THRONE AND PEOPLE

Evening Post, Volume CXIII, Issue 54, 5 March 1927, Page 23

THRONE AND PEOPLE

HISTORIC UNIONS

MARRIAGES WITH COMMONERS

lii tho curly days it was no very unusual thing for tlio sons and daughters of tho King of England to marry outsido blood Boyal, stated "Tho Thnoa" at tho timo of tho Royal iuarringo. To tako but a fow instances: King Henry lll.'a sister Eleanor married tho great Simon do Montfort. And King Henry Ill.'s younger son, Edmund Crouchback, Earl of Lancaster, married tho Lady Avolino do For-' tibus, daughtor and hoiroas of tho Earl of Albomarlo and i>rospoctivo heiross, through hor mother, of Baldwin do Redvcra, Earl of Dovon. The marriago was in souio respects disappointing, for tho Lady Avolino brought him no childron, and did not live to inherit tho great Dovon cstatos. It was through another marriage that Crouchbaek becamo tho foundor of the lino of Lancaster; but it is near his fivo-yoars' wife, the Lady Avolino, that his body rests in

tho lovely tomb on tlio north side of tho sacrarium of Westminster Abboy.

Wo pass on throo generations, nnd find "Old John of Gaunt, timo-houour-od Lancaster" (a much-marrying man), taking as his third wife a lady who had nlroady borno ■ him . sons—Catherine Swynford, born do Boot, and probably tho sister of Geoffrey Chaucer's wife, Philippa. do Boot. From that marriugo came, after sevoral generations, King Honry VII. John of Oaunt's older brother, Lionel of Antwerp, Duko of Clarenco, marriod Elizaboth do Burgh; and thoir daughtor, Philippa, married Edmund Mortimer, third Earl of March. The vast estates of tho Mortimors camo in timo into tho hands of tho groat Bichard, tho third Duko of York, and woro of incalculable uso to him in building up that power by which ho all but secured tho Tlirono for himsolf, and by which it passed &o his son, King Edward IV! MARRIAGE OF EDWARD IV. ' It was a bud thing for tho lino of York when King Edward IV., on that stolon and hurried visit to Graf ton, married all but in secrot, too much for passion and' too littlo for policy, the alluring widow, Elizabeth Grey, of Groby, born Woodvillo. For in those disturbed and competitive times, when the Throno was for him that could take and hold it, and tho power of tho great noblos was not yet broken or- superseded, it was woll worth tho while of Boyal blood to sock wealth and powor by allianco with that of tho great noblo houses. Tho Throno of England owes much to Nevilles, to Mortimers, and, abovo all, to Tudors, who wero not Boyal in origin. And it is neodloss to recall how many of tho great housos—tho Courtonays, for instance— had Boyal blood in their veins. To somo it was to thoir cost. Tho fate of Lady Jnno Groy nnd of Arabella Stuart would havo been happier had thoro boon no allianco among thoir ancestors with tho Boyal llouso of England. King Henry VIII. was an exception to all matrimonial laws. After King Edward IV. ho was tho only English Sovoroign who married outsido blood Eoyal, for historical rosoarch now throws discredit on tho long-fostorod idea of a logal marriage botwoon King

Charles 11. and Lucy Walters, or Waters, tho mother of tho'beautiful and ill-fated Duko of Moumouth. THE GALLANT PEPYS. Thero in no doubting, (perhaps unfortunately) tho marriage of his brothor Jaincs, Dulco of York, with Clarendon's duughtor, Anno Hyde. It took place under discreditable circumstances; and ■it issafo to say that, had slio lived till her husband's accession, Bho would havo brought some discrodit to tho name of Queen Anno, loft colourless by her husband's grandmother, King James I.'a wife, and glorified (more or less by accident) by hor duughtor tho/ groat, tho only, Quoon Anne. Besides Nan Hydo's extravagance, temper, jealousy (but sho had somo cause for that!),' and immorality, it is' notoworthy that tho people intensely disliked tho elevation of a commoner (we" must remenibor that they had recently had a tasto of other than Royal aiastorship), and her interference with her husband's naval power and poruonuol. But let us think of her kindly. Sho was clever and sho was beautiful; and Pcpys records that sho had "a most n'llo, white, and fat hand," which ho was very ploasod to kiss.

With tho coming of tlio llouso of Hanover, tho German connection opened up facilities for marriage with any number of Royal or all-but-Royal families. But Queen Victoria's cousin, that n'uo old Field-Marshal and Oom-mmidor-in-Chief, the Duko of Cambridge, having, as it is reported, made an effort to do his duty, and having now oirly himself to plcaso, .maVried "in contravention of tho Royal: Matriago Act of 1772," to pleaso himself. IN OUR OWN TIME. When wo next meet with a marriage between a scion of the Royal llouso and a comraonor, it is under wholly different conditions and unlimited, by a wholly different .spirit. Quoon Victoria's oldest daughter had married the Prince of Prussia; her second and third daughters had married Royalty;' >hor fourth daughter, tho Princeris Louiso,

was ullowod to marry a mombor' of a noblo Scottish house, tlio Marquess of Lomo, son and heir of tho Duko of Argyll. Tho uiurriago took place in tho Chapol Royal, Windsor, on 21st March,

1871, and Queen Victoria was presonf to give tho brido away. In the noxt 'generation^ it is not a' younger daughter who' marries a commoner, but tho oldest; Princess Louiso of Wales, eldest daughtor of tho Princo and Princess of Wales, later King Edward VII. and Queon Aloxandra, now herself tho Princess Royal, who marnos in tho privato chapel of Buckingham Palaco on 27th July, ,1889,';;:tho Lord .(tho. same day, - croatod Duke) of Fifei Nearly Uventy; years later, and tho Sovereign's first cousin, Victoria. Patricia, daughter of Quoeu Victoria's sou, tho Duko of Connaught, marries in Westminster Abbey on 27th February, 1919, Commander (now Captain) Alexander Robert Maulo Ramsay, tho sailor son of tho Earl of Dalhousio—■ an Armistice-timo wedding, a naval and military wedding.. And on tho marriago tho brido drops hor Royal stylo, and title and becomes Lady Patricia Ramsay.

And barely 'more than flvo years ago, still fresh in all memories, was tho splendid wedding iit full stato of tho Sovereign's, only daughter, APrincoss Mary of England, :to\an English .commoner, Visqqunt Lascolles, son of, tho KarH'of Harewood.':'vThat wag iii Westminster Abbey' on the last day of February,- 1952. Later, with 'tho' good wishes of a vast Empire, the Sovereign's second- soil, "the ' JDuko 'of York, married in Westminster Abbey tho youngest.. daughter of tht Earl ol Strathmore and Kinghornc, in the pecrago of Scotland, and Baron Bowes ia that of the United Kingdo.m.