Manuel II of Portugal - Personal Life

Personal Life

During a visit to Paris in July 1909, the monarch met Gaby Deslys, an actress and dancer, and immediately began a relationship that would last until the end of Manuel II's reign. It was thought that after this first meeting the King sent Deslys a pearl necklace worth $70,000: more gifts soon followed, including a diamond necklace with black and white pearl drops set in a platinum band. Their relationship was anything but discreet (she would arrive before night at the Palácio das Necessidades and would pass through Portugal unnoticed); abroad, meanwhile, they were on the front pages of newspapers in Europe and North America, especially after he was deposed. In public interviews, usually on trips, Gaby Deslys never negated the obvious, but always refused to comment on her relationship with the King. After his exile, they would continue to meet, especially while she had stage engagements in London. When Gaby moved to New York, in the summer of 1911, their relationship broke off.

In the spring of 1912, Manuel visited Switzerland, where he met Augusta Victoria of Hohenzollern, Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen Princess (1890–1966) and was deeply impressed by her. In the following year, on 4 September 1913, Manuel married Princess Augusta Victoria, his cousin (she was the grand-daughter of the Infanta Antónia of Braganza) and daughter of Prince William, Prince of Hohenzollern. During the mass, which was celebrated in the Chapel of Sigmaringen Castle, Manuel, wearing his Order of the Garter medallion and the sash of the Three Portuguese Orders, stood on a crate containing soil brought from Portugal. The ceremony was presided by José Neto, Cardinal of Lisbon, then exiled in Seville, who had baptized D.Manuel when he was the Prince Royal; D.Manuel was also assisted by the Prince of Wales (Edward VIII) and King Afonso XIII of Spain, as well as representatives of the Royal Houses of Europe (including Spain, Germany, Italy, France and Romania, in addition to the principalities and German kingdoms). After festivities which lasted two days, the couple went on their honeymoon to Munich, where the Princess fell ill and withdrew from the public. The marriage, a calm and serene union, lasted until the death of the former King, but the couple did not have any children.