Crown Prince Umberto of Italy, who turns 21 tomorrow, will become a Senator, according to the Italian Constitution. He will take the oath next week. The Prince is celebrating his birthday privately as the Italian Royal Family prepares for the wedding of his sister, Princess Mafalda to Prince Philipp of Hesse. The Chicago Daily Tribune reports that Mafalda's wedding will be a private ceremony in the chapel at the palace of Raccogni. Although about a half dozen royal houses will be represented at the nuptials, the total number of weddings guests will be under one hundred.
After the wedding, the newly married couple will appear on the palace balcony, and there will be a fireworks display in the town.
The Pope has given a special dispensation for the wedding as Prince Philipp is a Lutheran. Although there are strained relations between the Quirinal and the Vatican, which frowns on mixed marriages, a court chaplain was able to "conduct negotiations" that led to a quick decision by the Pope, who granted the dispensation. In a written declaration, Prince Philipp agreed to not try to convert his wife to his faith, and he and Mafalda agreed that their children will be raised in the Roman Catholic faith.
There may be some issues regarding this if Princess Mafalda gives birth to a son, as the religion of the Hesse family is Lutheran.
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