August 12, 1910. Queen Maria Pia of Portugal, the grandmother of King Manoel II, can be sued by a Lisbon dressmaker for non-payment of a bill. The dressmaker is owed $20,000 for dresses ordered by the queen. But the bill was not paid. The Queen's counsel stated that Maria Pia, as a queen consort was exempt from being sued. A lower court agreed. But the dressmaker refused to give up and pressed the court further. A higher court ruled that only the king -- the sovereign -- is entitled to this privilege. The court stated that Maria Pia was a subject, not the sovereign, and was required to pay the bill.
Maria Pia (1847-1911) was the daughter of King Vittorio Emanuele I and Queen Maria Adelaide of Italy. She allegedly made the statement: "If you want a queen, you have to pay for a queen." This was apparently in response to Portugal's Parliament questioning her excessive spending.
Good! Immunity is granted for official acts. Buying dresses is hardly an offical act. I am impressed how modern the Portugese courts were in 1910.
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