ROYAL ROMANCES THAT HAVE FAILED

New Zealand Times, Volume LIII, Issue 12621, 4 December 1926, Page 11

ROYAL ROMANCES THAT HAVE FAILED

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gEHIND the bald fact is a tragic romance in the life of the Duchess. The Duchess is a year older than her husband. Before she met him, she had already met Baron von Plettenburg, a German noblo, and had fallen in love with him, not knowing then the destiny for which her parents had reserved her. She married the Kaiser’s son, as ordered, but it was plain that the marriage of policy had not killed either hef love or that of and ere long it was discovered that the Baron was still corresponding with her. HUSBAND'S OTHER LOVE At the special request of her fami-

ly, he went to America within a year of her marriage, but letters still continued to pass between the two. One of his was intercepted and read by other eyes than hers, and it caused a scandal even among the loose-livers of the Potsdam Imperial Court. For twenty years she has endured, and would have endured to the day of her death, in all probability, but Eitel became enamoured of another woman a short time ago. No longer hedged round by the formalities of the Kaiser’s court, he has laid before the Potsdam court a petition for divorce, which will be heard at an early date. NAPOLEON AND JOSEPHINE Best known of all royal love tragedies is that of Napoleon and Josephine, the fascinating, languorous, frivolous Creole widow of the Vicorate de Beauharnais. He was a penniless artillery officer when he first met her and was instantly captivated by her charms. Napoleon pressed her hard, but only brought her to think seriously of their marriage by getting nominated to the command of the army in Italy. They were married two days before he set out to take up his command, and his letters to her during his absence, passionate and ardent, breathe the very spirit of love. During his campaign in Egypt she became acquainted with an officer, M. Charles, for whom she experienced a transient passion, and there is little doubt that the Egyptian campaign was altered by the news that came through to Napoleon of their amour.

He hastened hack, to find actual proof of his wife’s infidelity awaiting him, and when confronted with ail the evidence thought of divorcing her. But he made the error of seeing her first, and in a matter of a week, or less, she had the conqueror of Europe at her feet again, securely hers yet for years. But her beauty, the radiant, glowing beauty of southern women, was waning, and Josephine in turn had to endure infidelities. Up to ISO 9 she held him, though the cord's that bound them to eaoh other were fraying and then he announced his intention of divorcing her. From her retirement at Malmaison. near Paris, Josephine watched and waited through the tragedy of the Russian campaign, and through that of Leipzig and the Emperor’s abdication. She was not, however, to witness the long-drawn-out tragedy that followed Waterloo, nor even the final downfall of the conqueror, for in May of 1814 she died. Her friends never ceased to point out that in putting her away Napoleon put away his luck, and it was true that his star waned from the day of their parting. A little later came the tragedy of Mrs Fitzherbert, George IV.’s wife, and of Queen Caroline, his queen. While still a young man George met the beautiful widow, and wooed her with all the ardour of youthful love. Though she fully returned his love, Mrs Fitzherbert refused to become his mistress, and at the same time knew that marriage meant that he must renounce the succession. PRINCESS BRIDE In the end she compromised with a secret marriage, illegal in view of the Prince’s position, more especially since she was a Roman Catholic, but binding enough in the eyes of the Church. But George was a dissolute rake, through and through, and before many years had passed he was looking for other attractions —and finding them. Driven by his excesses to debts of vast extent, he compounded with his father by offering to marry Princess Caroline of Brunswick, a lady whose character was hardly above suspicion, even before her marriage. Her conduct led to questions regarding the legitimacy of their only daughter, but nothing could be proved against her. Georg© prohibited her access to the child more than once a fortnight; at his accession, he ordered that her name should be omitted from the Prayer Book. At his coronation, he forbade her entrance to Westminster Abbey, and she was repulsed when she attempted to force her way in. A Bill was even brought before Parliament to divorce the queen and deprive her of her royal titles, but it

had to bo dropped. Her death in the summer of George’s coronation put an end to the disgraceful squabbles regarding her position. FORGIVEN Prince Carol of Rumania affords a modern parallel to George IV. Married morganatically to the daughter of a Rumanian general, Mdlle. Lainbrino, he renounced all his rights to the succession, only to resume them when, three years later, ho married Princess Helene of Greece, his first marriage having been annulled. Again he renounced his rights, but this time for the charms of Mme. Lupesco, a beautiful Hungarian with whom he lived in. Paris and other places. Then, only a week or two ago, it was announced that his mother, the Queen of Rumania, had forgiven him for his amorous exploits, and that he will again resume his rights of sucession to the throne. N

THE “DOLLAR PRINCESS” Tragedy of a different sort is that of the “Dollar Princess,” wife of Prince Christopher of Greece, younger brother of King Constantine. For years Christopher was in love with the beautiful widow, and in 1920 they. were married, when she brought him a dowry of eight millions sterling. She spent over seven millions in her attempts to place Constantine on the throne again, and restore the fortunes of the Royal family of Greece. It was in vain, though, for the courage and persistence of her efforts found no real sunnort for those she tried to aid. “Tino,” a more poverty-stricken adventurer in Switzerland, was not worth the trouble she spent on him. and she died three ye*rs after her marriage, in the knowledge that her daughter, Mollie, could never be a European queen.