A POWER BEHIND THE GERMAN THRONE.

Temuka Leader, Issue 1765, 19 July 1888, Page 1

A POWER BEHIND THE GERMAN THRONE.

William, lately the Crown Prince of Prussia, is now Emperor of Germany. The sudden change which has taken place in the affairs of that great nation may; lead to curious complications. Not the least curious, perhaps, will be those in which a lady of American birth is likely to play a prominent pari. Impetuous, domineering, autocratic as (he new Emperor is supposed to be, he is likewise said? to be as wax in the hands of one clear-headed woman—the lady just referred to. HER BISTORT. Tlie story of how she became a power with one of the moat exclusive of races, morbidly iealous of the influence of foreigners domiciled among them, is worth telling. It was in 1864 that the 1 beauty and grace of Mary Lee, the daughter of a New York banker, captivated the Heart of old Prince .Frederick ot SchleswigHolstein. She was then but twenty-four, and he was seventy. The mhrriage, however, took place after a red-hot courtship of fewer days than he had years. The bridegroom was infatuated with his bride, fortune smiled, and the Emperor of Austria created her Princess von Noor in 1 her own right. Her lively companionship on a three months’ trip among the Arabs and in the Holy Land still further enslaved the aged groom, who, in wealth of his affection, left her every farthing of his enormous riches on their return to Criro. The Noer estates alone are worth neatly a million Stirling. A few days afterwards he died of apoplexy, and the fair American found herself, at less than twenty-five, a Princess, one ot the wealthiest women in Europe, free to marry whom she would, and with a. romance about her that doubled all her' charms. HER “SECOND She soon had crowds of suitors at her feet. Among them came Count Waldersee, a noble of an ancient Prussian family, a favouriio with the K : ng and Chancel'or, an officer of mark, and, what is more, a handsome, clever, and ambitious man. Thi Battle of Sadowa made him a MajorGeneral. They were wed towards the end of 1866, and shortly afterwards took up their residence in Berl'.n. THE WAXiDERSEES, Aided by the wit and cleverness of the wife, and the popularity and ability of the husband, the Walderseea soon became great people. The Franco-Pruaaian war only added to his reputation, and when Count Von MoltkVs.aje compelled him to seek a deputy, the Count was' chosen for the post. As Quartermaster-General his power in the military nation was naturally acknowledged, and the tulon of the Countess became one of the rallying points for the friends of the Chancellor. In 1881 Prince William, the present Emperor, married. Hie wife, the niece of Countess Waldersee’s first husband, is—not to put 100 floe a point en it—a stupid, unattractive womm. The talent and wit of the ex-Emprcas (our Princess Royal) are intolerant enemies of stupidity and sloth of brain, and no pretence was ever made of hiding this. Naturally, Prince William’s indignation at his mother’s treatment of bis wife was great. Tery unhapyy, chagrined, and helpless, he turned to the brilliant, clever Princess in bis trouble. First the wife fell completely under the subjection of the lady Waldersee. whose quasi ■ relationship naturally gave a clever woman the greater bold over her, and the husband was not iong in following. Both are sworn friends of hers, and completely under her dominion—so goes the story.

COURT QUARRELS. The immediate effects, of course, are not hard to see, The bitterest sort of hate has been sworn between the Ku>p r *ss mother and the fair American, whom the former regards as a schemer, an intriguer, and adventuress. The indirect are that tbs present Emperor and his wife are at daggers drawn will) their mother and mother-in-law. In the salon of the Counters they attend the lectures of Pastor Stocker, the leader of the furious social war against the Jews, which is a disgrace to German civilisation, which displeased the liberal minded Emperor Frederick, and which has on one occasion given Prince Bismarck more than enough to do in soothing down and explaining away in official notices the forcible phrases of the reigoiog monarch. THE WALDIRSEBS’ REVERSES, The Count and Countess, when the lats Emperor came to the throne, naturally met with their reverses. On March 24 the Count was ordered to the command of the army of the Rhine. It was a pretty plain hint. But considering that in his house ths s'rnderers of Sir Morell Mackenzie met in force, that there Dr St.b:ker preached a kind of cm ado against one part of the citizens of the Empire, and that the party of heated opposition to the Empress and intrigue against her found ihair headquarters in the same piece, it is hardly to be wondered at that Mollke s repre ent. live was really asked m an unmistakeable manner to absent himself from Berlin. THE TUTURB. But it will be another story now. The Princess Wrddersee is not likely to hare her light put out for long. At all even's the New York Tribune do:s not think so, to iudge from the following, written, of course, some time ago :—“ During the past six months court has been paid to her i such as was paid to M. datnede Maintenon during the latter pr.vt of Louis XIY.’S reign. Until the death of “ Unset Fritz” (the late Emperor) her star will suff r a slight ecipse. But n soon as young William succeeds, the role of our countrywoman will become a commanding one, and the “ power behind the throne " will l a vested in the person of Mary Lea.