Princess Victoria of Hesse and By Rhine, eldest daughter of the Grand Duke, was married today to Prince Louis of Battenberg.
The town of Darmstadt was "profusely decorated with flags" in honor of the wedding, and people lined the streets for a glimpse of the couple, reports the New York Times.
After the civil wedding, the bride was led to the palace chapel, by her paternal grandmother, Princess Karl of Hesse and By Rhine. They were followed by a procession led by Queen Victoria, the bride's maternal grandmother, the Crown Prince and Crown Princess of Germany, the Prince and Princess of Wales, Prince Wilhelm of Germany, and Prince Alexander of Bulgaria, the groom's brother.
In the "bridal procession," Princess Victoria and Prince Louis walked "between the Princesses of Battenberg. When they exchanged their rings at the altar, "a salute of 36 guns was fired.
At the end of the ceremony, Queen Victoria "embraced the couple." Princess Victoria wore her mother, Princess Alice's, bridal veil. Princess Alice died from diphtheria in 1878.
Apart from Queen Victoria, the wedding guests attended the evening banquet. The only toast offered was to "the health" of the newlyweds.
Afterward, Prince and Princess Louis left for Jugenheim "amid the plaudits of throngs of people.
The Times described the wedding as a "touching and imposing spectacle."
Queen Victoria wore a "black silk dress, with a wide coiffure of lace, diamond ornaments, and various orders. She entered the chapel "with a firm step", and was seated to the left of the altar. The Grand Duke with his youngest daughter, Princess Alix, and Princesses Louise, Victoria, and Maud of Wales, all in white, was the next to arrive.
Crown Prince Friedrich of Germany, "knightly and stalwart, as ever," escorted the Princess of Wales, dressed in a "lovely robe of white, with a sparking diadem of gems and various orders." The Prince of Wales, wearing the uniform of a British Field Marshal, led his sister, the German Crown Princess to a place on the left of the altar.
Prince Wilhelm of Prussia escorted Princess Beatrice, who "wore a rich white dress," made from Indian material, with "diamonds and orders." Prince Albert Victor of Wales escorted the Landgravine of Hesse and Prince Henry of Prussia led his sister, the Hereditary Princess of Saxe-Meiningen. The Prince of Bulgaria, "tall, dark, and soldier-like," escorted Princess Elisabeth of Hesse and By Rhine.
Princess Elisabeth, the second daughter of the Grand Duke of Hesse and By Rhine, is betrothed to Grand Duke Serge of Russia.
Princess Victoria was "arrayed" in a "lustrous and exquisite Duchesse satin robe with a long flowing train, bridal view, diamonds and wreath of myrtle" on her head.
One of the younger guests, Queen Victoria's great-granddaughter, Princess Feodora of Saxe-Meiningen watched the wedding from the opposite side of the altar, "near the organ." It was in this area where the wedding photograph was taken.
The bride's veil did not cover her face. She had no bridesmaids.
In commemorating the wedding, the bride's father, Grand Duke Ludwig, "pardoned several prisoners."
1 comment:
They went on to have a very interesting family. One grandchild recently deceased and one still with us.
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