The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1909-07-24
KING ALFONSO
FAVORED MATCH
Details of Romantic Marriage
of Prince Alfonso viii Cause
Sensation.
DISPENSATION WAS ASKED
WEDDING FINALLY TOOK PLACE
IN SPITE OF ALL OBSTACLES.

Paris, July 23.-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, today came into the pos
session Of the Associated Press.
They reveal the fact that King Al
fOnsO. instead OF refusing his consent to
the marriage. as was reported by Ma
drid dispatches, actually advised the
prince 10 marry her secretly and per-
sOnally interviewed by telegraph with
the Hamburg ecclesiastical authorities,
in whose diocese the marriage took
place, TO procure a dispensation for il.
This story was obtained from the
prince, and when il becomes known in
Europe it is likely to create a greater
sensation than did the wedding and the
princes disgrace.
Refused at First,
Prince Alfonso and Princess Beatrice
first met in 1906 on the occasion Of King
AlfOnSo's marriage. The prince. then
only 20 years old. proposed marriage,
but Beatrice refused him.
In 1907 both the queen and the queen
tHUlLeE sought 10 AAQuCC bCAkELCC 70 re-
lent. The princess, however. declared
that she never would change her re
ligiOn. but 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"
Later. at La Granja. King Alfonso
formerly asked the hand OF Princess
Beatrice for his cousin, and gave his
word of homer there would. not be the
slightest difficulty concerning the re-
ligious phase of the union.
Accepted Second Time.
The prince then proposed again and
was accepted.
When he returned to Madrid King
Alfonso asked Premier Maura what he
thought of the marriage, and the pre-
mier replied that the marriage of an in
fant Of Spain to a Protestant could not
take place on account Of government
difficulties. King Alfonso was furious
Princess Beatrice, because of her
friendship for Queen Victoria, said she
would give up the prince, and King Al
fOnsO summoned the prince to Madrid
and asked him what he intended to do
The prince replied that he intended to
marry the princess, regardless of con-
sequences.
Congratulated by King.
King Alfonso warmly congratulated
the prince, saying that his reply was
worthy of a Bourbon, and even if the
constitution prevented him from giving
official consent, he, as Alfonso Of Bour-
bon, would do everything in his power
for the couple.
Princess Beatrice then left Madrid
and Prince Alfonso, upon the advice Of
the king. went to see Pope Plus and
asked for a dispensation for a mixed
marriage. The Spanish government
meantime warned the vatican, and the
disposition neither was granted nor &C
tually refused.
When the prince graduated from the
military school at Toledo, July IL, he
volunteered to go to the front in Mo
rocco. King Alfonso granted the prince
a three days leave of absence and
urged him secretly to marry Princess
Beatrice. declaring that he would wire
the bishop of Hamburg to grant a dis
pensation.
Secret Leaked Out.
Prince Alfonso arrived in Coburg July
Is and the civil marriage took place
that morning. At o'clock in the aft
ernoon the priest at COburg received a
Geographic dispensation from the bishop
of Hamburg, and then the Catholic
ceremony was performed. 1t was not
intended that the news of the marriage
should be made public, but it was print
ed in Spain, and the royal decree of the
degradation of the prince followed.
The prince, in concluding his story to
his friend, said;
'Maura, the head of the clerical party
in Spain, and because he holds a ma
jority in parliament, forced the king to
kick his own cousin out Of the country
and the army to strip him of title and
honors for the crime of marrying a
Protestant, who is a niece of King Ed
ward and a first cousin Of the empeToTs
of Germany and Russia"
The prince has again wired King Al
fonso asking to be allowed to go to the
front The Infanta Lulalie, the princes
mother, who is here, is almost prostrat-
ed over the ruin Of her sons career, as
she knew that both the Spanish and
British royal families were in perfect