Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1916-07-16
LITTLE ITALIAN
 GIRL MAY BE
 ENGLISH QUEEN
Heir Apparent Britain's Throne Seeks Hand of
 Princess Yolanda.

Correspondence of the Associated Press.)
 Rome, June 18.-Unconfrmed re- ports that Prince Edward Albert of Wales, heir apparent to the British throne, seeks the hand of Princess Yolanda, the eldest daughter of King Victor Emanuel of Italy, have caused widespread discussion here. The ru nor is surprise to Italians general ly, for it had been supposed that the British prince would marry one of the daughters of Emperor Nicholas of Russia, but there are number of in cidents that have led the Italian peo- pie to believe that Prince Edward will marry the Princess Yolanda.
 It is now stated that the reason of the visit of the duke of Connaught to the Italian king in May was to present the formal request of the king and queen of England for the hand of the Princess Yolanda. The princess is only fifteen years old, and the prince is only 22 She received an English eduation from babyhood un- der the tutelage of an English gov erness. Miss Brown, and those who know her intimately have spoken of her as one of the best maria geable prospects in European royal families. She is said to be an extremely sensi- ble and practical girl, having been
 brought up in family that is pecul- iarly domestic, and being the oldest girl in the family, her royal intimates say she has been regarded as the "boss" of the household. She has all ways acted as the protectress of her younger sisters and her brother
 Prince Humbert Sometimes she has extended this role even to her mother, the queen. The latter, on one occa- sion recently, when speaking to the American wife of an Italian journal ist, said 'T rarely attempt to speak
 English because Yolanda insists on correcting my mistakes.i
 The princess strongly resembles her mother, having dark hair and eyes, an olive complexion, and the slow smile not unlike the famous One in the Mona Lisa paintings. She has been given even more of the modern outdoor education than many of the Italian girls who have followed the English and American custom. She plays tennis we'll rides, swims, and is an excellent pistol and rifle shot. Since the war began she has been the constant companion and aid Of her mother in the work among the poor families of soldiers and in the hospitals, particularly the latter. She May Change Religion.
 The princess is a Catholic, and the English law does not allow of the l occupancy of the British throne by Catholic, sbut among those who wish to see the marriage carried out, i! it is recalled that in recent years cer- tain princesses have changed their religion in order to become queens. lie on marriage while the queen Of Greece adopted the religion of the country for the same reason.
 Should the marriage not take place, the fact may some day develop that it was because the princess so willed. The Italian royal family is known to be sufficiently converted to demo- cratic ideas not to insist on a we'd ding which the princess fails to view with full approval. AS the throne of
 Italy cannot be inherited by woman, the marriage of royal princess has not the far-reaching political impor-
 tance, thaa is true in the case of the
 Prince of Wales. The war having ap- parently eliminated both German and Austrian sutors, if the Princess
 Yolanda marries in neither England or Russia, she may after all marry
 in Htaly, where many of the princely
 houses consider themselves quite as
 good as the house of Savoy.
 The Italian royal family is far
 wealthier than the English royal family, being rated only second as to | that of Russian in wealth, and much of this wealth is in cold cash, not in 1 undeveloped lands.
 Redlands, Cal, is the only Ameri-