Evening star., 1900-08-18
QUEEN WILHELMINA'S HAND,
Candidates for 1t Who Have Hitherto
Had No Success.

The Hague Correspondence London Express
Following your instructions, your corre-
spondent came up to The Hague to see
what truth there might be in the recent
story which had obtained such wide Gre
dence regarding the betrothal of Hollands S
young sovereign. The result is that he
found the story to be one of at least twenty
that have been published since the queen
ascended the throne in 1885, with no more
foundation than any of its predecessors
The three candidates accredited by those
''in the know here. and by public opinion
generally throughout Holland, as suitors
for the queens hand are all grandsons of
Dutch princesses.
A short time ago the supposed favored
candidate was Prince Bernard of Sake
Weimar, whose grandmother was the sister
OF William III and his sole heir. Had the
old king not married again, no doubt the
prince would have been called to the throne
OF Holland. renouncing his rights in Sake
Weimar to his brother.
The second candidate. and for a long time
very popular one, whose name has been
put forward frequently, is Prince William
OF Weld. whose grandmother on his faith
er's side fs a prince Of Nassau-Orange, and
whose mother. a cousin of William III. is
also Dutch princess. William of Weld is
said to be the favored candidate of the
queen-mother, but is rather too German
pTnd Tor the ,oIsns. Dutch people who look to the
Then came, in the third rank, the sons of
Prince Albert of Prussia the Regent of
Brunswick. among whom Prince Frederic
Henry is mentioned. His grandmother was
kings aunt, who was divorced from her
royal husband in 1s40. married her valet,
and ended by leaving her fortune of $1,000
600 marks to her son. Prince Albert.
To all this speculative rumor, rowever,
Queen Wilhelmina merely shrugs her
shoulders. She Is a determined young lady.
with a will of her own, and has long since
made up her mind that she and she alone
Is the one to decide upon the choice Of
prince consort for her quaint little country.
In fact. she has been heard to say that
those who think they may be able to die
tate to her in his respect never made a
greater error.
Whoever may win her hand and heart
must go with the hand-complication are
bound to arise.
The Dutch protocol is already asking
itself, VIII the husband of the queen be
authorized to call himself king? VIII he
be invested with the prerogatives of a
prince consort. or will he retain the rank
he held before his marriage?
II the future husband obtains only the
title of queens husband" Dutch law
would not consider him a member of ths
royal family. nor would he enjoy either the
rights or privileges of royal hIghness.'
In such case he would be merely one of
the queens subjects, and as such could he
summoned before the courts of the king
i. uoIn LOT any crime or misdemeanor, not ex-
cepting lese ajeste.
In the meantime Wilhemina is a very
happy little woman, quite satisfied with her
present state. and by no means wishing IN
hasten on to further responsibilities. A DO
htlcal marriage she holds in abhorrence
and 1t need not be surprising If, when she
nnally gives her heart, she chooses Some
oie as yet unmentloned or undrearoed Of