RUMANIAN ROMANCE

Evening Post, Volume CXIII, Issue 3, 5 January 1932, Page 11

RUMANIAN ROMANCE

PRINCE AND COMMONER

The.full story of the secret marriage of Prince Nicholas of Rumania, brother of King Carol, published in Vienna, but uncpnvincingly , denied by the official Rumanian newsagency, was given in a slightly different form on 16th November iv a Hungarian newspaper. The newspaper says Prince Nicholas met his brido five years ago. She immediately obtained.a divorco from her husband, M. Radu Saveanu, and took the name of Mme. Dolctte.. M. Saveanu "was transferred from the Bucharest Foreign Oflieo to a legation abroad pn accouut of frequent threats to shoot Prince Nicholas. For tho last fivo years the Priuco spent all his free time in the company of Mme. Dolette in Bucharest. To overcome King Carol's objection to -her lowly origin, Prince, Nicholas vainly endeavoured, to obtain from the Vatictin tho title of Papal Count for Mme. Dolette's father, M. Dumitrescu. Finally, on 7th November, both motored to the village of Tohan and'ordered the registrar to celebrate their marriage! When King Carol heard of the marriage he immediately had the records seized, brought to Bucharest, and submitted to the High ■ Court of Justice with a view to tho marriage being doclared invalid. The Court annulled it on the grounds that the King's consent had not been, obtained and that the marriage was not registered personally by the Minister of Justice; ANOTHER VERSION: Another Hungarian newspaper publishes yet•'' another version of the Prince's morganatic, marriage. According to this Queen Marie's visit to Princess Ileana yon Habsburg in Germany had- tho purpose of persuading Ileana, who has great influence over both her brothers, to intervene and settle the conflict between them' due to the marriage. . The paper assorts that the marriage has not yet been annulled, although King""Carol has seized the registers. Tho Prince threatens, if annulment takes, .place, to follow Carol's own example iv the affair of'Mme.-Lupescu and resign his title of Priuce. He would thus establish his right to marry Mme. Saveanu, for if he were an ordinary civilian the King would.bo unable to intervene. ; Princess Iloana. hopes to pcrßuade either Prince Nicholas to consent to tho annulment or King Carol to agree to the marriage. Hitherto the King -and Priuee Nicholas have been tho hest of-friends, as the latter had always supported Carol in his love affair Mme. Lupescu, and frequently sp'okc for him while he was exiled. It'was known aj far back as June, 1930, that Nicholas' passion for Mmo. Saveanu played a big role in paving tho way for King Carol's return in that month. THE ROYAL BROTHERS. A message published at ,tlie time stated: "Prince Nicholas threw a bombshell by that ho was determined to surrender the Regency by Whit Saturday. The reason is that he is hopelessly in lovo with a Rumanian lady, the former Mme. Saveanu, whom he is determined to marry in defiance of his mother's intrigues to frustrate this." - Queen Marie summoned for Whitsuntide a Hohenzollern family council at Sigmaringen. It was in reply to this that Nicholas delivered his; ultimatum. He also told Carol: "Everything is ready. The nation and the army await you. Return before Whitsuntide, My decision is irrevocable." , After his return the King persuaded the_ Prince that it was unfair for him to insist on marrying Mme. Savoanu, as Carol himself was unable to.: marry Mme. Lupescu, and expected his brother to exorcise similar.restraint. The discovery that Prince Nicholas after all had carried out his marriage plaus infuriated the King.