New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1894-12-16
ROYAL DOWAGERS.
~ur UNPLEASANT FATE OF WIDOWED
QUEENS.
NINE INTERFERENCE WITH POLITICS
COURT OCARRELS

NINE INTERFERENCE WITH POLITICS
COURT oUARRELs
=, reading the accounts Of the ob.equies Of
.,.x,nder III and Of the wedding OF his successor
-. cannot fail to be struck by the tenderly af-
<.o.;onate behavior Of the young Car on all
.,,c occasions toward his widowed mother He
..r,s 10 have been quite touching in the defer
.ncs which he paid to her. and to have impressed
~ nresent with his manifest anxiety to associate
..r with everything that he did. His conduct
N-.ssnts a striking and in every way pleasing con-
.r.st 70 the attitude under similar circumstances
,,bch must have come home with particular
,.e 10 Empress Frederick unless she is pos
.ssed NJ an exceptionally forgiving and indulgent
,oracter weakness which dreams of
..,ihnC 10 her And yet she. too was deserving
:. svmpathy and consideration when she lost her
.,shand-perhaps even more than the Czarina.
Tho closing scenes Of the life of Emperor Freder-
a., we're quite as heartrendng those at Ii
odia. instead of being surrounded by devoted
,,atives and friends. she had bitter enemies even
.uong those gathered around the deathbed Of
,hs diving monarch. and finally. with her i'm
osrious nature. her ambition and her strong mind
sna must have suffered more acutely than gentle
rnnress Marie from the knowledge that the loss
:, her beloved husband involved the loss also OF
~ tho mower and influence which she had only
x..r nerrjtted 10 WELD for the brief term OF 100
days
There is something particularly hard in the
q, y, the widows of monarchs. which do not
think is sufficiently taken into consideration. In
.,.,r case death robs them not only Of consort.
Nh, also Of rank. power and position. They are
comnelled 10 step down from the throne with all
Aha, such a descent implies. and 10 yield the
,,ace 10 their daughters-in-law. For once in the
nav the daughter-in-law rises superior TO her
husbands mother and not alone relegates her 10
q very secondary place. but likewise makes ner
tae,-even IL animated by the kndest Intentions
that her presence al court is source OF emoar-
easement. For IL there ever was superfiuous
niece Of furniture for which there is no suitable
room. it is dowager Queen Empress: and so
thoroughly is this fact appreciated that sort
=, unwritten law. based on tradition and prece-
dent. exists among the regning houses OF Europe,
,,hcb prescrbes that she should make a point
~ remaining as much as possible absent from
STATE functions and entertainments at which her
successor as frs, lady in the land happens to be
uresent. The object Of this provision is TO avoid
dra wing general attention to a change that Is
usually painful for the elder Of the two. She is
from court. leaving her successor every freedom
10 introduce innovations and 10 alter things 50
AZ 10 suit the latter's own fancy.
Thus. Queen Adelaide Of Great Britain. widow
~ King William ". survived her husband for
nearly fifteen years yet was never seen at court
save on two occasions when she emerged from
her retirement at the urgent solicitations Of
Queen Victoria the first time being on the occa-
sion OF the latters marriage 10 Prince Albert
and the other at the christening OF the Princess
Royal now Empress Frederick. when. as god
mother she held her niece's firstborn at the font
With these two exceptions she was practically
Invisible throughout the entire duration Of her
xidowhood, being little seen In public that
when she died at Stanmore Prory her beautiful
suburban place near Harrow. and was borne to
egrave by old sailor veterans who had served
under her husbands orders in the navy. most
people became aware for the first time that there
had been such a person as a Queen Dowager OF
the United Kingdom
While no one anticipates that the widowed
Czarina will ever attempt to in any way usurp
the prerogatives of Empress Alexandra. or to in
fluence the actions CT her clever daughter-in-aw,
both Empress Frederick Of Germany and queen
Pia Of Portugal have. since they became widows,
been a source of no end of turmoil and unpleas-
Both ladies are renowned for their cleverness.
and pride themselves on being what the French
50 graphically describe as mattresses femmes."
But neither one nor the other is renowned Tor
the possession of much tact. and the result is
that there has been a good deal Of friction and
unpleasantness between the dowagers and their
successors on the banks OF the Spree and on those
Of the Tagus At Berlin the Empress Frederick
.x3,,ica N "A
manner on what she was pleased to consider the
Intellectual dulness and density Of her daughter
in-law that it came to the young Emperor's ears
and created some very bad blood. Moreover. she
had become so much accustomed TO lord 1t over
her children TO exact from them, even after they
had grown I'D the bndest obedience and even
subseryiency that at first she could not resign
herself TO become in her turn submissive 10 pre-
c.sely those two whom she had until then treated
with the greatest strictness and disregard ior
their incl,natons There were, consequently
some very stormy scenes between the Emperor
and his widowed mother. who considered hersci
80 badly treated to call for the Intervention VI
her English relatives The upshot was that al
Europe was made aware Of the bitter leenhsS
prevailing between mother and SON. ana tha' tpe
latter plainly gave Empress Frederick 70 uhoei-
stand that il would be more pleasant ior all par
ties concerned II she withdrew for time from
court and avoided any further encroachment upon
the prerogatives and position Of Empress Augusta
Victoria And II. OF late, she has been 'rea'ed
with greater degree of consideration than IN the
nrst years Of her widowhood 1t is because 'he
Emperor's reckless extravaganza has resulted III
financial straits that have brought nome u
him with particular force the fact that MS mo'her
has, as heress OF the Duchess Galliera' very
long and well-flled purse.
At Lisbon the unpleasantness mas peen "i d"
even still more acute character the late ming
Luis was an easy-golng indolent man. WHO
throughout the twentyeight years OF MS occ"-
pancy Of the throne permitted his strong-ni"oeu