The New York herald., 1921-02-27
BELGIAN PRINCESS
WRITES HER DIARY
OF CRUSHED LOVE
DelusiOns Shattered When
She Wed Philip Of Coburg
at Age of Is.
BARES COURT INTRIGUES
Ordered to Prison in Vienna as
Lunatic When She Fled
Fro4 Hated Husband.
BARES COURT INTRIGUES

Special Gable to THE New York HERALD.
Copyright, 1891. By THE New YORK HERALD.
New York Herald Bureau,
London. Feb. 20.
Princess Louise of Belgium in her
book MY Own Affairs" just pub
lished, which gives a tragic picture Of
Vienna court life. says: "Our troubles,
our worries. our own individualities
human passion. l felt myself carried
away, with everything which sur
rounded me. into the unknown country
of new era"
Every page of the book reflects the
disaster which smashed down the hopes,
the intrigues and the ambitions of
royalty. Princess Louise is the eldest
daughter of the late King Leopold Of
Belgium. When she was fifteen years
old she was married TO Prince Philip Of
Saxe-Coburg. but this proved a cruel dis
illusionment and was followed by years
of suffering and rebellion on her part
She ultimately fled from the husband
whom she hated; a Viennese court or
| dered her imprisoned as a lunatic and
the man with whom she fled was i'm
| prisoned as forger, although both
charges later were proved to have been
trumped up. During the war she was
almost destitute.
Concerning her marriage the Princess
says: 81 was healthy in mind and
body, pure in spirit and gave my whole
soul with my marriage without troubling
myself what marriage might mean. The
man who was to be my companion on
the enchanted road of life seemed the
embodiment of all that was beautiful and
loyal and generous, and l eemed him
as innocent as myself | am not the
first woman who. after having lived in
the clouds during the engagement pc
riod. has been suddenly hurled to the
ground on her marriage night: whose
bruised and mangled soul has fed from
humanity in tears While all Brussels
was dancing amid a olaze OF light and
illumination l fell from the heaven OF
love.
THE day was scarcely breaking when
fed from the Palace across the park
With bare feet thrust into slippers and
n cloak wrapped over my night dress
I went to hide my shame In an oratory,
where / found sanctuary and whispered
my grief. my despair. my torture amidst
the purity there
OF the early weeks of their married
life she writes Every evening my hus-
band took care that he was served abun-
DAINTY WIN ROOu WlIeS. ne WAS uldiHeu
for this practice something akin TO glut-
tony Of the soul, and Of necessity | fol-
lowed his example Unhealthy books.
suggestive jokes. daily miseries made UP
my life. When | think of these things
now | am at a loss to know ] endured
them II was worse than being shut up
in a madhouse. A palace can become a
hell. Titles count for nothing. bad
household is bad household"
She calls the old Emperor Francis
Joseph a narrow minded man full of
preconceived ideas. The Emperors
i'rother was the instigator OF a hatred
OF which I was the victim" she writes.
For many years he laid his devotion
at my feet. All Vienna knew IL. the
Emperor included. because scandal was
his daily bread and TO him II was al
irost an affair of state to know whether
the Archduke Louis Victor would sue
coed in vanquishing the citadel of my
virtue"
OF Ferdinand. former King Of Bull
garia. her husbands youngest brother.
size gives weird description, telling OF
his spiritualistic seances and calling him
= kind of domonacal personality.
She tells how, as a child. she ate a
leach out of the royal garden. for which
her own father. King Leopold. punished
ner. thereby proving that he counted the
reaches. 81 cannot" she writes. re
call a single act of kindness or tender
ness on his part toward my mother"