Boris to marry Ileana

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September 24, 1929

King Boris has been thwarted in his plans to marry Italian Princess Giovanna because the Vatican will not grant a dispensation for the marriage. King Boris is Orthodox, and Giovanna is Roman Catholic.

The Roumanian newspaper, Adverul, reports that the Bulgarian king has dusted off a previous plan to wed Princess Ileana of Roumania, the youngest daughter of Queen Marie and the late King Ferdinand. The New York Times reports that the Adverul's account is "based on information from a reliable court authority."

Princess Ileana, 20, recently returned from a visit to Schloss Langenburg, where her first cousin, Prince Gottfried -- described by the Times as a "German princeling -- was a candidate for her hand in marriage. However, her summer visit to Langenburg proved "fruitless," and the princess returned to Roumania without an engagement ring.

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It is being said that Queen Marie is encouraging the match between Boris and her daughter. The King has apparently sounded out Marie's opinion regarding the marriage. Her response was favorable. Queen Marie once joked to a newspaperman that she would be the mother-in-law of the Balkans, comparing herself to her kinsman, the late King Christian IX of Denmark, who was called the "father-in-law" of Europe.

Marie's two eldest children, the former Crown Prince Carol, and Princess Elisabeta are married to Princess Helen and King George of the Hellenes. Princess Marie is the wife of King Alexander of Yugoslavia.

Should Marie be able to secure a Balkan crown for Ileana, "her action might have important effects on Balkan peace." The marriage "might lay the keystone of Bulgaro-Rumanian reconciliation and initiate better relations between the courts of Belgrade and Sofia."

Diplomatic dispatches also cite the Adverual, which reports that the engagement is expected to be "announced shortly."

King Boris has also been linked with Grand Duchess Kira of Russia, who is Ileana's first cousin.

Ileana is "an athlete and an organizer. She "holds a record as a short distance runner," and heads several organizations in Roumania, including the YMCA, the Girl Scouts and the Junior Red Cross.