ROME'S ROYAL WEDDING.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVII, Issue 20496, 22 February 1930, Page 2 (Supplement)

ROME'S ROYAL WEDDING.

, MAGNIFICENT PAGEANT.

BLAZE OF OLD GLORY.

GUARDS WITH GOLD HELMETS

AN AUDIENCE AT THE VATICAN

A picturesque description of the wedding in Rome on January 8 of Princess Marie Jose, of Belgium, to "Umberto, Princo of Piedmont, Crown Princo of Italy, was given by Mr. H. V. Morton, special correspondent of the Daily Express, lie wrote:—

The wedding ceremony was timed for 10 a.m. I rose at seven, put on full evening tlress, and aficr breakfasting in this crazy attire I drove through the early morning streets of Rome, which ,wero guarded at every point by troops. Romantic looking officers, plainly reminiscent of Rudolph Valentino, held mo up nil along the line; but when they saw my impressive invitation from the Court Chamberlain they stepped back, saluted, and waved me on to tho Quirinal Palace.

The palace, although built in the heart of tho city on one of the seven hills of Rome, is a world apart. It is a town Tvithin a city. I found tho approaches guarded by infantry and cavalry, and I lined up in a queue of motor-cars in ;which sat women in evening dress with Court veils of lace bound over their foreheads with diamond tiaras. Eight o'clock in tho morning is not tho kindest hour p[ the day for any woman to wear evening dress, and I thought, as 1 admired the gallantry with which they faced their ordeal, that there may be something to be said after all for aristocracy. In Distinguished Company. Thcso women were accompanied by men In the uniforms of armies, navies and diplomatic corps from every part of Europe. 'At one moment I was neighboured in the queue ..by the ex-Archduke Joseph of Hungary, who wore a claret-coloured cloak edged with fur, and looked as if ho might at any moment como into the limelight and sing opera. At other moments I was sido by side with Spanish generals, British admirals, the staff of the Japanese Embassy, Roman princes, Italian penators, and a cardinal in his purple. All round tho hall and lining tho great staircase stood men of tho King's bodyguard with drawn swords. These troops are more impressive even than our Lifeguards. ' They wear gold helmets of an antique Greek pattern, from which tufts of , black horsehair fall halfway down their back. Their breast-plates are of gold, and. they wear high thigh-boots over breeches of white doe-skin. Tho great staircase was one moving crush of uniforms and the white shoulders of women. I found myself in the magnificent reception hall adjoining the small Pauline Chapel in which the princo and princess were to be married. Tho high roof was of carved gilded wood, and every inch of the walls was covered with fresco and tapestry. Eight tiers of seats, one nbovo the other, had been erected on either side" of this hall and covered in scarlet .cloth, leaving a passage way ,in the centre down which the marriage procession would pass. Here were gathered the aristocracies of- Italy -and -Belgium. It i was a dazzling pageant of lovely women and brilliant uniforms. The King's Bodyguard. The first three tiers were occupied by (Women who faced each other across the central aisle. They were dfesscd according to the Court regulations in evening gowns of light pastel shades. No woman but the bride was permitted to wear white. Each woman wore a veil of laco bound lotrnd.lrer head with a jewelled circlet, and flung back so that j_t fell to her waist. Some wore the veil" tightly pinned with diamond clasps beneath the chin, giving to their faces a most attractive look of Madonna-like innocence. Behind them, tier on tier, stood the greatest blaze of foreign and diplomatic uniforms it would be possible to see anywhere in tho world. In this room the famous " black" and •" white aristocracies of Rome, now reconciled by the Vatican Treaty, met together in official friendship. I sat for an hour watching this splendid scene, which could be compared only with that in the House of Lords when the King opens the British Parliament. I -<-ould see, through the open doors of the Paulino Chapel, acolytes lighting the altar of tho chapel for the wedding. This cliapel is so small that it could hold only tho royal guests, the diplomatic corps, and the Court officials. It was lit.by a grey, subdued light and hung with famous tapestries. , Bride's Wedding Gown. Silence suddenly fell over the great hall. Tho King's bodyguard sprang to attention with a clash of swords on their breast-plates. Court officials in scarlet and with powdered hair flung open the doors. Wo rose to our ■ feet, and, looking at my watch, I realised that even princesses are late at tho altar, for it was, half-past ten. First came men wearing every type •of uniform in Europe, walking two by two—tho staffs of the Embassies and the Court, officials. They went .slowly to ■ their places. Then camo tho bride. Princess Marie entered on the arm of her father, the King of the Belgians. She. was pale, nervous, but composed. At tho first wave of Curtsies from the -svo'inen she bowed gravely, but she did not ; -smile. She wore a superb wedding - gown of white panne velvet and a train - seven yards long of white velvet edged with ermine, which was carried by four attendants. She wore an Ilalian Court veil'of Brussels lace, tho gift of tho Belgian nation, secured by a dazzling diamond tiara. No Wedding veil hid her pale face. Although here in Rome they call her the " blonde Princess," she is really a very striking brunette. SliO; looked slim and beautiful as she went up slowly to the altar to become the future Queen of July. A Remarkable Assembly. The King of Italy followed with the Queen of the Belgians, and behind them ■walked tho bridegroom, Princo UinLerto, on "the arm of his mother, the Queen'of Italy. He is n tall, handsome young man, bearing an almost absurd resemblance to his mother, who, before her was Princess Helena of Montenegrin. The bridegroom wore the blue grey uniform of an infantry colonel, and he, too, appeared acutely conscious of the solem- . ni'ty 'of tho day, for he merely bowed his I .. head stiffly without a smile as he passed '•.between a lane o f nurtsies. Then came the most remark-able assembly of royalty and ex-royalty that has ' probably been gathered in one place sinco , tho coronation of our own King. Tho. Ruling houses; wero represented by the Duke.of York, who walked in naval ■uniform,.with ono of the Italian Princes, ' King Boris of Bulgaria, Prince William of f. Sweden, the Prince of Monaco, and the Grand Duchess of Luxemburg. Buji how much more numerous were the thronoless royalties! There wero ex-.-Kiug Manuel of Portugal, Infante Don Fcrdinarcl of Bulgaria, ex-Prince Danilo of Montenegro; the' ex-Archduke Joseph ; -of/Hungary, Prince Louis Napoleon, the > ■',( l ■£'

