, 1912-06-15
MEMOIR OF THE LATE KING.

Christian TX aud Of Princess Louise of Hes
se-Cassel, often geuially described as ''the
aunt of all Europe" from the fact that al
most every Royal Family in Europe was Iii
rectly or indirectly related to her husband
or hei self. The astonishing extent Of these
relationships may be realized when we recall
that her son whose death we deplore wos
the brother Of our Queen Alexandra, of the
King Of the Hellenes, whose son, the Grown
Prince of Greece, is married TO a sister of
the German Emperor, and Of the Empress
Marie OF Russia brotheT-in-law of the Duke
Of Cumberland (son Of the last King Of
Hanover) and father of King Haakon of
Norway, who married Princess Maud of
Wales. He WAS also father-in-laW of Prince
Charles of Sweden, brother OF the present
King. When it is added that be was HIM
self the son in-law of King Charles XIV Of
Sweden, it will be seen that his death comes
as a personal loss to all the principal non
Roman Catholic reignjng Houses in Europe.
frederick VIII. was born at Copenhagen
on June Bid, 1913, ard was educated at
an ordinary ramma school. He came 10
England for Queen Alexandra's wedding in
1868, but returned to Denmark on the death
of King Frederick VII, the last of The o.
~denburg line. Immediately on the accession
of King Christian the d ~tficuIties with Aus
tria and Persia came to . head, and Prince
frederick returned to Denmark to take part
in the hopeless war of 1864, VIII eli cost her
the Dnchies OfSchleswig-Holstein and Lauen-
burg. The natural enlargement from Ger
many in the years which followed was ac-
tntuated by the harsh treatment systematic
cally applied to the Danish speaking iuhabi-
tants of North Schleswig, and it was not
until after the death, III 1898, of his mother,
the bitterest anti-Prussian member of the
Royal House, that Prince Frederick was
able to initiate steps for he promotion of u
better understanding with Berlin. King
Christian died in January, 1906, and among
the Royal mourners at his funeral was the
Emperor William. Among the visits paid 10
European Courts by King Federick after his
accession the second was to Berlin. (The
first had naturally been to Stockholm, the
Court from which lie took his Queen in
1868
In June, 1907, the King accompanied by
Queen Louise, visited LoLdon for the first
time since HIS accession to the Throne, and
was welcomed with the cordiality specially
due to one SO closely related to our own
Royal Family. A visit to Paris followed.
Two months later King frederick visited
Iceland, arousing great enthusiasm by APP
pointing a mixed Commission to consider
the yeXed question of Home Rule. This
COMMISSION, AFTER TWO ana q nalI months
work, presented an extensive draft measure
of Home RUE, but this scheme was reject
ed by the Lcelanders in the General Election
which followed, the victorious Opposition
claiming full independence for the island as
a State connected with Denmark only by
allegiance to the Danish Grown.
King frederick, who was a man of remark
able stature, was Colonel-iu-Chief of the
Bluffs EAST Kent Rcgiment). He was Il
Knight Of the Garter, and possessed also
the 6 G. b. and G G. V. 0. He received
from the University Of Oxford the honorary
degree of d. G. L. Although at the time of
his accession he was not particularly popu-
lar with his subjects, his great political en-
ergy (wlthin the limits of the Constitu!ion).
his eloquence, his geDialty and his simplici-
ty of life won for him the hearty respect
and confidence Of the Danish people.
His successor on the Throne of Denmark
is his eldest son, Christian, who was born on
September 26, 1870, and who married in
1898 Alexandrina, Duchess Of Mecklenburg-
Schwtrin and sister of the German Grown
Princess. King Christian has two sons, Fred
erick, born ia 1899. and Knud, born in 1900.