Was Madame Adelaide Married?

Forgive my ignorance here, but I am attempting to gather accurate information about Princess Adelaide of Orleans, sister of King Louis-Philippe and aunt of Queen Louise-Marie of the Belgians. I had heard that there was a rumor that she had been married in America and had children, but that the story was false. I was perplexed, however, to come across this wild tale, which seems to support the story with many details. I am looking into the matter further, but some versions mention no marriage, while others suggest the lady in question was actually married twice. So what is the truth? Was Madame Adelaide married at any time, anywhere, to anyone? And if so, to whom?

Feast of Our Lady of Sorrows

V. Pray for us, most Sorrowful Virgin,
R. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

Let us pray.

O God, in whose Passion, according to the prophecy of Simeon, a sword of grief pierced through the most sweet soul of Thy glorious Blessed Virgin Mother Mary: grant that we, who celebrate the memory of her Seven Sorrows, may obtain the happy effect of Thy Passion, Who lives and reigns world without end. Amen.
~Litany to Our Lady of Sorrows

Today is also the birthday of King Umberto II of Italy, husband of Princess Marie-José of Belgium.

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Joy and Sorrow

Today, we commemorate three anniversaries, two happy and one tragic:-

~The religious wedding of Leopold III, King of the Belgians, and Miss Mary-Lilian Baels (1941). As we all know, this marriage caused bitter controversy and contributed to Leopold's political troubles, but it also brought him much joy and consolation, not to mention three children. Lilian would be his wife for 42 years- over half of his life!
~The birthday of Princess Paola Ruffo di Calabria, the present Queen of the Belgians (1937). Blessings to her, and I hope Belgium's dire political woes don't spoil her birthday completely!
~The terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center in New York and the Pentagon in Arlington (2001). My thoughts and prayers are with the victims and their loved ones.

The Murder of an Empress

The Mad Monarchist remembers the assassination of Empress Elisabeth of Austria (1837-1898). Queen Elisabeth of the Belgians, of course, was her niece and namesake.

The Piety of Albert I

Albert I, King of the Belgians from 1909 to 1934, was a very devout Catholic. The son of a profoundly religious mother, he developed, as a young man, a deep and tender piety, based upon a critical conscience, and related to his ideals of altruism and courage. Throughout his reign, Albert derived moral strength and inner serenity from his faith.

A few excerpts from the King's correspondence illustrate the nature of his religious devotion. When his former tutor, General de Grunne, entered, in his old age, the Benedictine monastery of Maredsous, Belgium, King Albert wrote him a beautiful letter in which he speaks of the joy of giving oneself to God:

"Puissiez-vous compter à Maredsous beaucoup d'années dans le confort suprême de l'âme que donnent aux natures touchées par la grâce, la foi dans la toute-puissance de Dieu et la confiance dans ses bienfaits."

"May you spend at Maredsous many years in the supreme comfort of soul that is given, to natures touched by grace, by faith in the omnipotence of God and trust in His goodness."

To another friend, a Chinese diplomat, who also became a Catholic monk, Albert wrote:

"Se consacrer entièrement au service de Notre Seigneur donne, seul à ceux qui sont touchés par la grâce, la paix de l'âme qui est le bonheur suprême ici-bas."

"Consecrating oneself entirely to the service of Our Lord gives, to those who are touched by grace, the peace of soul which is the highest happiness of this earth."
(Quoted in Albert 1er, insolite, Jo and Hervé Gérard, 1984, p. 243)

Dom Albert van der Cruyssen, Abbot of Orval, Belgium, and military hero of 1914-1918, in a commemorative speech given in 1936 for the war dead of the Battle of the Yser, testified to the (then recently deceased) King's piety, integrity, valor, and charity in deeply moving terms:

Rebecca Kiessling: Conceived in Rape, Pro-Life Speaker

A very heart-wrenching story. More HERE.

