Saturday, May 23, 2009

The Coburg wedding



Hereditary Prince Hubertus of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha and Miss Kelly Rondestvedt were united in marriage today at the Pfarrkirche St Moritz in Coburg. The Lutheran service took place in the historic church where Martin Luther preached several sermons.

It was a sunny, warm day in May -- one day before the anniversary of the birth of Queen Victoria -- when the limousine pulled up in front of the church. The bride and her father, Christian Rondestvedt, a U.S. Naval officer, stepped out and entered the church.
More than 400 guests attended the wedding. The guests included the King and Queen of Sweden (the king is the first cousin of the bridegroom's father, Prince Andreas), King Simeon and Queen Margarita of Bulgaria, Princess Marie Louise of Bulgaria, the Hereditary Prince and Princess of Wrede, Prince Manuel of Bavaria, the Duke of Bavaria, Prince and Princess Konstantin of Bulgaria, the Prince and Princess of Schaumburg-Lippe, Prince and Princess Leopold of Bavaria, Duchess Tatiana of Oldenburg, Prince Georg-Friedrich of Prussia, Princess Astrid and Prince Lorenz of Belgium, the Prince and Princess of Leiningen, Prince and Princess Karl-Emich of Leiningen, Lord and Lady Nicholas Windsor and their toddler son, Albert. According to one person who was in the crowd, Lady Nicholas is pregnant with her second child.

Following the wedding, the bride and groom -- Their Highnesses the Hereditary Prince and Princes of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha -- got into a carriage for a ride through the streets of Coburg to Schloss Ehrenburg, where they were entertained by musicians. More than 3000people lined the wedding route, and cheered the newly married couple.
A reception was held at Schloss Callenberg. The bride wore a diamond necklace that is believed to be the necklace given by Prince Leopold, Duke of Albany, to his bride, Princess Helene of Waldeck-Pyrmont in 1882. Their son, Prince Charles Edward, succeeded his uncle, Alfred, as Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. Charles Edward, who became Carl Eduard, was the bridegroom's great-grandfather.

http://www.infranken.de/nc/nachrichten/lokales/artikelansicht/article/traumhochzeit-in-coburg-21992.html

http://www.thenewstribune.com/tacoma/24hour/world/story/754212.html

Photos by Frank Schulz

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

The groom continues the handsome looks of his Saxe-Coburg lineage. This, in combination with the wedding taking place at this historic royal setting, gives a sense of continuity that warms the heart.