Evening star., 1919-03-23
Queer, Marie Of Ruma-
mia and Her Story.
Which Reads Like F;c-
t;on-Her FRIENDSHIP
With Her PEOPLE and
Their Consideration
for Her Welfare.

bolder sex? How many a pipe dream
has unfolded itself in the clouds of
smoke which have started with that one
delightful little supposition. If were
king"
Poor queen. -
The days are passed when queen
could awaken the envy of the world.
Today she rouses only it's pity.
And the Queen of Rumania is not in
class by herself, as we had uncon-
sciously come to suppose, but must join
In the general exodus from their thrones
of the crowded heads of Europe. Yet
for four years she has been the out
standing figure in Rumania. Her hus-
band, King Ferdinand, a German by
birth, education and sentiment, has dis
creetly let events take their natural
course In his little kingdom and has
effaced what personal inclination he
may have had toward his fatherland in
the wiser caurse of following the will
of his subjects. It was the queen who
took the prominent position as leader
and has urged the people on in their
struggle against the central powers.
The beautiful and fascinating Queen
Marie's life is such as might have ap-
pealed to Dumas as fit subject for one
of his court romances, in which history
in the making is linked. with the in
trigues and love affairs Of royalty and
courtiers.
X \
Marie of Rumania is the daughter Of
the Duke Of Edinburgh, who later be-
came Duke of Sake Coburg- -Gotha and
was second son of Queen Victoria Of
England. Her mother was Grand
Duchess Marie Of Russia, the radiant
daughter and favorite child Of the ILL
fated Gar Alexander. When Marie was
a mere girl, only sixteen years Of age,
she was married for reasons Of state to
His Royal Highness Prince Ferdinand
Victor Albert Mainrad of Hohenzollern-
Sigmaringen, who four years before had
been adopted by his uncle, the late King
Charles l.
King Charles and his wife, who was
known as Carmen SYLVIA" the poet
ess. had no children. and they, there
fore adopted Prince Ferdinand that
there might be an heir to the throne.
The reason for placing an English
princess. so closely related to the
ruling family of Russia upon the
throne is too obvious to need explana-
be overcome before the marriage, be-
cause Of difference in religion. The
Pope was reluctant to grant dis
|pensation to enable the bridegroom,
who was Catholic to marry the
Protestant, because the Rumanian
government insisted that the children
should be brought up in the Orthodox
Greek Church. After this was ar
ranged it was discovered that the
princess, being ninth in the order of
succession to the British crown, would
have to renounce formally all her
rights thereto before. in the language
of the bill Of rights marrying a
Papist." In order to insure the sue.
cessiop Of the X anian crown de-
scending to her hus nand, England re.
quired a solemn undertaking from
NhS SudLIcS 'udS III tHc cScuI VI tH0
death OF his wife he would not marry
again.
There was one obstacle which, mad
she known 1t. might have held more
weight with tho young English girl
than considerations Of state. This
was the fact that her finance was
madly In love with another woman.
and only the absolute veto by both
King Charles and the leading states
men prevented his marrying her. The
woman was Helene Vacaresco. the
poetess. who was the physical oppo-
site Of the beautiful young English
princess. She Is described as "a gor-
geous brunette with eyes as black
as night" while the princess was "a
golden blonde. with lovely blue eyes"
The prince, whose character seems
colorless as compared to
his dashing wife. Is about ten years
her senior. At that time he was u
good-looking young
fellow, both bashful and sentimental,
CONTINUED on Tenth Page)