Normandy: a century-old veteran marries his 96-year-old fiancée

Love has no boundaries and is ageless. This Saturday in France, an American veteran of the Second World War symbolically married his fiancée, two days after the ceremonies for the 80th anniversary of the D-Day landings.

Harold Terens, 100, very moved, said yes to his finance Jeanne Swerlin, aged 96, at the town hall of Carentan-les-Marais (Manche).

The real-false marriage was celebrated by the mayor of the town, but has no legal validity, because the two young spouses are not French residents.

“Getting married here in Carentan is incredible: it’s my second favorite place in the world (…) I feel young again”the groom told AFP after the ceremony, after greeting the crowd on the balcony. “My religion is love” And “love” has “triumph” of the war, he rejoiced.

The bride and groom, who are almost 200 years old between them, kissed as passionately as young lovebirds, to the cheers of the assembly, while a singer, Miss Liberty, sang a “Hail Mary”.

The young bride confided that she “waited 96 years to find the right person and I have a marriage like only kings and queens have.”

After the ceremony, the “newly weds” had lunch in a small group, surrounded by their loved ones. The couple, who lives with their partner in Boca Raton, Florida (United States), were invited in the evening to join Paris for dinner at the Elysée in the company of Joe Biden and Emmanuel Macron.

Decorated in 2019 with the French Legion of Honor, Harold Terens was honored again Thursday alongside many other veterans during the D-Day ceremonies. After World War II, he married Thelma, with whom he had three children. The death of his first wife leaves him devastated. Then he met three years later Jeanne Swerlin, also a widow, and it was love at first sight.