Cancelled Weddings and Engagements

[Meraude]

Queen Silvia told to the press on 12th April 2010, that there wouldn't be a wedding for Madeleine and Jonas in 2010. And on 24th April the swedish royal court announced that the engagement was broken. Because Victoria's and Daniel's wedding was such a high profile event, I have always thought that Madeleine and Jonas would have got married in 2011.

I would think that by early April 2010 there were doubts in the family about a marriage between Madeleine and Jonas. If Madeleine and Jonas had had any plans for a wedding in 2010, it would have been unlikely planned before mid-October, probably not until November, as 2010 was an election year in Sweden and I don't think that the royal family would have wanted to have a wedding in the middle of an election campaign. The election day was September 19, and with the possibility of a change of government, mid-October would have been the earliest possible date. Spring/Summer 2011 would have been a better bet.

 

[grevinnan]

I would think that by early April 2010 there were doubts in the family about a marriage between Madeleine and Jonas. If Madeleine and Jonas had had any plans for a wedding in 2010, it would have been unlikely planned before mid-October, probably not until November, as 2010 was an election year in Sweden and I don't think that the royal family would have wanted to have a wedding in the middle of an election campaign. The election day was September 19, and with the possibility of a change of government, mid-October would have been the earliest possible date. Spring/Summer 2011 would have been a better bet.

Princess Madeleine said in an interveiw after the engagement that she wanted a winter wedding. So we might have seen a November/December wedding if it had all worked out.

 

[QueenJen]

Have any Royal Weddings been called off at the last minute?

Are there any instances of Royal Weddings being called off at the 'last minute'?

I remember when the book about Princess Diana came out, it said she thought about cancelling the wedding just a few days before, but her sister told her it was too late.

Has anyone actually cancelled?

 

[acdc1]

Princess Madeleine of Sweden was engaged to her boyfriend of seven years, Jonas Bergstrom, in 2009; they were supposed to be married in 2010. The wedding was postponed, supposedly for her sister CP Victoria's wedding, but by April 2010 the engagement was broken off. So maybe not totally last minute, as in days before the wedding, but certainly only a few months before the wedding was to take place.

Princess Madeleine married Chris O'Neill 3 years later in 2013, they had their first daughter a year after the wedding and are now expecting their second child within the next few months.

 

[eya]

Also the Prince Gustav of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg with Elvire Paste de Rochefort. I don't know the reason.

Yes it is true. They engaged in 1922 but never married. After that Olga married Prince Paul of Yugoslavia.

I remember another one. Prince Jean Duke of Vendome with Duchess Tatjana of Oldenburg . I think the reason is about the religion. Very shame.

The future Queen Louise of Sweden was engaged to prince Christopher of Greece but had to call of the engagement on account of their parents not approving because of financial reasons.


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Prince Christopher has another broken engagement . This time with the Princess Aexandra Duchess of Fife.

I read recently that Prince Charles wanted to call off the wedding too. But was talked into going through with it like Diana was.

I wish he had done although at the end of the story finally married the woman he loved. But what cost to Diana

 

[Lee-Z]

I read somewhere that Q.Margrethe's father Frederik was engaged to Princess Olga of Greece, but this engagement was broken off...anyone know if that is true?

 

[JR76]

The future Queen Louise of Sweden was engaged to prince Christopher of Greece but had to call of the engagement on account of their parents not approving because of financial reasons.


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[Duc_et_Pair]

There were rumours that Ms Charlene Wittstock wanted to flee the principality of Monaco a few days before the marriage.

 

[Isabella]

There were rumours that Ms Charlene Wittstock wanted to flee the principality of Monaco a few days before the marriage.

Indeed. In fact, not only rumors that she wanted to flee, but that she may have actually tried to leave but was blocked from doing so.

 

[Duc_et_Pair]

Indeed. In fact, not only rumors that she wanted to flee, but that she may have actually tried to leave but was blocked from doing so.

I think you are confusing with (then) Hereditary Grand-Duchess María Teresa of Luxembourg, who was halted at Findel Airport (Luxembourg) by "gentlemen in raincoats" and politely escorted back to the palace.

There is no any factual proof that Ms Wittstock indeed wanted to flee the principality other than gossips. The principality is so small, before you realize it, you are already in France (or Italy). How could she be halted and by who?

 

[Isabella]

I think you are confusing with (then) Hereditary Grand-Duchess María Teresa of Luxembourg, who was halted at Findel Airport (Luxembourg) by "gentlemen in raincoats" and politely escorted back to the palace.

There is no any factual proof that Ms Wittstock indeed wanted to flee the principality other than gossips. The principality is so small, before you realize it, you are already in France (or Italy). How could she be halted and by who?

No, I'm definitely thinking of Charlene. I stress, of course, that it is rumor, but multiple sources reported Charlene tried to leave via the airport in Nice, but that the Monaco police caught up with her and confiscated her passport.