Court of Paris, ex-Prince Paul of Greece, Prince R.upprechfc of Bavaria, Princess Anno of Battenberg, Princess Helena of Russia, and, most pathetic of all, exKing Arnanullali of Afghanistan, in plain evening dress, walking with a minor royalty, and still surrounded by an air of mild and polite astonishment. ' This parade of ex-royalty was remarkable. I had an impression of well-groomed young men in gorgeous uniforms—one wondered whether these regiments still exist—or old men with baggy faces like fat bloodhounds, moving solemnly through a pomp which once belonged to them, and still blazing with the medals of forgotten battles and decorated with the ribbons of obsolete Orders.

An extraordinary contrast was Mussolini. He followed, walking nlone, in his Prime Minister's ifnifonn, his plain coat crossed by a blue Order. An air of remarkable vitality surrounds him. He seems to go through lii'o with an invisible wreath of laurel on bis brow. Ho smiled repeatedly as the most distinguished women in Italy lifted their arms in the Fascist salute in an attempt to catch his eve.

Arms of men and women shot up all down the hall as Mussolini, saturnine and smiling, answered some" and neglected others. It. was obvious that every one wished to attract tho attention of this vivid mail. 1 could not help thinking that this ex-Socialist, bv setting tho House of Savoy firmly on the throne, \<as really the founder of tho feast, but there can have been no event of national importance since lie came to power in which ho has cheerfully taken such a back seat. He moved on, completely confident and radiating achievement. There was a sound of chanting from the chapel. The sweet voices of the Sistine choir from tho Vatican greeted the royal pageant as it grouped itself round .the

altar. lacould see the coining and going of priests and the figure of Cardinal Maffi, . Archbishop ..of at the" altar ."steps. .f 1 could see-llie solemn White' form 'Of tire prHtcesS kneeling beside her-iovd-. and -above -them fond princes held a gossamer-veil—-two Italian princes, the Duke of Aosta and the Duke of Turin, and two Belgian princes, the Duke ot Bradant and the Count of Flanders.

When the royal rings were ready and the cardinal asked (he bridal pair if they accepted one another as man and wife, they performed a most charming act, which I have seen only aL weddings in France. • They turned and bowed formally to their parents as if asking consent, the princess to the King and Queen of the Belgians, the prince to the King and Queen of Italy. The royal parents inclined their heads, and the bride and bridegroom turned to the cardinal, exchanged rings, and pledged their troth. On the way out from the palace 1 heard an indescribable sound. 1 thought at first it was the ring of spurs, and then I thought, it might be tho sound of sword scabbards bumping over the marble steps, but when I arrived with the crowd at the foot of the grand staircase I saw a line of Court flunkeys standing with enormous silver bowls and spoons. The bowls were full of white sugared almonds. The sound was caused by the plunging of the spoons info the sweets, and each guest was given what is, in the real meaning

of the word, confetti. This is customary at all weddings in Italy. The royal couplo wero so long delayed by the demonstrations in the Quirinal square that they reached the Vatican twonly-fivo minutes after the time appointed for tho papal audience, and had to apologise for being late. Tho Pope said ho was glad that the people of Rome had given such a hearty welcome to their future King and the future gracious Queen of Italy. Princess Marie Jose, also expressed her regret that she had not had time to change her wedding dress, but the Pope replied that he was glad to see her so charming in her nuptial attire. I lie Pontiff presented the Crown Prince with a beautiful piece of tapestry made in the papal art factory, representing tho Madonna with the child Jesus surrounded by angels. 'J his is a replica of the painthy Piuturicchio from tho Borgia apartment in the Vatican. 'Io tho princess he gave a beautiful rosary of precious stones set in gold.