The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1901-01-23
TWO ROYAL OLD MAIDS.
Why Queen Victoria's Grand
daughters Have Not Marrid.

There arc only two old maid priu
cesses in Europe. Not very long az,
the Empress of Germany succeeded il
marrying off the last of her sisters -;
lady verging upon 2S-and it is annoy
ing to Queen Victoria that the oul,
TWO royal spinstcrs left are her name,
sakcs and her granddaughter.
The Queen dlslikes old maids as
heartily as she dislikes cats, and the
unmarried state of the daughter of the
Irlncess of Wales and Princess Chris.
tan OF Schleswig- Holstcin has been
the cause of many royal family Jars.
seriously rs the patents and grand
parents may threaten and repine there
remains little or no possibility Of the
TWO spintcrs finding mates. Princess
Victoria Of Wales reaches her thirty
second birthday in the spring and
prlncess Victoria of Schlcswig- -Holstcin
VIII never see 30 agalu; and in spite of
lhcr dcplorablc, conspicuous and un-
natural singlencss they are not the
most. unhappy OF high born ladies.
Ihey are fast friends and allies, and
though they enjoy few of the same
studies and pleasures, they arc equally
callous in their estimate of the world IS i,
and even grandmothcrs' opinion, and
equally determined to prove that the
life OF an unwedded princess is neither
forlorn or Improbable.
1t is an interesting fact that of all
the royal households the Prince of
Wales has afforded his daughter the
most kindly countenance III maintain
ing her position. The piince is moth
ing If not modern AMI liberal i'm his
views; he believes in woman making
ncr life TO please herself, and he has
never exercised the high parental au-
thorily over the only che of his girls
who preferred not to be forced INTO the
bonds of matrimony merely Tor the
sake OF the convcntionalitics. Furth-
crmore, it is whispered tina. the prince
was on her side when for the only time
IN her life she fell in love.
That event took place many years
ago, when famously rich, handsome,
amiablc and enlightened young Indian
prince visited Queen Victoria. His
gorgeous jewels, his charming manners
and his excellent pronunciation of the
English language created great SEN
satlon on his appearance first at Il gar
den party given at Buckin CHAM palace.
lie was then introduced to Princess
Nlctora, who was thea far and away
the best looking of the three sisters
and always the Clcverest.
The young East Indian found her
royal highncss most attractive, and
when he went to pay visit 10 Sandring-
ham he shortly found that the princess
was by no means Indifferent to his ad-
miration; that personally she was quite
willing to make India her home and
privately her lover asked her hand in
marriage. He pledged himself to make
her ms only wife, to conduct his do
mestlc affairs on the European plan
and he was not refused point blank.
lie was told to go home and the prin-
cess family think it over. He went
and died of the plague three days after
reaching India.
The princess well knew that her
lover had been ordered home merely
to afford her family time to put other
than the seas between them.
1t would not have been tactful to re-
fuse so honorable q proposal from IA
powerful Indian ruler, so wn,n provi-
dcncc interviewed and cut the thread of
the young mans life the whole royal
household brcathC' a sigh of mingled
regret and relief. Very we'll the family
knew that had he lived Princess Vic
toria would have insisted and The
prince would have clamorcd and the
highest diplomacy and the sevcrcst
pressure would have been required TO
balk Cupid of his victims.
What the princess grief was the
public has never known, but she has
never been very strong since. Shortly
after the sad news from India she
pleaded with her parents to let her
study nursing at Nctlcy hospital; she
refuses to even listen to any proposals
to arrange marriage between herself
and any stout young German duke, and
she wears always a ruby ring of sur
prising beauty. They say the ring was
sent her by the Indian prince Just be-
fore he died to be put upon her finger
by one of his faithful servants, who
brought 1t to her with instructions 10
that effect.
Gossip has never associated the
name of Princess Victoria of Schles-
wig-llolstcin with any romance. She
is plain-iaccd girl without any of her
cousins keen wit, but has good strong
will of her own. She is devoted TO
her grandmother, is one of the Queens
constant attendants, and she Is one of
the few persons who cheer lilly dis
agrees with the sovereign lal on many
points without ycXing or dL'puting with
her.
Princess Victoria scws, knits and
cooks admirably; in short, is conver-
SAINT with every household art, and
having visited about among her rcla-
tires a good deal, has come to the sage
conclusion that many Of the diplomacy
made marriages among royalties arc
dcplorably unhappy. O. could marry
a farmer and make him good wife,"
she said to the Queen, "but | have
none of the tastes or graces that would
suit II spoiled, eXtlavagant hush md
whom | don't love; so / don't think
will marry at ALL"
Perfectly amiably, but quite deter
minedly, she has stuck to her point.
She evades count ceremonies as much
as possible, but is adored by all her boy
and girl cousins, reads aloud TO the
Queen, does quantities of servlceablc,
ugly fancy work, is her mothers hard
worked secretary and one of the jolliest,
most contented old maids in England.
-Chicago Record.
-R.e-
Senator Vest has story he tells to
Ill -. Al. i