The St. Jakobus-Kirche in Dülmen-Karthaus, Germany, was the venue Princess Xenia von Croÿ and Guy delle Piane had chosen for their wedding on Saturday, 28 September 2024. The day started with sun, but shortly before the bride was to arrive it started raining. Luckily, then it became dry again, although rain was never far away.
Padre Alberto Casado Fidalgo led the Catholic wedding celebration in English. Mentioned were the mothers of the bridal couple, both deceased, as well as several newborn babies. The church was not big enough for all the guests, so several people had to follow the service on a screen outside the church. After the wedding, the couple drove off with their son to the reception at the Wildpferdebahn in Dülmen-Merfeld, where also several official pictures were taken. Throughout the afternoon, sun and rain alternated. The evening party took place at Haus Merfeld, the residence of the father of the bride.
Guy delle Piane was born in 1985 as the eldest of the two children of Giuseppe delle Piane and Donna Stefania dei Marchesi d’Afflitto (died 2012). Princess Xenia von Croÿ was born in 1990 as the second of the six children of the Duke von Croÿ and Alexandra Miloradovich (died 2015). Her paternal grandmother was Princess Gabrielle of Bavaria. The couple already got engaged in June 2020 (see Royal Musings). Shortly afterwards, in August 2020, their son Laszlo was born.
The many ties to royal families like Bavaria and Luxembourg showed on the guest list. Prince Ludwig and Princess Sophie of Bavaria, Prince Heinrich and Princess Henriette of Bavaria, Prince Karl and Princess Zugey of Bavaria, Princess Auguste and Princess Alice of Bavaria (their children being among the bridal children), Prince Nikolaus and Princess Margaretha von und zu Liechtenstein, Princess Marie-Astrid von und zu Liechtenstein and Ralph Worthington with their daughter Althaea Georgina, Archduke Carl Christian and Archduchess Marie-Astrid of Austria, Archduchess Gabriella of Austria and Prince Henri de Bourbon Parme, Don Infant Afonso de Bragança, Prince of Beira, Dona Infanta Maria Francisca de Bragança, Duquesa de Coimbra, and Duarte de Sousa Araújo Martins, Dom Rafael de Orléans e Bragança and his sister Maria Gabriella, just to name a few.
As I travelled to Dülmen myself, here are my photos. After years of bad health and just a few weddings, I’ve however noticed I have more trouble recognising guests than I had in the past. Recently a friend and I discussed how all these elder royals and nobles we knew, are slowly being replaced by a younger generation, that’s new to us.
For the full photo album, all photos by me (and copyrighted), see:
