KINGS WHO MARRY BENEATH THEM.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIII, Issue 83, 16 July 1910, Page 10

KINGS WHO MARRY BENEATH THEM.

I _«. L If a recent decision of a German court of law is upheld, it would appear that the German Emperor is morganatically married. Jn a law-suit a brother of the Kaiser's wife—Duke Ernest of Scrleswig- | Holstein—who had been summoned as a [ witness, claimed the Royal privilege of ' giving evidence at home. The judges ! rejected his claim, however, and ruled " that he was not of Royal rank. Aacurally, if this judgment is correct, his sister, the present Empress, was not of Royal rank at the time of her marriage, and eonsequmtTy'tt'"waV"m'or'giiiiatfc. It is extremely doubtful if such a decision would be upheld; it it were, it would mean that all the Kaiser's children would be debarred from Royal rank and his wife would not bo entitled to share his throne, so strict is the Statute of Equality of Birth in regard to Royal marriages In Germany. The assassination of King Alexander and Queen Draga of Servia is doubtless fresh in the minds of many readers. This assassination was really brought about through the Servians' objection to Queen Draga, who was formerly a lady-in-waiting to the King's mother, sharing the throne. The climax was reached when the belief got abroad that King Alexander intended to propose Queen I Draga's brother as heir-apparent. So strong was the feeling against such a proceeding, which was in defiance of all Royal statutes and precedent, that on the tragic -day, June 12th, ISW3, some Army officers broke into the Royal palI ace and assassinated the Kin» and Queen, the Prime Minister, the Minister for War, and the Queen's brother. At one time it was thought, after the death of King Leopold of Belgium, that serious trouble would arise through the revelation of his morganatic marriage with the Baroness Vaughan, so angry were the people with him for his neglect of the country and treatment of his family in order to carry on his various, amours, and the fact that he had married the Baroness according to the rites of the Church, thus legitimising their children and saving for herself a large share of Leopold's vast fortune. | Curious enough, King Leopold's fa- ■ tlier, the first King of Belgium, who, as Prince of Coburg, married for his first wife the only daughter of George IV'., whom he lost* within a year of their marriage, consoled himself some time later bv marrying morganatically a celebrated i

actress,'with whom he lived a very happy life. When he accepted the throne of Belgium, however, he divorced his morganatic wife, who spent the rest of her days in obscurity. Manv are the rumors which have been circulated at various times regarding the morganatic marriages of kings of to-day, but the story that the Czar was morgan- ■ aticallv married to a member of the lm-1 perial 'ballet in St.i Petersburg, a clever I Polish dancer, has never been denied with authority. His infatuation with j this woman continued for many years,' and his interest in her remains even to i the present day. Two children were horn to him by this dancer, and these are being quietly reared in Paris. Of course, thev mav never enter Russia, although their farther is Emperor oi all the Russias. The mother, however, may come and go as sKe will, and it is reported that three years ago she took up her residence in St. Petersburg, where she now resides. One of the famous morganatic marriages of history was that of George IV. to Mrs. Fitzherbert. Gossip there was in plenty during the lifetime of this King, but not until long after his death und°the death of Mrs. Fitzhci'bcrt was there actual knowledge of the rumors concerning them. Ueorge 1. was morsranaticallv married to the Duchess of Kendall. " Countess Augu*te von Borroch was another woman of social rank who. upon becoming the morganatic wife j of Kiuu' William 111., became Princess of i Licuuiiz. The Duke of Cambridge, on i the oilier hand, married Miss Fair--1 brother, an actress, a woman of charm, : but without social rank. Their children ; to-dav bear the name of FitzGeorge. I A morganatic marriage which, on be- ■! ing frustrated, resulted in a terrible ttrajjedv. was. that, of the Crown Prince ' i Rudolph, only son "of the"'Emperor "Fran ! cis Joseph of Austria. Rudolph w-.n I'force! into a loveless marriage witl ' Princess Stephanie, daughter of Kinc i I Leopold. Falling in love with Countess . Vetera, he expressed his determinatioi I , to renounce his succession to the throne 1 in order that he. might be divorced fron - Stephanie and take to himself thi i Countess as his morganatic wife. Bu 5 such were the difficulties placed in hi i wax that at last he gave up in despair ' and one morning, Rudolph and the Count ess were found dead in a hunting lodge