MISER'S DAUGHTER.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1713, 2 April 1913, Page 8

MISER'S DAUGHTER.

I. i THE BETROTHAL. ROMANTIC END OF FAMILY ; FEUD. Tho official announcement was made in Berlin on February 11 of the betrothal of the Kaiser's only - daughter, Princess Victoria JLouiso, of < Prussia, to Prince Ernest Augustus, l only son of the Duke of Cumberland. The Prince's German title is Prince Ernest of Brunswick Luneburg. The Kaiser and Kaiserin, Princess Victoria Louise, and her Ijrother,, Princo .Oscar of Prussia, arrived at Karlsruhe by special train at ten o'clock on the morn-, ing of Fehrnary 12. Jrince Ernest Augustus reached Karlsruhe from Munich, where ho is a lieutenant in the Bavarian heavy cavalry, early in tho evening. 'With the betrothal terminates the longstanding feud between the houses of Hohenzollern and Hanover. The young couple. met at. luncheon at. the ' grandducal castle at Karlsruhe, Prince Ernest escorting tho Princess to the table. Tho other guests included tho Kaiser and Kaiserin, Prince Oscar, and tho Baden grand-ducal family. ■ . Prince Ernest, who became the Duke of Cumberland's' heir in May of last year, following the death-in a motor-car accident of - his elder brother Prince George William, is twenty-five years old. He is, therefore, five years the senior of Princess Victoria, who will bo twenty-one next September., yThe young people met for the first time at Potsdam at the beginhing of last summer, when the_ Prince came to thank the Kaiser for his sympathy on tho occasion of the death of Prince George. The Prince and the Kaiser's.daughter became mutually attracted at first sight and have since,,it is understood, kept up a correspondence, besides meeting on frequent occasions. Although their marriage will bo an allianca of high political significance, it v is that genuine mutual affection will b'e primarily responsible for it. The Kaiser has known his prospective son-in-law a little moro than four years. His Majesty's consent was required for. the admission of the Prince-to tho Bavarian Army in 1908. ■ When the Kaiser visited Munich in the autumn of the same year the. Prince was presented to him, and it ' was reported then that his Majesty accorded him a conspicuously cordial' reception. , . The. press of Germany greets tho impending reconciliation between the Hohehzollerns and the Gu'clphs with universal satisfaction.- , Many, rumours aro in.' circulation. Among them, is one alleging that the terms of nia-rriago to be arranged at Karlsruhe will provide for Prince Ernest becoming Duke of Brunswick. Another rumour alleges that a marriage will also bo arranged between Prince Oscar.of Prussia and Princess Olga of BrunswickLunoburg., Tho quarrel between the Houses of Prussia and of Hanover began in 186 G. When Queen Victoria caino to the throne of Great Britain in 1837 she. could not succeed to that of Hanover owing to its law against a woman Sovereign. Thus her uncle, tho Duke of Cumberland, son of George lII', succeeded as. King of Hanover. He died in 1851, .and was succeeded on tho throno by his only son. In 186G Prussia was at war with Austria, and the King'of Hanover refused to take arms against the Aiistrians. Ho was, however, ultimately obliged to surrender to the Prussians, and Prussia annexed Hanover. Bismarck afterwards tried to persuade the King to abdicate formally, but ho refused, and was deprived of his kingdom and part of his fortun<>. The King, who . had been bliiwl from the ago of fourteen, died an exile in Paris in 1878 aL the age of fifty-nine. 1 1 ' • ■ The present .Duke* Cumberland, who succeeded to Vno British titles, of tho exiled King, lias never resigned his claim to Hanover. Consequently- tho breach with tlio Hohenzollerns has; remained. 'A further rosult was that the Guelphs were also debarred from the ducal throno of Brunswick, their right to which, liowcveiy had never been disput'etl.' The first step in tho reconciliation was Prinoe Ernest's visit to tho Kaiser at Potsdam last June, the first tiuio a member of tho Guelph family had visited the imperial Court since 18G6. "'Apart froin the dircct relationship of tlie British Royal Family with tho House of Han- i Jver, Queen Alexandra's youngest sistfcr ' is tho Duke of Cumberland's wife. Her ! ;ldest son was killed while motoring ■ icross Germany to Denmark to attend tho , luneral of his grandfather, tho King of Denmark. ! • i