Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-02-13
PRINCE VICTOR NAPOLEON.

4 ROUND the name Bonaparte stili
~ fingers magic charm.
= = To be Bonaparte is still to be
considered worthy of marriage with the
royal houses of Europe.
Only a short time ago Princess Marie
Bonaparte became the bride of Prince
George of Greece, and now it is an
nounced that Prince Victor Napoleon, the
head of the Bonaparte family, is to be-
come the husband of Princess Clementine
of Belgium, daughter of the late king.
1t is almost a century since, in the de-
feat at Waterloo. the power of Napoleon
Bonaparte died forever, but excepting for
the period when his nephew, Napoleon
ILL., sometimes spoken of in dersion as
the Lesser in contradiction to the
other Napoleons term of THE Great"
the power of the Bonaparte line has been
crushed out of existence.
Yet so potent is the spell Of the name
that royalty still considers the line of
the great commander as being well worth
accepting in marriages. and no reasons
of state have ever succeeded in putting
an Introduction on such weddings.
The marriage of Prince Victor to
Princess Clementine completes romance
that has lasted many years. and puts
the pretender to the throne of France in
alliance with a ruling house, and, besides,
gets a wife who is known to be. enor-
mousy wealthy.
Kong ago, -Pri4see Victor regarded
as being the hope of the Bonaparte line,
but his unwillingness to marry brought
him into disrepute with his relative, the
enormously wealthy Princess Mathilde.
When she died 1t was found that she
had cut Prince Victor off in her will for
having been too faithful to his partner
in an irregular alliance that lasted many
years, but which never approached the
marriage standpoint
y
The bulk of her fortune went to Prince
Louis, brother OF Victor, who has made
Russian army.
Thus, Mathilde had profited by the FAM
lily name to make noble marriage with
Prince Demidoff, a Russian, and from
him she came into possession of her for
tune, large part of which she put
aside as a fund to help along the project
to return the Bonapartes to the throne.
chieftain OF the family. and when she
died in 1903, and cut Victor out of her
will, the feeling was general that his
chances had passed for being regarded
as the head of the family.
But the wedding of Victor and Glenn
entine. which is set for October, will
restore the fortunes of the present head
of the family and put him in a position
of commanding power.
1t Is said that the marriage would have
been contaminated before, except for the
desire of the princess to keep close to
her aged father. to whom she was gen.
timely devoted and for whom she sac
rificed everything.
Now that he is gone nothing intervenes
10 prevent the wedding.
From the standpoint Of the disnterest-
ed spectator it is hard to see what the
princess gains in placing herself. her I'll
tie and her wealth at the disposition of
the venerable roue.
But 1t is perhaps another case of being
unable to resist the magic of the name
Bonaparte.
The people of France couldn't resist it
Thus. Louis Napoleon would not have
had the renotest chance of becoming
president Of the republic In 1S4S but for
the name he bore
His fortunes had been sadly on the
wane before he came to this high Office.
IT is even said that when his funds were
desperately low he went to London and
acted as policeman.
But turn in politics carried him into
his chance. He burst into politics. The
compelling magic of the name was not
to be denied.