Evening star., 1923-11-30
DENIES [
! CHARGE OF: B|CAMY
Former Mrs. Phillips Says
She Obtained Divorce From
Missing Husband.

Sweeping denial. substantiated by
documentary evidence. OF charges
that she had committed bigamy by
marrying Prince Nicholas Won der
former page to the
Car OF Russia. while her first hus-
band, Charles Leo Phillips. was alive,
was made today by the Princess
Elaine Won der Lippe- -Lipsky
In the first direct answer she has
mauein person to the accusations of
her royal husband. Princess Elaine
denied that she had deceived him by
misrepresenting herself to be widow
and declared that she does not know
even now that her first husband Is
alive. despite his reported emergence
from obscurity last summer.
The prince and princess had already
broken. it is understood. when Mr..
Phillips is said to have returned
from obscurity after an unbroken
absence of fifteen years. With the
reappearence of the first husband,
however, Prince Nicholas announced
that he would sue for annulment of
his marriage to Princess Elaine.
Presents Documents.
Princess Elaine, who has just re-
turned to Washington, showed official
papers, signed by Edwin Robert
Walker, former chancellor of New
Jersey. stating that in April, 1916,
that official had granted her a de-
cree nisi of divorce from Mr.. Phil
lips. The final decree, which became
eiiectiVe six months later. when Mr..
Phiilips falled to contest the suit,
Is IN the flee of a Washington law
yer, the nrinracS agSartaI
SO you see," Princess Elaine con-
tinued. Il am not guilty Of bigamy
under any circumstances. 1t is true
tnat l told the prince before our mar
riage that 5 was a widow. / had not
seen my husband since 1908 and had
every reason to think he was dead.
But told the prince that I had OBJ
tanned my divorce. AS far as l know
he is still dead.
stories of our meeting over tho
Fnllllps. are untrue. ! did not see
Mr.. Phillips then. nor have / seen
him any time, to rne best of my
knowledge. since 1908. 1t is my opin-
ION that the story of our meeting was
fabricated by one or more Of the par
Ties who are trying to injure me- by
circulating falsehoods as to my char
acter."
Prominent Socially.
Princess Elaine said that the activ-
ities of her husband and other per-
sons related to her had very nearly
injured her in her activities for the
veterans OF the world war. BY Civ
Ing the world to understand that she
had committed bigamy, Princess
Elaine declared. her social position
had been undermined and that she
has been forced to answer the at
tacks, despite her desire to keep out
of what she described as filthy case"
The princess has instituted pro-
ceedtngs for divorce from the prince
and has filed summons in a suit
against her sister, Mrs. Gertrude
Schroeder. charging her with being
the other woman" in the alienation
Of her royal husbands affections
Princess Elaine was well known In
exclusive social circles here as Mrs
Wendell Phillips, she having discard
ed her first husbands name because,
she said. 1t had become SO distas,e-
full to her.
She was the mother Of Lieut.. Wen
dell K. Phillips. who was killed in
an airplane accident near Baltimore
while en- route to Washingtop. The
crash occurred last summer, and both
she and the Prince Nicholas came here
to attend the funeral. both accom-
panying the body 70 its last reStine
place in Arlington National cemetery