BANKRUPT MONARCHS.

Auckland Star, Volume L, Issue 250, 21 October 1919, Page 7

BANKRUPT MONARCHS.

CONSTANTINE'S POVERTY. CAXXOT PAY HOTEL BILLS. The war overturned empires, dethroned monarchs and dragged dynasties in the duet, and as a result several kings who lost their thrones are now unable to pay their hotel bills. Constantine, the deposed King of Greece, whose wife, .Sophia, is the sister of the ex-Kaiser, is in this unhappy state. He regarded the (Icrman army as invincible, and white he remained on the throne of Greece, he thwarted the wish of the Greek nation to join the Allies. He conspired to thwart the plane of the Allies in Eastern Europe, and to keep the Kaiser in touch vvith every important movement on the part of the Allies. After the Kuma*an army ivas overwhelmed in 1017 as a result of Russia's defection and a united German-Austrian offensive, the German .High Command proposed to assist the Bulgarians in driving the Allied troops from .Salonika, and Constantine proposed to help by employing the (3reek army in an attack on tlie rear of the Allies. The Allied Governments then took rtteps to depose Constantine and place his second son, Alexander, on the throne. Constantino. Queen Sophia, and the Crown Prince made their home in Switzerland, in the belief that their exile would soon he terminated 'by the final victory of the Central Empires over this Allies. The Greek Government of M. Venizelof made an allowance at the rate of £20.000 a year to the exiled monarch; but thi = was discontinued as the result of Con stiuitine continuing to plot against the Allies and against the policy of the new Greek Government. IFe had then to depend on gifts of money from tlie Kaiser: but these came to an end with the revolution in Germany and tlie flight of th< Kaiser to Holland. Constantine. with his wife and family and suite, now live at the Hotel National at Lucerne. As the result of compulsory economy their weekly hotel bill has been cut down to ! £0(1. but is not punctually paid, as tlie deposed monarch has to de.pend on what he can borrow from wealthy Greeks on whom he bestowed favours when he was :i King. The Royal Family, including tin- haughty ex-Queen Sophia, have their nival a at a table in the public diningroom of the hotel, as it would cost a< least 20 per cent more to have their meals served in a private room, and tliev cannot afford the extra expense. They are unable to afford amusements. The os-King goes about the town on foot, and hw granddaughters use bicycles, because the family cannot afford a motor-car. The haughty Sophia refuses to show herself in public, and receives no visitors. Constantine's oldest son, the former Crown I'rinee, and his brother. Prince Nicholas, share the family poverty at Lucerne. Another impoverished monarch is King Nicholas of Montenegro, who is iS years of age. Montenegro fought on the side of the Allies, and was eventually overrun by the Austrian*, but the astute old King wns suspected by the Allies ~f playing a double game in order to save hie dynasty. When his little kingdom was overrun by the enemy he lied to Italy, together with most of his numerous relatives, including the Crown Prince, but he left behind one son, who entered into negotiations with the enemy, with a view to occupying the throne should Germany and Austria win the war. The defeat of the Central Kmpires awakened the national ambitions of the Southern Slavs for a united kingdom, embracing Serbia, Montenegro, and the Slav provinces of Southern Austria. The people of .Montenegro are in favour of this union, and the Montenegrin throne has ceased to exist. Old King Nicholas has accepted his fate, but he wants a substantial allowance from the new JugoISlav Government, the headquarters of which are at Uelgrade, the capital of Serbia. So fur no allowance has been made, as the Government has evidence that Nicholas has been plotting againsi the aTTsorption of his country witli Serbia. On the other hand, Nicholas declares that he was always in favoui of union, but he has no intention oi being thrown aside like an old glove ami ending his days in the streets as c . beggar, lie is reported to have told M l'opovitch, president of the Jugo-Sllu Chamber of Deputies, that he has n( more use for the Montenegrin thron< than for a worn-out hat. In the meantime Nicholas has re turned to Cetigne, the capital of Mon tenegro, and is maintaining there tin semblance of a court. Where the monej i comes from is not known, but perhapi j his daughter, the Queen of Italy, couh ' throw some light on the matter. The , court of this small kingdom was alwayi I conducted on simple democratic lines I and any subject, however humble, couU I ventilate his grievance in the royal SAr , It was never a difficult matter for evei i the casual visitor to Cetigne to obtaii an audience with Nicholas, even in the . days of hie prosperity, and he does no j J stand on his royal dignity in regard ti „' introductions in these days of his ad ~ versity. A recent visitor who called oi ,_ him states:— "The king smoked a cigar I ette during the audience. A Ministe j stood on his right hand with a silvc I fiay in which to collect the ashes. Th I Minister is also provided with a ho of matches, in order to give the King light if the cigarette goes out." The ex-Kaiser is in no danger o bankruptcy, for the German Revolutio eli<l not deprive him of his persona wealth, hut only of Crown property which was in his possession as King c ' i Prussia and German Emperor. No accv ii late estimate of his personal wealth ca J s be formed-, but it is believed to be cor -,' siderable, although some of his invesi c ments, such as his shares in the Han '• burg-America Shipping Company, ]\av I. lost most of their commercial value as )- result of the war. The dethroned ruler '• of the various German Kingdoms. Gran 1 Duchies. Duchies and Principalities fin their monetary resources considerabl I reduced as a result of the war and tli i- German Revolution, but none of them c in straitened eiriVuinstances. Tlie ol j' King of Bavaria, who was next in in ii rortance to the Kaiser under the ol I: Grrmnn "Federation, is living in an ai I s ' rient manor at ZizeTS in Switzerlam I. which he has ronie- , . He is 75 years < i p™". nnd h : s suite now cn:isist =ofan ol Bavarian General. Tie Kirnj is neldo: seen outside the garden of his home.