Great Catherine Spumed in Love Affair

Sun (Auckland), Volume IV, Issue 1040, 2 August 1930, Page 18

Great Catherine Spumed in Love Affair

Romance of Prince Alexis Orloff Now Told . . . Refused To Share Throne Lest Jealousy Should Lead Him to Kill Empress . . . Old Age Reflections . . .

One of the most interesting love stories of all time is revealed publicly in detail /or the first time. It has to do with the famous Empress Catherine If. of Russia —Catherine the Great. It depicts this famed beauty, who had many lovers, spurned by a gentleman of the Russian Court.

Hearing reports from London that the Soviet Government proposes shortly to publish tit entirety the memoirs of the Princess Dachoff, confidante of Catherine and aide in the plot which elevated her to the Russian throne, the author of the following romance here tells the story as it was handed down to her by her family. Princess Radxiwell, who pens this story, is the grand-daughter of Dmitry Dachkoff . who was Minister of Justice under the reign of Nicholas 1.. and direct descendant of the Princess Dachkoff Just before his death Dmitry Dachkoff was advised by his family to give the family archives to the museum of the Emperor Alexander 111. in Bt. Petersburg. What Princess Rad dwell now tells is contained in the papers Soviet Russia proposes shortly to publish.

JE * innumerable love i affairs ot Catherine 11. have been related over i&WwT'W' and over again, beginnlng with her romance

with Soltykoff, who is supposed to have been the father of the Emperor Paul I„ and followed by her successive flirtations with Poliatovski. Orloff, Potemklne and others. But so far no one .lias told the story of the one great love of her life, the memory of which accompanied her to the grave, a love which was as intense as it was deep, but a love which remained unrequited! Catherine 11. scorned! It seems impossible, but it happened, nevertheless, and the story is as strange as it is pathetic. Its hero was the brother of the man to whom Catherine owed her throne, the man who had had the courage to organise the conspiracy which resulted in the deoositi'-n Peter 111., Catherine’s feeble-minded husband: in his subsequent atiou and in the proclamation of Cath erine herself as Empress of All the Russias. His name was Alexis Orloff. For several years previous to this event his brother Gregory had been the lover of the then Grand Duchess. Gregory Orloff was a handsome, clever, dashing young officer, with a keen senr° of the advantages he and his farrb.y might obtain through his affair with Catherine. It was he who attended Catherine on that fateful morning when she seized the throne

From the very first day of his appearance at court Gregory had ap plied himself to win the heart and favour of the then Grand Duchess Catherine. She had responded to his affection and there is no doubt that she loved him dearly for a while and that he exercised such a great influence over her that she even contemplated marrying him about a year after her husband’s tragic death. But for once the mighty Empress encountered opposition to her will among the nobles of her court. Finally she gave up the idea and people assumed that her affection for the brilliant Gregory was on the wane. What happened to bring this romance to an end? People tried to guess, but no one suspec ed the real reason for Catherine’s altered feelings The eldest of the five Orloff brothers was called Alexis. He had taken t considerable part in the corspiracy to which Catherine owed her throne; it was said, in fact, that it was his brain and not that of Gregory Orloff that conceived this conspiracy. He was a man of great courage and determin ation, one "who did not hesitate at anything, and who, moreover, was gifted with great intelligence and an iron will. When Peter 111. was taken prisoner and sent to the lonely castle of Ropscha, it was Alexis Orloff whom the new Empress chose to guard him Alexis guarded the deposed monarch

