THE RESTORED PRINCESS.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 169, 10 April 1908, Page 8

THE RESTORED PRINCESS.

.. ; . , AN-, OVATION.' - V- •; : ■.'■■■ ." - '■ ■ -( ■" , , cr i'ELEGHAI'H—PRESS ASSOCIATION-—COPTIUGH7-Borilrij April 8. '. Princess Momca of Saxony, aged four yeiars, ' was. accorded .a ' tremendous ovation on arriving' at . Dresden, the capital city, with 1 i her-father,, the-King of Saxony.^. /' A STRUGGLE, FOR A ROYAL CHILD. King Frederick August of Saxony married ill November/1891,.Princess Laise of Tuscany,, , whom -he divorceel oh February 11,. 1903,' and '011" ..May 4, 150S, Princess Pia Monica, their sixth child, ,was ; born. The Princess was divorced because she eloped with a tutor. In September, ' the divorced wife, known as "yinintess. Jlontignoso,.. ex-Crown Princess of Saxony," was secretly married in London to: Signor Toselli, described as a professor ot lahguages. 'I'he King of Saxony claimed custody- of- the /Princess - Pia it'onica. Then : a struggle .began. . , s - i.'Alter .tho- marriage, ;an official from the' 'Sjixon Court arrived post hasto' in London, and : consulted the ..novelist Mi - , i William Le Queux, ,who . was ..in the', confidence of the Princess Montignoso and hoi- new husband, s and refused 'to -betray-'it. As, prior to the divorce, the novelist was persona grata at the Saxon Court, he- was probably,!placed in a difficult ii'osition. 1 The,. King of Saxony's agent scoured .the; Continent'after, the Princess llbntignoso and the child. " As a result of the interview with the Court official,\ Mr. Le Queux sent a cipher message to the'ex-Princess; arid received from a town in Prance the following reply:—"State-that my husband and myself \'liavo fully made up our minds not to give up our darling Monica to the King; 110' matter what pressuro or what inducements may be offered. I repeat all 1. tcld.you yesterday in London." "Our ; little Monica is in my possession," said - Signor Toselli to Mr. Le Queux before leaving London, "I will defy tho King. He shall never have the child! German law does not hold-good in Italy, arid any of the King's, agents- will 'have a rough time if .they attempt to steal her. So they had better taKo my warning!" ' A subsequent Geneva message, stated"The King of Saxony's detectives and spies havo ar'rived. The'child is protected by a faithful nurse and two'armed men. The Countess left Venice for the. special, purpose of" hiding her. child in Swiss' territoir, where she', would be safer than'in Italy. It is reported that'the Countess and. her;.husband are planning' to take the! Princess Monica 600n to America, while" the King of Saxony is employing every means to regain the child." The chase, however, was not destined to last long. Tho determination of tho Countess Montignoso and her husband broke down, antl the Princess Monica was surrendered to Count Mattarli, Ithe representative of the King of Saxouy, at Modena, on the Italian frontier. It is said'that the .scene was a pathetic one; . According to a Vienna message, Court circles in that city regard the marriage of the Countess of Montignoso as invalid in Austria, where a Hapsburg family law requires tho consent of -the head of the Countess's family, tho Emperor Francis Joseph; in Saxoriv, owing to a similar house law; and in Italy, whete the Roman Catholic faith . disallows the remarriagel of a divorced porson during the lifetime of the person from whom ho or she is divorced. Herr Wolfling, ex-Archduko of Austria—who renounced his right to the throne, and married an actress, not, it would seem, with the best results—expressed surprise and delight when he heard of the marriage of tho Countess of Montignoso. "I-am proud of my afster's pluck," hb said; "in throwing conventionalism to tho winds, whilo searching for tho happiness ,anel love denied to Royalty nowadays. I am in complete sympathy with my sister, and hope she . may havo a happy future." ■ ■