The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1920-02-22
1t as Unpleas-
ant as Possible,
for Prince
Christopher $
American
Bride

GENEVA, February D.
THERE is no question that the grand
wedding of Mrs. William B. Leeds,
widow of Americas late 'Tin Plate
King" to Prince Christopher, younger
brother of the exiled ex-King Of Greece,
was very largely spoiled for the bride and
bridegroom by the surprisingly unbrother-
ly conduct of the former monarch and his
resentful and America-hating wife. The
former Queen Of Greece, 1t win be remem-
bered, is the sister of the former Kaiser
of Germany.
Prince Christopher, 1t is we'll known,
has been eager to make the very rich Mrs.
Leeds his bride for several years; that Is.
from a period antedating the war. That
catastrophe, which brought so much
trouble to his family, necessarily deferred
the happy event When, the war at last
over, the announcement OF the forth.
coming nuptials was made, 1t was sup
posed of course that Prince Christopher
had secured his once-august brothers con-
sent, and that the ceremony would be
graced by the presence Of the ex-King and
ex-Queen. Certainly Mrs. Leeds thought
so and hoped so-for Constantine and his
wife, though exiles, are still great person
ages in the host Of exiled royalties who
live in Switzerland.
But the wedding took place and neither
pme. Nor did they send congratulations,
good wishes or even the smallest wedding
present!
The reason for this has just leaked.
The kicked-out King of Greece didn't go
to his younger brothers wedding because
his Queen, Sophia, wouldn't let him.
What" the once royal lady is said to
have cried. "You promised Christopher
you would go! Well, you won't! Don't
you know she's an American, and II 1t
wasn't for America and that hateful Pres
ident Wilson we'd still be on our thrones
and dear brother Wilhelm would still be
courage an American. Nicht!"
And so Constantine did not go. Further
more, to keep peace in his own family, he
has semi-publicly declared that he wouldn't
have gone, anyway, and has broken off all
relations not only with his brother for
marrying an American but with his
mother, the Dowager Queen Olga, for at.
tending their wedding
Besides the handicap of the war to this
notable international romance, Prince
Constantine, since the very beginning of
prevail Of his shrewishtongued. domineer-
ing sister-in-law, who declared that as long
as she was Queen of Greece she would
admit no American to the royal circle
Everybody knows that the Queen was
the most active agent during the war in
working for her brother, the Kaiser, in
Greece. Her husband, King Constantine,
endeavored, with considerable dexterity,
to hold neutral position between the
Allies and the Central Powers, but his en-.
ergetic wife was always pushing him to
fight for the Kaiser. She made Greece a
centre for German espionage and war ac-
tivities and enabled German submarines
to obtain supplies and information on the
Greek coast.
Finally the Allies and the Greek politi-
cal leader, Eleutherios Venizelos, forced
King Constantine to abdicate his thpne,
and then Greece entered the war on the
Allied side. Constantine's second son,
Alexander, was chosen King, because his
older brother, George, Duke Of Sparta, had
shown a positive tendency to follow his
imperious mothers political views.
Even when Constantine abdicated under
force and left Greece on an Allied warship,
his aggressive wife up to the last moment
roundly abused him for his submission
and declared that he should have died
fighting for the Kaiser's interests, which.
she said, were identical with those of all
kings. No queen of the present day has
shown anything like the pugnacious spirit
Of this exiled royalty.
When Constantine was dethroned and
exiled, neither he nor his wife had any
power to forbid the marriage of Prince
Christopher and his American bride. The
fallen monarch and his Queen went to live
in luxurious villa on the shores of beau
tiful Lake Constance, and here they main
tanned a form Of royal court although on
the soil of republican Switzerland
Ex-King Constantine, who Is not with.
out amiability, looked tolerantly on the
love affair Of his young brother, but his
Queen continued her opposition as bit
terly as ever.
The Prince endeavored to placate his
angry sisterin-law, but only to bring down
a storm OF condemnation on himself
Finally the day OF the wedding was fixed.
The Prince, II was said, had secured the