Wedding of Princess Irene of The Netherlands and Prince Carlos Hugo of Bourbon-Parma, 1964

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The Wedding of Princess Irene of The Netherlands (wearing the Bourbon-Parma Tiara) and Prince Carlos Hugo of Bourbon-Parma at the Borghese Chapel at the Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome on this day in 1964, followed by a Private Audience with Pope Paul VI at the Vatican. The Princess had secretly converted to Catholicism while studying in Madrid and become engaged to Prince Carlos Hugo of Bourbon-Parma, the Carlist claimant to the Spanish throne, which was in direct contradiction to the Dutch government’s policy on fascist Spain, which forced Princess Irene to give her claim to the Dutch Throne.  No members of the Dutch Royal Family were present, instead watching the televised ceremony at the home of Prince Bernhard’s mother, after they spoke to Princess Irene via telephone before she left for the ceremony. The Duke and Duchess of Parma had four children before divorcing in 1981.

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