Belgian Princess Marries Italian Prince

Still I am on holiday from my classes (I get a break from my exile) and am enjoying being again at home to see friends and family. Not much time to be on the computer, when I am back in the States probably I will have more time with nothing to do but blogging. Today, though I noticed (a little off in my timing maybe) the anniversary of the wedding of Princess Marie-Jose and Crown Prince Umberto of Italy on January 8, 1930. I love the old photos from that occasion, and there were many of them (and postcards and souvenir items) because they were such a beautiful couple. It was an arranged marriage though, from early on because Italy and Belgium were on the Allied side in the Great War and after that conflict not many Catholic monarchies were left to have marriages with. So, in the end, they did not have a very happy marriage but did the job of having heirs for the Italian throne and the couple were never divorced but they lived apart after the end of World War II and the loss of the monarchy in Italy so clearly they were putting their duty first and only went their own ways after there was no kingdom to serve anymore, staying married in case the Italians ever came to their senses and put back the original system. Princess Marie-Jose, later the Queen Marie-Jose, was an awesome woman and this shows how dutiful she was to her obligations for her adopted country of Italy. And she was always a good mother too. I wish their lives together could have been happier but there was at least no animosity between them and no bitterness. Both I think were good people.