The Washington times. (Washington [D.C.]) 1901-1902, 1902-10-08
COURTS AND CAPITALS
OF THE OLD WORLD.

Germany's crown prince is. according
to trustworthy reports. which come
both from Berlin and from England,
to marry Princess Alice of England.
and the official announcement Of the
engagement may be looked for at any
moment Princess Alice, who is the
daughter Of the late Duke of Albany,
and the only sister of the young SOW
ereign Duke Of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha,
is particular favorite of both the
Emperor and Empress, and during all the
recent court festivities has been a con-
spicuous figure in the royal circle, and
was made much Of by the Kaiser and
mis- consort. Without being a beauty,
sne is pretty girl. clever. sunny
tempered. and wholesome looking. and IL
Inc crown prince marries her he would
Dc bringing no stranger into the i'm
perial family. but one who is already
| regarded as member thereof
She is much like the Empress as the
| latter was at the time of her marriage,
and is one Of the closest friends Of her
hrst cousin. the young Queen of Hol-
iand. whose mother. Queen Emma, is
sister OF the widowed Duchess of AL
oany. Let me add that the princess is
very popular at the court Of her uncle,
King Edward. whose ward she has been
since her fathers death. and that the
duchess of Albany is known in Ger
many to be one of the very few init
mate friends of the kaiserin.
or course. there will be much popu-
lar objection to the match in Germany,
owing to the nationality OF the prin-
cess. everything English being at the
present moment regarded with the most
profound illwill In the Kaiser's do
mtnions. and there is no doubt that
this opposition will take the form OF
| arguments to the effect that, owing to
the relationship between the young
people. the union is undesirable. and
that the health Of the late OF Duke of
Albany was such as to preclude the
prospect of his daughter ever contrib
uting to the Improvement of the Ho-
henzollern breed.
1t is perfectly true that the young
crown prince and Princess Alice
are related. but theI are hardly
second cousins. and. besides. the
number Of Protestant princesses OF
the blood. who In point of age could be
considered suitable matches for the fu-
ture Emperor of Germany do not ex-
coed three or four at the most. and
none OF these enjoys the admiration of
the crown prince or the affection of
his parents to anything like the extent
of Princess Alice
AS regards her fathers health, 1t
cannot be denied that he was extremely
delicate. SO much SO, indeed, that 1t
was held that he should never have
married. But the Duchess of Albany If
a strong and wholesome woman. and
both the children seem to have taken
in all that relates to health after their
mother, rather than their father.
1t is known at Berlin that the En- |
peror and Empress are both anxious that
their son should marry early, believing |
that marriage would prove the best !
safeguard against any of those entan- |
clements to which young princes of the |
blood are so prone and which are apt |
to become a source of so much political |
and dynastic trouble
The stork is reported to be lowering |
over the home of the hereditary Grand |
Duke of Luxembourg, and the impending |
motherhood of his consort has. in ac-
cordance with Old World court etiquette.
been officially announced. 1t is hoped |
not only by the people of Luxembourg
but likewise by all those who have the |
peace Of Europe at heart. that the baby
may prove to be boy. The grand
duchess has already given birth to fi7e
girls, and in the event of her enor-
mously stout husband, who has just had
second very grave apoplectic seizure,
dying without male issue, international
complications with regard to the future
of Luxembourg would inevitably result,
owing to its position on the Franco
German frontier
The hereditary grand dukes father is
considerably over eighty years of age
and very infrm. and as his younger
brother, Prince Nicholas, also a very
old man. Is morganatically married, the
succession to the throne of the grand
duchy OF Luxembourg rests exclusively
with the hereditary grand duchess
that is to say. with the princess, who is !
about to become a mother.
Servia's King and Queen are still
anxiously waiting for a notification from
their presence Is desired and that they
are at length to be permitted to pay
their long deferred visit TO the Car
and Czarina. 1t may safely be asserted
that unless the visit is allowed to take
place very shortly that is to say, as /
soon as the Gear and Czarina reach their I
Crimean home OF Lividia. the King and
Queen will cut themselves adrift from
Russia politically. and endeavor to COM 7
bat Russian interests in the Balkans,
The fact of the matter is that King
Alexander and Queen Draga have been ,
made aware that all the other courts of
Europe are waiting to take their cue
from the Car and Czarina in the ques-
ton as to whether the Servian royal
couple are to be received or not. The +,
Gear and Czarina acted-by proxy 1t Is d
true-as sponsors at the wedding of
KIDg AIaxandar ond according tn rho r