The congratulations and gifts received for the wedding, held in Nancy on 10 May 1951, vividly reflect the extensive network of the former Crown Prince. Members of ruling houses, politicians, and public figures all sent their good wishes to the couple, including Winston Churchill.
Some of the greetings and keepsakes are preserved by our Foundation. Among these, perhaps the most remarkable item is a gift from the British statesman, who presented a representative edition of his biography about his famous ancestor, the Duke of Marlborough (Marlborough. His Life and Times I–II. George G. Harrap & Co. Ltd., London, 1947). This book contributed significantly to his later Nobel Prize in Literature, awarded in 1953. Bound in red leather, with gilt edges and a gilded coat of arms, the volumes contain the author’s handwritten dedications. In the first one, Churchill wrote: “To His Imperial Highness The Archduke Otto of Austria from Winston S. Churchill.” In the second, he expressed his best regards with the words “From Winston Churchill with every good wish for future happiness”. The copy in our collection is a two-volume deluxe edition of a work originally published in four volumes.
The warm tone of the gesture was no coincidence. Winston Churchill and Otto von Habsburg maintained a close, one might even say cordial, relationship, having known each other since the 1930s. In 1938, the young Habsburg personally visited the Conservative politician, who by then had become one of the best-known critics of Britain’s conciliatory policy towards Hitler and, in his speech after the Anschluss, consistently spoke up for the cause of Central Europe.
They remained in regular contact, both directly and during the Second World War, through Otto’s brother, Archduke Robert, who lived in London at the time. From the summer of 1940, Otto found refuge in the United States and later had a private meeting with Churchill at the Second Quebec Conference. According to his calendar entry, on 17 September 1944, they had lunch together at 1:15 p.m., then walked for fifty minutes in the park of the Citadel of Quebec. The note also records that they met again later that same day, between 5 and 6 p.m.
Otto’s recollections also reveal that, upon hearing troubling news concerning Austria, he even disturbed Churchill’s afternoon rest in order to share his concerns. According to Otto, the Prime Minister received him for a brief consultation dressed in pink pyjamas. After the war, he visited the statesman in London several times a year. Their conversations often touched on the future of Europe and the question of European unity. Following Churchill’s death in 1965, the former Crown Prince recalled his figure in numerous lectures.
The wedding gift opened seventy-five years ago in Nancy, France, was therefore not merely a bibliographical rarity or a personal token of goodwill, but also the tangible reminder of an exceptional historical connection.
Gergely Fejérdy and Eszter Gaálné Barcs
This year, our Foundation is joining the Night of Museums programme series. On 20 June, during the “(Wedding) Night of Museums” event, visitors will be able to discover the history of two Habsburg weddings through special items from our collection. Lectures related to the theme will also offer fascinating insights into the traditions of the period. Further information about the programmes and registration is available here.
