Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-04-26
sEkvIA's ROYAL FAMILY.
IL II Now Thought That Queen Natalie
May Return 10 Belgrade.


Rscsnt news from little, overturned Ssrvia il
TO the effect that the bold boy king will have
his banished mother, the beautiful and talented
Queen Natalie, brought back to her country.
Natalie, it will be remembered, was the daugh-
ter Of . Russian colonel. When King
Milan met her he was twenty-one and
she was seventeen. Her beauty had made her
famous over the empire. Milan fell desperately
in love with her, but his suit found no favor in
her eyes. She mad, moreover, set her
affections upon a young Russian officer, but
her father, fattered at the prospect Of an
alliance with royalty, overruled all of her OBJ
Jectons. The marriage took place in the sum-
mer of 1875, and Natalie threw herself with the
utmost enthusiasm into the cause of her new
country when war was declared against Turkey
the following spring. She made a personal
appeal to the car for assistance, interested
herself in the hospitals and the widows and
orphans, for all Of which Servia almost adored
her. Then came the war between Russia and
Turkey, in which the latter power was badly
beaten. Servia was free and powerful and
Natalie had become a mother. the child being
christened Alexander. He was born August IA,
1876.
All the Unborn depravity in Milan's nature
now began to develop itself. He neglected the
beautiful and accomplished woman who had
done so much for him and his people, and
plunged into debauchery too gross even to be
named. Natalie conferred all her affection on
her child and on the Servians, who revereuced
her, while they pitied her for the sorrows she
was compelled to endure.
When her child became Of that age when it
was necessary to determine on the method Of
his education the breach between Milan and his
wife became wider. Natalie desired that he
should be educated by Russian teachers. The
king decided that Austrian tutors should have
the care Of the young prince In the bitter quar-
rel that followed she reproached her husband
with the scandalous life he was leading. This,
according to a person. led him to set trap for
his wife. One day, the story goes, che received
visit from the metropolitan Bishop Michael,
who said he came in answer to q note she had
sent him. She was indignant and declared that
q conspiracy was on foot to destroy her. The
kings minions were close at hand and the
bishop was arrested for alleged intimacy with
the queen. At the same time the king applied
the insult, decided, for the sake other child, to
prove her innocence. but after this she never
lived with him.
Milan. in order to offset his own scandalous
record, with the help Of his minions. charged
his wife with infidellty. Finally, in the spring
OF 1887: after hearing that the king had openly
accused her Of improper relations with NJ.
Ristacs, a Servisn diplomat devoted to Russian
interests, she took the boy Alexander with her
and fed from Belgrade to Russia, where King
Mians agents tried to kidnap the child. The
king managed to obtain a divorce through the
metropolitan Theodosius, an aged prelate who
has since retired to monastery. Bismarck
anxious to please Austria, finally compelled her
to surrender the child, after which Milan abdi-
Gated and had the boy crowned providing at
the came time regency until he should become
of age.
Milan was smart enough to make his terms
before he quit the throne. He did not abdi-
ca to INIT ha haA haa ta1
to wipe out his debts The Servians were SO
glad to get rid Of him that they jumped at the
bargain. He did not leave, however. till some
SIX months, and when he had spent every cent
of his 1000, 900 he drifted back to Belgrade,
where he Intrigued against his own son.
The Servians soon grasped the situation and
asked him how much he would take to get out.
His majesty replied that he would go for a mil
hon. They gave him his million on condition that
he would leave politics alone, and he departed.
But ere another year had passed Milan came to
the conclusion that he could not live without
seeing his dear son.
'All right, replied the Servian regents. 1--WE
will send your son to Paris for month";
This did not suit King Milan. He asked per-
mission to regain his Servian property, which
had been seized by the regents as a guaranty
to his good behavior. The regents hesi-
brought in two more millions, which he
has since squandered. Then he appealed to
the regents for a further sum of four millions.
In exchange for his promise not to cross the
Servian frontier and his abandonment of all
his private and public rights in the country,
even to his citizenship. they expresseda willing
ness to pay him the monev. But before he got a
chance to collect it his creditors bounced down
on the king. They saw that he had come to the
end Of his resources and that his ex-subiects
would do no more for him. They attached the
money. Since then there has been some talk of
recOnciliati ton between Milan and Natalie. and
1t was suggested that an effort would be made to
have the decree of divorce set aside. Nothing
came OF it, however, and it is not thought the
new turn Of affairs will make such a recon-
Citation any more probable.