Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-12-25
WED BELOW STATION.
Morganatic Marriages on the Increase
in Europe.

From Pearson's Weekly.
1t Is a well-known saying that Cupid
laughs at law" and 1t certainly appears to
be justified in the case of royalties who
marry for love rather than state reasons.
Certain 1t is that morganatic marriages are
on the increase
Take, for instance. the Grand Duke Mich
oias of Russia, who was banished by the
car to Tashkent. in Turkestan. because he
fell in love with and married daughter of
the chief Of police at Orenburg.
His sacrifice was failure as far as hap
piness was concerned, for his marriage was
disappointment. and the prince fretted
after the fuller life he had formerly had,
and on his recall by the present car his
mental health was found to have suffered
severely.
The Grand Duke Paul OF Russia, who held
the rank of lieutenant general and adjutant
general to the czar. was deprived of his
offices and banished for ten years on the
occasion OF his marriage with the Baroness
PistolkOff, the beautiful but not altogether
excellent wife of one of the Grand Duke
Nladimir's suite. who divorced her.
This prince has recently been pardoned
and summoned back to report to the car
what Europe thinks of the Russian situa-
ton. but his wife was stopped at the from
tier and had to return.
Perhaps one of the happieSt morganatic
unions is that of the Grand Duke Michael
uncle of the car. who followed the dictates
of his heart In marrying a daughter of
Prince Nicholas of Nassau by his morgan
attic wife, the Countess Nuremberg whose
father was the great Russian poet Pushkin.
He is now restored to favor, and his wife
has been created Countess Torby; but the
grand duke clings to his English home at
keele Hall, StaffOrdshire. where he lives in
perfect harmony with his lovely wife and
children. and has been the host of our own
King and queen, while he is beloved by the
people In whose midst he lives and moves.
The imperial house Of Austria furnishes
many examples Of such love matches
One of the most picturesque romances
was that of the Archduke John, who Is
supposed to have been shipwrecked and
drowned in 1890. but of whom report has 1t
that he still lives.
He was out hunting one day when he sur
prised picnic party, of which Milly Stubel
S was one: The girl was only an opera
and so deeply did the archduke fall in love
at first sight that he courted her under
the name of Johann Orth, Viennese
his affection, and only discovered his rank
when she saw him reviewing the troops as
an imperial field marshal.
In vain did he implore the emperor to
sanction his marriage with the girl; only
quarrel ensued and ne was dismissed from
the army. After the death of his friend,
the Crown Prince Rudolph, a reconciliation
took place, but he asked permission to re-
name of Johann Orth. Then he married his
lady love and sailed away with his bride.
only to encounter storm, in which, il is
believed by most people, his wife and his
crew persisted
Recent, comparatively. is the decision OF
the Archduchess Stephane to abandon her
royal position In favor of her love for Count
Lonyay. Her father-in-law, the Emperor of
Austria, gave his consent, but her own
father, the King of the Begians, has never
forgiven his daughter, and it Will be re-
membered that at the deathbed of the late
Queen Louise of Belgium the two passed
each other without recognition.
Following the mothers example. the
Archduchess Elizabeth of Austria fell in
love with young nobleman of ancient but
not royal lineage, Prince WindischgratZ,
and, despite the protests of her royal grand
father, insisted on marrying him and re
nouncing all claim to the Austrian empire.
Yet another of Austrias imperial family,
In the person of the Archduke Francis Fer
dinand, succumbed to Cupid's dart, and
heir presumptive to the crowns of Austria
and Hungary though he was, married the
Countess Sophie Chotek, renouncing on be-
half of any children born to them all right
of succession.
There are three or four more archdukes,
since dead, who contracted alliances with
commonerS.
The Princess Marie of Reuss, a most an
Client house. committed meSalliance by
wedding the Baron Guagnoni, while the
Princess Elizabeth of Bavaria lost her
heart and gave her hand to a young lieu
tenant in the Bavarian army, Baron Sleg-
fried by name.
The Duke Constantine of Oldenburg de-
seconded lower in the scale of society in
search of a wife, since he married his
former cook, now known by the title of
Countess Zanruckan.