THE GERMAN PRINCESS AND HER CASTLE.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CXX, Issue 15124, 13 October 1909, Page 10

THE GERMAN PRINCESS AND HER CASTLE.

(" Times-Democrat.'.') In the march of Brandenburg, buried in tho'midst of a beautiful park, lies the old-fashioned little castle of Rheinsbcrtr, formerly the residence of Frederick the Great His father, Frederick William 1., gave it to him and here the future warrior spent much of his em-

flaxen-haired girl, '•> «m s »' . above her amount ol inherited udepeo self-assurance, haa choosing visitor there giving; order > .^ w en tv virtue of her coming confirmation! »L has become fully '-grown. UP -'-P.inc-schen.'' as the Princess is known bvoverv man. woman and cmld i Germanv has developed into a digni--1 ted Toup" -irl and came out-inform-I ally it stnie~-at the first court ball in ■ T&lin last winter. She hw'always : denied so soft, and fragile by the «do 1 of her <9'"\- biff brothers that people havo never realised that she was no longer a child, and it is understood „hat this want of respect by her family sadly exercises the mind of Princess Victoria Louise. But now that she is to receive he, own "schloss" the Crown Prince will no looser be able to pinch her to make her laugh at the ga a opera, as on more than one occasion he had been observed to do. . Sestnf that che is the only girt among so many boys in the family, it is but natural that Victoria. Louise should be the idol of her parents. Sho is the constant companion of the Empress on "11 public and private occasions, and that tho mother may keep in closest touch with her daughter, a private staircase lead.* directly out _of the Kaisenn's apartments in the royal palace at Berlin to the suite of tho princess on the floor above. Victoria Louise is the apple of her father's eye. She is popularly sunoosed to be able to wheedle almost anything out of her indulgent nana. When inspecting a convent school in East Prussia some years 3E ro the Kaiser made a laughing confession of his subjection to his little family'tyrant: He said to the girls, who were showing him over the kitchen : •'"'Well, voting ladies, have you all got vour fathers under your thumbs as my Luischen has me?'' But. for all his fondness, the Kaiser, with his strict ideas on the education of children, does not spoil his "Luischen" unduly. Tho Emperor is noted for his notions of economy, which he has successfully introduced into the officers' messeP of the German army, and there is a characteristic anecdote told about him and Princess Victoria Louise's dress bill. There are two great social events annually in Berlin for which all classes of the 7>opulation make extensive preparations to apr>ear as smart as possible; These are the spring and the autumn parades of tho troops of the Berlin garrison, when the entire court and most of the diplomatic body are present and very often, one or two distinguished foreign arue-sts. Princes" Victoria Louise's dressmaker brought her for the autumn parade a couole of years hot a very smart sailor frock, with which the princess, who wanted to Icok as nice as possible, was enchanted. The buttons, however, did not quite please her fancy, so she asked this modiste what she could suggest a .<s An improvement. The dressmaker had! the simplest solution—some very pretty buttons which, sho was sure her royal I hiohnnss would like. "What is the price?" as'ked the little princess. "A mark /twenty-five cents'! riviere." re- 1 plied tbe dressmaker. "Oh." said'Vic-j toria Louise. " I shall have to ask father about that." When the dressmaker returned in the afternoon to | hear the result of the anneal to the Kaiser the princess said : " No. Father won't have it. I asked him and he said a mark each for buttons wa.» i much too' clear and that one mustn't I be so extravagant." Ami so "princess- | chon " had to take the costume as it L wa«. i

..The. Kaiser takes a dooo interest in his little rlauahter's studies. When Beerbnbm Tree,- the English actor, visited Berlin two years ago. the Kaiser took Victoria Louisa to the opening performance ■ ofn " Richard 1T.," because, as he informed Tree, bis daughter was studying the' play at the time. He has on-the walls'of his bedroom several water-colour studies of still life which the princess painted for him ps birthday or Christmas presents on different occasions. Some little time an;o the Emi>eror was formally invited to the Empress's music room one evening after dinner, and there the princess gave him a charming little surprise concert, at. which'.she sang n selection of " Lieder" by Schumann and Schubert in a very pleasing voice, which, although slight, is said to possess a remarkably pure .quality. On her trin to Corfu last, winter to the Aehilleion, the estate which tin* Kaiser has bought on the island. Princess Victoria Louise hegan to take lessons In landscape painting and made several studies of. the lovely Mediterranean, scenery, which sho presented to the Kaiser.

lire princess is really no longer " princesschen." for on September 13 she will be seventeen. But the affectionate title will doubtless attach to her name long after some royal suitor has come along and carried her off to be his bride.