SPAIN: Brilliant Match

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Seville prepared for Europe's most glamorous wedding of World War II—Dom Pedro d'Alcantara d'Orléans & Bragança was marrying Princess Esperanza Rocio de Bourbon-Orléans. Already the city was as jampacked with Portuguese and Spanish bluebloods (40 princes and princelings, without counting lesser aristocrats) as the Cathedral of Santa Maria de la Sede at Christmas midnight mass. Most of them were royal refugees. Some, like the Count of Paris, Pretender to the throne of France, had come from Madrid. Others, like the widowed Princess Françoise of Greece (aunt by marriage of King George II), were war refugees. A few had journeyed from handsome hideaways in Morocco and Brazil. Travel agencies had done a land-office business.

The wedding would unite two famed families of Pretenders. The bride—young and charming—was the daughter of the Infante Don Carlos (brother-in-law of the late King Alfonso), and first Spanish princess to be married in her native land since Spain went republican. The tall, mustachioed groom was the great-grandson of Dom Pedro II, second (and last) of Brazil's brief line of Portuguese emperors. When the second Dom Pedro abdicated the Brazilian throne in favor of a republic, his family lived in France until Brazil relented in 1920, welcomed home the house of Bragança. His great-grandson takes his royal status seriously, but does not expect to become an Emperor.

The handsome Villa Manrique, Seville residence of the bride's father, was crammed with 1,500 presents, including one from General Francisco Franco. Don Carlos, in high good humor, had signed the necessary canonical consent for the union, then appeared benevolently at the bridegroom's traditional banquet on the wedding eve. Later he gave a sumptuous party for the principitos (little princes), and principitas, children of the guests.

Seville Cathedral, second largest in the world,* was ready. So was Cardinal Segura, who would tie the knot. But the climax would not come until Dom Duarte, Duke of Bragança, brother-in-law of the bridegroom, could arrive from Switzerland. Wartime traveling is so uncertain.