Monday, August 29, 2011

Leopold Salvator will come to New York to wed his sweetie

August 29, 1931

Archduke Leopold Salvator will soon return to New York to marry Mrs. Alicia Coburn, the New York Times reports.  Their engagement was announced several weeks ago.

Archduke Leopold was arrested in New York "in connection with the theft of the diamond necklace" that belonged to Archduchess Maria Theresa.  His innocence in the matter was finally established.  But he did have "some difficulty" in returning to the United States.  These obstacles have now been resolved "thanks to the efforts of his fiancee."

The Austrian newspaper, Stunde, which reported on the archduke's "forthcoming departure," states that Leopold Salvator's family is not pleased with his decision to marry Mrs. Coburn, as tjhey remain "on the best of terms" with his former wife, Baroness Nikolio.

His engagement and Mrs. Coburn's active role in securing bail for him when he was in the Tombs for the theft of the necklace have been reported in the Viennese press. 

Mrs. Coburn is a Canadian national, but she now lives in New York City.  Efforts to speak with her have been unsuccessful.  Archduke Leopold Salvator went back to Vienna to seek "the aid of Church dignitaries in obtaining a dispensation from the Pope"  so he could marry Mrs. Coburn.  He has been granted a decree of separation from a Vienna court, but he cannot remarry under Austrian law.  But he is free to marry in Paris.

Viennese police have informed the archduke that he "would be unable to remain in Vienna for any length of time" as he failed to apply for "admittance to Austria until he had already been there for several weeks."

The archduke is the son of Archduke Leopold Salvator, who is very ill in Vienna, and Princess Blanca de Borbon y Borbon.

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