Cardinal Mercier

Here is a collection of wartime letters and speeches of Cardinal Mercier, Archbishop of Malines. He achieved a heroic reputation among Catholics and non-Catholics alike for his bold, fearless denunciations of the German occupiers. He was also seen as a compassionate, beatific man of God. I will admit, however, to harboring some reservations about Mercier. Doctrinally, it is claimed that he was a mentor of the radical Cardinal Suenens, and he was suspected of Modernism in his day. While some portray this simply as hysterical Vatican witch-hunting, and Mercier himself condemned the heresy, there are some odd facts which make me skeptical of him. You would expect a Prince of the Church to be eager to assist in bringing about an end to World War I, which was destroying the remnants of Christendom, but apparently this was not the case. On the contrary, Marie-Rose Thielemans, in her editions of the war diaries and letters of Albert I, contends that the Cardinal's intransigent political attitudes actually obstructed the King's peace efforts, which depended upon Church support. In his diary, Albert voiced his frustration with Mercier, and even complained that the Archbishop was fraternizing with freemasons. Finally, although Mercier professed great devotion to the Belgian mystic Berthe Petit, who pleaded for the solemn consecration of Belgium to the Sorrowful and Immaculate Heart of Mary, he was curiously reticent in fulfilling her request. He agreed to dedicate Belgium privately to the Sorrowful and Immaculate Heart, but the solemn, public consecration never took place. This always strikes me as a strange omission coming from an ostensible champion of God, King and Country.

Leopold & Astrid

During the post-war "Royal Question," Leopold's political enemies repeatedly opposed the memory of the immensely popular Queen Astrid to her husband. In anti-Leopoldist propaganda, the Queen was always portrayed as the much-regretted pure et sainte Astrid, while the King was reviled as a traitor, a pro-Nazi, and a libertine. His second wife, Princess Lilian, was similarly branded a fascist sympathizer and an unscrupulous adventuress. One propaganda poster, which promoted the idea of Leopold's abdication in favor of his son, Prince Baudouin, featured a soulful picture of Queen Astrid, with the caption: Majesté, vous demeurez notre Reine, votre fils sera notre Roi ("Your Majesty, you remain our Queen, your son will be our King").

This is sheer demagoguery. I am not denigrating Astrid; on the contrary, I think she was a wonderful woman of great purity, humility, and generosity. Her popularity was fully merited. Yet there is a contradiction in the opposition of Leopold and Astrid. The couple were always known for their deep mutual love. It is an insult to Astrid's memory, as well as to Leopold, to present the King as a worthless scoundrel. The implication is that Astrid foolishly bestowed her love on a villain. Those who try to exalt Astrid at Leopold's expense indirectly undermine the Queen's prestige as well.

Tragedy and Mystery

As in the case of the tragedy of Marche-les-Dames, the lack of a public inquiry into Queen Astrid's death gave rise to dark conspiracy theories.

Because the details of the accident were never made public, speculations and rumours surrounded the tragic death of Queen Astrid. She was said to be pregnant with her fourth child, something that was never confirmed. It was argued that perhaps the car had been sabotaged, and the accident was in reality an assassination attempt by the Gestapo, who, according to rumour, may also have been responsible for the death of King Albert. Some theories even went as far as claiming that the real King Leopold had been killed in the accident as well, but he had been replaced by a German look-alike, on the orders of Adolf Hitler. Although none of the rumours can be confirmed, nobody really seems to know the truth either. Only King Leopold could say what had happened, but he was never officially questioned, and refused to talk about the accident at all times.

A Condolence Letter

As Léopold III was himself no stranger to sorrow, it's interesting to see the delicate manner in which he consoled others who lost loved ones. Here is a condolence letter by the 75-year-old former King of the Belgians to a friend of Claudio Barbier, a renowned young Belgian alpinist who had been mysteriously killed climbing the cliffs of the Meuse. (The news must have given Léopold something of a chill, since his own father had been mysteriously killed climbing the cliffs of the Meuse.)

Domaine d'Argenteuil 

Waterloo, June 11, 1977.

Dear Monsieur Bourgeois,

I have just learned from the press of the accidental death of Claude Barbier.

This sad news has moved me all the more, as I personally knew this man, who was so particularly sympathetic.

It was enough for me to meet him once to retain the memory of a personality very endearing for his qualities of simplicity and integrity.

I can fully imagine what your pain must be at losing such a dear friend.

As for his inconsolable fiancée, I would like you to tell her how much I was moved by the message you were asked to give me. Please convey to her the expression of my deep sympathy and please tell her that, when time has been able to appease, a little, her great grief, I would be happy to meet with her and talk with her of the career of the man whom she mourns today.

Please believe, both you and your wife, dear Monsieur Bourgeois, in my most cordial remembrance.

(s) Léopold