Thursday, September 18, 2008

Prince Miguel marries "world's most beautiful widow"

September 19, 1908. The Los Angeles Times reports today that Prince Miguel, eldest son of the Duke of Braganza, has secretly married an American, Alice Louise Carr, "the world's most beautiful widow."
The report is based on a dispatch from Vienna. Alice is the wealthy widow of Samuel Sloan Chauncey, who died in 1899.
The marriage was not made public until after the couple had left for their honeymoon. It is believed the secrecy was maintained because "of the many suitors for the wealthy American's hand in all parts of Europe."
An engagement to Lord Kitchener was recently broken without explanation. In 1903, London papers reported that Alice was going to marry Lord Rosebery. She was also linked with his son and with Lord Dalmeny.
Alice's sister, Lady Newborough, was unaware of the marriage. She expressed her "great consernation" about the news of the marriage.
Alice was born in Southern Indiana, but became the "belle of Louisville," after her mother moved to Kentucky. After the marriage of her sister, Grace, to Lord Newborough, Alice moved to Europe, where she received numerous marriage proposals.

Note: this marriage never took place. In 1911, Alice married General Hon. Cecil Bingham in London. She was given away by her brother-in-law, Lord Newborough, Grand Duke Michael of Russia and his two daughters, Zia and Nada, were among them guests.

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