Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-07-26

Queen Carmen Sylvia. and that they
were not easy to please. And she dis
covered that in addition to these
social and political responsibilities, she
was expected to provide her princely
husband with a numerous assortment
of sons and daughters. Their first
child, the present King Carol II, was
born October Is, 1893. The others
were: Elisabeth. born October II,
1894; Marie. born January 8, 1900;
Nicholas. born, August 10, 1908; Ileana;
and Mircea, born January 3, 1912.
Carol married Princess Helen of Greece
bride of King George of Greece and
Marie was welded to King Alexander
of Yugoslavia. Mircea died October
20, 1864 little victim of the war: he
was stricken with meningitis and, as
he lay gasping for breath, 70 bombs
fell in the palace neighborhood.
The Queen Of Queens.
It was only in 1916. when Rumania
was drawn into the great struggle. that
Marie's star rose above the horizon OF
the nursery. But that it was a star
Of SURPRISING magnitude was imme-
diately apparent. Within a few months
it was plain to all the world that there
was in Eastern Europe a Queen OF
Queens One might dislike her. but
one was obliged to concede her power.
Mixture of Guelf and Romanoff. the
blood of Emperors was running in her
veins. "A splendid figure. oriental
surely. and almost barbaric in her
beauty" she was not to be ignored.
Active. impulsive, magnetic, dynamic,
daring" her husband might be over
looked. but Marie herself had all the
brain-power of man and all the al
lure rent of a woman" She appeared
in Paris when the Peace Conference
met "Sirs," she said, Il have come to
give Rumania a face in the affairs OF
nations"
President Wilson was too busy" to
call upon her. He sent his regrets.
She notified him that her working day
began at in the morning and that she
would be at home if he would appear
at any hour after that. He found
$50 convenient, and when he departed
he had arranged to meet the Queen
again. Marie wanted a loan of $50
600 600 After her first conversation
with the President the matter was ar
ranged She wanted the Allies to ap-
prove Rumania's territorial ambitions,
She conferred with Clemenceau. He
said, II don't like your foreign min
ister." She replied, Il don't like him
much myself. but you can deal with
me without regard to him." The Allies
yielded.
In September, 1925, it was announced
that Marie was planning an American
tour She landed at New York on Octo-
Der 10. BY evening of the same day
she was in Washington. The follow
ing evening President and Mrs. Coolidge
gave a state dinner at the White House
in her honor The Queen was pic
I,o& ;o1a io rx,Ioit ua1uof flnorlC
and a diamond tiara. Vice President
Dawes escorted the Princess Ileana to
the table.
Her American tour was rather badly
managed, but when Marie sailed for
home, November "a, she was at the
pinnacle of her career. She admittedly
had come to the United States "for
business reasons" To what degree she
had succeeded IS disclosed by these
figures: American exports to Ruman1a
In 1925 were appraised at approximately
$2,500 900; in 1927 they were $4,900,-
900; in 1928, $9,4So,ooo.
Marriage Mere Incident.
Had King Ferdinand lived. Marie
would have pursued her campaign to
bring her country abreast Of its peers.
When he died, she necessarily stepped
aside. Her grandson, Prince Michael,
born October rs, 1871, became King
under a regency in which Marie her
self nominally had share. But there
was a steady drift toward more rad1-
cal change. On June 6, 1880, Michaefs
father, Marie's son Carol, returned from
voluntary exile in France and assumed
the throne. From that date until the
present moment the history Of Rumania
has been too complex for any outsider
to fathom. A dictatorship appears to
be more or less inevitable Possibly
Carol will not be successful IN holding
the power he has grasped. One little
incident in the story is Ileanas mar
rage today.
Friends of the princess certainly ex-
pected more important alliance Tor
her. Rumor in the past has connected
her name with those of all the eligible
young men in Europe. Even the Prince
of Wales, some 16 years her senior, has
been reported as sutton for her hand
Certainly he has never denied his af-
| lection for her. She's a Jolly little
kid" he said on one occasion when
asked his opinion. But the prince does
not seem to be of a marrying DISPOSE
ton, and whatever hopes her English
partisans had for ueana have come to
nothing. The King of Bulgaria was re-
jected. The Crown Prince of Italy had
Count Alexander Won Hochberg was
supposed to have been approved, but
the engagement was broken, and Queen
Marie and the princess were sent on q
long tour Of Egypt and the Holy Land
A few months later q youthful British
nobleman appeared momentarily in the
news as a possible choice. Then on
May last came the report Of Ileana's
betrothal to the man she Is marrying
today. Little is known of him, save
that he is an enthusiastic aviator
King Carol has given him plane as a
wedding present. His family is ancient
enough, but recently it has been in de-
cided eclipse.
| rvha former Kinr Of Snair, is his near