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Wednesday, October 19, 2022

Civil marriage for Sibylla and Gustaf Adolf

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October 19, 1932

Princess Sibylla of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha and Hereditary Prince Gustaf Adolf of Sweden were married today in a civil ceremony at the Veste castle in Coburg, reports the New York Times.

The civil ceremony is required by German law, and was conducted with the" same simplicity as for non-royalty."

The witnesses were the bride's father, the Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, and the groom's father, the Crown Prince of Sweden.  All of the men, including the groom, wore morning suits, while the bride wore a "wine red dress with a long train."

Coburg's mayor Herr Schwede officiated at the ceremony. Although there were rumors that he would wear his Nazi uniform, he chose instead to wear a cutaway, with "the Iron Cross pinned on it." 

Before getting on with the wedding, the mayor gave "a little speech: where he spoke on the defense of the Veste by the Swedes during the Thirty Years War, which he thought was a "good omen for the marriage."

The register was signed on a table that belonged to Duke Ernst II of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, the father of Prince Albert, who married his first cousin Queen Victoria, in 1840.  The bride and groom are descendants of Victoria and Albert.

The entire ceremony took about twenty minutes.  Afterward, the wedding party headed to the St. Moritz Church, for a wedding rehearsal.

Coburg streets are festively decorated with the colors of Sweden and Coburg.  Nearly the entire population came out this evening to celebrate in the illuminated streets, as the bridal couple attended an event at the State Theater. 

The Prince and Princess and their guests watched a torchlight procession that included German dancers, members of Turnverein clubs, marching band, Nazi stormtroopers, and a choir singing German folk songs.


The religious wedding, according to the rites of the Lutheran church, will take place tomorrow. 

The bridesmaids and the ushers will be Princess Ingrid of Sweden (sister of the groom), Grand Duchess Kira of Russia, Princess Feodora and Princess Caroline of Denmark, Princess Marie Louise of Schleswig-Holstein, Countess Dagmar Bernadotte, Princes Wilhelm and Alexander of Prussia (grandsons of former Kaiser Wilhelm II), Princess Bertil, Sigvard and Carl Johan of Sweden (brothers of the groom), and Prince Friedrich Josias of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, the bride's youngest brother.


The mayor gave an "enthusiastic welcome: to the Duke of Connaught.  Former Crown Prince Rupprecht of Bavaria was also "greeted enthusiastically."

Hereditary Prince Gustaf Adolf and Princess Sibylla also paid a call to "the highest ranking royal in Coburg," the former King Ferdinand of Bulgaria. 

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