The Portland daily press., 1892-05-25
POVERTY TO A THRONE.
The Life Story Of Denmark's King
and His Queen.
THEIR GOLDEN WEDDING IS NOW
BEING CELEBRATED.

something About the Ceremonies of
Which All Europe Is TalIxing-The
Aged Bride and Groom and Their Re-
1ations to Europe's ssovereigns-Row an
Impecunious Prince Became the Ruler
of the Danes.
COPENHAGEN, May 24.-Next Thurs
day will be the fiftieth anniversary of the
marriage of Christian TX, King of Dem
mark, to Queen Louise.
The celebration of the event COM
menced today with private divine ser
vice in the Kings residence, when the
royal family partook of the Lords Sup
per. Tomorrow the Corps Diplomatique
at Copenhagen will offer their congratu-
lations to the King and Queen, and will
later in the day be entertained at gala
banquet in the palace of Christian vi.
Early in the morning of the golden
wedding day the chorus societies of Co.
penhagen will assemble before the royal
palace and sing in honor of the King and
Queen. Their Majesties and the imperial
and royal guests will afterward attend
service in Christianberg church. A de-
je,ner dinoto;ne will be given by the
Crown Prince and the Crown Princess,
and in the evening a gala performance
will take place at the Royal Theatre.
On the following day the imperial and
royal party will assemble at q dinner
given by Prince and Princess Waldemar.
Deputations from different parts of the
country will be received on Wednesday
aT,H 40 tvun fnl
will be given by the King and Queen on
the evenings of the 9th and 2Sth of May.
Fredensborg, where the festivities will
take place, is pretty village about an
hours ride by rail from the capital. 1t
has a population of about 1000. Many of
the people belonging to the best society
in Copenhagen live in the village. Fred
ensborg has a very picturesque
situation on a wooded hill. at
the foot of which stretches the
beautiful Lake of Esrom.
Christian TX. of Denmark and his ven
cradle concert, although sovereigns of
one of the smallest and poorest of all
European states, have exercised an influ-
ence upon the course of events which has
been of an Importance altogether out of
proportion to the size of their miniature
kingdom. This influence has partaken
|
mestic character. They have furnished
by their own lives a beautiful and attract
i've illustration of the unalloyed blessings
of domestic happiness and family life
unclouded by any breath of scandal, and
their sons and daughters, grandchildren,
nephewS, nieceS and cousins are to be
found either seated on the various thrones
of the old world. or occupying positions
on the highest steps thereof.
One of the daughters has married the
Prince of Wales, and will on the death
of her mother-in-law become Queen of
Great Britain and Empress of India; an
other one of the girls is married to the
Gar of Russia, while the third and
youngest is the wife of the Duke of Cum
berland, the de jure sovereign of the
Duchy Of Brunswick, and famed as the
wealthiest prince in christendom OF
the sons, the eldest is welded to the
enormously rich Princess Louise of
Sweden; the second is King of Greece,
while the third is the husband of one of
the heiresses of the royal French house
of Orleans.
The early years of the welded life of
Christian TX. and Queen Louise were
full of heavy trials. At the time of
their marriage neither of them dreamt of
the possibility of attaining sovereign
rank. Christian was one of the most
poverty stricken of the petty princes of
Germany. He was merely prince of
Glucksburg, and did not even possess
the right of being styled ''royal high
ness" His daughter was equally poor,
and being the daughter of the Landgrave
of Hesse Cassel, was likewise debarred
from the attributes of royalty. During
the first 10 years of their marriage they
resided in the Castle of Rumpenheim, a
huge barrack-like building in the Rhen-
nish provinces, where the various
branches of the Hesse family, who are
too poor to pay house rent elsewhere,
are able to find at any rate free quarters.
1t was there that the four eldest children
of Christian and his wife were born and
their childhood was passed in the great
est penury.
In 1852 an international congress, held
in London, by the great powers, to con-
slider the question of the succession to
the throne of Denmarl1-old King
Frederick VII, who was reigning then,
being childless and without any near
relatives es-unexpectedly nominated Chris,
tian as heir to the crown. The choice
was due to diplomatic intrigue and to
personal aversion to the Duke of Angus
tenburg rather than to any question of
strict legal right.