The Washington herald., 1913-06-01
Court Gossip of Interesting
Epents on Two Continents

whole army. His garrison is at Pots
dam
There seems to be quite list of an
plicants for the kingship by would be
wearers of the crownlet Of Albania.
which. by the edict of the concert Of
the European powers. is to be made an
independent state / have already mem
toned the Duke Of Montpensier, who in
tends TO decline the honor. but has not
fully made up his ducal mind SO far
whether to say yes or no-that Is, pro-
vided he should be asked.
But there are other candidates for that
thorny crown. which does not exist as
yet as matter Of fact.
To begin with. there are the descend
ants OF George Kastriata, who. about the
middle of the fifteenth century, saved
Albania from the onslaughts of the
Turks; plain, everyday people who a
few short months ago had not even an
idea Of being admitted into the illustri-
GUS circle of European sovereigns.
There Is Fuad Pasha, an elderly Egyp-
tan prince and a shrewd politician;
Ensad Pasha, who delivered Scutari (the
city Of gardens) over to the Monteneerin
beleaguerers, and finaIly-as far as I
know-there Is Prince Louis Napoleon,
who has laid his mines quietly but ap-
parently with foresight. He seems
nearer success than any of his rivals.
Fact Is that he has journeyed from one
Balkan capital to another, 50 to say. to
introduce himself at the various courts
ere publicly entering the arena as a
candidate for the diminutive kngly
honor. His reception at Sofia and at
Bucharest was all that could be desired.
Prince Louis saw the light at Paris on
July ls. 1854 He is the younger brother
of Prince Victor Napoleon. the pretender
to the French throne. who married the
very wealthy Princess Clementine,
daughter of the late King Leopold of the
Belgians. depending largely, II not Alto
gether. upon her Congo cash box to
pave the way for the re-erection Of the
imperial throne of the Bonapartes.
and still a bachelor. hence there is no
certainty that as ruler of Albania he
will found dynasty. He served the
Car as commander of a crack cavalry
regiment. the Czsrina's Life Ulans. but
left the Russian army. and at present
resides at Prangins. on Lake Geneva. az
a brevet lieutenant general. His home
parte. the brother of the first Napoleon.
resided, and where ''Plon-Plon." the
father of Prince Louis. died
During his residence at ST. Peters,
burg. Prince Louis was treated with
marked distinction by the Romanon fam
lily. Gar Nicholas often publicly called
him cousin" as in reality there IL a
blood relationship between the two. The
Emperor is descended from Car Paul 1.
whose second wife was Princess Sophie
Dorothea of wurttemberg. and Jerome
Bonaparte. the grandfather of Prince
Louis, married Princess Katharine of
wurttemberg, a niece of Sophie Doro-
thea.
Speaking of Louis Napoleon recalls a
good story well worth the telling. When
the late President Felix Faure paid his
official visit to the court of St Peters,
burg after the Franco-Russian offensive
and defensive alliance had been perfected
there was a grand review of the Russian
Guard Corps in honor of the chief execu-
tive of the new ally. Each colonel who
led his crack regiment past the French
President received the cross of the Legion
of Honor but gine the chagrin Of Mr..
Faure when the colonel of the Czarins's
Life Ulans prince Louis) returned his
decoration with a polite note expressing
his deep felt regret at his inability to
receive an inferior grade Of an order of
which the Grand Cross had been pinned
on him. while he was a baby in his
cradle"
Felix Faure never was a shining light
of intelligence. but even he must have
understood that the joke was in him"
I should have given good deal to have
seen the expression of his face when he
read the letter II was a speciality of that
vainest of the French Presidents de faire
des gaffes." FLANEUR.