Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1912-11-14
Honor Denied Wife of a Cars
Brother Sought by Daughter.
Would Be d Grand Duchess-Romance
in the Career Of Grand Duke
Michael, Long a Resident
of England.

LondOn.-One of the most beautiful
girls now in England is the young
Countess NADIA TOTby, who is with her
father and mother, the Grand Duke
Michael and Countess Torby, who are
paying round of visits in the north.
The mother never received her title
Of grand duchess because of the stern
point Of view of the Romanoffs, but
now that the beautiful NADIA has
grown up-and she is one of the most
beautiful girls imaginable-it is gen
orally supposed that she will demand
for herself the rank that her mother
has never attained.
When the late King Edward was
still the prince of Wales he made a
move to obtain for the mother the
rights that the Russian government
lad denied her. But he became king
and died without gaining this delight
full end. What the attitude of the
present English soyereigns is in the
matter is not known. But the story
of the Torbys remains an interesting
episode.
It all took place when the Grand
Duke Michael was the gayest of
princes and was living in reckless eX-
tTavagance at Monte Carlo. He was
riding one day in Nice when his horse
plunged just as he was approaching
a young woman who was also seated
on q spirited animal
The horse of the prince frightened
the horse of the lady, which promptly
bolted with her. The grand duke rode
In pursuit, caught the flying animal
by the bride and rescued the maiden
who Immediately tainted in the arms
of his imperial highness. The prince
then fell desperately in love with the
girl and pursued her for months, beg
ging her to marry him. But the gay
life Of her sutton, together with her
knowledge Of what mOrganatic mar
riages always lead to, gave the young
woman pause. and she refused to smile
upon her royal lover
1t was then, however, that the
grand duke made the most solemn
vows, declaring that he would aban-
don his fast life forever and take up
an existence thu would be a model
of domesticity-v by the way, that
he has kept with the utmost rigidity
ever since.
He was so sincere that the lovely
Countess Torby consented to wed the
duke. The ceremony was performed
in the Greek church, and the once
dashing prince settled down to quiet
life in the utmost seclusion in out Of
the way places in England. Two
daughters were the fruit Of this union
and the devotion of the royal father
to his family became proveTbial in
Europe. For many years he was never
separated from his wife for a day.
Now, the late czar was a brother of
the grand duke, and he always re-
fused to receive or even meet the
Countess Torby, and the present car
holds firmly to the same rule.
If the marriage Of the Grand Duke
Michael and the Countess Torby had
been merely an ordinary morganatic
marriage there would probably not
have been so much fuss made about
it. But there is something under
lying all this attitude of the Russian
court.
The mother Of the countess was
Countess Natalie Nuremberg, NOR
ganatic widow of Prince Nicholas of
Nassau and Luxembourg. The lady,
moreover. was the youngest daughter
of Russia's famous poet, Pushkin.
Now, the latter was a grandson,
in some strange way, of Peter the
Greats coal black negro, Hannibal.
The Countess Torby, therefore, has a
strain CT negro blood in her veins,
and this seems to initiate against her
recognition. At very recent date
the mother Of Countess Torby was
still livin5 and the romantic reminis-
censes connected with the Pushkin
episode are too near to endear either
her daughter or her granddaughters
to the Russian court.