The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1890-03-02
EX-0UEENS IN EMILE.
EUGENE, ISABELLA, MARIA So
PHIA, CARLOTTA, NATALIE


Every now and then, at some fashioaabl o
watering place or health resort in Europe,
one comes across a quiet looking lady, who.
by reason Of her plain dress and unobtrusive
manners, seldom draws to herself a glance
from the passsrs-by, but who, at one time or
another, filed an important place in politics
or directed the fashions of the world.
writes Mrs Lucy H. Hooper to the New
York Home Journal. There is scarcely
more trying position on earth than that
of an ex-sovereign. What change it must
be for the dethroned queen to pass from an
atmosphere of homage and Difference, from
the perfumed boudoir of a palace, and
from the unceasiug round of court cere-
monials and gaieties to the existence of a
private individual, almost wholly unnoticed
by the crowd that once adored her, and
honored and recognized by few personal
followers only.
The Empress Eugene is probably the most
celebrated of the dethroned royal ladies' OF
Europe. Her story reads like such a wild
romance. from the beginning Of her career
as a society beauty down TO the disastrous
| days of her uncrowning, her widowhood
and the loss of her son, that she is ALWAYS
interesting TO the public at large She has
never vanished int obscurity. Her move
ments are chronicled, her purposes and iu-
| tentions speculated upon. and her appear
ance described as though she was still reign
| ing at the Tuiileriss. Yet she leads a life OF
the strictest retirement, never even indulg-
ing in visit to the opera or the theater,
though in her prosperous days she was very
fond Of all sucn amusementS.
Once when Eugene was on a visit lately
to Queen Victoria at Windsor the young
princesses, headed by Princess Beatrice,
who is an amateur actress Of a considerable
degree of talent, got up little French play
rs q surprise for their guest. She sat it
out unfiinchingly, but the next day she
prayed the princess never to indulge in pri-
vate theatricals any more while she was
with them.
AN UNOSTENTATIoUS DRESSER.
Eugene dresses now always in the deep
est mourning, shIns the notice of all the
world, and passes her time between under
going treatment for the rheumatic affe c.
tions from which she suffers cruelty and
in acts OF devotion. A more total contrast
can hardly be imagined to the life she used to
lead as the most beautiful empress in Eu-
rope and acknowledged queen of fashion i'm
mersed always in whirl of fetes and cere.
monials, dressing and devising dresses when
admired and courted, and also, alas always
hated.
For with all her charms and destinations
the Empress Eugene never was popular in
France, even when the second empire was
in the full blast of its glory. She used to
make up" excessively during the last years
of her royalty, powder, paint, hair-dye and
kohl-penciling for the eyes being extern
sively used by her to conceal the ravages
mazda nv trina haf fnCoT, 10
beauty. Now, by returning to simple nat
uralness, she has regained goodly portion
of her charms.
The fine outline of her features and the
artistic proportions of her throat and
shoulders show to advantage in her plain
attire, and the long blue eyes, with their
sphinx-like glance, are set off by the white
locks and pale complexion. the empress is
now 63 years of age, and is lovely old
lady, after having been radiantly beauti-
full young one.
But for the Empress Eugene there would
have been no Franco-Prussian war. no
Sedan, no exile at Chislehurst. The prince
imperial would never have gone to fight
the Zulus, and might have been living, aud
perhaps reigning at the present day, but
for the influence of his mother. Baron
Haussman. in the fourth volume of his
Memoirs, states that while at Biarritz he
talked with NJ de Bismarck of an alliance
between Prussia and France
The tirst-named nation was TO cede to the
latter the frontiers of the Rhine. while
France, in exchange, was to aid Prussia to
establish the empire of Germany. "In
fact, says the baron, an. de Bismarck bad
come thither to conclude an alliance with
France. The failure of the project was
owing to the empress, who, being an ardent
Catholic, desired an alliance with Catholic
Austria. This was a mistake; we ought TO
have leagued ourselves with Protestant
Prussia" This recent revelation (which
has only been made public within the last
few days. shows conclusively how disas-
trous was the part played by the empress in
French politics during the later years of the
empire.
SPANS Ex-QUEEN.
The dethroned queen who bsars appar-
entity with the lightest heart the vicissitudes
OF fortune and tho trials of maternal
bereavement is the ex-queen OF Spain.
Isabella of Bourbon dresses gorgeonsly.
though in light colors that do not suit by
any means her ponderous embonpoint, and
keeps up ia Paris her little hirtations with
gentlemen of rank inferior to her own
down to the present day. She used to be
much straitened for money, but when her
son came to the throne he settled a hand
some income on his prodIgal mamma This
assistance did not arrive till after she had
disposed of the greater part of her Jewels at
puollc auction. q fact which gave rise TO q
curious occurrence at one of her majesty's
evening receptions.
On this occasion theregwas numbered
amongst the guests the Spanish-born wife
OF an English earl, who had bought at the
sale very peculiar necklace in emeralds and
diamonds, the designs for which had been
executed by Queen Isabella herself This
lady had the exceeding bad taste to wear
this necklace to the reception in question,
and on beholding it her royal hostess sat
down on the nearest chair and literally
gasped for breath.
HOW ANOTHER CROWN WAS LOST.
Perhaps one of the most interesting of
these uncrowned royal ladies, or at least
one OF thoss who have had genuinely
romantic history, is tine ex-queen Of Ma
pies, wife to Francis III. OF that country.
The young queen OF Naples, Maria
Sophia, did not indeed rival in personal
attractions the dazzling loneliness Of her
elder sister, the Empress Elizabeth
of Austria, but she was looked upon as
coming next TO her in point Of beauty of
all that family of fair princesses, her
charms surprising those of her younger
sisters, the Countess de Treni aud the
Duchess d'Plencon. She was only few
months over IS in 1859, when she was
married, and it was as girl of 10 that she
threw herself heart and soul into the vain
effort undertaken by her husband to retain
his throne.
Gen. Cialdiui used TO sAy of her that she