LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVIII, Issue 20851, 18 April 1931, Page 2 (Supplement)

LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT.

ROMANCE OF PRINCESS. " LITTLE WILLIE " AND CECILIE. The ex-Crown Princess of Germany fell in love with her husband—tho famous " Little Willie "of the war—at first sight. Rlio tells the story in her book, " Tho Memoirs of the Crown Princess Cecilie." It was in July, 1904, ten years before the war began. The Crown Princess' brother, tho Duke of Slecklenburg-Schwer-in, was making his ceremonial entry into Schwcrin, on his wedding— Cecilic's father died some time before —and tho Crown Princo William was there representing his father, then tho Kaiser.

" I shall never forget liovv, on the afternoon of July 5, (ho day of the ceremony," writes tlie Crown Princess, "standing on the white staircase with ntv mother ami sister to receive the guests, I saw my future, husband coining up the stairs; for mo the lirst moment settled everything' " Brief as his stay was, it was full of new experience for us both. In the midst of all the social functions of the first day —dinner, concert and dramatic performance—we still managed to find opportunity for quiet conversation. " The next day wo were able to pursue it further. In the morning wo rode together, accompanied by my brother-in-law Christian and my aunt Charlotte Ileuss as ' gooseberries ' —for it went without saying that such an ardent horseman as the Crown Prince wanted to ascertain how the woman he had chosen could ' sit a horse.'

" In the afternoon there was one more unforgettable expedition across the lake to Grandma ma Marie's, where Queen Wilhelminc was staying. In the evening, after a state concert, there was another happy meeting at supper, and then the hour* of parting struck.

" Soon after that tho Crown Prince and I mot for the second time. When we stopped in Berlin, on our last journey to Russia, he had supper with us at the Kaiserhof, and then drove us in his car through the Tiergarten to the station. From that day on I saw everything, as the saying is, through roso-coloured spectacles."

Somo weeks lator tho Kaiser wrote to Cecilie's mother asking for Cecilie as his son's wife.