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The History Project – Episode 145
It’s the Daily 304’s presentation of famous people, places and events that shaped West Virginia.
Welcome to The History Project. Today, we take look at… The Elkins-Abruzzi Affair – A West Virginia Woman is Courted by Royalty
When Meghan Markle married Prince Harry in 2018, the world reveled in their fairytale romance. But the schism of “commoner meets monarchy” was exposed when the couple parted from Britain’s Royal Family. However, a century ago, such a marriage was forbidden or reviled, as was the case for Katherine Elkins and the Duke of Abruzzi.
Katherine was the heiress of a West Virginia industrialist & Senator, Stephen Benton Elkins, namesake and co-founder of the eponymous town. Nicknamed Kitty, she ran in the glamorous circles of Washington’s elite. It was at a private luncheon held by President Theodore Roosevelt in 1907 that she met Luigi Amedeo, the Duke of Abruzzi, a famous Arctic explorer, and mountain climber but, more importantly, the son of the King of Spain and cousin of the King of Italy.
The Harry & Meghan of their day, It was love at first sight, and for two years, the glamorous couple conducted a romance that captivated the world. Katherine & the Duke announced their engagement in 1909, but American and European ideals clashed. Senator Elkins insisted that his daughter be given a full royal title. King Vittorio, of the Catholic House of Savoy agreed to this request, but only if Katherine, a Protestant. Rumors abounded about Katherine becoming the Duchess of Teramo, and the Pope granting her father a title but, in the end, she could not abandon her faith for earthly love. With Senator Elkins and King Vittorio at loggerheads, and the citizens of Italy protesting the possibility of American royalty, the wedding was called off.
In 1913, Katherine married William Floyd Hitt, the son of an Illinois congressman. The Duke moved to Somaliland, where he married a local woman named Faduma Ali. When he died, he had only two pictures in his possession: One of King Vittorio and the other of his beloved Katherine, who passed three years later and is forever remembered as the daughter of West Virginia who almost became a queen.
