When Stéphanie learned of the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife in Sarajevo on 28 June 1914, she was convinced that the death of the heir presumptive to the Austro-Hungarian throne was desired by Emperor Franz Joseph I because the deceased had dared to stand up to him. Stéphanie claimed to have warned the victims because the Emperor knew the danger that his nephew was running. Four weeks later, war broke out. With Hungary not yet undergoing too many hardships, Stéphanie set up a makeshift dispensary in Rusovce Mansion. While Elemér accepted a management position in the Austrian Red Cross which took him to Romania and Serbia, Stéphanie worked as a nurse in her residence.