The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1912-12-24
Count Eugene De Villafranca-
scissors Has Royal Blood
in His Veins.
BY IA MAnoUIsE DE Fo>rE>oy.

NOutf America IN New YORK.
wnere he is staying for several weeks
before travelling through the United
states and Canada. has royal blood in
MS veins. and IS one Of the mOrganatic
Kinsmen OF the reiSning house Of Italy.
His father and namesake was the
eldest son Of that royal Prince Eugene
or savoy -carignan who died as rank
ing admiral Of the Italian navy In 1888.
leaving large family by morganatic
alliance which he had contracted with
d Piedmontese actress Of the name OF
FeHclte CrOsis. upon whom the late
King Victor Emmanuel conferred. on
the occasion OF her marriage. the titlc
Of Countess Villafranca- scissors also
borne by her children and grandchiI-
dren
In order to understand the relation
ship Of old Prince Eugene to the reign
ing house, IL is necessary to explain
that just in the same way that with
the French house of Bourbon there
was senior and junior line. the
latter represented by the Princes Of
Orleans. so with the house OF savoy,
there were two lines. the younger
b. airing the distinguishing name DE
Carignan. and 1t was to the latter that
the famous General Prince Eugene OF
Savoy. and also the Inflated Duchesse
de l.amballe. cousin and friend or
Queen Marie Antoinette. and who was
butchered by the Terrorists in paris
in 1892 during the great Revolution,
belonged.
When the elder line OF the house OF
Savoy became extinct on the death
without issue of King Charles Felix IN
1881. the thrones OF Sardinia. of Pied
mont and OF savoy passed to his kins-
man. Charles Albert. head OF the Junior
branch OF the family. Old Admiral
Prince Eugene Of Carignan was his
second cousin, their respective grand
fathers having been brothers.
The aomirars grandfather, Prince
Eugene of Carignan. Count Of villa
franco. married nonrcyal lauy, thc
daughter of petty noble Oh BRITTANY.
Elizabeth Magon de BoisSarln- VI
this marriage there was born son.
Joseph by name. who was first known
as CheValier OF Savoy, then as Baron
of Savoy. and afterward as Prince OF
Savoy CarignGn. He. too. married a
Breton lady. Pauline de QUEEN uausn ~
ter OF the French Duo de la NauGuNoh'
peer Of France; and after the sue
cession OF his cousin, King Charles
Albert. to the throne of SARDINIA, the
latter ISSUED an edict proclaiminS JOS
eph, his wife and their children princes
and princesses OF the blood, in the hie
Of SUCCESSION to the throne.
Joseph and his French wife had two
daughters and son The elder OF
the girls married Prince Camille Mas
simo. father of the present head OF
the old Roman patrician house OF Mas
simo The second daughter marr'ed
Prince Leopold of Bourbon-Naples.
Count of syracuse. while the third
child an only son. was that Prince Eu-
gene of Savoy Carignan. the adInltdi'
who is the grandfather OF young Coun,
Eugene of Nillafranca- Solssons' now III
New York.
The young count is unmarried. is
bout thirty years of age, is goou iooh-
ing. has a clean record. and Is pos
sessed of moderate means. Any Amer
lean girl necessarily a Roman Cath-
x.bn
become through her marriage kihs-
woman of the reigning house OF itaIE'
and will be treated as such; not no"
ever, as princess of the Diood, Out as
a nobiewoman.
Don Livio Borghese, who was con-
nected for time with the Italion en-
bassy at Washington. and has ire
quently been IN America, not only ON
cially. but also as tourist, mas just
been appointed councillor of the italiati
embassy. in London. where he Will act
as charge d affaires in the absence Oh
the ambassador. He is brother OF
that Don Scipio BorgheSe VINO. since
his wonderful motor race clean across
Asia and Europe. from Pekin TO Paris.
has been known as ''Scipio Asiaticus-
The Borgheses besides being Roman
patricians and Spanish Srandees OF
the first class. are likewise members
of the French nobility, possessing
French dukedom. which was conferreI
by the first Napoleon in 1905 upon
Prince Camille Borfhese. who married
Pauline Bonaparte the most beautiful
of all the sisters or the French En-
peror.
1t was Princess Pauline who sat as
a model for Canova's famous statue
of Venus, and who. when asked
whether she had not been rendered
uncomfortable by the Scantiness OF
her costume. replied, oh. no. there
was fire in the room"
Her palace in Paris is now the resi-,
denca of the British embassy. and
some of the furniture still there dates
from her time. notably that In the
bedroom of sir Francis Berthe, the
present ambassador one of ms pre-
decessors. namely, Lord Dufferin. be-
came involved in an amusing mIsun-
Outstanding in this connection LORD
Dunerin. though so accomplished IN
every other respect. spoke French
very indifferently.
one day. when entertaining gar
den party in the magnificent grounds
of the embassy he engaged in CONVEX
sation with some OF the wives Of the
French Cabinet ministers. ladies OF
extremely bourgeois origin, and so
new to their official position. or TO
any position at all. that they were
in constant fear lest some one should
make fun of them. or be lacking in
respect. Remarking to these ladies in
his hating French that the embassy
ace Borghese. he airily added: And
sleep in the bed o. Pauline
The ladies. who had probably never
heard Of Pauline B0rghese. were
greatly shocked at this piece of in
formation on the part Of the amba>-
sador. did not hesitate to manifest
their displeasure. and actually went to
the length OF complaining. not only
to their husba but even to Lady
Dufferin. who had the utmost diff
Guilty in smoothing over and explain
ing matters. and who wound up by
entreating her husband to chasten his
language in conversation with the
''ministresses." and. above all. 10 re-
strict his humorous sallies tc the Eng
lish tongue. and not TO attempt TO VEN
turc upon them In French.
Don LiviO and Don ScipiO BorShcse
have the blood Of many great houses
OF the foreign ariStocracy in their
veins For their mother. still beau
tiful woman. was. prior 10 her mar
rage the Countess Helene AppOnyi OF
Hungary. Their paternal grandmother
was a daughter OF the French ducsl
house OF De Ia Rochefoucaulj. while
their grea:-grandmOther was Lady
Gwendolyn. daughter Of the siNteenth
Lord Shrewsbury. who was Premier
Earl OF England.
II is this English Donna GwendOlNn
BorChcse who is the heroine % TIE
rsar~reee f~rne. Snr