Bulletin: Manoel II dead!

July 2, 1932


News organizations are reporting that former King Manoel II of Portugal died earlier today of a "throat malady" at his home in Twickenham, England. He was 42 years old.

 The King's death was sudden and unexpected. The "youthful and vigorous" former monarch spent yesterday at Wimbledon with former King Alfonso XIII of Spain, "explaining the finer points in the play" to Alfonso.

 King Manoel loved tennis and had not missed a single day at Wimbledon until the final matches earlier today "when it was noticed" that his chair was empty.


He had been living in "contented exile" in England for the past twenty two years, ever since "the revolution hurled him from his throne" when he was "little more than a boy," according to the New York Times.


The king was "seized with breathlessness" thirty minutes after first feeling unwell. His death was due to "Suffocation following an attack of acute oedema of the glottis, a swelling of the narrow opening of the upper end of the larynx."

King George V's physician, Lord Dawson, was called with King Manoel became ill. He arrived too late.

A statement was released after the king's death. "The king complained of a sore throat this morning, but was free from fever and paid a visit to his laryngologist, who advised his immediate retirement to bed. At 1 p.m., his majesty felt more ill and went to bed. At 1:40 there was an attack of breathlessness, which became worse rapidly."

(Death was due to an "infection at the mouth of the windpipe.)


Manoel had planned to be the best man at the wedding of his valet's daughter today. The wedding went on as scheduled, and Manoel's secretary stepped into take the king's place. The bride did not learn of the king's illness until after the ceremony.

 King Manoel II was born on November 15, 1889, the younger son of King Carols I and Queen Amalia of Portugal. He succeeded to the throne on February 1, 1908 after the assassinations of his father, and his older brother, crown Prince Luiz Felipe. He was only eighteen years old at the time of his succession.

He reigned for only two and a half years. Revolution led to the establishment of a republic in October 1910, and Manoel went into exile.

In 1913, he married Princess Auguste Viktoria, daughter of Prince Wilhelm of Hohenzollern.


King Manoel was a very wealthy man, as the Portuguese government allowed him to "retain all of his properties." He had an income of about $1,000,000 a year, and had invested $50,000.000 in real estate.

He owned Fulwell Park, a magnificent mansion," in Twickenham.