"Unlike many of the kings, queens, and princes of Europe throughout its long history of monarchy, Archduke Ludwig Viktor of Austria (1842-1919) declined an arranged marriage for either dynastic or strategic reasons. In fact, he declined to be married at all. An imperial wedding between him and one of his beloveds in Vienna's great St. Stephen's Cathedral was inconceivable, violating both ecclesiastical and civil law."
"Not every princess bride-to-be considered him a desirable romantic partner, either. Reporting about "Life in Vienna" in its February 15, 1880, issue, the San Francisco Chronicle wrote, "The Archduke is not a handsome man; he has the unfortunate 'used-up look' of a fast liver." An "old French Marquise" described him as "a charming man, but c'est un chat qui a beaucoup couru les toits [this is a cat who has run across a lot of roofs]." She did say whose roofs they were."
""he is not tall," he is "well formed, and the Field-Marshal uniform becomes him well. His mustache covers the too sensual lips of the Hapsburg physiognomy, and the carefully parted and curled blonde hair is most becomingly brushed back from a superb forehead which denotes nobility and intellect, both of which qualities he possesses, if the assertions of the exquisitely beautiful danseuses and gay Countesses can be relied upon.""
Archduke Ludwig Viktor of Austria (1842–1919) remained unmarried by choice, rejecting arranged or dynastic marriages. An imperial marriage with a beloved in St. Stephen's Cathedral was legally impossible, and domestic unions of the kind he might have entered were illegal in Austria until 2019. Contemporary accounts described mixed public impressions: some criticized his appearance and reputation while others noted his nobility and intellect. He maintained close ties with ballet dancers and socialite women and was portrayed as an ardent lover of the ballet. His private life was an open secret despite his rank as a General of the Infantry.
Read at San Francisco Bay Times
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