The Washington herald., 1913-06-21
divorce RUMOR
in HIGH CIRCLES
Differences Of the Duke ant
Duchess of Westminster
Said to Be Increasing.
HISTORY OF MARRIAGE
Flirtations of Wife to Bring Back
Young Husband Threaten to
Cause Court Action.
,ecial Cable to The Washington Herald.

Special Cable to The Washington Herald.
London. June 2o.-The matrimonial diff
ferences of the Duke and Duchess Of
Westminster are proving much more seri-
Gus than was at first supposed, and a
divorce is now considered unavoidable
and imminent
The first intimation the public had Of
any difference between the richest duke
of Neutrality-suspicious. called the Astor
of London, because he owns more than
| half the property in the district of West
minster-and his wife was recently when
she attended a select function given by
the King and Queen at Buckingham Pal
ace. but at which the duke did not ap-
pear.
The duchess attended the dance in the
Westminster state carriage, but when she
returned to Grosvenor House she found
the doors of her own home barred against
her, the duke having given orders to
the servants in her absence that she
should not be admitted.
All this was recounted at the time.
and the reason given was that the duke
had not been invited to the soiree by the
royal couple, the Queen having purpose
ly excluded him TO show her disapproval
of married men, even Of dukes. who
were VIGOROUSLY unfaithful TO their mar
riage VOWS.
wife Picked for Duke.
The Duchess of Westminster is FIVE
years her husbands senior. and people
of their set are recalling the conditions
of that marriage. and are very disposed
to throw their sympathies on the side
Of the duke. The story of that mar
riage. it appears, is this:
Some years ago. during the war. the
then very young and unmarried duke
~ he
tinquished himself for his bravery and
democratic bearing toward his comrades.
Not far away from the field of battle
there waited and watched a woman, Mrs
Atherton, famed for her beauty. and also
in recent years somewhat notorious.
The duke wrote back home to his
mother, Lady Grosvenor. that he was
going TO marry Mrs. Atherton. At once
the irate mother rushed of to her best
friend. Mrs. George Cornwallis-West, to
take counsel.
King I'm Conference.
conference was held. in which, 1t was
said, the late King Edward participated.
Just before the homecoming of the
young duke. his engagement was an
nounced. not TO Mrs. Atherton. but to
Constance Edwina Cornwallis-Wes the
beautiful daughter of Mrs. George Corn
wallis-West. who was Miss Jennie Je-
rome, of New York.
1t was understood that the young duke
knew nothing of all this-that a wife had
been chosen for him by his mother and
his er-in-law-to-be-until his arrival
in England.
For a time the marriage seemed to be
successful one. Two children. girls,
were born TO the Duke and Duchess Of
Westminster. But the gay duke, young
and enormously wealthy, got his. name
all too frequently mixed up with various
stage favorites. notably Gertis Millar.
And his duchess, at last tired of occupy
ing the position of the faithful and un-
loved wife. herself began taking on ad-
mirers. and her fiirtations soon became
almost as much discussed as those of
her husband. These were begun her
friends say. solely in the hope of making
her husbarG jealous. and with the inten-
ton TO win him back.
Now things of the deepest import are
hinted. The duchess, II is said. ex-
poets to become a mother again shortly.
And the duke has gone so far as to
notify by letter the heir to the dukedom,
Lord Arthur Grosvenor, that in case this
child is a boy il will be disowned, and
that he Qord Grosvenor) need have no
fears that this child will interfere with
the succession to the Westminster titles
and millions.