Los Angeles herald., 1905-04-16
THOUGH HER DAUGHTER WILL
MARRY HIS HEIR
HAS NO CASTE PREIUDlCES
The Grand Duchess Anastasle Openly
Pltles Her Daughter for Being
Engaged to Future Emperor
Of Germany
srecIal Cable to The Herald.

has arisen between the kaiser and the
Grand Duchess Anastasie of Mecken-
burg-Schwerin, mother of his sons f.
ancee, the Grand Duchess Cecile. The
kaiser expected Princess Anatasie to
pay him the compliment of meeting
him at Naples, as he couldn't call at
the French Riviera port, but the grand
duchess excused herself on the ground
that her health demanded rest and
quiet.
She sent a special messenger to Ma
pies with a letter for the kaiser ex-
planning her plans for the wedding on
June 1, with list Of the special guests
she desires to invite, including several
French swells. This, her friends say.
is all she has done by way of wedding
preparations, though her son, the pres
ent reigning grand duke, was sent here
recently by the kaiser to complete the
arrangements. 1t is believed that Prin-
cess Anastasie will get out of attend
ing the ceremony if at all possible.
The grand duchess is in an institu-
tion at Cannes. She is the personifica-
tion in the flesh of the wayward grand
duchess of Offenbach's famous opera
bouffe. She knows nothing of the con-
ventions or at least she cares nothing
for them. She makes no concealment of
her contempt for the kaiser, and open
ly deplores the fate of her daughter in
marrying into such a family. Any de-
velopment is possible in connection
with this proposed match, and knowing
the Grand Duchess Anastasie as they
do, no development would cause any
surprise to the people of Cannes.
This lady's history is curious one.
She is the only daughter of the Grand
Duke Michael of Russia, son of the
czar Nicholas / and great-uncle of the
present emperor. She was born in 1860,
married in 1879 to the prince who after
ward became grand duke of Mecklen-
burg-Schwerin under the name of
Frederick-Francis III. They had three
children, the present Grand Duke Fred
erick- Francis " and two daughters,
the Duchess AleXandrine, married in
1898 to Prince Christian of Denmark,
heir presumptive to the throne of that
kingdom, and the Duchess Cecile, born
in 1885, who is now engaged to the
German crown prince.
Her Husbands Mysterious Death
Tha RI nf n
Schwerin died here under tragic and
suspicious circumstances in April, 1897.
The official version given out was that
in an access of fever he got out Of bed
in the middle of the night, took walk
in the garden and fell from the high
wall into the road, receiving injuries
that caused immediate death.
The unofficial version ascribed his
end to a different cause.
Since his death the Grand Duchess
Anastasie has lived at the same villa
the Villa Wenden; and gossip, not to
say scandal, has not for one instant
ceased to surround her name.
She is a tall, slight, classcally
tured woman, who would be almost
faultlessly beautiful were it not for the
somewhat hard expression of her pale
blue eyes,
She plays tennis we'll and is fond of
competing in local tournaments under
the name of Madame Wenden." She
is not as keen on golf as her brother,
the Grand Duke Michael, and his wife,
the Countess Torby but she is often
seen at the golf club.
Since the tragic death of her husband
the name of the grand duchess has been
coupled with those of succession of
"chamberlains."
Lucky 1t Was Not the Mother
People say that the kaiser thanks
his stars 1t was the daughter his vola-
tile heir fell in love with. for the Grand
Duchess Anastasie is still amazingly
young-looking, handsomer than either
of her daughters, and might easily DE
mistaken for their sister. She is, more
over, brilliant and fascinating as only
" Russian can be; while her frank, un-
Affected manner and irresponsible gay
cly 6lNG uCI d WHICH ildHy ptON
pie have found irresistible,
Her Romanoff relatives say she in
herits much of her eccentricity from
her great ancestress Catherine II. She
was the spoiled pet of the old Grand
Duke Michael-the richest of all the
grand dukes-and was married when
only nineteen to the slow-going grand
duke of Mecklenburg-Sc -Schwerin. The
grand duchess is, in fact, a kind of
royal Madame Sans Gene. not caring
what she does or where she does it,.
Strange stories are told of the still
stranger company that is kept at the
villa Wenden.
Anastasie has no caste prejudices,
and persons without either birth or
distinction of any kind are said to be
admitted there on terms of Incredible
intimacy. Her brother is the Grand
Duke Mlchael-whose morganatic mar
riage with the beautiful Countess
Torby so enraged the late Garland