SECRET LOVE AFFAIRS IN ROYAL PALACES.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LII, Issue 250, 27 November 1909, Page 3

SECRET LOVE AFFAIRS IN ROYAL PALACES.

.NOBLEMEN WHO LIVED AS WOMEN There is, perhaps, no more remarkable episode in the history of the Koyal .Courts ot Europe than that in which the Chevalier D'Eon the wonder and puzzle of the eighteenth century, figured. The Chevalier 'was a human enigma, inasmuch as no one really knew, during his lifetime, whether be was a man or woman; and many were the wagers made, and many the duels fought, arising train tbe hot discussions concerning him.

According to Mr. Thornton Hall, i:> his interesting book, "Love Intrigues of ltoyal Courts'' (says a Home paper), the bets made concerning the Chevalier at one time reached the enormous total of CTO.OOO, and one of the almost eountlless wagers actually became the subject of a lawsuit, in which one witness alter I another swore that IVEun was a woman, apparently on no stronger grounds than that he so successfully assumed the role of female.

DECEIVING AN EMPRESS. At twenty-six he had the face anil t figure of a girl of eighteen—and a very ' charming girl too. At the sanie time ', he was one of the most skilful fencers in France, and excelled in manly sports. Struck by his feminine appearance, ' iLouis XV. actually sent iiiui, in the guise of a young girl, as secret (im-| bassador to • Elizabeth, Empress of pßusfsia, with whom he was anxious to establish friendly relations. "The Russian Empress was charmed by this fair ambassadress, with her 'milk and roses' and her pretty ways, and metaphorically, if not literally, took her to her imperial heart; aad when Mile. Lia—as D'Eon called hirosell —confessed, with charming blushes and ' confusion, the little deception he had j ' practised, so far from taking offence, . the Empress loaded him with honors." Incidentally ho induced the Empress to '. consent to an alliance with France and| . Austria, which resulted in the Seven I Years War. So the story goes, although I ' some writers have thrown doubt upon

[MYSTERIOUS LADY OF VERSAILLES I There is no doubt, however, tlmt the Chevalier visited this country. and iefused to divulge the secret 01 .. - <-' X to the moat fascinating of questioners. Ultimately, for political purposes, D'Lon actually confessed that he was a wonuui, and for many years was known as "Mademoiselle," although when he died at eighty years of age the doctors 1 set all doubts at rest by declaring that, after all, D'Eon was a man. Equally astonishing is the story unfolded by Mr. Hall concerning the mysterious "lady' of Versailles, who died half a century ago. At least, everybody thought she was a lady, although her death revealed the fact that "Mil*, de Langes," as she had been known lor many years, was really a man. Many thought that she was none other than the Dauphin, who long years before hud been smuggled from his temple prison and had vanished. De Langes certainly bore a likeness to the Dauphin's father, Louis XVI., the murdered iiing.

A LOA.N Ui'' a,OUU,UUU Jruii.M.o. "Mile, de Langes,' however, was really an impostor, wno took the nanus ana impersonated the character ui a certain Jenny de Langes, who had died, ami whose father had lent s,uuu,uuu iraiios to a certain Count D'Artois, hoping to obtain the money. With this cnu i" view, '•Mademoiselle' gut a certain oointesse into her power, and made her introduce her to her exalted friends, and even Royalty. -Mademoiselle" piayeu. the part of the woman—an injured and long-suffering -woman —to perfection.; She flirted and coquetted with men, and wormed herself into the favor oi great ladies by her patience under a great wrong. , , ,• i. In the end, however, the bubole burst, and, baflled and outwitted, im» man-woman abandoned the quest of the 5,UU0,000 francs, and lived an eccentric life at Versailles until her death, when the astounding secret that she was a man was Tevealed.

.\ DISASTROUS MARULAC-K. "A parody of a man.' So I'hiiippe ol Urleans, who married Henrietta, the youngest child of Charles L, ha, be.-n described. "To the age of thirteen «e had been dressed in girl's clothes. Most of his time as a young man was spciu in dressing Uimseli in gorgeous ranueiil, and he spent hours in rouging and perfuming knusclf. He was a woman, wii.i all her faults and none of her virtues childish, feeble, fond of gossip, curious, vain, suspicious, and incapable ot noidimi his tongue." Small wonder that u>e marriage with the high-minded and highspirited Henrietta proved a disastrous " Of the tragedies of the Koyal Courts ol Europe none, perhaps, is more sad than that of Ludwig of Bavaria, who succeeded to the throne ol that country when he was eighteen years' of age. Ludwig was undoubtedly mad, although he had his sane moments. He was betrothed to his cousin, the bcautitul and universally - beloved Princess Sophie Charlotte. "Medals were struck in honor of the event, and at a cost ol 1000,000 gulden a magnificent bridal tarrUwe was built for the Koyal couple. And then, when the preparations tor the splendid nuptials were almost complete, Ludwig refused point-blank to go to the alterf The bride was' sent home in tears, and his subjects were left to make the best of their disappointment, And many were the tricks he played until lie committed suicide. LADY NEWBOROUGH'S QUEST. Tra-'ic in the extreme was the. disappointment of Lady Xewborough, who died in 1843, and who to the last believed that she was a daughter o the Duke of Orleans and the hist lad) m France. She spent many years ot her life and many thousands of pounds t; i„ K to establish ner claim, but without success, and she died a disappointed. 1 lonely woman. . According to some documentary ■» - dence, she had been changed at. »rih and placed in the keeping of a oonsU'm 0 f Florence, the latter's son being lakin awav in exchange by a nobleman, said to be the Duke of Orleans, and hi- «H ■ I The girl became a ballet-dancer, aad attracted the attention of Lord >■■«- 'borough, who was visiting Horcnce. a , 'who married her m spite ol the >■ |' | that he was old enough to be .. > !grandfather. After Lord >wbuioi...a - death she married again, ami it wa-f n jvcar* afterwards, in 1820, that.she hi-i rained an inkling of the mystery ol h<> birth. But, although her hopes wen- 1 raised at limes by the discovery ot yitain clues which seemed to prove nei real rank, they all led to nothing '», the end.