Spanish Princess Marries in Royalty-Thronged Ceremony

The Infanta Elena married a Castilian nobleman at the majestic Gothic cathedral here Saturday in a glittering spring ceremony accompanied by the music of Mozart and Handel and an overwhelming scent of orange blossoms.

The 31-year-old Elena, eldest daughter of King Juan Carlos I and Queen Sofia, exchanged vows with Jaime de Marichalar y Saenz de Tejada, a banker eight months her junior. The 75-minute Roman Catholic ceremony was orchestrated to show off the proud position the restored Bourbon monarchy has carved out for itself in modern Spain.

Brilliant sunshine bathed the Andalusian capital for Spain’s first royal wedding in 89 years, witnessed by a television audience of several hundred million.

The cathedral was packed with 1,300 invited guests, including representatives of royal families from Europe, the Middle East and Asia, the entire Spanish government headed by Prime Minister Felipe Gonzalez and leaders of Spain’s 17 autonomous regions.

Queens Paola of Belgium and Beatrix of the Netherlands, Prince Rainier of Monaco and the sultans of Brunei and Oman were among reigning monarchs present. Britain’s Prince Charles came straight from a state visit to Morocco to join princes and princesses from Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and Thailand.