The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-01-17
ROYAL FAMILIES
 PARTED BY WAR
Are Many Strained Rela- tiOns in the Courts
 of Europe

War brings with it pain and sufferings
 which know no limits. says Pearson's
 Weekly. Behind all the smoke and pow Ger of the battlefield there are many people, who although not actually talk
 ing part in the fighting. suffer heavily through the many armed octopus of war. Among these must be included the royal families of Europe, which. since the out break of war have found themselves ar
 rayed in opposite camps, and thus many former royal relations and friends have been turned into foes.
 Commoners have. of course. all their
 relations in one country; but this is not the case with the kings and queens and princes of Europe. who are nearly all re- lated to ore another in some way or other. And so, when various countries find themselves unable to agree in political state questions and war ensues. much bitterness and anguish is the lot of the head that wears a crown.
 This state of affairs Is comparable to civil war when uncles and aunts. nephews and nieces find themselves supporting different sides.
 In the present catastrophe, King George, figuratively speaking, opposes his cousin, he Kaiser although, of course one can fot tNpttt out hliiS to tOnJufe up 1lutn sympathy for his wayward relation-the cause of all the trouble.
 If one goes further however there will be seen to be plenty of room for pity at the way royal Ninship has been sacrificed to the war god. The Duke of Brunswick for instance nephew of our beloved Queen Alexandria, must of necessity take up arms for the fatheiland, while his two aunts. the Dow ager Empress of Russia. and the Queen Mother, are for the allies"
 Then. again, the Duke of Saxe- Coburg and Gotha. another German staie ranges himself on the side of Prussia while
 his mother, known as our popular Duch-
 ess of Albany, has placed herself at the
 head of an English relief organization
 Another curious point is that Princc Arthur of Connaught who has volun-
 teered for active service. has opposed to him In the firing line his second cousin,
 the firebrand Crown Prince of Germany Similarly the elder daughter of the
 Duchess of Connaught is the Crown
 Princess of Sweden, a country which all
 though neutral at present Is said to be
 pro~German. while on the other hand,
 Princess Pat" the pride of Canada. is
 working like trojan in that colony on behalf of Great Britain. For this reason alone it is to be hoped that Sweden will not be embroiled. fhen again one can quite Understand Why things are little bit strained in the domestic circles of Holland Queen Wilhelmna of the Netherlands is the wife of the German Prince Henry, gentleman who was never very popu- lar In the gallant little country, and who is now undoubtedly regarded with in- creasng suspicion.
 Especially would this seem to be the case when one remembers how Germany has In the past coveted Hollands ljt- | tie stretch of coast line.
 Many Of the other countries which are at present neutral have relations of their courts ranged actively or sympatheti- cally on different sides
 l A prominent instance of this is Portu- I gal, whose ex-King offered his services to l Great Britain, while, of course, his Ger | man wife and her relations are on the l side of the enemy.