Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1900-09-09
HALF AN HOUR WITH THE
NEW QUEEN OF ITALY.
The Most Beautiful Woman I'm Eu-
rope. She IL Also the best Huntress
and sportswoman.



get an audience which II was my priv
ilege to obtain with the Princess of
Naples. now Itaiy's Queen.
IL took place in the spring OF 1897,
less than SIX months after the mar
riage of the Princess to the Prince OF
Naples. Helene. you viii remember,
was the daughter of the King of Mon
tenegro and had come down from the
mountains with all her native fresh
ness clinging to her. She had none of
the awkwsrdness of the country girl,
however, and thought as I looked at
her affair upon her yacht. that she was
the fairest. most elegant Princess / had
ever seen. Helene stands at least six
feet tall. and her coloring is very bril-
liant. Her hair and eyes are dark but
her cheeks are bright scarlet, painted
thus by Natures own hand.
She stood upon one end of the yacht
talking to her father-in-law, the la
mented King Humbert, who was her
ardent admirer and faithful slave from
the first moment he laid eyes on her
which was early In the year 1894 From
1894 to 1896 the Prince of Naples wooed
Helene and in October, 1896, nearly four
years ago, they were married.
The Princess.
My coming was evidently expected,
for at word from a courier, the Prin-
cess turned and, speaking to one of her
ladies, walked accompanied by the
woman, to the centre Of the yacht
where /, hesitating and uncertain,
stood awaiting her.
l had interviewed Olga of Greece and
had gone through with the many cere-
monies attendant upon an audience
with her majesty. | had also inter-
viewed Queen Margherita OF italy and
was struck with the simplicity of her
ways. She was SO utterly different
from other European soyereigns.
Would the Princess Helene be like her
or different
/ bowed as she approached and stood
with both hands at my sides waiting
for the slightest movement ON her part.
When very near me she held out her
hand in such a way that ! knew that
l was to- take it and shake it, as though
it were that of any ordinary mortal.
The Princess spoke first.
do you enjoy yachting on the Le
vant?" she asked.
replied that / greatly enjoyed all
the country around Italy.
Where do you live7" she asked.
Il live in the United States" / re-
piled, "but l am from the state of
Florida"
is Florida beautifully" she inquired
Yes, Your Highness," said, "it is
exquisite, as beautiful as Italy"
She seemed much pleased at the re-
ply and after a few more words, in
which she invited me to inspect the
yacht, / withdrew, most fayorably inn
pressed with Italy's future queen.
No one at that time thought that the
Princess Helene of Naples would so
soon become Queen Helene of Italy, the
successor to Queen Margherita, the
Pearl of Savoy
Queen Helene was born January 8.
1873, with no very golden spoon In her
mouth. She was the third of seven
daughters of Prince Nicholas Lord of
the Black Mountain Kingdom of Mon
tenegro.
Her father, bravest Of men, had high
ambitions for his favorite and most
beautiful daughter, and when the late
Car of Russia, anxious to win the
good will of this small but mighty peo-
pie who held one of the southern out
posts of Russia sent for Helene and
made her an inmate of his palace and
a protege OF the Czarina, with the well
understood purpose Of marrying her to
his son. the young girls widest dreams
seemed on the point of becoming real
tiles.
In Russia.
Did she love the Czarovitch? Well.
that IS a question upon which the dark
eyed beauty has not opened her lips.
But that she loved the idea of one day
becoming Czarna Of all the Russias.
mistress of the most splendid court in
all the world. there is 70 question how
she stood there She would have given
her two black eyes and pearly ears for
the chance.
The Czarina fell in WITH her hus-
bands idea, and the Montenegrin was
trcs I'd as kindly and as lovingly as if
.i4e Wsre a daughter. She bore herself
becomingly. and those who saw her
wclld scarcely have imagined that she
WIS brought mp in a squalid little vii