THE MONACO DISPUTE

Sun (Auckland), Volume IV, Issue 955, 24 April 1930, Page 16

THE MONACO DISPUTE

POINCARE AS ARBITRATOR HEREDITARY PRINCESS “DEPOSED” The matrimonial dispute between Princess Charlotte, only child and heiress of Prince Louis, reigning Sovereign of Monaco, and Prince Pierre has been settled. Prince Pierre has won a clean cut victory. A settlement of the Monaco dynasty s problem has been reached without the parties having to appear in public in a French law court. Monaco’s Judicial Council of Revision the highest court of the tiny Riviera Principality—held an extraordinary session in Paris recently, in order to give its decision concerning this princely matrimonial conflict which has been going on for some years. Decision in Camera For months now the Prince and *r™ CeSS k ave been living apart. The Court met in a salon of the Monaco Legation, in Baris M. Henry Buteau, a Paris barrister who m president of thjg council, prel sided, assisted by Councillor Huguet a former judge of the Tribunal of Monaco, and by M. Morfe, a former president of the Paris Court of Appeal. The parties had recently asked M ’ th ! ex 'Premier, to arbitrate. And this eminent jurist has been able to base his decision on a first-hand view of the situation in Monaco, which he obtained while convalescing at Roquebrune recently. His verdict was placed before the council, which sat in camera, and it was decided that his decision should De made a law. Prince Pierre is given the custody of his son, the little Prince Rainier, aged seven, and of Princess Antoinette aged ten. ’ The "separation of body and goods” of Prince Pierre and Princess Charlotte if ifSaiised, but the dynastic rights °* P ” nce Pierre remain intact. Princess Charlotte ceases to be “the up r to lt n a ow. PrlnCeSS ’” “ She has been Prince Rainier, on attaining his majority, will be hereditary prince But should Princess Charlotte obtain a complete divorce— which may be pronounced by a decree by Prince Louis—would not this force Prince Pierre to abandon the rights of hi 3 son? If Princess Marries Again to T be at seTued° ne ° f M. Poincare left nothing to chance He gave it as his view that if Princess Charlotte eventually obtained complete freedom and took another consort she* could not hope to see a son of the -second union reign over Monaco. To emphasise this M. Poincare has taken his French citizenship from Prince Pierre (who is the Comte de Polignac) and made him a fullyfledged member of the Grimaldi family, thus giving the dynasty ironclad protection. “The Comte de Polignac is deadlong live Prince Pierre.” This may well be the cry of the 700-odd Monegasque voters when they go to the poll to elect their national and local councils. It is believed that the decision o* M. Poincare will comform to the wishes of the citizens of the little State, for Prince Pierre is very popular.