Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-05-03

~ the Queen of Rumania married
reigning monarchs princess Eliz-
abeth to King George of Greece and Princess
Marie to the King of Jugosavia) and her son,
Prince Carol, was married to Princess Helene
of Greece that title was beQueathed to the
Queen of Rumania But alas, King George
was bereft of his throne and lives in exile.
The marriage of King Carol went on the rocks,
ending not only in divorce but causing political
disorder.
This is Just one example of the far-reaching
consequences of any royal marriage. Love
alone cannot be the criterion. All sorts of con-
siderations must enter in, thus creating sit
uation where happy successful marriage
among kings and queens and their kin is far
more the exception than the rule.
Only one of the unions in the Rumanian
royal family has been a success thus far, that
of Princess Marie and King Alexander. They
seem safe on the throne of Jugoslavia and
happy in their marriage, especially since that
marriage has been blessed by two sons, thus
assuring an heir to the throne.
The fiasco of the engagement Of Queen
Marie's youngest and favorite daughter the
Princess IIeana, to the Count of Hochberg,
was enough to injure the reputation OF any
matchmaking mother. Queen Marie may nave
been blameless-perhaps she wanted to prove
to the world that her only desire vas for her
daughter to follow the dictates OF her heaTt'
disregarding political and ambitious considera-
lions But the engagement had to be broken on.
However though unsupported by the world at
large and known only to the initiated lew, there
is one queen in Europe who well deserves the
title of successful royal matchmaking mother.
Strangely enough, in contrast to the queen Oh
Runania this Queen is shy and retiring, al
ways striving to keep herself in the background.
\ REFER to her majesty Queen Elizabeth OF
Belgium. who not only engineered the bril-
liant match of her daughter, Princess Marie
Jose with the handsome, dashing Crown Prince
of Italy, but that of her son, Crown Prince
Leopold, with the lovely Swedish Princess
Astrd
rr,his means that her only daughter will be
Queen of italy and that her son has won Tor
himself the one girl who was believed likely TO
marry the Prince of Wales. What is more,
not only we're these genuine love matches, but
they were highly satisfactory to all concerned
from the political racial, religious and social
points of view.
First let me tell you how Queen Elizabeth
picked a royal princess for her son, Crown
Prince Leopold.
Like all three of the Belgium royal children,
Prince Leopold had tragic childhood. Thir-
teen years old when the war broke out his
country overrun by German armies, his father
a general at the front, his mother in hospitals,
he and his sister and brother hurriedly
sent to England for safety.
But Leopold yearned to get back to his native
land fighting for its life Young as he was,
he went to the trenches. HIS tall, rather slender
figure shows the marks to this day. Too young
TO fight he carried sand-bags, far too heavy for
his growing body. Even now his shoulders seem
bent from the strain.
Shy and reserved he reached the age of IS
without giving any indication of registering
any attraction for the marriageable princeSSeS
of his rank narrowing fear always tugs at
a queen mothers heart: Suppose my son should
become ensnared by some adventures and not
marry at ALL or suppose he marries some one
below his rank and bad for the country?"
THE Queen of Belgium did not propose that
- anything like that should mar the career
Of her son. destined to be King of the Belgians
She took the matter in hand and put her wits
TO work.
Up in Sweden two of Europe's loveliest prin-
cesses were still unmarried. They were nieces
of the King of Sweden and, through their
mother were related 10 the British royal family.
Indeed, one Of the princesses, Astrid, on special
invitation Of Queen Mary, was to visit Bucking-
ham Palace in June. With the widow Of King
Edward VII, the late Queen Alexandra, who