On October 2, 1900 Prince Albert of Belgium married Duchess Elisabeth in Bavaria. Although they had met under tragic circumstances (at the funeral for one of Elisabeth's aunts, burned alive while heroically attempting to save others during a fire at a charity bazaar), a real romance blossomed between the pair and one day, while they were out for a walk (with Elisabeth's chaperone at a discreet distance) a bashful Albert managed to ask Elisabeth if she thought she'd be able to stand the Belgian climate...The wedding was magnificent, celebrated in Munich amidst wild popular rejoicing. In her memoirs, the royal couple's daughter, Marie-José, records the words Msgr. von Klein addressed to her parents before imparting the nuptial benediction. "Prince, you shall one day wear the crown, and may your fame then resound afar, for your devoted, clement love, for your paternal goodness towards your subjects." Turning to Elisabeth, he added: "And you...may you be celebrated as the benefactress of the poor, the refuge of the afflicted and a radiant image of Christian charity." As Marie-José notes, the prelate's words were "almost prophetic..."
2 comments:
Indeed how right he was and how tragic that Belgium and Bavaria would find themselves on opposite sides of such a horrific and senseless conflict.
Terrible indeed, especially as part of the sermon at the nuptial Mass was "today the hearts of the Belgian and Bavarian people beat in unison." As one biography pointed out, some of the very people who cheered the new couple during those enthusiastic days might have ended up in the army invading Belgium only 14 years later...tragic.
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