 

[Duc_et_Pair]

No, I'm definitely thinking of Charlene. I stress, of course, that it is rumor, but multiple sources reported Charlene tried to leave via the airport in Nice, but that the Monaco police caught up with her and confiscated her passport.

Seems strange to me. Nice is in France. Monegasque police has no jurisdiction to halt a South-African in France who wants to take a plane. On what grounds? Taking a passport is also something unlikely: Monaco and France are both in the "Schengen Area", the group of EU-countries which have opened the borders for their citizens so that there is completely free travel.

 

[Isabella]

Seems strange to me. Nice is in France. Monegasque police has no jurisdiction to halt a South-African in France who wants to take a plane. On what grounds? Taking a passport is also something unlikely: Monaco and France are both in the "Schengen Area", the group of EU-countries which have opened the borders for their citizens so that there is completely free travel.

Well, I wasn't there, so I don't know. Of course it's not the jurisdiction of the Monagasque police, but who's to know if they were playing by the rules? Charlene was reportedly trying to fly back to South Africa when the Monagasque police intercepted her at the airport in Nice. It's possible that they'd been tipped off that she was headed there and then perhaps intimidated her in some way that convinced her to relinquish her passport. Her desire to leave may not have been strong enough for her to seek help from other authorities, or perhaps she was frightened, or perhaps none of it happened at all.

 

[tommy100]

Although I don't think the intention was for this to become a thread about Charlene Wittstock, here are some links to the very many articles from a wide range of sources that reported the rumours Charlene tried to flee before her wedding...
Princess Charlene of Monaco 'tried to flee three times' - Telegraph
Monaco royal wedding: Charlene Wittstock 'tried to run away 3 times' | Daily Mail Online
Princess Charlene tried "to flee three times" before Monaco wedding, says reports - CBS News
Monaco's Prince Albert weds South African Charlene Wittstock - BBC News

I've never heard of Maria Teresa trying to run away before her wedding.

 

[C4A]

The Princely couple have on various occasions denied that P Charlene wanted to flee before their wedding. According to the Princess herself she had been in Paris with her mother for some last minute shopping before the wedding. Prince Albert has said that there were individuals in the Principality who had wanted to harm them and that these individuals had been identified and dealt with. We also know better than to believe everything that the Press writes. Since the wedding they have shown how happy they are to be together...


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[tommy100]

^^absolutely, the Prince and Charlene denied there being any truth in the rumours.

 

[Isabella]

The Princely couple have on various occasions denied that P Charlene wanted to flee before their wedding. According to the Princess herself she had been in Paris with her mother for some last minute shopping before the wedding. Prince Albert has said that there were individuals in the Principality who had wanted to harm them and that these individuals had been identified and dealt with. We also know better than to believe everything that the Press writes. Since the wedding they have shown how happy they are to be together...


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Well, I realize we're venturing further into Charlene territory and away from the original subject of the thread (though I do find it interesting that some royal brides-to-be have apparently had cold feet - like Tommy, I'd never heard the story about Maria Teresa). I do think, though, that while it's certainly wise to be suspicious of what's in the press, I would also take what Albert and Charlene say with a grain of salt. I have no idea of the exact circumstances, but even if the reports of Charlene's attempts to leave are true, I would still expect the couple to deny them. What else could they possibly say? I think it's a situation in which we'll likely never know the truth, as Monaco is a very curious place.

 

[Olyashka]

There's another from a long time ago - the first Grand Duchess named Alexandra, Alexandra Pavlovna (granddaughter of Catherine the Great). She was about to marry a Prince of Sweden, but the prince didn't arrive at the church (IIRC). The grand duchess was so shamed, needless to say, and few months after, she died not because of a broken heart but with a broken heart from that event.

 

[lucymae88]

Are there any instances of Royal Weddings being called off at the 'last minute'?

I remember when the book about Princess Diana came out, it said she thought about cancelling the wedding just a few days before, but her sister told her it was too late.

Has anyone actually cancelled?

I read recently that Prince Charles wanted to call off the wedding too. But was talked into going through with it like Diana was.

 

[Lady Nimue]

I read recently that Prince Charles wanted to call off the wedding too. But was talked into going through with it like Diana was.

Within weeks of the announcement, in fact. It seems he realized he had made a mistake very soon after the announcement. Ouch! What a time to be cognizant of an error. Poor guy.

P.S. What would that have looked like, had Charles actually been able to successfully do that? Then, who would he have married in time, I wonder. One of those 'maybe's'.

 

[Osipi]

Perhaps it wasn't a wedding called off at the last minute but a abrupt change that changed destiny.

