Translation of the article in point de vue (August 17th,2005)
Manuel of Bavaria and Anna zu Sayn-Wittgenstein:
YES!
The most important names of the German gotha were present. And the royal family of Sweden. On the 6th of August, in the church of Stigtomta, it was hard to decide on which tiara to focus.
In thirty years the quiet village Bärbo hadn't seen such a party! Not since the wedding of young countess Yvonne Wachtmeister af Johannihus and prince Ludwig-Ferdinand zu Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg. Today it's their eldest daughter, Anna, who's getting married to Manuel of Bavaria, her own prince: a German prince (like her father) with a Spanish name, in memory of one of his ancestors who married a Spanish princess. For the occasion, Anna's grandfather, who organized the party at Naas, his residence - an odd 150 km from Stockholm - had chartered coaches to get the 350 guests to the destination. Among them were the most important names of imperial and royal Germany : Bismarck, Fürstenberg, Hesse, Württemberg... "It's been a whole month we've been preparing and living up to this", count Wachtmeister tells us.
When everybody's found their seat in the high white church of Sigtomta, black limousines stop in front of the church square. The king and queen of Sweden step outof it, with their three children. Carl XVI Gustav wouldn't have missed the wedding of the son of his old friend Leopold, who's like him an amateur of hunting and race cars, and godfather of prince Carl Philip. In front of the church, the fans of the royal family have grouped together and they have an eye for every detail : "Look at princess Madeleine's dress, it's the same one she wore for the wedding of Felipe of Spain" - "I recognize Victoria's, she wore it at the Nobel ceremony in 2000". All of them agree on queen Silvia's elegance, indeed looking luminous in a draped orange silk gown. it helps to forget the rain, irritating but foreseen. Count Wachtmeister made sure to buy a load of umbrellas printed with violets and capuchin flowers.
Then there's the ceremony and the solemn moment when the couple takes their oaths. The mass is being held by protestant priest Johan Dalman, together with a catholic priest in this oecumenic service where the groom is roman catholic and the bride protestant. When they leave the church, the newly weds are covered in rose petals and answer the usual questions with a smile : "I'm relieved - he said yes!" - "On a day like this, the rain can't bother me".
To get to the domaine of Naas, where the evening party will take place, Anna and Manuel stumble into the BMW oldtimer - complete with flashing light and a sign saying "polizei" (police). Which makes a man in the crowd smile : it's the actor Fritz Wepper, inspector Derrick's helper in the classic detective series.
The young generation present is still talking about last night's party, in a decorated barn where the guests had a meal of delicious lobsters. But tonight, the reception is a formal one, which doesn't prevent the married couple from dancing all night. The destination of their honeymoon ? Sshht...secret! All they want to say is that they can't wait to go live in New York, where they met each other 3 years ago. Manuel is preparing his doctorate in biology there and Anna's studying literature. But now, all they care for is to let the magic of the moment last a little longer. Another rock, the last one, and then they sneak out.
Written by: Antoine Michelland and Victor Andersen.