Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1880-09-03
The Royal Family Of Belgium
From The Whitehall Review ]

The Royal Family of Belgium.
IF.om the Whitehall Review
His Majesty is tall, somewhat flank
monarch Of forty-fve with flowing blacl
beard and a double eye-glass. He has
amiable manners. with ready smile, ant
he loves to Joke. His ruling passion /:
building and for that reason he was
very fond OF VI. Anspach, the late Burgo.
master OF Brussels, who played the part
of Haussmann for the Belgian capital.
The two between them were constantly
tracing out new boulevards and mean
while the King was engaged in building
extensively for his own amusement, u
his very comfortable fortune allows him
to do. He has = private income Of 5000,
600. and Civil List of $3.50, 600 and
upon this he has but three residences Il
keep up. The chalet at Ostend, which
stands like staring casino at the top Of
the cliff, was erected after the Kings own
designs. and is inhabited Ill summer by
His Majesty alone with 4 suit of men, for
the Queen never sets foot III II. 1t Is
flanked By some remarkably fine stables,
ingeniouslv contrived out Of an old artil-
ery barrack. Lacken, the favorite resi-
dence OF the Queen, is Versailles in
miniature. replete with elegance and lux
urv. Its hothouses and fernery are real
marveis Of floral wealth, and its park
might compare advantageously with
Chatswcrth or knowsley. But the COM
pletcst specimen Of that architectural
genius which has won for the King the
nickname OF LEOPOLD le Batisseur" is to
be found in the Royal Palace of Brussels,
which is an uugainly structure to look at
from the outside, but full within of
splendid halls, beautiful conservatores,
and lovely suites Of apartments for the
entertainments of guests.
Next to his passion for building, Leo
pold II, has love OF geographical science,
and siehs for the DAY when Belgium shall
have a navy and colonies. He is never SO
pleased as when he can entertain and con-
verse with great explorer like Norden-
skiold The King also likes pictures,
sculpture, and engrgvings; but he has no
taste for music. and it bores him to at
tend gala performances at the opera, or
to sit listening through those court con-
certs Of classical music Of which the
Queen Is so fond.
Queen Marie Henrietta is III almost all
things the opposite OF her husband. i
grave. sad, handsome woman who never
smiles, she gives one the idea of having
had great deal of domestic sorrow to
bear. The death of her one son, q bright
boy os twelve, was heavy blow to her,
and she has never recovered from IT,
though she has three daughters on whom
to bestow her affections The eldest, the
Princess Louise, is married to Prince
Philip, of Saxe-Coburg 1t Is the second,
the Princess Stephanie, who is going to
be welded to the Archduke Rudolph
and the third, the Princess Clementine,
is child Of eight. All these princesses
have been so severely brought up accord
ing to the usage Of conyentual seclHsion
that before the Princess Stephanie's S
betrotlal the Brussels people never got
Il glimpse of her she had not even been
photographed ; and it is only since her
engagement that she has been allowed to
drive about publicly with her mother and
to ride with her father The Queen like
her sister il law, the Empress Of Austria.
is passionately fond of horses, dogs,
drags, and tandems. She frequently
drives about the streets Of Brussels in a
four hand pony chaise, and very clev-
erly she does it. Her steed might be
called furious" by a London magistrate
but the sleepy Belgian cab-drivers are
accustomed to the sight of her, and get
ont Of her way with alacrity when they
see Her Majesty bearing down ON them
Byher husbands subjects Queen Marie
Henriette is much respected, but not
liked What very little popularity she
has is derived from the gracious patron
age which she is always ready to bestow
upon artists and musicians. She is IN
douLtedly fond of music and, though
animated in her relations with mankind
IN general by all the pride of It Hapsburg,
she conGescends to be aifable when pa
tronizing opcra-singers 1t was Ut her
request that the King decorated the bari
tone TGute.
Tie other members of the Belgian
Court are the Count Of Flanders, the
Kings brother his wife. Princess Of
Hohenzollern-Sigm and their
four chi!dren, the eldest of whom, Bald
VII, Count ol Hainaut, is heir prcsump-
live to the throne. During the lifetime
OF the First Leopold the Count Of TlGn-
ders used to be very popular, bat he has
rather ceased to be so since lis marriage
with Prussian princess for the Prus-
SANS are not in good order with Leopolds
subjects, and the Count has therefore
found 1t prudent to abstain from politics
lest he should be accused Of acting at the
dictation OF Prince Bismarck. He con
fines himself mostly to his functions as
GeErral-in-Chief Of the cavalry, and las
good deal Of technical military knowledge,
which would prevent hin from being a
mere carpet soldier ii he mad tp display
his talents III war. The unfortunate
Princess Charlotte, Empress Of Mexico,
completes the Belgian Court circle. Max
imilian's afflicted wife lives in strict re
tirement at the Chautau de Bouchoute
near Brussels where she receives daily
visits from one or other Of her relatives.
The King secs her once a week ut least,
and 80 does the Queen. 1t IL sad that
within the last year tho ex-Empress's
health has greatly improved, and that she
can now converse nationally ; but her
mind is still clouded.
To conclude these notes on the Belgian
Court one may say that the general tone
Of 1t is respectable without prudery
and polished without brilliancy. The
want Of harmony in tastes between the
King and the Queen prevents them from
dispensing more hospitality than they are
compelled To- do for political reasons, and
for the greater pant Of the year the royal
couple live in privacy. Theu the King is
never so happy US when cluseted with
Count jean dOultremoht poring over
geographical charts while the Queen
divides her time ia unequal parts he
tween her children, her religious duties,
and her stables.