A WEDDING OF FAMOUS NAMES.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 47, 19 November 1907, Page 3

A WEDDING OF FAMOUS NAMES.

. Great preparations had been made in England for the.Bourbon-Orleans wedding, which this morning's cables announce to have taken place on Saturday last. Writing in September, tho social writer for the "Daily Mail ' said:— ;

There will be .1 big royal gathering at Wood Norton in Novemher for the wedding of Princess Louise of France and Prince Charles of Bourbon. The ceremony, will take place in the little chapel on the Duke of Orleans's estato, which 'has been' greatly beautified by the Duchess of Orleans, whose skill as. an artist, is evidenced on the walls. The witnesses for the brido will include her mother, the Comtoss'e de Paris, and her [brother, the Duke of Orleans, and it is possible that her sisters, the Queen of Portugal, the Duchesse d'Aosta, and the Duchesso de ; Gnise,' may all be present, while the King and Queen of Spain hope to attend as relatives of the bridegroom, and King Alfonso is-likely to be principal witness for his brother-in-law.

Princess Louise of Prance is a great .favourite with King Edward and - Queen JAlosandra, and. there, is some talk of their ;hcine present at the wedding; the date of jwhicn lias been delayed until the' Duke of .'Orleans's return from his expedition to the :Polar Regions. There is great excitement in • the neighbourhood over the wedding, as it is 'over 600 j;ears since a royal- wedding was [celebrated in Worcestershire,. and the village ■of Evesham is making great preparations to ;dd honour to the' occasion. Princess Louise :is greatly beloved, and has endeared herself ;to everyone on and about the estate. " The bride-elect is a very beautiful woman,, tall and slender, with clear-cut features and light brown hair. She is not so well known in London as her sisters, tne Queen of Portugal and the Duchesse d'Aosta, whom .she greatly resembles, with the same queenly carriage and gracious, bearing.'. Tjie Duke of Orleans possesses a wonderful sporting collection, gathered in. his shooting*expeditions to the four, quarters of tho globe. "Visitors to York House, Twickenham, were; familiar with this'interesting collection, housed in an immense glass-covered room, once the orangery. When the Duijc gave up York House, he had, the, fine ijpn gates removed to Wood Norton, where they are a feature of the park. The gilding of these fine gates is, being . renovated in preparation, for the wedding. . . Of- course, a' large number of formalities in connection with tho ceremony have had to be gono through, and Prince Charles himself, attended by a secretary-and an attendant, have recently been to Evesham, in order to obtain tho special license and to mnke inquiries as to the licensing of the chapoi itself.. This small building is most boautifnlly decorated; the east windows are exceptionally fine, and are in memory of the late Comte do Paris; their colouring is most artistic, each shade being admirably blended."