The Washington herald., 1908-01-05
Fortunate Children Who
Find Fairy GOdpaPents.
THE FAvoRITE OF A QUEEN
ASIce Steele, am Inmate of a village
Home, Attracts Attention of r1e
Princess of Wales, and Elevated
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Cases I'm Which
Royalty Has Adopted FOundIings.
by Ex-ATTACHE.

English newspapers have been eXtOIling
the good fortune Of a young girl of the
name of Alice Steele, who. an inmate of
the village home at Alderstone founded
in memory OF the late Princess Mary of
Cambridge. Duchess Of Teek. attracted
the attention Of the latters daughter. the
Princess Of Wales. So great is the inter-
est which Englands future Queen has
conceived for the girl that she has re-
moved her from the institution. has sent
her 10 an excellent school, and has prom
ised 10 provide for her future welfare.
That the sympathy OF the princess for
the girl is Of no mere ephemeral ehaTac-
ter is shown by the fact that IL originated
some years ago, and that IL was. suffi-
ciently pronounced to lead the consort of
the heir apparent 10 send her presents all
the way from India during the winter
that she spent In visiting that great
Oriental dependency. The English news
papers write about the matter. which
they call an adoption, as If it were an
unusual and even unique occurrence. This
is far from being the case. There are
scores Of other instances Of the same
kind in the annals Of royalty. many OF
them characterized by romantic circum-
stances, but which do not reach the ears
OF the general public.
Thus, on the eve Of the marriage OF the
Duke of San Fernando TO one of the royal
nieces Of King Ferdinand at Madrid. In
the early part Of the last century, a ham,
per bearing the name and address Of the
duke and containing a little boy a few
months old was found in one OF the gate
ws~s OF his palace.
The duke. realizing the impression that
would be created in the mind Of his bride
If the story ever reached her ears from
other lips than his own, at once informed
her of the affair. Fortunately for the
baby, the princess was a kind-hearted
woman, and chose to regard it as a mas
cot, destined TO bring happiness 10 her
married life, and decided 10 adopt the lit
tie fellow. As her union proved childless,
she and the duke by degrees came TO look
upon the founding as their own son. had
him educated as such at Madrid, and at
Paris. along with other young SpaniaTds
OF high degree. and on dying left him
their entire fortune, which he in turn on
his demise a few years ago bequeathed
to the present King. He used 10 60 by
the name OF Don AlessandrO SOler.
He was not a Grandee. and had there
fore no recognized position at court He
was not even a Hidalgo; nothing in
point OF law but a founding. Yet he
was an honored and welcome guest in
al 1r. nd bcFFgG- Of h. nj ~
aristocracy. forming part and parcel Of
the most exclusive coteries at Madrid,
and was on a footing OF equality with
the haUghUest descendants Of the ancient
nobility of CASTLE and Of ArragOn.
His pronounced Bourbon features. and
the regard manifested for him by the
late Queen Isabella, and. indeed. by the
entire royal house OF Spain. gave rise to
a story 70 the effect that he was the Of
spring Of a secret marriage Of old Queen
Christina with a young Englishman by
the name OF Ward. contracted in Italy
before her union 10 King Ferdinand, and
this was in a measure confirmed when
he bequeathed all his fortune to the
present King. who was not enabled 10
secure possession thereof until there had
been some litigation.
But nothing definite was ever known
about the matter Of the origin Of Don
Alessandro, beyond the fact that he had
been adopted as a founding by the Duke
Of San Fernando and by his royal
duchess.
Empress Elizabeth of Austria adopted
two little girls IN their early childhood.
One of them was her own niece, daugh-
ter of Duke Louis of Bavaria by his
morganatic and actress wife, Henrietta
Mendel. The actress had received on the
occasion Of her marriage the title Of
Baroness Wallersee. and this was ac-
corded also to the child which she bore
to the duke. and who was christened
Marie
Marie Won Wallersee was brought up
altogether by her aunt. the Empress. at
the court OF Austria, and there is no
doubt that at one time she was encour-
aged by the affection bestowed upon her
by her imperial relatives TO imagine that
she might wed her cousin and playmate.
Crown Prince Rudolph and eventually
become Empress of Austria For the
Emperor and Empress had already waiv-
ed In her case all the terribly strict
ancestral qualifications insisted upon for
membership OF the order of the Star
Cross. and for the rank Of lady of the
palace, and this had evidently led the girl
to believe that the obstacles In connec-
ton with her birth TO her becoming the
wife Of the crown prince could be over
come in a similar manner.
To what extent she revealed the ma
ture of her ambitions, it is difficult TO
say But they were effectuaily dis
PEELED by the selection of a husband
for her in the person of Count George
Larisch, an exceedingly good looking
young cavalry officer of large means
and ancient lineage. The wedding
took place at the castle Of GOdOllO. in
the presence of the Emperor and of
his children. the Empress not only Civ
ing her niece away, but also providing
her with a superb trOusseau and a
large dowry The eldest son of this
union, Count Francis Joseph Larisch,
is married to an American girl, Miss
Satterfield of Buffalo.
It Is unnecessary to recall here the
subsequent unhappy career of Countess
Larisch. who after exhausting the gen.
erosity of the Emperor and Empress
by her insane extravaganza. was forced
to leave Austria, and was deprived of
her Order of the Star Cross, and of her
rank as lady of the palace at the court
of Vienna, on account Of the unsavory
role which she played in connection
with the tragedy Of Meyerling, was di-
vorced by her husband, Count Larisch
in 1895. and is now the wife of the
ex- operate singer, Otto Brueks, at
present impressario Of the principal
theater of Metz.
Far more fortunate has been the fate
Of the Austrian Empress other adopt
ed child, Aglae, PFincess of Auersperg,
who. born within few weeks Of the
Empress youngest and favorite daugh-
ter, Arch Duchess Valerie, was brought
mp altogether with the latter at court.