Final Fitting

The coffeehouses of Hunsruck are all abuzz over the heated scene which developed during the final fitting of the Prinzessin Sophie-Vittoria's wedding gown and trousseau upon the Prinzessin being informed by her mother and the Dowager Duchess of the final wedding settlement, reached by ministers of Waldreck and Pfalz-Kognat-Obersayn earlier this week. It is understood that, in addition to the revenues of the Moselzoll accruing to the Herrenschaft von Dolmen, which will be given back by Prinz Friedrich during Sophie-Vittoria's life as her dower, an annuity of 45,000 pfalzthalers per year is to be settled upon the marriage as dowry, purchased by the Dowager Duchess' revenues from her own dowry.

On learning of the wide disparity between the value of the dowry and her dower, the Prinzessin is said to have called into question the wisdom of the entire match, focusing at some length on the personal appearance and carriage of Prinz Friedrich as well as his well-known patronage of and hospitality to the female entertainers of the Bruttig Opera and theatres. The Duchess attempted to console the Prinzessin with a rehearsal of the history of the arrangement of her own marriage to the Duke some 20 years ago, but the Prinzessin responded sharply, and the Duchess withdrew to her chambers complaining of "une mal de tête la plus doloreuse" and has cancelled her levers for the rest of the week prior to the Prinzessin's departure for Bruttig next week.