THE THRONE OF HOLLAND.

Marlborough Express, Volume XXXVI, Issue 149, 28 June 1902, Page 4

THE THRONE OF HOLLAND.

QUEEN WILHELMINA'S SUCCES-

SOR.

When Queen Wilbelmina's recent illness was at its most critical period, a cable message stated that there was a fear of international complications in the event of her death. A London journal says:— In the event of. the demise of the Queen of Holland without issue, who would sugceed to the Dutch throne? The books are by no means clear on the point; but as the monarchy isa" constitutional and hereditary " one, it is to be presumed that—apart from any special enactment on tho part of the Dutch people and Government—the succession to the crown would follow the same law of inheritance as governs our own. In this case, the nearest agnate-line of the House of Orange is now represented by the Grand Duke of Saxe-Weimar, who is a grandson of Princess Sophie of the Netherlands, sister of the late King William 111., so that he is second cousin to the present Queen. The Grand Dnke might make his* election between the crowns of Saxe Weimar and Holland, but by the constitution of the German Empire ho could not carry both. It is to be assumed that he would remain content with his present sovereign position ; and therefore his rights of succession would next devolve on his sister, or on the children of his aunt, who became a Princess of Reuss. Of this family there are several princes who might legitimately be called to the Orange Throne. Remoter still from them is another line of agnates descended from an uncle of the late King William lll.—namely, Prince Frederick of "Orange, who married a Princess Louisa of Prussia, and whose daughter was wedded to the Prince of Wied. It may be remembered that when Queen Wilhelmina was still " fancy free," there was some question of ber marrying one of her kinsmen of Wied, which would have had the effect of uniting the direct and remoter line of accession to the Dutch throne. If the Dutch should prefer a King to a Queen, their choice would have to lie between a Prince of Reuss and a Prince of Wied. The Reuss line interested in the Dutch succession is uot the eldest, which has lost its reigning prince in the person of Henry XXII. All the Reuss princes are called Henry, and have been so ever since the twelfth century, when the family received a high honour from an Emperor of that name, just as with us the Somersets bear the same name in honour of King Henry VII. The Somersets, however, have other names in addition to that of Henry, while the Reuss males are all Henries and nothing more, being distinguished by numbers bestowed on them in the order of their birth. Then, again, the two branches of the House of Reuss number their Henries independently. The elder counts from one to a hundred, and then begins again, so that Henry C will be succeeded by Henry 1. So far, they have only got to XXIV in two centuries. The younger branch is much more prolific, and re commences its counting \*ith the beginning of each century. Queen Victoria's first great-great-grandchild was a Prince Henry XLVIII. Her late Majesty herself was descended from the House of Reuss, the maternal grandfather of the Duchess of Kent having been a Henry XXIV.