The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-02-18
HELENE OF ORLEANS.
The Unfortunate Princess Who Will
Soon Visit This Country.
Pitiful Romance Of Her Life-Barred
by Her Religion From Marriage
With the Duke of Clarence.

at San Francisco. The reason Of this
early start is that they intend to spend
the cold months of December and Janu-
airy in Egypt, after which they will sail
for Melbourne and thence go on to San
Francisco. 1t is apropos Of this voyage
that a writer in the Figaro has been tell
ing US a royal love story, an idyl of over
1900 words, which. if not poem, is com
posed in highly finished style.
The princely names of Battenberg,
Grand Duke Salvador and Archduke Ru-
dolph recall the history of two hearts
meeting at the foot of some continental
throne and then finding insurmountable
objects; of their casting far away the
burden of life or the burden Of power, TO
find in the forgetfulness of death, or in
the shadow of the unknown, the happiness
they dreamed of. But it is of a royal idyl
which has remained respectable, if not
poetical, where no one has been spotted,
and which constitutes a melancholy page
in the eternal book where pity for men
writes in honor of hearts irretrievably
wounded, that Anxious tells in the
Figaro.
Those persons in Paris who were at
the Lyons railway station last Thursday
might have seen a tall and somewhat
beautiful young lady of gracious appear
Ance, of slender and almost imposing
form, and tastefully dressed enter
train southwark bound 1t was Princess
Helene d'Orleans. Accompanied by NJ
and Nine. do Costa, she was on her way
TO Brindisi, where her brother, the Duke
d'Orleans, awaited her. With him she
leaves for Egypt, where the royal
travellers will live until the approach of
the warm season. Then, when she is
sufficiently recovered from her presest
grief, she will go around the world and
will cross the Pacific to San Francisco, so
as to visit the midwinter exposition
toward the end Of March.
1t is a secret for no one that the Prin-
cess Helene had a profound affection,
that was touching in its sincerity 1t
was an affection fully returned. and the
Duke Of Clarence, eldest son of the Prince
of Wales, its object. This love began
during visit made by the Count de Paris
and his family to Queen Victoria at Bal
moral There, as everywhere else, Prin-
cess Helene's truly royal elegance, the
charm OF her smile and the gentleness of
her eyes, won all hearts. More than all
Others the Duke of Clarence was struck
by her womanly grace, and a spontaneous
affection sprang up quickly in their hearts.
Timidly at first, and then resolutely, the
avowals of the one were listened to with
sympathy by the other, and in the touch
ing confidence Of both the prospect of a
happy marriage seemed a sure one.
Then an almost insurmOuntableo obstacle
appeared-a difference of religion. 1t was
hoped, however, that this obstacle would
be less formidable than it seemed to be
at first. There had been a precedent. A
princess of Orleans, Marie, daughter of
the Duke of Charities, had married a
Danish prince, Valdemar, who was of the
Protestant religion. Pope Leo XII. had
consented to that union on condition il is
true, that the sons born of it should be
Protestants, but that the daughters
should be reared in the Roman Catholic
faith
Thus far the Prince and Princess Val
demar, OF Denmark have had three sons,
who are reared in the Protestant faith,
1t is true also that Prince Valdemar is
sixth son of the King and Queen of Dem
mark; that he has no chance whatever Of
mounting the Danish throne, and that. in
consequence, the concessions made by the
pope are less striking as favors and less
important in their consequences than if it
had been question of Misrepresentation
TO the English crown. 1t is true also
that these negotiations with the vatican
were conhded to the late Duke Decazes.
who, having very ardent desire to see
this union concluded, conducted the nego-
tlations IN such way that later on it was
pretended near the pope that the conces-
oAOAo hoQ llOb bCGu Very 6GDllClJlX given.
and That, IN fact, the pope found himself
In the presence of an accomplished fact
without knowing exactly the conditions
under which this marriage was made and
the clauses to which the Duke of Charities
had given his signature
Nevertheless, Princess Helene was per-
suaded that such precedent would suffice
to obtain from Leo XIII his consent un-
der the same conditions, and she then
made the avowal of her love to her father.
the Count de Paris. II Princess Helene
shines by her exterior beauty, she also
possesses well-tempered soul a clear
concise mind, a reason which looks the
future In the face and which foresees and
weighs the difficulties of tomorrow
studying them with care and energy. In
q word, she recalls her grandmother, the
Duchess d'Orleans, whose high and ener-
getic intelligence stimulated during the
revolution that carried on her family the
falling courage of some and excited the
admiration of all.
The Count de Paris did not protest
against the simple avowal made to him.
He bowed before the sentiment of his
daughter and responded that no union
was possible without the consent of the
holy see, naturally admitting that on the
side of the Duke of Clarence and the
royal family of England no serious obiec-
tion would be raised. This being arranged
noJnlnB would nave 10 be done but to be
IN accord, once the exact conditions were
known, with the consent that was to be
asked of the holy father.
II was then that the Princess Helene
went to Rome. She was armed with no
particular means of penetrating into the
presence Of the holy father She could
not apply to any of the French ambassa-
doris near the quirinal or the vatican,
and she, the daughter of the prince ex-
He'd from his country, princess of the
royal house of France, found herself at
Rome placed between two representatives
os the republic, neither one Of whom she
dared to ask TO serve as her intermediary
with tine pope.
AS soon as the Pope knew Of her desire
he hastened to have her informed that he
was ready to receive her. She went to
him, and on receiving her Leo XIII was
filled with sadness and with admiration.
for, behind the beauty of her face his
paternal solicitude OWNED the anguish
of a soul, and 1t was with the utmost
kindness that he asked the reason Of her
visit
Princess Helene told him Of her love
and made him see the advantage Of having
a Catholic princess seated on the steps
of the English throne, perhaps, one day,
on the throne itself. She recalled the con
ditions under which he had given his con
sent TO the marriage of Princess Marie de
Charities with Prince Valdemar, of DEN