Queen Mary of Teck was first engaged to the Prince of Wales, Albert Edward (heartily approved by his grandmother Queen Victoria) but he tragically died during the flu epidemic of 1891-92 just weeks before the wedding. It was their grief that brought Mary and George close together and he proposed in 1893 and they were married later on in the same year.

 

[WillVictoria]

Perhaps it wasn't a wedding called off at the last minute but a abrupt change that changed destiny.

Queen Mary of Teck was first engaged to the Prince of Wales, Albert Edward (heartily approved by his grandmother Queen Victoria) but he tragically died during the flu epidemic of 1891-92 just weeks before the wedding. It was their grief that brought Mary and George close together and he proposed in 1893 and they were married later on in the same year.

Actually it was Prince Albert Victor, the Duke of Clarence and Avondale (better known as Prince Eddy) who was Mary's ill-fated fiancee. Albert Edward was his father, the future King Edward VII

 

[Osipi]

Actually it was Prince Albert Victor, the Duke of Clarence and Avondale (better known as Prince Eddy) who was Mary's ill-fated fiancee. Albert Edward was his father, the future King Edward VII

Thanks much for the correction on the Alberts. I do tend to get the Alberts and the Georges comfuzzled from time to time especially when it comes to delving into the recesses of history.

 

[FanofMonaco]

Prince Albert implied in an interview that the mother of Alexandre spread the rumors of Charlene trying to flee to try to break up the wedding. She thought that Alexandre should be the future prince. Both the mother and Alexandre are now living in London. I'm guessing the move was not by her choice. Prince Albert has already won a settlement from one of Murdock's tabloids. They admitted they made up what was in their article. The slander suit against Closer magazine in France is still pending. Appears that Closer is stalling. If Charlene really had wanted out, it would have been easy for her to leave. She was in South Africa right before and after the wedding.

 

[Denville]

I am not sure where to put this, but it is about Royal engagements. Please move or delete if I have it wrong
Charles and Diana were reputed to have been very unsure about their marriage and thought of calling it off. At the time, if that is true, I am sure that it woudl have been quite impossible to break the engagement and if they had said to the RF and their advisers that they wanted to end it, they would have been firmly told that the wedding was being arranged, teh whole thing was going through and they had to get married.
I'm wondering if soemthng similar happened now, say Harry was engaged and he or his bride or both of them changed their minds would the RF allow the engagement to be broken?

 

[Osipi]

Very interesting topic for discussion I think. Have any other British royal couples been engaged and then for some reason or the other, the marriage never happened? Other than Mary of Teck's prior engagement to Albert Victor which ended because of his untimely death and she subsequently married his brother George, I know of no other incidences of this nature.

I'd really like to think that if Charles and Diana had enough doubts and believed that their marriage would be a mistake that the families and the public would have honored their feelings. Might be a chaotic topic of conversation for a while but eventually, it would all die down and life goes on. As for what really happened, I think they both felt reasonable doubts but because of the huge pressure and the significance of the marriage, they were hesitant to express them and maybe thought they were getting "cold feet".

 

[Denville]

I dont know of any engagements that have been broken-off, in British history.. I think that the CP of Sweden was engaged to someone (or was it Pss Madeline?) and she broke it off. But I could not imagine that happening with a royal in the UK, because usually the weddings are such a big deal...
I think that there was no way they would have allowed C and Di to break things off...
The attitude was that once they got engaged, the wedding plans had started off and they were working towards holding the wedding on such a date and that was it.. If they hadn't been sure, they should not have said they were getting engaged.
But NOW I just wonder if the RF/Queen would take a more lenient view if one of the younger royals like Harry or Will had said during the engaged period that they weren't sure. Perhaps they would feel it was better to lose the work and costs on preparations that had been going on, than to end up with another failed marriage.
Stll it has been rumoured that the queen has advised young royals who were in love to spend at least 4 or 5 years with their SO's and make sure they knew them well before making marriage plans.

 

[Skippyboo]

It was Madeleine that was engaged and then broke it off. I don't think that the date was announced already when it occurred. William would have been crucified if he broke it off post announcement after 8 years together.


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[Denville]

Im not talking about public reaction.. Im talking about whether the RF/Queen woudl allow it? And I dont see that Will would be "crucified". I would say the public would take the common sense view that it was better to break an engagement than make a bad marriage.

 

[Osipi]

Im not talking about public reaction.. Im talking about whether the RF/Queen woudl allow it? And I dont see that Will would be "crucified". I would say the public would take the common sense view that it was better to break an engagement than make a bad marriage.

HM, The Queen may be the sovereign of the UK and the Commonwealth and the matriarch of the British Royal Family, but I don't think she'd ever think to "forbid" the breaking of an engagement. The last thing I'd ever attribute to the makeup of the Queen's character is that of a puppet master or playing chess with the family on a chessboard.

Personally, I'm tending to believe that the criticism and condemnation of a royal broken engagement would be far worse with the media and the public.