LOVE-LETTERS OF A PRINCE

Hokitika Guardian, 21 December 1929, Page 2

LOVE-LETTERS OF A PRINCE

— COURT AND BLACKMAIL BY A COUNTESS. BERLIN. November 1-1. The love-letters of the late Prince Julius Ernest of Lippe (a principality of North-Western Germany) wore once worth more than {JKiO.ODO That at least: was the view of the House of Lippe just before the war began, when the prince was about to ascend the throne of bis little State. These letters, written! to the beautiful Countess Rubener von Litit/, would if published, have placed the prince and family in a disagreeable position. It seemed therefore worth a very coin-

] fortable fortune to get them out of the hands of the charming recipient. When it was decided to pension off the countess with £200,000 it was arranged that she should at once be given £38,000 in cash and that the remaining £102,000 should be paid as soon as she handed over all the compromising documents in her possession. WAR ’S INTER R UPTI ON. Then came the war—and when the countess was asked for the letters, she said they were in the safe at the bank | in England. The family, most hand-' soinely, proceeded to pay her the interest, on the 0102,000, and even when the prince died in 101 S the payments ( wore continued for another four years. j The countess recently began legal proceedings to force the Princess Maria of Lippe, the sister of the late prince, to pay over the part oi the sum she holds to be due to her, and the ease came before the Supreme Court at Leipzig. The countess lost, the court holding that it was against good morals to make a business of love letters. It held that th(> financial arrangement of ltd I was actually based oil blackmail and that therefore the countess’s claim could not Is* established. The prince has been in bis grave eleven years, the House of Lippe lias lost its throne, and what now liapens to these faded letters is a matter of little interest.