New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1894-05-20
"UNCLE LEOPOLD"

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HOW HE CAME TO MARRY PRINCESS CHARLOTTE
-INTRIGUEs FOR THE THRONE OF GREECE
BETTER LUCK IN BELGIuM-HIs
DESCENDANTS.
Paris. May T.
The memoirs OF Baron d'Haussey throw curious
light on the character OF Leopold l. late King OF
the Belgans and uncle OF Queen Victoria, WI
was brought up by her mother, the Duchess o.
Kent nee Princess Of Saxe-Gotha. to regard him
as father Her Majesty IN her lettings on the even
Ing OF the day on which her eldest daughter the
Princess Royal. welded to Prince FrenericK
William Of Prussia who reigned six weeks as Ger
man Emperor speaks OF tho company at the
bridal In nIluding to the brides party. she speaks
OF her Uncle Leopold. mammals own brother the
vses, king IN Frrone" Leopold who a
vicious and unamIabe man, with a gloss OF ro-
mantle sentimentallty. was then supposed 10 nave
been all his life the broken-hearted wdower or the
Princess Charlotte only child or George ~ OF
England. He had skill in conceang his many
amours and after he accepted the crown or tho
Belgians was supposed by his English admirers to
have made n great sacrifice to his people In tearing
himself from Sir Thomas Lawrcnccs portrait OF
the def,nct wife to marry King Louis PhNippes
eldest daughter. II s true that he never loVen 'ns
princess and to her harsh. unsympathetic
husband But It was not the image OF the princess
I
three Rubensy ladies' Caroline Bauer. who was
brought up nj Coburg with the Duchess OF Kent:
Mary Anne Smith. who figured here for nearly
thirty years the wealthy Comtesse dfVon' ana
the baroness Meyer n Jewcss. Leopold nlso pasSeu
for the most disntcrcsted OF mortals. When his
three sisters were sent TO Russia to enable Cathe-
rine II to choose from among them a wife for her
grandson Constantine Paulovitch. Leopold as a
younger son accompanied them. one OF the three
Coburg princesscs. Juana, being chosen he re-
celvod n commission In the Russian Army. AS ne
was fortuncess he was some years later 10 en-
abe him 20 live named ni1e-de-camp to the En-
peror Alexander l. II In that quality that ne
,isi,ed Iondon in 1918 sister OF Alexander, the
Grand Duchess OF Oldcnburg. was sent short time
previously 10 London TO poison the nina OF Char'
lo,te against her then sutton. the Prince OF Ut
ange ard 10 prepare the way for the suit OF Leo
pold Charlotte. the daughter OF an alcoholic fath-
er and Of AIghty. ndiscrect mother. was easily
Influenced After "A few chats with the Grand
Duchess she obstnately refused the Prince OF
Orange who was educated at oxford to secure
for him popularity In England. Leopold then came
with the allied sOvereigns. a ball was given III
their honor Ivy George. who was then only Prince
Regent and the Princess Charlotte. seeing Leopold
fell madlv In love with him. The Grand Duchess
proposed him to her she declared she would never
marry any one else and 50 she was allowed 10 nave
him sixty thousand pounds year were settled on
him bv Parliament. and hundred ana ifty thou-
sand on th,. Princess who died I'm less than year
after giving birth 20 dead son. beopoid theh
made No y match between his youngest sister. VIC
,oire and tho eldest OF Georges brothers. the Duke
Of Kent Tho Queen was the only child Of this
marriage and her Saxe-Coburg uncle became. when
her father died I'm 1890. her de- facto guardian she
was brought no 20 revere him. and somehow fan
cied until cutie lately that he was devoted to the
memory OF hls dear departed Charlotte.
The memoirs OF Caroline Bauer and certain Facts
NVOn Qul IarOnc ~
Never which Truth" revealed op nd the Queens
eyes Baron dIIaussey's Memoirs must quite de-
molsh the legendary Leopold The Baron WAS
member OF PolCnac Ministry OF lNs- W. whicn
provoked the revolution that sent Charles into
exile and raised Louis Philippe to the throne. II
was during TINT period that Egypt and Greece
broke away from Turkey. Algers was taken by
the French. nnl the Turkish Navy destroyed at
Navnrino hy the united British. French and Rus
sian squa.lrons. Greece being freed and the prnci-
pies Of the Holy Alliance triumphant In Europe. 1t
waq Judged necessary for tho three powers 10 give
the Greeks n King But they did not easily agree
among each other to the prince who was 10 be
raised 10 kugshp. France preferred a Catholic
prince the lad Otho Of Bavaria. He was young
enough 10 learn Crock AMI assimilate Greek man
ners and customs Munich already wOrshlppe1
Greek art. Bavaria Isolated and "A small
State and had no sea route 10 Greece. Russia,
having no orthodox prince preferred in principle
a Protestant candidate. n cousin OF the then Car.
Prince Paul OF Wurtemberg. grandfather OF the
King Of that State but then the younger son OF
younger brother Paul had n beautiful wife. Cattle
rine Of SAKE Altcnberg. n house that has since
furnished the Grand Duke Constantine. Prince
Frederick Charles Of Prussia and the late King
OF Hanover with wives This candidate said that
II need be- he and the Princess Paul would enter the
Orthodox Greek Church. He urged In his own
favor his Talents and experience" But France
objected 10 him because OF his morals. his revoiu-
tionary intrigues and his want of money. Pnnls
mother was the Princess OF brunswick. sister OF
Oueeu Caroline OF England who as wife OF the
Prince Royal Of Nuremberg. went when SHE and
her husband were living al St Petersburg on her
knees before Catherine II TO ask her TO protect her
from the brutalitics Of the prince Her three chill
drcn were born there. namely. the late King OF
Bavaria Catherine wife OF Jerome Bonaparte and
mother Of the late Prince Napoleon. and Paul
when the Princess Royal and her husband were
returning from -. Petersburg TO Stuttgart. the
princess. at Thorn. fell IN love with Jewish
player end determined to devote herself TO him.
Her husband to report that she was dead ana
TO b. free remarry. He was delighted. ana ala
rs she proposed. and took for his second wife the
eldest daughter OF George III Of England who
was alive when Paul her stepson. was a candidate
for the throne OF Greece. She supported Pauls
candldature In London. However the three powers
decided that no fOrtuneess prime shouId Dc chose
Greece being too poor to afford handsome civil
England then put forward Frederick, Prince OF
Orange whose fortune was enormous. He was OBJ
iected 10 by France as stanch Protestant and as
belonging 10 family which had been for three
centuries closely connected with England Prince
Leopold OF Saxe-Coburg meanwhile proposed
himself He came over 10 Paris secretly. saw all
the Cabinet Minister'S. and when he had talked
them round asked to see Charles y Leopold said
that he was not welded 10 Professionalism. that he
would regard with equal eyes all shades OF Chris,
tians that he would be devoted TO France and
even belong to her; that ne would lose no oppor-
tunity 70 show his gratitude II she accepted him.
and that he wealthy. and ny reason OF his
wealth independent Of Great Britain. The wealth
was saved capital and the life annuity OF sixty
thousa nd pounds settled him by the British
Parliament when ne had arranged to marry the
Princess Charlotte Of Wales This income he rep
resented was absolutely secure. Charles consented,
Leopold asked him to give him daugher OF Louis
Philippe then Due d'Oreans. But the King or
France referred him to the young ladys father.
who knowing Leopold to be OF immoral Ire In
private. and Of a harsh disposition refused: A.. i.