July 9, 1909
Mrs. James Henry Smith announced the engagement of her daughter, Miss Anita Rhinelander Smith, to HRH Prince Dom Miguel of Braganza, who is a pretender to the Portuguese throne. The announcement was made at a concert dance in London last evening. An official announcement was made today by the bride's family, which was followed by a further announcement from the Austrian Embassy in London. Prince Miguel is an officer in the Austrian army.
The couple was introduced in April in Paris, "when he at once was attracted to her." Dom Miguel "has been seeing as much as possible of the young lady ever since."
His courtship of Miss Stewart has been "most assiduous, and the frequency with which they have been thrown together by mutual friends has been all along taken to mean that the fates were favorable," the New York Times commented.
Mrs. Smith's "big party last night" was held at the Berkeley Square house that she has rented for the social season from the Duchess of Somerset. The "scion of Braganza" and Miss Stewart were seen together, and many of the guests "had come to the conclusion that a match had been arranged, even before the announcement was made."
Several Austrians were also among the guests at the gala dinner. The entertainment was a "smart affair." Mrs. Smith received her guests, wearing black and a "beautiful string of pearls." Miss Stewart was dressed in a pink chiffon gown "over a cloth of silver."
The marriage may take place in London, but nothing yet has been settled. Today, Mrs. Smith and her daughter have left for Austria, where wedding details will be discussed with members of Miguel's family.
In the last few years, Dom Miguel has paid a lot of attention "to those daughters of Columbia whom he has encountered at various Continental resorts and who are reputed to be well endowed with this world's goods." In other words, Miguel has sought out an American heiress as a bride. Last year, he was "very attentive to Beatrice Mills, who is now the Countess of Granard.
Prince Miguel was born at Richeneau, Austria on September 22, 1878, the eldest son of Prince Miguel of Braganza and Princess Elisabeth of Thurn und Taxis.
Prince Miguel is a descendant of the junior branch of the Portuguese royal house. His grandfather was Prince Miguel of Portugal, the second son of King Joao IV and Queen Carlota. Joao's eldest son, Pedro, renounced his rights to the Portuguese throne in favor of his daughter, Maria, and became Brazil's first emperor.
Pedro's brother, Prince Miguel, did not accept Maria's accession to the throne, so he claimed the throne for himself. But in 1834, he accepted defeat and went into exile. Maria was restored to the throne, and Miguel and his descendants were excluded from the succession.
In 1851, Prince Miguel married Princess Adelheid of Löwenstein-Wertheim Rosenberg. Their son, Miguel, the current pretender, is Dom Miguel's father. Dom Miguel's mother, Elisabeth, died in 1881, a month after giving birth to a daughter. In 1893, Miguel's father married Princess Marie Therese of Löwenstein-Wertheim-Rosenberg. The young Miguel has two full siblings and seven half-siblings, including one half-brother, Dom Duarte, who will turn two years old in September.
Miss Stewart is the only daughter of Mrs. Smith by her first marriage to William Rhinelander Stewart. Before her first marriage, Mrs. Smith was one of "beautiful Misses Armstrong of Baltimore." Her sister is married to Anthony Drexel. William Rhinelander Stewart is the brother of Lispenard Stewart and Mrs. Frank Spencer Witherbee. He is also a descendant of Philip Rhinelander.
The Stewarts were divorced in August 1906, and, just a month later, Mrs. Stewart married J.Henry Smith, "the bachelor millionaire, known as 'Silent Smith.'"
Mr. Smith had inherited a large fortune from his unmarried uncle, George Smith, whose fortune had been made "in shrewd deals in railroad securities in Chicago and in New York."
He had always been "an intimate friend in the Stewart family, even before he acquired his wealth," so his marriage to Mrs. Stewart was not a surprise. The couple was married in Scotland, and shortly afterward, the newlyweds went on a yachting trip to India, where he died. James Smith left a life interest in $500,000 to Anita Stewart, who had been her mother's companion throughout the divorce proceedings in South Dakota and "afterward in England."
James Henry Smith's estate was estimated at $30,000,000.
Miss Stewart, 22, made her debut in the winter in New York in 1905. She is "an extremely pretty girl and has had much attention. Although she has visited New York, Miss Stewart has spent much of the last year abroad. This year, Mrs. Smith has "lightened her mourning," and has taken a "handsome house in London" for the season to provide further introductions for her daughter into society. Miss Stewart has also been presented at entertainments hosted by her aunt, Mrs. Drexel, and by Lady Cooper, who is the sister of the late Mr. Smith.
Miss Stewart is the first American to marry into Austrian royal circles. It has not yet been determined if this marriage will be morganatic, and, thus, might find herself as the consort of a king if both King Manoel II and the Duke of Oporto die without issue, and if the 1834 renunciation by Miguel's grandfather is lifted and rights are restored to his descendants.
There is also the question of religion. Dom Miguel is Roman Catholic and Anita Stewart is Episcopalian.
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