Catherine the Great of Russia, who succeeded to the throne following the death of her husband which teas brought about by a coterie including Alexis Orloff, the platonic lover of the Empress. so well that he by killing him and, what’s more, he had the audacity to assume full responsibility for the deed. Three days later he presented himself before Catherine as if nothing had happened. Catherine did not know Alexis Orloff well. She had been far too much engrossed by his brother to have bestowed a glance upon the energetic man who had dared destroy the hue band she had bated so fiercely. But on that day when Alexis reappeared before her she was struck with his appearance and splendid figure and began to think of him. There was. however, one thing which the newlymade Empress did not suspect, tor a'l of her intelligence, and this was that Alexis was in love with her and had been for several years. It was a romantic feeling, this devotion of the dashing young officer for the despised wife of the heir to the Russian throne. He not only worshipped her as an attractive, clever woman, whose statesmanlike qualities he liad guessed before any one else had thought of noticing them, but he respected her as the sovereign lady whose rule he determined to support When he saw his brother Gregory become the object of her affections he suffered cruelly, but made no sign. She granted him an audience a few days after Peter ll.'s funeral. Cath erine had never shown herself reserved where the men with whom she was in love were concerned, and by that time she was already aware tha* she loved Alexis, whose devotion to herself had touched her profound!*' It seems that she told him so and at the same time offered to break off h-»i affair with his brother. One may imagine her surprise when Alexis re plied to her: “I am yours madam, yours for you to do whatev -r you like: I w 11 consecrate all my life to you. but I will not sully your Imacin my heart by an unworthy or dis respectful thought. You will never be anything more to me than mEmpress!” She offered him everything he could poss bly want or desire, even to share her throne and become her husband, but all she obtained was his reply that he would never accept from her the place she had refused to hi* brother. “The devil take Gregory!" exclaimed the infuriated Catherine. “I

hate him. I don’t ever want to see tin again, but if you drive me away from you I will break even your haughiv heart.”

Alexis bowed profoundly to the Empress as he replied: “You are free to do whatever ytu like, madam, but for me you will *Jwave remain the unapproachable Empress ! ” Catherine made a movement toward the man who dared to defy her. u if she would strike him. then fell in a dead faint on the floor.

The next day It was wh:spered that a new favourite had been installed in Gregory Orloff’s place, a young officer of an illustrious origin, whose family was supposed to be descended from Rurik, called Vassilchikoff,

Alexis Orloff was asked why be had not tried, in his brother’s interests, f» prevent it. but he replied that he had no influence over Catherine.

The Orloffs had been created Princes, and Gregory received many new gifts from the Empress, but »hf never reinstated him in her favour although young Vassilchikolf wa:

quickly dismissed. The Empref was still struggling with her feehnt for Alexis Orloff, although a Mb: time passed before she admitted bin again to her presence without witnesses present to hear their coutb sation. But when Gregory Orloff * thought himself of getting married t > one of bis cousins, a thing which va> forbidden by the Russian Cbnrcr Catherine, as head of it, granted hiia dispensation to do so. Callin' Alexis to her, she told him of her ac. because she thought it would pleas • him to see her so kind to his brothe: Again she met with no response. Till Empress never succeeded in breakiE the wall of ice Alexis had erected b* tween them. This infuriated her almost to frent: hut increased her respect for this nia i who had the courage to disdain tnj affection which she offered him, Ml continued to offer to him, until h <r death. Every time she was about t> select a new favourite she renewel her attempt to bring Alexis to BG feet, but she always failed. Her “ mained Impassible and calmly loo*” on as one after the other — Potewki n ’’ Zavadovsky. Korsakoff, t»n*ko Mamonoff, Yermoloff and Zuboff «•> reeded themselves in her favour. This went on for many years. Ming which almost all the men who lu® played a part in C athei ioe's lue the days which had closely fo!low< her accession to the throne had diet one after the other. She !UI T IV ‘ them all with the exception of AM* Orloff, whom she continued to lot with riches and honours until he came the richest and most powen man in Russia. One evening, ay* or two before the Empress s ° death, she found herself alone *■ him. At that time they |i»d tuelast intimate talk. Both of tn could look with calm on the stora of the past, and so they opened toe hearts to each other. « “I have never loved anyone as have loved you!” said Catherine. "I have never to w®* ' any woman but yourself." replied v loff. “but I had to refuse the love offered to me because 1 knew thai would have killed you if you h* d ® , ventured to look at any other Empress though you were!” . Then Catherine, the elderly, cyan?' Catherine, pulled out from the b°®jr of her dress a little silk bag « wore hanging from a chain around neck. Opening it, she disclosed miniature of Orloff tn his !’ ou 2|® days, when he was a dashing e™ . of the Guards. He. In his turn, ® the same thing, displaying before - eyes of the Empress her own u ness, which he had carried over heart all through the years du* which he had refused the lo T ® had entreated him to accept, in two old persons wept together or the “what might have been!