The Washington herald., 1912-03-06
THE LATE PRINGEssvIcToR

The recent death Of Princess Victor OF
Hohenlohe-Langenburg "a former Miss
Laura seymour. daughter of the late
Admiral Sir George Seymour, later Lord
Hartford. and the widow of a nephew
OF Queen Victoria OF England recalls the
libel suit brought by King George 10
clear his name Of the accusation of an
iIlegitimate union with a Miss Seymour
at Malta. which made the rounds through
the European and American press at the
time.
Scandals die hard among royalty. Despite
the fact that King George was cleared,
| in court Of justice, Of the libel that
during the SOS Of the last century he
contracted 4 morganatic marriage while
stationed at Malta with this Miss Sey-
mour. the story continues TO crop up
at intervals. and the deafh Of Princess
HohenIohe has once more revived 1t In
the Continental press. That libel found
its origin in the fact that once a may-
riage between prince and Miss Seymour
actually had taken place, and-strange
coincideuce-that the other Miss Seymour
also had bean the daughter OF Britt
tsh admiral AS fortthe rest some mis-
| chief-maker or scandal-monger linked
the name OF King George with that OF
the Miss Seymour. Of Malta, giving the
story a semblance Of truth.
The present-day general public in Eng
land was little aware-and perhaps cared
less-that the aged Princess Hohenlohe.
who died the other day and who for two
generations has resided within the con-
fines of ST. James Palace. London, and
the daughter of Admiral Seymour, Were
one and the same person, and II was
she undoubtedly whose name was abused
TO start the King George libel. There al
ways has been a mystery about that aged
lady, the Miss Seymour who became the
wife OF a royal prince. because for many
years she lived a secluded life.
Her romantic marriage, however, took
place long before King George was born.
II was a SANDER pure and simple to mix
her up with tire HISS Seymour, OF Malta,
She bore rightfully the title OF Prin-
cess Victor of ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
She resided in what is known as Engine
court, within the precincts of st. James
Palace Her son. to whom the late King
Edward was godfather nearly fifty years
ago, is Count Gleichen. a former colonel
OF the British Grenadier Guards. He is
one OF the extra equerries to King
George. He married last year the Hon.
Sylvia Edwardes, a maid OF honor TO
Queen Alexandra
Countess Fedora Gleichen and Count
ess Helena Gleichen, the two daughters
Of the late princess. who are both un-
married. are artists OF distinction. The
former is a sculptor and has exhibited
at the Royal Academy regularly since
1895. The latter is a painter and a men,
Der Of the Royal Society OF British Art
lists. Several OF her portraits have ap-
peared at the Royal Academy.
The late husband OF the dead princess.
who was born in asa. was an admiral in
the British navy He was a nephew OF
Queen Victoria. That Queens mother, as
IL well known. was a princess OF Sake
Coburg. whose first husband was a prince
Of Leiningen in Germany. BY him she
had two children, son, Prince Karl
Enrich OF Leiningen, and a daughter.
Anna Fedora, who married the Prince
Of Hohenlohe-Langenburg. a younger son
of the historic wurttemburg family whose
children, after the estates they inherit.
have to assume the title OF Counts OF
Gleicaen. After the death Of her husband
the Princess Of Saxe-Coburg married the
Duke Of Kent, a son OF King George III
Of England, and their only child was
Princess (later Queen) Victoria Of Great
Britain Between the Queen and her
half-brother and half-sister, the greatest
@C-thoIi FAlHNtu buln utaNn
But while fortune smiled upon the Eng
lish daughter of the German princess.
placing her upon one OF the worlds fore
most thrones, IL was particularly unkind
to her German son and daughter. The
revolution OF ls4S brought ruin TO the
princely houses of Leiningen and Hohen-
lohe. They were so impoverished that
Queen Victoria invited her stepbrother
and stepsister to send their children TO
the Court Of St James to be brought up
under her direction and to become Brit
ish subjects. As a result, the sons of
tie Queens half-brother and OF her half
sister spent their lives in England.
They entered the royal navy, rose to
the highest rank. and died as admirals,
leaving distinguished records. Prince
Leiningen took a royal spouse. His
cousin. Prince Hohenlohe. fell I'm love
with Miss Laura Seymour. a maid OF
honor to the Queen, whose father by
that time had inherited the estates of
the Marquis of Hertford. and married
her. FLANEUR.
tCopyrisht. 1872 By Court Gossip syDdieateJ