Evening star., 1923-10-09
BY THE srARaUIsE DE FoNTENoY.

That the Duke of Durcal, who has
been lingering for some months past
at Hollywood, Calf. is connected. in
sort of left-handed way, with the
reigning house of Spain it is I'm
possible 10 deny. Though he, himself.
! is very far from being a persona grata
at the court of Madrid, his sister,
married to Queen Wilhelmina's min
lister plenipotentiary in Spain, is a
general favorite there, shares her
Dutch husbands popularity and is
treated as a relative by the royal
family Her husband is Jonhkeer
van willenhoven, who so greatly
distinguished himself during the war
as chairman of the Dutch committee
for the relief and for the reprovision-
ment of the devastated and ravaged
regions of Flanders and OF the north
of France that he was elected citi-
zen of honor of Brussels, of Antwerp.
Of Liege, of Lisle and of other French
and Belgian cities in token ef graft
tude.
She and her brother. Ferdinand.
Duke of Durcal. now at Hollywood,
are the grandchildren Of the lnfanta
Christina, sister of the late King
husband, the Infant Don Sebastian.
probably the most lonely scion of
the historic house of Bourbon This
royal couple who were. both of them,
somewhat eccentric, had son of the
name of Don Pedro of Bourbon, to
whom the rank of prince. though
without the royal attributes, was con-
tinued, and who received from Queen
Isabella IL, that is to say. from his
aunt, the title of Duke of Durcal.
x X x *
Pedro, Duke of Durcal. became In
volyed in financial difficulties and
! finally induced his mother to turn
over to him an extraordinary coiiec-
/ tion of alleged old masters. which had
been collected by his father. the In
| fant Sebastian, whose talents as an
art connoisseur were maTTed by his
being blind In one eye. The Duke of
| Durcal brought the entire COLLECTION
! to New York. fondly Imagining thdt'
| in view of the collection having been
Ia royal one, irswould find ready sale
| here, where, he had been taught TO
believe, that the public are ever
/ ready to purchase all the rubbish and
! refuse of the European picture mar.
! kets. He had negiected 10 SUNNY y !
! the collection for the criticism anu
gaze of European experts ana CON
jnoisseurs. , -
His expectations with regard to
| New York were doomed TO ulsap-
pointment. Quite a numner % o. the the
American Art Galleries. where the!
were on exhibition, as Indifferent
! and relatively modern copies OF orls
| inals that adorned the walls OF SOM
! of the most famous picture galleries IN
! Europe, while the very few authentic
;: paintings Of the eighteenth century
! had been go abominab'y restore" aH
| to leave virtually no trace OF the
artists work. All this was revea led
4 L4 a
| time, with the result that the puke
I found himself unable to sell single
| painting and. ultimately. they We're
shipped back to France. where theF
were held for non-payment or Gus
{, toms and freight charges.
/ The duke, who had married a
Cuban woman, daughter OF Don Juan
MADAM Of Havana, became more ano
| more involved in financfa, difhcul- :
/ ties in Paris and finally died there
+, leaving his widow and his three chill
dren in a state of utter destitution
| from which they were rescued nv
| the always kindly and overgenerous
| home in the French metropolis.
| After the old queens death the
! widowed Duchess of Durcal and her
, children moved to Madrid and sought
j an allowance for herself and for her
children from her dead husbands s
mother. the old widowed Infanta
| Christina. The latter declined to sac-
! cord her any recognition. on the
ground that her generosity had been
/ exhausted by her son ami thet. any
how. she had never authorized or
recognized his MARI age to woman
SO inferior to himself In birth. The
duchess then Instituted legal proceed
| ings against the aged infanta. who
! fought her tooth and nail and the
legal proceedings developed into sc
unpleasant scandal that Queer
! Christina, then In the last years oi
her regency. interviewed and provided
! for the material welfare of the wit
owed Duchess of Durcal. of the lat
ter's daughter. now the wife of the
| Dutch envoy In. Spain, and of the
| Duke of Durcal, and of his youhe
(, brother, who, / understand. is now
1 dead.
| Since then Ferd 'nan,l. Duke oi
DurcaI, has attained manhood and
| like his father, has exhausted the
generosity of his royal Spanish rela-
| tives by his extravaganza and reck-
| lossneas, and then. in order to Sc
cure the necessary mean for his life
OF pleasure. contracted. without theii
iconsent. a marriage with a very rich
woman, q number of years his senior
and the heiress of one Of the wealth,