The former ruling houses of Hohenzollern and Romanov will be united in marriage on Monday when Prince Louis Ferdinand of Prussia and Grand Duchess Kira of Russia marry in three ceremonies, according to the Chicago Tribune. The civil ceremony will take place in Berlin, which will be followed by a Russian Orthodox service in Potsdam, "with all the available Romanoff and Hohenzollern jewelry on display." A Lutheran service will be "held in the former kaiser's little chapel" at Doorn.
Prince Louis Ferdinand is Lutheran and Grand Duchess Kira, the younger daughter of Grand Duke Kirill, is Russian Orthodox.
A reception at Cecilienhof, the home of the Crown Prince Wilhelm and Crown Princess Cecilie, in Potsdam, was held tonight in honor of the bride and groom. Among the 202 guests at the reception were: Queen Alexandrine of Denmark, who is the sister of the Crown Princess; Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Ingrid of Denmark; the former Czar of Bulgaria, Ferdinand; Prince August Wilhelm, the fourth son of the former Kaiser Wilhelm; Grand Duke Kirill of Russia and his son, Grand Duke Wladimir; Grand Duke Dimitri and Princess Vera of Russia; Archduke Anton of Austria and his wife, Princess Ileana of Roumania, who is the bride's first cousin.
Prince August Wilhelm "represented the Nazi government," together with the Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha and Prince Christian of Schaumburg-Lippe.
Hugh Wilson, United States Ambassador, was a personal guest of the family, and he brought with him a "personal letter of congratulations" from President Roosevelt.
Prince Louis Ferdinand, 30, is second in line to the former throne as his older brother, Wilhelm, renounced his rights in 1933, when he married Dorothea von Salviati. Louis Ferdinand spent some time working at the Ford Motor plant in Detroit. He is not interested in politics and works for Lufthansa. He is also an officer in the German Air Force.
After Louis Ferdinand became involved with Hollywood star Lily Damita, his family was eager for him to return home and marry a woman of equal rank. Grand Duchess Kira, 29, was born in Paris. Her mother, Grand Duchess Victoria Melita, and Kaiser Wilhelm II are first cousins and grandchildren of Queen Victoria. She is "witty and beautiful, though not wealthy." Her maternal aunt is Queen Marie of Roumania.
The honeymoon will be around the world trip, a present from Wilhelm II. Their home will be a small house with a garden in Grunewald, a suburb of Berlin.
Hi Marlene
ReplyDeleteintersteing report about the wedding.
Just one little comment: the suburb where they got a "small house" is called Grunewald (not Grünewald; there is a similar posh area in Munich called Grünwald). And small hosue is quite a relative term - of course compared to an Imperial palace all is small, but hosues in Grunewald tend not to be small at all. It is still the very best living area in present Berlin.