Evening star., 1922-08-13
The Court of Monte Carlo

lections he spent SO much of his time
and money. But all these scarcely ap-
pealed to fashionable society.
The dead princes matrimonial COM
plication did not lend themselves to
a court frequented by lovers Of nobil-
ity and high life. His first wife, Lady
Mary Douglas Hamilton, was the
daughter of the Scottish French duke
who had married q princess Of Baden.
The latter's mother was a daughter
of the great Napoleon's adopted child.
Stephanie de BrauharnaIs of the
family Of the Empress Josephine's
first husband. When Napoleon III
came into his new empire these Ham,
iltons were treated as his cousins
and in 1859. the year before his down.
fall, he married of Lady Mary to
the young Prince Of Monaco, who was
heir to the principality that had be-
come a sort of key position for
France. The lady from the start pro-
tested that she had been forced into
the marriage by her mother and the
emperor. At last she succeeded in
getting her case before Pope Leo XIII.
the only international authority rec
ognized more or less by all parties,
and after long judicial proceedings,
in 1880, 1t was declared null and. void
from the beginning as lacking her
consent The prince, it was said. es-
capped the legal summons for an entire
year by absenting himself on a deep
sea expedition. His father, who was
still reigning. went the Pope one bet
ter and, in virtue OF his own SOW
ereign authority, dissolved the mar
riage six months later The only
son, who was ten years old. was de-
clared legitimate heir to the crown
and he is the new Prince Louis, who
now succeeds at the age of dfty-two.
The heir of Prince Louis, in turn,
is his daughter by a morganatic
union. but legally adopted by decree
of his father as eventual successor to
the princedom. On that occasion she
was given one of the titles Of Monaco
princes-Duchesse de Valentinois.
Two years ago She was married to a
French Prince Polignac. with the
explicit understanding that they
nerpetuate the family name of the
Grimaldis who have reigned here
ever since the year soo-just 1000
years.
, Americans were sure to drift into
such families in these recent years.
The prince who died, after succeed
ing his father in 1889, chose for a
second matrimonial venture the wild
ow of the Duke de Richelieu, who
was born Alice Heine of New Or
leans. Her father was a banker there
and her mother was 'of Louisiana
family. The fathers banking posi-
ton brought him to France. where
he became a governor Of the Bank OF
France. Much that lis erroneous has
been published about the fortunes OF
this marriage and the Princess Alice
has now reminded the press that
there has not been a divorce, but
simply judicial separation since
1902. To the end the old prince flew
hi, nag over his yacht-the Princess
Alice-so well known up and down
the Riviera coast OF the Mediter-
ranean.
In the PoNsnac family, which thus
comes into the seat Of the ,Grimaldis'
there is an American cousin who was
.Winaretta Singer and Is now the
widow of Prince Edmond de, Polig-
nae. The present Marquise de Polis-
mac is a daughter of Oscar Crosby.
who was assistant secretary Of the
Treasury. under President wilson.
The new princes mother, Lady. Mary
l'long ago remarked in Hungarian
family whose title Is also not un-
known. in the United States-Fes-
tetics de Tolna. The interest Of pro-
spectiye American countesses, bar
onesses, marquises, duchesses ana
princesooG D. In the, court which may
b openea - then In Monte carte.