River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1893-12-14
PIGMY RULERS.
Underlined Monarchs of Southern Hu-
rope.

rope.
Archdulxe Francis Ferdinand of Au-
strla, who has just passed through this
country on his way back from China
and japan TO Europe, presents an I'M
usually good example of European
royalty, as far as physique is con-
cerned, writes the Marquis de Fopte-
noy. When / say unusually | mean
that there are few of his class as well
set up as he, the major portion of the
personages of blood royal being under
sized and defective in stature. espe-
cially those of southern Europe. Thus
King Humbert of Italy is frail and
short, while his son and heir, the
prince of Naples. is even less
than five feet in height and
is slight III proportion. The king
OF Portugal and his brother are
both stumpy and fat, while the
late King Alfonso resembled the other
members of his family. excepting Don
Carlos, in being understood 10 an in
credible degree He was fully cogni-
zant of the puny character of his APP
pearance and sought 20 improve it by
every means in his power, including
padding, high heels, etc; but all with
out avail. Don Antonio, the husband
of Princess Eulalie, is not Spauiard,
but Frenchman by birth. his father,
tn, late Due de Montpensier. having
been son of King Louis Philippe of
France. All the members of the Brit
ish royal family are extremely short,
especially the queen, who is not much
90 II ~ l.,
becoming with increasing years almost
as broad as she is long. The only two
princes of Great Britain who are of
the average British stature are the
duke of Cambridge and the duke of
Cumberland.
The members of the Dutch royal
family are. like those of England, alb
breviated in sta lure, and so. too. is the
present generation IF the Hohenzol-
lerns. with the solitary exception of
Prince Albert. the regent of Bruins
wick, who is as gigantic as those Anal1s
of modern royalty, the princes of the
reigning house of Sweden. Perhaps il
is due to the Pyreneau peasant blood
in their veins, derived from their an
cestor, the father of Field Marshal
Bernadotte, that they are of such mag
nificent physique, and the same may
be said of the car and of certain of
the Russian grand dukes whose blood
has been maintained in a healthy con-
dition by the frequent marriages with
women of the humblest class of So
ciety. the Empress Catharine having
been little better than a mere camp
follower. Alexander III. is close upon
six feet three in height This, at anv
rate, is the measurement recorded
against that wonderful column in
the Danish cathedral of Roes-
kilde, the resting place of the
ancient kings of Denmark Against
this column a number of monarchs
have been measured and their height
recorded. Conspicuous among them
are Peter, the Great, who measured
six feet ten. Only one other of the
sovereigns was taller and that was
King Christian l. of Denmark, who,
according to this authority, was just
trifie over seven feet. The present
King Christian of Denmark measures
close upon six feet, while his grandson,
Prince George of Greece, who visited
this country couple Of years ago,
stands six feet two in his stockings.
The tallest of all the royal ladies of
Europe is assuredly the good-natured,
unconventional and somewhat unin-
tellectual crown princess of Denmark,
daughter of the late king of Sweden.
whose height is the same as that of her
father-in-law, King Christian, a gigan-
tic tature for a woman. Her children
show tendency to follow her in this
respect. and her sons compare favora-
bly, in height with that of their cou-
sins, the sons Of King Oscar, every one
of whom is exceedingly tall. Chicago
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