Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-07-24
KING FAVORED MATCH
Alfonso Advised Prince to Wed
Princess Secretly.
GAVE LEAVE FOR PURPOSE
Then Forced to Degrade Namesake
of Bourbon.
PREMIER MAURA IS BLAMED
Humiliation Came Through Refusal
Of Beatrice to Become
a Catholic.
PREMIER MAURA IS BLAMED

PARIS, July 24.-The details surround
ing the romantic marriage of Prince Al
fonso of. Bourbon Orleans to Princess
Beatrice Of Saxe-Coburg, which cost him
his position as a prince of the royal house
of Spain and his career in the Spanish
army, have just come out.
They reveal that King Alfonso, instead
of refusing his consent to the marriage.
as was reported by Madrid dispatches to
have been the case, favored and actually
advised the prince to marry her secretly,
gave him leave of absence for that pur-
pose and personally interviewed by tele-
graph with the Bamberg ecclesiastical
authorities, in whose diocese the marriage
took place, to procure dispensation for 1t.
Prince Tells Of It.
This story was obtained from the
princes own lips by friends a few days
ago in Munich, where the couple. are
spending the honeymoon. When it Is
known in Europe 1t is likely to create a
greater sensation than did the wedding
and the, princes disgrace.
Prince Alfonso and Princess Beatrice
first met on the occasion of King Xlfon-
SOS marriage to Princess Ena of Batten-
berg, in 1905. The prince then was only
twenty years old. and fell desperately in
love with the princess and proposed mar
riage. Beatrice refused him in most de-
cided fashion, even declining him pernis-
sion to correspond with her.
Shortly after this the prince entered
the military school at Toledo, and subse-
quently, in 1907. the couple met again
the queens mother, knowing of the
princes infatuation, espoused his cause
and sought to induce Princess Beatrice to
relent.
never would change her religion. Finally,
when she said she had no objection to
rearing her children as Catholics, the
queen mother replied:
''Then there is not the slightest diff
Guilty to the union. I always said that
if I had had a second son he should
have married Protestant" She added
that she herself had Protestant ances-
tors.
King Gives Word Of Honor.
Later at La Granja King Alfonso for
mally asked the hand Of Princess Beatrice
for his cousin. When Princess Beatrice
on that occasion raised the question of
religion King Alfonso said:
Il give you my word of honor there
will not be the slightest difficulty.
The prince then again proposed and
was accepted and the couple, who had
not yet apprised Princess Beatrice's moth
err, the Duchess of Saxe-COburg and
Gotha, with difficulty prevented King AL
fonso from officially announcing the en-
gagement.
When he returned to Madrid King AL
fonso asked the premier. Senior Maura.
what he thought of the marriage. The
premier replied that the marriage Of an
infante of Spain to Protestant could
not take place on account of the diff
culties it would cause the government
King Alfonso was absolutely furious.
Princess Beatrice, because of her friend
ship for Queen Victoria, said she would
S.ve up the prince.
King Alfonso summoned the prince to
Madrid and asked what 1t was his inten- |
ton to do in the matter. The prince re-
piled that he had given his word to make |
Princess Beatrice his wife, and. besides. |
his personal feelings would not permit |
him to retire from the proposed union, |
and that he intended to marry the prin- |
cess regardless of consequences.
King Approves Princes Plans.
King Alfonso warmly congratulated the
prince on his attitude, saying that mis- re- |
ply was just what he had expected; that |
it was worthy of a Bourbon and even If
the constitution prevented him giving Of |
fetal consent to the marriage without the
approval Of his ministers, he as Alfonso !
of Bourbon would do everything in his |
power for the couple.
4,rincess Beatrice then departed from
Madrid. Prince Alfonso. upon the advice |
of the king, went to Pope Plus and asked |
him for dispensation for mixed mar
riage.
The Spanish government, meantime.
warned the Vatican Of the proposed |
union, and the dispensation neither was |
granted nor actually refused. After this |
the couple waited patiently, considering |
Themselves affianned also did King |
Alfonso, who visited Princess Beatrice at |
Munich last summer.
When the prince was graduated |
from the military school at Toledo July |
IL he immediately volunteered to go to |
the front, as the war in Morocco had !
broken out. King Alfonso granted the |
prince three-day leave of absence be- |
fore going to Melilla and urged him Sc |
ing that he would wire the Bishop of |
Famberg to grant dispensation.
Married at Coburg.
Prince Alfonso arrived in Coburs July |
Is and the civil marriage took place that |
morning. At 3 o'clock in the afternoon
the priest at Coburg received a tele- |
graphic dispensation from the Bishop Of
Bamberg, and at B. 80 o'clock the Catholic |
ceremony was performed.
1t was not intended that the news of |
the marriage should be made public. But |
1t was printed in Spain, and the royal de- |
cree of the degradation of Prince Alfonso
followed.
The prince, in concluding his story to !
his friend, said:
''Maura. as head Of the clerical party in |
Spain and because he holds q majority in
parliament. forced the king to kick his
own cousin out Of the country and the
army. and to strip him of title and hon
ors for the crime of marrying a Protest
ant who is niece of King Edward and a
first cousin Of the Emperors of Germany
and Russia
The prince again has wired King AL
fonso, asking to be allowed to go to the
front The 1nfanta Eulalia, the princes
mother. who is here, is almost Frustrated
over the ruin of her sons career, as she
knew that both the Spanish and British
royal families We're in perfect sympathy
with the marriage.
Worked Key Fifty Years.