An American bride for Alfonso

September 3, 1902. King Alfonso XIII of Spain "persists in his determination to marry no one but an American heiress." He's given the names of eligible European princesses "in vain." The "impetuous" monarch is reported to have said: "Why should I not have an American wife? Everyone assures me that Americans are the most beautiful, as well as the richest ladies in the world."
The King's mother, Queen Maria Cristina, apparently has a different view. When she heard what her son said, she glared at him, "and requested him to be silent," according to an article in the Los Angeles Times.