Thursday, October 7, 2010

Royal refugees gather at La Guardia terminal

October 7, 1940

Members of the Bourbon-Parma royal family, "harried from their ancestral castles by war over Europe," were reunited today in the customs room at La Guardia's marine terminal, reports the AP.  The occasion "was the arrival from Lisbon on the Dixie Clipper" of Duchess Maria Antonia of Bourbon-Parma, "matriarch of the family," and her daughter, Princess Isabella.
The 78-year-old Duchess, the daughter of the late King Miguel of Portugal, was greeted by he daughter, Empress Zita of Austria; her son, Prince Felix of Luxembourg, and her grandson, Archduke Otto of Austria, son of Empress Zita.
All are refugees, and they reached this country by Clipper or United States warship "within the last few weeks."
The Duchess of Parma is said to be in "good spirits."  She described the trip as "quite agreeable."   According to the New York Times, the Duchess and her daughter, Princess Isabelle, left their home in Italy, to stay in Moulin, France, with another son, Prince Xavier.  They fled France after the German invasion.  In Lisbon, they waited two weeks for clipper passage.
Archduke Otto said his grandmother would stay with him, "briefly at 10 Park Avenue," before going to Royalston, Mass., for a visit with Empress Zita.  The Duchess was then expected to travel to Quebec, Canada, where several of Otto's siblings are studying.

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