Bilawal Bhutto Set To Marry European Princess? What His Party Leader Said

For a while, the social media rumour mill almost made Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari the newest member of a European royal family, only for the Pakistan Peoples Party to step in and shut the rumours down.

Karachi Mayor and PPP leader Murtaza Wahab has dismissed reports of the party chairman's engagement and wedding as "incorrect and unfounded".

Wahab's clarification was posted on X late on Saturday night. It came after reports began circulating that Bilawal, 38, the son of Pakistan's President Asif Ali Zardari, was preparing to marry into a European family.

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The claims, which spread widely on social media, suggested that Pak President Zardari had travelled to Liechtenstein, a small sovereign state located between Switzerland and Austria, to discuss and finalise a date for his son's wedding.

Some reports went further, claiming that Bilawal's prospective bride was 26-year-old former Austrian Archduchess Gloria von Habsburg.

She is the daughter of Archduke Karl of Austria and Francesca von Thyssen-Bornemisza, and a member of the House of Habsburg-Lorraine. She is the great-great-granddaughter of Karl I, the final reigning Emperor of Austria and King of Hungary.

Daily Ausaf, a Pakistani-based Urdu daily newspaper, also reported that wedding preparations were under way, citing unspecified sources. The report claimed that President Zardari was currently on a private tour of Europe in connection with the matter. This report was later deleted.

On August 27, the Presidency posted on X confirming that Zardari "has proceeded abroad on a private visit", but offered no further details about the purpose of the trip.

So far, there has been no comment on the matter from Bilawal or his family.