Do You Know the Princess Who Married a Texan; Lived in Amarillo

A lot of guys, especially early in their marriage, will say that they go home to a princess at the end of the day. One Amarillo man really did.

Today I learned about Clyde Kenneth Harris. The name may or may not mean much to you, but he definitely etched his place in Amarillo history when he brought his bride here to settle down.

Humble Origins in Oklahoma

Clyde was originally from Oklahoma. He would eventually join up with the Army Corps of Engineers and then would find himself assigned to the MFAA (Monuments, Fine Arts, and Archives).

According to the information I was able to dig up on Clyde, his exploits include retrieving Holbein's Madonna and searching for the Hessen crown jewels. During his search for the Hessen crown jewels, he would meet his future wife. His wife was the reason why people all over the world would wind up talking about him.

Marrying a Princess

Clyde married Princess Cecilie Viktoria Anastasia Zeta Thyra Adelheid of Prussia. Try saying that three times fast.

The marriage of the Princess and the Texan would dominate headlines.

Princess Cecilie was the daughter of Crown Prince Wilhelm of Germany. Her grandfather was Kaiser Wilhelm II. She was a direct descendant of Queen Victoria of England.

Princess Cecilie and Clyde would wed at a castle before going away on a secret honeymoon.

Reactions to the Wedding

I was able to find a newspaper article from the time that was published in Pittsburgh for an issue of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. The article was published on June 22, 1949.

One of the most interesting parts of the article is about Prince Wilhelm, who was 67 at the time. Many thought he would protest the wedding, but instead all he said to reporters was, "Why bother with me? I am just an old man." He said that with a laugh, and was beaming at the ceremony, according to the article.

It also mentioned that Prince Wilhelm gave away his daughter at the ceremony. This was not a traditional part of a German wedding ceremony, and was done as a "concession" to American traditions.

The article mentions that the ceremony was a mix of German nobility and Texas commoners. I'm sure it was something to see.

A bit tongue-in-cheek, the article suggested that the Princess would move to Texas to live in an apartment, and then later a shack.

The two did reside in Amarillo, where Clyde worked as an interior decorator; an interior decorator who went home every day to a literal Princess.

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The Abandoned St. Anthony's Hospital on Amarillo Boulevard

The 119-year-old abandoned hospital is a fascinating place for any who are lucky enough to be granted the chance to explore.

The sprawling building saw thousands of Amarillo's citizens inside its halls daily, all the the way until it was shuttered in 2001. But there are still incredible artifacts of the all-too-recent past tucked away in the nooks and crannies of the old St. Anthony.

The explorer who took these photographs gave the following information:

"Many rooms were left untouched, we found patient files, old prescriptions, a blood transfusion machine from the 60s, and microscopic slides of breast cancer from the 70s and 80s. I put one picture in here of some heart scans so you can see the dates and diagnosis of the patient, but marked out the patient’s names of course. During a time when mental illness was not understood, 76 exorcisms were documented to have been performed between 1909 and 1931."

Take a look inside the halls of the legendary abandoned St. Anthony's hospital

Filed Under: Amarillo History, Amarillo Texas, history, princess, prussia, texas

Categories: Amarillo News