CAREER OF AN EX-KING

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 196, 4 September 1937, Page 15

CAREER OF AN EX-KING

Lady Muir, who is herself a Bulgarian by birlh, gives an interesting account of the post-tVar career of «xKing Ferdinand of Bulgaria. The exEing, who used to be known as "Foxy Ferdinand" on account of his long nose and his shrewd ways, was elected ruler of Bulgarda in 1887, havjng previously lived the carefree life of an Austrian Archduke in Vienna. At one time he was an important political r force in Europe, but at the end of the War, in October, 1918 he abdicated in favour 7 y of the present ruler of Bulgaria, King Boria. •'Ever since he has lived in absolute retirement,,, said Lady Muir, "making his headquarters in a small villa at Coburg, in Germany, but travelling extensively every year. He is now over seventy. He has shown great dignity in bis esdle, and that as why one has heard so little of him in the daily Press. He paSsed almost unnoticed in Great Britain just over three ycars ago, when he attended aii Ornithological Hjlference as any other scicnt'st; but

his anonymous paper on tho birds of East Africa obtained special attenlion." In Kenya recently Lady Muir met a whito hunter, who had drivon the exKing all over Uganda and Kenya twice within the last few years, He told me that he had never met a man with such remarkable knowledge of birds, beasts and plants, such endurance and such patience. ... One of the most eharming incidents of this trip wa & exKing Ferdinand arriving ono evening at Lake Victoria with the white hunter. They stood together in silence after many hours of travel on thc silver shore of this beautiful lake, and suddenly the English drivcr 'saw that under his dust-eoat King Ferdinand was wearing a decoration. The King then told him that it was given to him some forty years ago by Queen Victoria at Windsor Castle; he had brought it speeially with him to wear for a fleeting moment — unnoticed, unkuown and in exile.