Source: the wonderful book and a must-read: "The Wandering Princess" by Edward Hanson. Previous Message
Does anybody know why he didn't marry Princess Hélène of Orléans (born in 1871, daughter of French pretender Henri, Count of Paris)? After all, as of 1895, when she married Prince Emanuele Filiberto, Duke of Aosta, the then-crown prince of Italy was still available on the royal marriage market. As it was, he married Princess Elena of Montenegro (a member of an upstart native dynasty, her father being Prince Nikola) the following year.
I understand that this led to a lot of tension in the House of Savoy, with the Duchess of Aosta (frustrated in her previous ambitions to obtain crowns) creating a rival royal court. She has been characterized as "arrogant and affected, behaving as though she were the real sovereign of Italy", spending years trying to get her clutches on the Italian throne.
Forgive me if this question has been previously raised.
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