French police are questioning two individuals after Disneyland Paris was used as the venue for an alleged staged wedding ceremony involving a girl estimated to be around nine years old.
The incident occurred early Saturday morning, June 21, before the park opened to the public. Disneyland Paris had been privately hired for what was presented as a legitimate wedding event. However, staff and security grew concerned upon noticing that the “bride,” dressed in a wedding gown, appeared far too young.
Police were called to the scene, and an investigation was launched. According to the local prosecutor’s office in Meaux, the event was not a real marriage but a staged production involving professional actors.
“The event turned out to be a staged wedding. The guests were all actors,” the deputy prosecutor told Agence France-Presse (AFP). “It wasn’t an actual marriage but a simulated ceremony, filmed with about 100 extras. Disneyland Paris had been privately rented under the pretense that it was a genuine wedding.”
Four people were initially taken into custody. As of Sunday, two remain under investigation on suspicion of fraud and money laundering. They include a 22-year-old man, believed to be British, who allegedly played the role of the groom and organized the event, and a 24-year-old Latvian woman.
The child, who is Ukrainian, was found unharmed and had not been subjected to any violence or coercion, according to the prosecutor’s office. Her mother, aged 41, and a 55-year-old Latvian man were also detained but later released.
Disneyland Paris, the most visited theme park in Europe, offers private bookings for weddings at a high cost, often using its iconic Sleeping Beauty Castle as the backdrop.
Authorities have not yet determined the motive behind staging such an event, nor the precise role the child was meant to play. According to Le Parisien, extras who were hired to act as guests were transported to the venue by bus.
One woman, who said she was hired as a guest, told France Inter radio: “I saw the Disney staff in a panic. Then, through a window, I saw a small child in a wedding dress. A woman was carrying her, and that’s when I realized the child was really young.”
In a statement, Disneyland Paris confirmed: “A private event booked at our destination was immediately cancelled by our staff after irregularities were identified. Police were called and responded quickly.”
The theme park added that it is fully cooperating with authorities and has filed its own legal complaint.
