Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1888-07-28
TEE STORY OF AN Ex1LED QUEEN

dangerous TO give them their right
>ame."
TEE STORY OF AN EXILED QUEEN
The domestic skeleton in the household
Of the Servian King has been the subject
of q good deal of newspaper comment
Recently, and while public sympathy was
strongly with Queen Natalie there ap.
peared statements that checked its flow
and partially reversed the public verdict
The story was to the effect that the whole
difficulty between King Milan and his
Queen grew out of the discovery by the
former that the latter was intriguing with
Russia for his dethrouement, and it was
held that this was disloyalty on the part
of the wife and sufficient cause to Justify
his anger, his separation from her and the
seizure Of his son, the young Prince
There is just enough of truth in the
story to make its misuse vicious. Mr..
George Haendel has done good service to
the public by setting forth all the facts in
the Epoch. While it does not matter
much to Americans how frequently or
bitterly monarchs quarrel. nor how much
the corruption of courts grows and is ex-
posed. wrongs inflicted upon woman do
appeal strongly to the chivalrous spirit OF
Americans, and the disposition to side with
the Injured and misrepresented can safely
he counted upon to secure the sympathy
Of our people. Its manifestation cannot
do Queen Natalie any good, nor is it ex-
tended to her the more that she is a
Qneen, but it is always satisfying to
Americans to know that their sympathies
are not misdirected.
le truth of the Servian scandal NAV
be briefly related. Prince Milan, in 1871,
married Natalie Kecho, the daughter of
the Roumanian Princess Stourdza, her
husband being Russian Colonel of great
wealth. Natalie yielded to parental in
auence, not to love, in the match. She
vas immensely rich, very beautiful, highly
cultivated, possessed a strong intellect and
wss noted for her upright character, char
table disposition and her foresight At
the Servian capital she found no society.
She however taught the Servians what
social life at the capital should be, accorl-
inc to her ideas of rank and virtue. Had
she been permitted to carry on the work,
she would have built about the King an
almost invincible Gordon of social influ-
ences. He however preferred vicious
and Legitimate courses, and gave his wife
tive women, and made her married life
wretched. She would have been less than
a true woman had she not protested. One
great shame, almost in the honeymoon,
she condoned, but it was followed by inf
delitiee and brutalities that crushed her
heart. In the war of 1885 her husband
proved a coward, while she was bending
her energies and expending her means to
mitigate the horrors of war and relieve the
sufierings occasioned by it. The Kings
defeat in the field broke the faith the peo-
pie must have in their ruler to insure re-
spec: and loyalty. But as he sank in
public esteem the Queen rose in popular
ity. He had not necessary royal dignity.
He made himself common, played cards in
the barracks, and entered the houses OF
ambassadors unannounced and unexpect-
ed, as a hale fellow, and while his Queen
screwed in her chamber he amused him
self as his tastes inclined him.
II seemed likely that his throne would
slip from under him, and party in oppc-
sition to him approached Natalie with the
suggestion Of his abdication, coupled with
the threat of his overthrow by the inHu-
enoe Of Russia, which, it was represented,
favored Peter Karageorgevitch 1t wss
pointed out that if he abdicated, the right
of her son, the young Alexander, then a
little over eight years of age, could be pre-
served through a regency, of which she
should be the head. The wife faltered.
and tie mother won, and as a result Ma
talie listened to the scheme. 1t came to
nothing, for Milan heard of it, appealed to
Austria and held his throne OF course
the breach between husband and wife was
then irreparable, and little over a year
ago, owing TO the refusal of the Queen to
recognize 4 lady Of the diplomatic corps,
whom she believed to be on too good
terms with King Milan, Natalie left the
Capital, after violent scene, and went to
the Crimea- \ peace was patched up and
the couple reunited. But it was not long
until Milan and Natalie again fell out, and
the former boxed the ears of the latter
She took the young Prince and went to
Florence, where she met Queen Victoria.
through whose influence reconciliation
was effected, but the King forbade her re-
turn 10 the Capital, saying that 1t would
create political difficulties. Soon after he
asked the Synod of Bishops to consent to
his divorce from the Queen. She resisted
and protested, because she had done no
wrong, not because any affection existed
for the King on her part.
Next came the recent struggle for the
Prince, the success of the King in
gaining possession of his son, and
the permanent exile of the Queen,
whose fortune has slipped through
the Kings fingers Milan IS befriended by
Au,lria, upon which government he smiles,
because he fears the pretensions OF Peter
Karageorgevitch, who has strong follow
ing Russia sympathizes with Natalie, but