge. The bride and bride-
groom sat in the centre of the table, faced by the Prince of
Wales and Queen Marie Amelia, and supported by the
Princess of Wales and the Princess de Joimille. Towards
the close of the dejedner the health of the newly-married
pair was touchingly proposed by the venerable Queen her-
self, who, with glass in hand, arrested general attention
by emphatically calling upon her guests to respond to
the toast, " A la Semi de le Due et la Duchease de
Chartres." The illustrious party instantly responded
to the appeal, tieing from their eats and greeting the
young couple with every mark of affectionate esteem.
When the de:it-deer was concluded the Prince and Princes,
of Wales and the other members of our royal family took
an affectionate leave of the Duke and Duchess de
Chartres, and presently afterwards departed on their return
to Loudon. At 4 o'clock the newly wedded Prince and
Priocass bade farewell to their illustrious relatives, and
left Claremont en rook for Scotland. They will reside at
Hameemmon, having taken a mansion there known as
Morgan House.
A daily contemporary, describing the scene at the mar.
nags, says :—" Somalung of a thrill teemed to pass
through the crowd at the sight of that aged Queen.
Eighty years and more hive gone by since she first saw the
light of day as the danghter of Ferdinand 1., King of the
Two Siciliee • yet, if twice that number of years lied rolled
over her head, she could soiree look more worn and weary.
Bat about her, more than about soy other of that royal
household, there hung the air of royalty. There was
' Queen ' written in every feature of her face, in every
gesture of her body • and the reverence with which all
saluted bar am she Passed was received by her courteously,
but as • right. Even those who looked upon her without
knowing anything of her history felt an involmary awe.
The Niobe of royalty, she stood there as the last sur-
vivor of s bygone age sod an extinct generation. She had
lived to see four kings upon the throne of her native land,
and behold her grand-nephew in exile as the last monarch
of her royal house. Born in the reign of Lorna XVL,
she could remember the Revolution, the Consulate,
the Empire, the Restoration, the days of July,
the eighteen years of her own queenship, the Republic,
and the Second Empire. More than half a century has
gone by since she married the late King of the French, then
es exile as abe now is. One-and-twenty years have elapsed
since she stood by the grave of her first-born son, and now
she bad come forth from her solitude and seclusion to see
the marriage of her grandchildren, disinherited of the titles
to which they were born, exiles in a strange country. She
may well remember the death of Philippe Egalite,' the
wicked Duke of Orleans. Could it be that the thought
pressed upon her, how the sine of the father are visited upon
the children unto the thud and fourth generation But
the Duke of Chartres himself was the object of even more
attention. His fate has been scarce less strange than that
of the lady whom he led with reverent care. France must
be to him little more than • name. It may be that some hazy
vision of the scene in the Chamber of Deputies floats before
him, as • recollection of hie far-away childhood ; but this is
all that he can know of the country of his birth ; other
and distant hods are familiar to him ; he has served in the
armies of the King of !tidy, fighting side by aide with his
fellow countrymen • he has fought In the giant struggle of
the great republic of the new world ; and but a few months
since he was carrying the orders of M'Clellan at the battles
of the Chiokahomlny. Be has seen many men and many
cities, but that fair Fiance of his is to bum a sealed book.
As the foreign exiles of whom Stem wrote came down to
Calais to gaze upon the shores of England, so be may have
looked with • fond, longing, and passionate desire across
the straits of Dover, on the land over which his
father was to have been the king ; but otherwise he can
know no native country save the land of his
adoption. And then there was another pause, and the
bride entered, leaning on her father's arm. Tall, dark, and
pale, she bore traces of that tropic land of the &sails from
which her mother came. She was dressed in white, with
the chaplet of orange flowers upon bee brow and the rich
veil of snowy lace hanging almost to her feet, and took her
station on the left hand of her future husband. The young
Prince wore the style of dress in which foreigners delight,
and from which Beglish taste Imola. Onsy trousers, •
blue swallow-tail oat with gilt buttons, and • while waist-
coat and necktie do not form an advantageous costume, and
the Prince is still so boyish-looking that he can hardly
stand the effect of an =favourable costume. However, he

[TWOPEN

seemed perfectly calm and melt-collected, and looked u
hank and manly as it was possible for any led to look under
such circumstances."

MUSIC.