The Grand Duchess Charlotte had made it clear that she would accept nothing less than a royal princess for a daughter-in-law (understandably so, since the Merenborgs had been excluded from the succession because of a morganatic marriage). Jean stood to lose almost everything -- both the throne and the family fortune: unless his lady love was an exceptionally rich heiress, she would have been unable to fill the hole in his life.
As for Josephine-Charlotte: she, too, faced a precarious future with her love (some tennis player) -- as she faced to become a social pariah. With no job or income, and with the forfeiture of her royal title and prerogatives, she would have placed an enormous burden on the man for compensation.
You can live only so much on love: in the end, duty won out -- and the two somehow managed to forge a relationship of harmony. They were not trained actors (like Princess Grace of Monaco), but they were able to put on a positive front and managed to look happy in public. 
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JC and Sofia wedding had everyhing to turn wrong from the beginning.
Neither of them had had the click for the other.
Sofia was deeply in love with Harald of Norway, but he had choosen his "Cinderella" and fought for her to the limit.
JC, at the time, was "dating" Maria-Gabriella of Savoy, but Franco forbid such an alliance due to M-G more liberal character and the fact that she belonged to a non-reigning family.
Queen Frederica remembered several times to JC that he also belonged to a non-reigning family, pointing him that, in this case, he was marrying someone superior.
Both JC and Sofia were marrying second choices, one out of spite, the other, following orders, so this was not a "match made in heaven"
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on 13/7/2025, 14:20:14, in reply to "