New-York tribune., 1901-08-04
count IsOLA."
MARIE, EX-QUEEN OF NAPLES, WITH
DRAWS FROM THE TURF AND
SELLS HER RACING STABLE.


Under the name of Count Isola." Queen
Marie of Naples. whose devotion to horses has
been quite as extraordinary as that of her
Iamented sister Empress Elizabeth of Austria.
has for near a quarter of a century been a nota-
BILE figure on the French turf, and while her sta
BILE has never been fortunate enough TO carry
off of the Grand Prix, yet it has been so
successful in winning minor events that thanks
to this and 10 it's clever management, it has al
ways paid expenses. The disappearance there
fore. of Count Isola's'' colors from the course.
and the break up and dispersal of her stud is an
affair of some Importance to the sporting world
and offers opportunity to give a brief pen
sketch of this princess, a heroine in the true
sense of the word, since her personal bravery
during the defence Of Gaeta. which she virtually
directed. such that she was decorated by
Emperor Alexander II with the cross of St
George. an order conferred exclusively upon
those who have displayed extraordinary bravery
under fire. and of which Queen Marie can boast
of being the only woman on it's roster since it's
foundation by the great Empress Catherine.
1t is all the more necessary to furnish some
notes about Queen Marie of Naples, as there are
quite large number of stories concerning her
which require correction, many of the mistakes
originating with Alphonse Daudet whose Queen
of Illyria.' in his popular novel, The Kings In
Exile is regarded by the public at large as
truthful portrayal of the ConsOrt of the last King
of Naples 1t is nothing of the kind, however
True Queen Marie may have served indirectly
10 inspire the great novelist with his conception
of the heroine of his book but that is all To
begin with she never had a son. as described
by Daudet, and the latter has saddled the un-
fortunate Francis of Naples with a number OF
the most notorious and unsavory indiscretions
IrrYv-
at Paris as Citron" And so little that is really
authentic has been printed about the Queen
that she to die tomorrow 1 believe that
most of her obituaries would have to be based.
in default of other informG tion upon the alto
gether erroneous portrait of her in Les ROis en-
Exile"
THE QUEENS EARLY LIFE
Queen Marie, like her sisters, the late Empress
of Austria the late Duchess of AlencOn who
perished in the Charity Bazaar fire at Paris.
and Countess Trami. was brought up in rather
unconventional manner the influence OF their
genial and somewhat eccentric father. old Duke
Max of Bavaria. being of character TO lead
them 10 devote more time 10 outdoor sports OF
every kind and to horses and TO dogs, than TO
books and to the study of court etiquette and
traditions 1t would be wrong 10 assume from
this however that they were ignorant, or that
they had anything in common with those three
princesses of the royal house of Naples who at
the time Of their respective marriages 10 King
Ferdinand OF SPAIN to Emperor Pedro of Brazil.
and TO the French heir apparent, the Duke de
Berri, scarcely knew how 10 either read or write.
having been educated by a governess Miss
Ward. who had been circus rider. and who
had taught them how to ride. but little else
On the contrary. Queen Marie and her sisters
fancy far above the average. inherited probably
from their mother. the old Duchess Ludovica
one Of the most remarkably clever women OF her
day The only effect of their bringing up --as
render them unconventional and original. and
TO develop in them love OF animals and OF the
open air. well a hatred for every kind OF
sham.
UNION BROUGHT ABOUT BY DIPLOMATS.
Empress Elizabeth had already been married
several years when. In 1859. union was negoti-
ated between the then eighteeu-year-old Duchess
Marie of Bavaria and tie Duke of Calabria. eld-
est and heir of the King of Naples. 1t was
not love match like that OF Francis Joseph
and Of the Empress. but alliance negotiated
by statesmen and diplomats for purely dynastic
and political considerations. The young duchess
knew nothing of the character Of the husband
who had been selected for her and when she
landed at Bari as his wife. having been married
by proxy at Munich. she had never set eyes on
him. and her only ideas as to his appearance
were derived from very fiattering miniature.
Indeed she could not even make herself under
stood by him at first. She was able to talk flu
entity both French and English. and he able
TO speak nothing but Italian. a language of
which she then ignorant
The notion Of woman being the wife OF
~ bod in, her obO
whom she knows nothing and by whom she can
not even make herself understood, must appear
almost incredible 20 people In this country. But
this frequently happened in Europe during the
last century in the cases of royal marriages by
proxy. and there are at the present moment two
other queens still living besides Marie Of Naples
who were married in this strange fashion. and
who arrived in the land of their adoption, wives
already of husbands whom they had never seen.
save in portraits. One OF them is the Queen
Mother of Portugal. and the other the Queen
Regent Of Spain.
This strange practice of marriage by proxy is
due 10 the idea that reigning sovereigns and
even heirs apparent too important person
ages TO marry anywhere else than In their own
dominions while the other hand. it is held
TO be infra dignitate for a spinster princess of
the blood. who Is about to blossom forth into a
full hedged queen empress. to travel abroad
in quest of a consort. To meet this difficulty the
royal imperial bridegroom delegates one of the
principal mobiles of his realm. who goes through
the religious and civil portion of the wedding
ceremony In the capital OF the brides country.
on behalf of his master. making the responses
for him. and rendering his hand well the
ring at the prescribed points Of the ceremony.
He then accompanies her to his masters do
,,..fA,