A POWER BEHIND THE GERMAN THRONE

Ashburton Guardian, Volume VII, Issue 1883, 3 July 1888, Page 3

A POWER BEHIND THE GERMAN THRONE

William, lately The Crjwn Prince of Prussia, ia now Emperor of Germ*ny. The sudden change which haa taken plaoe m the affairs of that great nation may lead to ourions complications. Not the least curious, perhaga, will be those ln which a lady of American birth is like'y to play a prominent part. Impetuous, domineering, autoo.-aiio aB the new Emperor la understood to be, he is likewise said to be aa wax m the hands of one c ever and cl>ar-headtd woman — the lady juat r. ferred to. HER HISTORY. The atory of how aha became a power whit one of the moat exclusive of raaes, morbidly jjaluua of the Influence of foreigners domiciled among them, is worth the telling. It waa m 1864 that the beauty and grace nf Mary Lea, the daughter of a New York banker, capt.vated tha heart of old Prlnoe J?.eder.ok of Sohleewlg-Hol-steln. She was tlnn but twenty -four, and he wa% stVdnty. Tbe marriage, howeve r , took p'aoe after a red hot oourtablp of fewer daya than he had years. The bridegror m wai ii.fatuated with his; bride, fortune smiled, and the Emperor of Austria created her Princess von- Noer m her own right. Hen lively companion* ship on a tbree months' trip among the Arabs and m the Hoy land still further enslaved the aged groom, who, In the wealth of his eff otlon, left her every farthing of his enormous riches on their return to Cairo. The Noor estates alone were worth nearly a million sterling. A few daya afterwards he died of apoplexy, aud the fair Amerioan found heratlf, at less than twenty-five, a Princess, one of the wealthiest women m Europe, free, to marry whom she would, and with a romance about her that doubled all her charms. her "second." She soon had crowds of suitors at her feet. Among them oame Count WalderBee, a noble of ao undent Prussian family, a favorite with tho KtDg ond Chancellor, an officer of mark, and, what Is more, a handsome, cl ver and emblllous man. The Battle of Sadowa made him a M*jorGeneral. They were wad towards the end of 1866, and shortly aftewarda took up their residence m Berlin. IHE WAIiDERSEES. Aided by the wit aud cleverness of tbe wife and the popularity and ability of the husband, the Walderaees aoon baoame great people. The Franco-Prussian war only added to his reputation, and when Count Von M_ol)ke'a age compelled him to seek a deputy, tbe Count waa ohoeen for the post. As Quartermaster-General his power In the military nation wbb naturally acknowledged, and the salon of the Countess became one of the rallying points for the friends of the Ohacoellor. In 1881 Prinoe William, the present Emperor, married. Hia wife, the nelce of Oountees Waldenee's first husband, is— not to put too fine a point on It — a stupid, unatiraotlve woman. The talent and wit of the ex-Empress (our Princess Royal) are intolerant enemies of stupidity and sloth of brain, and no pretence was ever made of hiding this. Naturally, Prlnoe William's indignation at h'B mother's treatment of his wife was great. Very unhappy, chagrined, and helpless, be turned to the brilliant, clever Prlnceaa In Ms trouble. First the wife fell completely uuder the subjection of Lady Waldersee, whoEe quasi -relationship naturally gave a clever woman the greater hold over her, and tbe husband was not long In following. Both are aworn friends of hers, and completely under her dominion — co goes the Btcry. COURT QUARRELS. The immediate effects, of oourae, are not hard to see. The bitterest sort cf bate has been sown between tbe Empressmother and the fair Amerioan, whom the former regards aa a schomer, an intriguer, and adventuress. The Indirect are that the present Emperor and hia wife are at daggers drawn with their mother and mother-in-law. In the salon of the Countess they attend tha lectures of Pastor Smoker, the leader of the furious sooial war against the Jews, which is a disgrace to German civilisation, which displeased the liberal-minded Emperor Frederick, and whioh has on one oooasion given Prince Bismarck more than enough to do m smoothing down and explaining away m offioial notloea the forolble phrases of the reigning monarch. THE WALDEBSBES' REVERSES. The Count and Countess, when the late Emperor oame to the throne, naturally met with their reverses. On March 24 the Count waa ordered to the command of the army of the Rhine. It was a pretty plain hint. But considering that In hla house the s'auderera of Sir Morell Mackeoz'e met m force, that there Dr Siocker preached a kind of cru-ade against one part of tho cU'^ins of the Empire, and that tho party of heatod opposition to the Empre.s and intrigue against her found their headquarters m the same plaoe, it is htrdly to be wondered at that Moltke'a representative was really asked m an unmlstakeahle manner to absent himself from Berlin* THE JTUTURB. But it will be another story now. The Princess Waldersee Is not likely to have her light put out for long. At all events the " New York Tribune" doea not think so, to judge from the following, written of course Borne time ago: — "During the past six months court has been paid to her, suoh as was paid to Madame de Malntenon, during the latter part of Louis XlT'a reign. Until the death of ' Unser Fritz' (the late Emperor) her stir will suffer a slight ecllpae. But as soon as young William suoceeda the t&'e of our countrywoman will become a commanding one, and the ' power behind the throne' will be vested ib the person of Mary Lea Prlnoess of Noer and Countess of Waldersee. When the end cornea the banished American will triumph, and aßßlet the present Crown Prlnot.es Iq managiqg the next Emperor, and tqrnJog the Snglleh out of Conj-t bag and baggage, The Count will tben return frrpi the Rhino a Field-Blwshal, and the Qoggteic will alto the majostlg feelghta 0 f fc*. ijmbllion ;S