The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-10-29
PRINcEss's THoRNY PATH.
Snubbed by Victoria, w edded n Licen-
tiOus Man and Once Bankrupt.
London Ga hlaorann To G. Louis Globe DEM

Snubbed by Victoria, welded n Licen-
tiOus Man and Once IA Bankrupt.
London Cablegram to ST. Louis Globe-Dem-
ocrat
Known in her younger days as Pretty
Polly Cambridge" and during the last two
decades as Fat Mary" the Duchess of
Teck was far and away the best-known and
most popular of the royal princesses OF the
reigning house of Great Britain, ana her
sudden death to-day, following a serious
operation, cannot fail to create widespread
regret among the people, and to leave an
irreparable void in society. For some rea-
son she was the only member OF the royal
family whose English was entirely free
from any trace of foreign accent or idlom,
and less affected than any or her relatives
by the German influences which through
out the present reign have played SO lmpor-
tant role at the English court. She was
always regarded by the ariStocracy and
the people as the most thoroughly and en-
tirely English member or the relgnlng
house. Indeed the remarkable popularity
which she enjoyed was often a source of
jealousy and annoyance to Queen Victoria,
who likewise resented the conspicuous
beauty of Princess Polly as compared with
her own LONELINESS, and the consequence
was that from the time the princess was
presented at court as a seventeen-year-
girl until few years ago she was con-
stantly subjected to Sights, snubs and to
unfriendly treatment by her cousin, the
Queen. Before she had. been out a year
Princess Mary was warned by her Majesty
that, as a princess of the blood, she was
making herself too cheap in society," and
that her conduct betrayed an unulgnlneu
desire to fish for popularity.
Several suitors from abroad, as well as
some great English MOBILES who offered
their hand and their fortunes to the prln-
cess, and were accepted by her, were sub
sequently rejected by the Queen in her
capacity as chief of the family, among the
number being Napol .s M Ill. ms COUSIN
and last, but by no means beast the Prince
of Orange, eldest son and heir of the late
King of Holland who was so seriously in
love with her at that time that when Queen
Victoria broke off the match, after the Of
fetal announcement of the engagement, he
took to dissipation and drink, and died from
the effects thereof at Paris, to all intents
and purposes an outcast, and an object OF
pity and contempt. .
In 1865, Princess Mary having meanwhile
reached her thirty fifth year, fell in love
with handsome Austrian officer who bore
at the time the name of Count Francis Ho-
attic union between a royal prince OF the
house of Wurtemberg and a hungarian
countess, and who had greatly distin-
guished himself by his bravery in the wars
of 1859 and 1866. The princess. indignant
at the way in which she had been treated
by the Queen, boldly declared that she
would submit to no further interference on
the part of the latter, and that she would
marry the count, who was several years
her junior. with or without her Majesty
consent. The prince consort, who had been
particularly hostile to Princess Mary in
consequence of her anti-German sympa-
TILES, being dead the Queen showed herself
only gave her consent to the marriage, but
likewise induced the King of Wurtemberg
to confer the title of Prince of Teck upon
the count. But the marriage was treated
as purely private affair, took place, not in
any of the royal chapels, but at the parish
church of Kew, and was made the object
of no pomp or ceremony.
Devoted to her handsome husband. Prin-
cess Mary was much tormented by Jealousy,
for which the prince gave his stately but
somewhat stout wife ample cause On two
separate occasions he clipped with the gov
erness of his daughter, and his wife
brother, the old Duke of Cambridge, was
wont to declare that as genera1iSSimo he
experienced infinitely less trouble in keep
ing the British army in order than Brother
in-laW Frank Teck. fsf.
With no fortune beyond the allowance of
5000, 000 a year, which she received as a
royal princess from the government and
which now terminates with her LIE, she
experienced the utmost difficulty in making
both ends meet, and about twelve years
ago both she and her husband came to
financial grief. Their furniture, effects, even
their family treasures and relics We're sold
at public auction at their residence in the
tumble-down Kensington palace for the
benefit of their creditors, Queen Victoria
declining to move a finger to help them.
For several years after this they were to
all intentS and purposes put out to grass
in Germany, and suffered from a social
eclipse as far as English court and society
was concerned. But better times came for
them when the old Duchess of Cambridge
died at the age of ninety-three leaving all
Princess Mary, whose husband had mean
while been promoted by his kinsman, the
King of Wurtemburg, to the rank of Duke
of Teck, and their sun recovered some of
it's brilliancy when their only daughter,
Princess May, became engaged to the Duke
of Clarence, eldest son of the Prince and
Princess of Wales, whose father and moth
err as well as his grandmother, the Queen,
vehemently opposed the match, but had in
the end to yield to his obstinacy. The pros
pect of having an English-bred girl who
hnd
people, as their future Queen instead of
foreign Princess, gave rise to Such wide
spread and universal demonstration OF ma
tiOnal satisfaction that when the Duke OF
Clarence died shortly after the announce
ment of his betrothal it was considered by
the Prince of Wales and by the government
of the day that inasmuch as 1t was neces-
sary for dynastic reasons that the Duke of
York should marry at once, he could not
do better than wed Princess May, and the
marriage eventually took place, although
strongly opposed by the Princess of Wales,
tolerated rather than approved by the
Queen and merely submitted TO by the
Duke of York himself whose heart was al
ready engaged in another direction.
Princess May. it may be added, had, prior
to becoming affianced to the Duke of CLAIR
ence and TO the Duke of York, been Tilted
by the present Marquis of Bath for the
sake Of Miss Violet Mordaunt, the girl
whose inopportune and unwelcome birth
gave rise to the great Mordaunt divorce
sllif of 1870 in which the Prince of Wales
was cited one of the correspondents and
another correspondent. the present Earl of
Eddiskelen, declared by the court TO be the
father OF the girl.
Since the marriage of their daughter the
Duke and Duchess of Teck have enjoyed
considerably more prestige and Importance
than heretofore, the Duke being promoted
from the rank OF mere volunteer colonel
to that of a full-fledged major general of
the regular army. Recently there have been
rumors that he and his wife have been once
more in financial difficulties, the Duke hav-
ing become involved in some unfortunate
Yukon gold mine Observation-Disclosures
which would have rendered the marriage Of
their youngest son TO Miss May Goelet a
particularly welcome transaction.