Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-07-16

nection with Maries return as related
to the King and his former wife.
have previously cited the signihcan
fact that the one glaring omission anc
tactical blunder in Carols acceptance
speech was his failure to mention
! Princess Helen, even indirectly, at {
moment when a few generous word:
spoken in public would have opened
the way for his former wife to accep
the new Kings advances, Even If Heller
had still refused, Carol could have fell
that he had held out his hand. The
opportunity, Intentionally or otherwise
was neglected. And in the next three
| days the King and the woman who
should have been named Queen with
him remained on the same cool speak
ing terms.
| Now Marie was returning, She had
left Bucharest six days before on the
morning. of the very. day of Carols
coup d'etat without the slightest
knowledge OF the well laid scheme tc
overthrow the regency. Privately
she was not anxious to- have Caro-
return. His ascension to the throne
threatened to transform a beautiful
and self-assertive woman into what
| American slang calls a "has-been.'
But even more than that was the
distinct mother-in lavish jealousy
which Marie has always felt toward
| the Princess Helen. Perhaps Marie
would secretly be as we'll pleased tC
find Helen still outside the royal fold
| Actuated possibly somewhat by this
fact and probably more SO by the in
creaSing necessity of making some pub
lie gesture toward Helen, the King
| signed royal decree just three hours
before Marie's arrival. This decree
stated that his majesty the King au-
thorizes her royal highness the Primo
ess Helen to bear the title of majesty
Erasing the Word Queen"
On the strength of this newspapers
stated that Carol had caused Helen to
be named Queen and, coming just be-
fore Marie's arrival, it was a shrewd
move. But there are certain facts
about this decree which merit study.
First of all, it Is worded SO discreetly
that it does not directly confer the
title of Queen upon Helen. That is
done only by inference and according
TO Interpretation. In Bucharest l
heard one explanation-which may or
may not be founded on fact. This was
the claim that the decree when handed
to King Carol closed with the words
to bear the title of her majesty, the
Queen" 1t was whispered that Carol
erased the word Queen, then signed the
decree.
This report is supported by one in
escapable fact. Whatever the general
public's Interpretation of the confer
ring upon Helen of the right to be
called Majesty" may be-and abroad
1t has been accepted as meaning
Queen Helen"-the official government
and royal palace view of the matter
Is radically different. One of my last
conversations before leaving Bucharest
was with lifelong intimate friend of
the King. He said significantly: 1.-THE
former Princess Helen is now Queen
Helen-hut she is not Queen of Ru-
mania" These same words had al
ready been carefully transmitted to me
by government officials. Queen Helen
but not Queen of Rumania."
An EyeIash Distinction.
If one asks why, the answer is that
Helen's divorce still stands, that no
successful move has yet been made to
annul the decree, that there still is
no reconciliation between Carol and
Helen, and, beyond all these, that since
Helen is not the Kings legal wife at
the present moment she therefore can
not be Queen of Rumania." 1t may
be difficult for the foreign mind to
grasp the eyelash distinction between
being Queen Helen and Queen of
RuHnania"
The average American may ask: If
Helen Is not Queen of Rumania, then
what is she the queen of? Neverthe-
less, under strict Rumanian protocol and
logic, that distinction is great one
and represents Carols own estimation
of his unusual situation with Helen
AS long as Helen's divorce remains on
the Rumanian statute books-and for
q II tNo far ha CT
of her life, although 1t may not be if
royal pressure can have its way--Helen
will be Her Majesty" but not Queen
of Rumania" This is, in fact, the
symbol of the unchanged domestic re-
lation between Carol and Helen Per-
haps 1t also symbolizes the greatest
weakness in the chain the new King
has forged about is regime, but that
remains for time to demonstrate
AS to progress toward reconciliation,
am prompted again to quote the
words of the Kings intimate friend.
His Majesty is most anxious for rec
onciliation, but it will be very, very
difhcult." When one takes into con-
sideration that the royal spokesman
have done, their best to minimize the
differences between the King and Helen,
this statement seems an admission of
virtually no progress whatever.
mus Helen remains WITH an empty
title OF Queen which carries with it no
regal pomp and fanfare. She may be
called her majesty, but she does not
occupy throne. While this situation
exists she Is queen in name only. In
fact. Carol is left free. to choose an
other queen OF Rumania," although
there is no reason to think he desires
such a course.
If King Carols first public gesture in
bestowing the title of majesty" upon