Extraordinary Romance

Gisborne Times, Volume V, Issue 114, 23 May 1901, Page 1

Extraordinary Romance

PBINCESS’ UNHAPPY MARRIAGE. Paris, March 25. Princess Isabelle of France, known since Queen Alexandra once called her so “ as the . gracious guardian angel of the Royal House of Orleans,” arrived secretly in Paris three t days ago. She has been in consultation with but few people, but slowly the tragedy of her life is beginning to be known. It is said that the Princess is on her way to Rome, where she hopes to prevail upon ■ His Holiness the Pops to give her the “ extraordinary grant to seek divorce,” whioh has never been obtained since Napoleon I. deemed it expedient to repudiate sterile Josephine and marry the mother of the Eaglet. Divorce is absolutely forbidden by the Roman Catholic religion. * Her story is a sad ending for the sweet romance which delighted the world a little less than three years ago, when sweet Fabelle, then barely 20 years old, married the Prince Jean de Chartres, a dashing officer in the Danish army. . The two were first cousins; that was the slightly disagreeable tinge of the affair. Otherwise the match seemed perfect. Isabelle is a daughter of the late Comte de Paris, head of the House of Orleans, and father of Duke Philippe d’Orleans, the present pretender, who was ignominiously expelled some time ago from the exclusive clubs in London. Her fiance is the son of the Due de Chartres, brother of the Comte de Paris. When she married Princess Isabelle was 20; Prince Jean about four years older. The two had learned to love each other in the shady lawns of Twickenham, England, in the demesne of York House, where the Royal family of France has resided since exiled by the Republic. On both sides the parents objected—the young people were too nearly related—and for the good of the race there had already been too many marriages between first cousins among their immediate ancestry. This opposition was indeed so determined that Prince Jean was on the point of yielding. But at this juncture the ever gentle Princess amazed the world and actually rebelled. Then, as now, she left England with only an old officer as male escort, and three ladies-in-waiting, and she went all the way to Rome to supplicate the Pope. Before the charm of that loving girl at his feet the Supremo Prelate was incapable of resistance. He not only suspended that other rule of the Roman Catholic Church forbidding marriages between first cousins, but interposed his paternal offioes to remove the ’ Royal parents’ objections, and finally gave his solemn blessing to the graceful girl who had entrusted the defence of her happiness to him.

The grand ceremony of the wedding at York House is still remembered. There never was a couple of handsome young loversanarried amid more brilliant surroundings or under more auspicious circumstances. Of course the flower of the old aristocracy of France had crossed tho Channel j besides, the Court of Portugal and the Court of Denmark and others whose members are related to the Orleans by blood or marriage had come to do her honour, and every other Court had also sent representatives. The Duke and Duchess of Connaught were there specially to represent Queen Victoria, As for the then Princess of Wales, she had preferred to come unofficially, just to see and enjoy the happiness of her favourite pet and protege. To-day, after only three years, has the end come of the happiness which seemed destined to last so long ? sgAt any rate, it has been known for some time that Princess Isabelle of France found in wedded’life the most bitter disappointment ever experienced by woman. She is a keen, intellectual, highly-strung young woman. On the contrary, Prince Jean is a soldier who loves (the primitive roughness of sentiment and mannersjdear to Rudyard Kipling and his school. Apparently the gentle heart whose love he had surprised-and captured by his dash and because of her inexperience soon loathed his company. For it will be remembered that, four months after the wedding, Princess Isabelle ran off to her elder sister, wile of the Prince Waldemar, heir to the throne of Denmark, and confessed that she found herself deceived, that all her hopes had been cheated, that her heart was desolate. She piteously begged to be taken, soothed, and comforted.

Soon, however, the busy 'world, unable to learn anything further about that affair, turned to other things; and the episode for a time was forgotten. But now it is whispered that Princess Isabelle met about eight months ago, a man —who is he ? That except to very few, is a profound mystery—a man, at any rate, in whom (prince or pauper) she found the realisation of her ideals.

So long as she loved no one else she has been willing to avoid scandal and to remain, (at least officially) linked to the husband she loved no more, held in pitying contempt .even.

,v ; But when compelled .to admit to herself that she had learned to crave the companionship of another she scorned compromise and deceit and declared that she would obtain the right to offer this yet unknown newcomer her wifely devotion, her rioh womanhood now matured by sorrow. 1 The members of ten European Courts may throw up their hands in dismay at the idea, the greatest among the great moDarchs : of the earth may beg the proud Princess of Orleans to spare Itoyalty the soandal of a divoroe in its ranks. Princess Isabelle is a woman first of all, and those who know her spirited nature do not expect her to sacrifice her life to the empty prestige of rank. Her visit to the Pope is probably but the opening chapter of an interesting serial of Royal romance which will now continue to unfold. -

The Lyttelton Times states : —We do not profess to know whether 'Mr Seddon - was in earnest or not ’-when he hinted at 1 the possibility of another South African c Contingent. We acquiesced in the despatch of the last body of men not because we desired to see New Zealand “beat the record” hi the matter of colonial contingents, but because we were assured . that the men were needed, Events have proved that the Government was fully, justified in its action, more especially because it was necessary to relieve the members of the earlier contingents who had served their appointed term. In the matter of new drafts, however, we shall have to proceed very cautiously. The British forces in South Africa are , still rather inadequate for the work in hand, and so far as newspaper evidence goes it seems that over and above the additional men necessary to straighten the army, some relief is required for the existing forces, who aro becoming stale with incessant marching. The Imperial Government, however, is-silent on this point, and the latest declaration of the War Office is extremely sanguine. Wc have no authoritative news, therefore, to go upon, and our own inclinations are to oppose any movement for sending fresh troops so long as Lord Roberts and Lord Kitchener are satisfied with the progress that is being made. New Zealand has borne her part in the war so bravely that she can afford to rest for a period, and wc may be sure that she will _ lose none of her prestige by holding her hand until the demand for more mien heep.mes imperative. •At the same time Mr Seddon’s guarded utterance was perhaps not without its value. As wo read ‘it he intended to declare the colony’s veadiness to find the men for another contingent if the occasion - arose) and although his critics will dub him bellicose and jingoistic, he was only expressing what is in the mind of the great majority of the community'. We all • fervently desire a speedy termination of the war, ’and New Zealanders will not hesitate to make another sacrifice when the need for it is apparent. It needs Lord Byron’s brilliant pen, His clever, brainy head, To tell us how and why and when Some people are not dead. But since he’s gone we’ll tell the way, How good health to assure, And colds and hacking coughs allay, fat® Wooes’ Great Ppppprmikt Ocrb.