King Alexander to marry Princess Sophie of Orléans

July 26, 1921

Prince Regent Alexander of Yugoslavia is to marry Princess Sophie d'Orléans, the daughter of the pretender to the French throne, according to the New York Times, which bases its report on Belgrade dispatches received in Vienna.

Prince Alexander is the youngest son of King Peter.  He was born at Cetinjne, Montenegro in 1888.  His mother, Zorka, was the eldest daughter of King Nikola.  Educated at Petrograd, Alexnder is  said to be a "studious and quiet young man."

The betrothal has not been officially confirmed.    This is not the first report of an engagement for the prince.  Last year, he was reported to be engaged to Princess Marie of Romania.    During a visit to England in late spring 1916, he was "said to have gone there hunting a wife."  It was said then that "the hesitation manifested by English fathers and mothers of high degree to an alliance with Prince Alexander" was due to the "uncertainty" of ever inheriting his father's throne.

There were also reports that he wanted to marry Grand Duchess Olga, the eldest daughter of the late Nicholas II, "and from whom the pitless Red executioners separated him forever."   As a result of "their attachment," Alexander is "often referred to as the protector and friend of the Russian refugees."

Princess Sophie is the second of four children of Prince Emmanuel, Duke of Vendome, and Princess Henriette of Belgium, whose brother is King Albert.  Sophie was born in 1898.  Her older sister, Princess Marie Louise, was married in 1916 to Prince Filippo of Bourbon-Two Sicilies.  Her younger sister, Princess Genevieve, and her younger brother, Princes Charles Philippe, Duke of Nemours, are not married.