FEUD OF QUEENS.

Oamaru Mail, Volume XLVI, Issue 12998, 10 November 1916, Page 8

FEUD OF QUEENS.

! We ha- e been lu'ai:n_ s.> m*.;ch about t?ie masterful Qticctt Sophia »f Greece and t of the manner in which ft.r two years j she has b,>-n exercising her ijjv.v-ta! in- ; lluer.ee upon her husband to defy the I wfehw »: hi.- people in t :mectio:i v. itli • the present war that it r.«vm- to he for- ' gotten that there" i.- another Queen of . Greece. Olga. by name. sa\» a writer in an American exchange. She has I vt-'i - r.t J' •-■tr'jgrail for she List eighteen montlu or niure. refusing to sanction by Iter presvnee :n Greece the hostile attitude of her son, King •'Tirto." and of hvr German daughter-in-law, towards Russia tin the iatter's ! allies. Qtie;-n Olga is a Rtis«:aii by birth. a daughter of the I"to Grand i)t:ke Constatitii'.e Nicholaivicch, the s.»i!o:- brother of Alexander 11, an J probably the most gifted ami liberal-tnind* ii prince of tne house of Roman-fr. «. Queen beii-'ves th.it W«-e owes everything to Russia. Ku latter _ was largely responsible for tbe - - -of the war of independence of Grevce. and con.tr.r.t!v stood between hvarid itirkey. In ] 1i65. when I'rince iiiiam Denmark was elected KiiU of Greece. tinder l:ie urn of George 1. Russia joined England and France in undei taking to pay to him and to his successors on the Hellenic throne an annual sum oi 1116.CC0 by way of civil list, owing to the pevirty stricken condition of the Athen: treasury. riven to this day King fonstantiuc draws the major portion of hi.-* otiui.il income from the Governments of Russia, France, and Great Britain. . When., in lu9o. Greece, having insisted tip.>n emba.king lieraeii upon a war with Itirkey, in the f.ice of the protests »f Russia. France, anil England, was igitoininioiisly routed by the Sultan s troop*. Cz.ir Nicholas <r.m_ tu the rescue 3'nd "stayed the victorious advance of the Ottoman auiiy whet'. activity within ight of Athens. Until King Constantine".- marriage, live reigning house an.i the p.>' pie of Greece i alwavs loo.i>»c! tipoit Ru-.-ia u-» their protector, and as the bulwark upon which thev could always rely against tile Tutks. and the relation* beiwe.u the courts o. J Athens ami Petrojrad 1 ■ "f *i- 1- mos, 1 intimate character. This wis net oiilj due to ttie fact of Qceen I'i.a's being a [ Komatioft. but also because the Ki:r--ir.n Empress. Mane teodorovns. was a Mster • of King George of Grctce. the ties being farther iLiiu-nwd thnmsh w.e marriage of Queen Ulna's two to tne Russian Grand Duke-- I'.mi and f>eori;e. r.r.,1 ,-.f !ur s-n. I'riiief N: -!as, io the Graiwi Duc.iv.-s Helen Viiuhiuirovna. But before Queen . had been eatablishetl at Aiken- ft.s Crown I'rinceJ;-, stie set to work endenv -.ur to diuiinidh the predoniiii: i:t .Muscovite influence in Greece and to substitute m its stead that of tne land • r her birth itamelv. Prussia. She devottn aSi her en ergies to the GerntaiiisatL: • t:ie llelltntc Court. Govermnent. and ration. lhi» ' itattiruHv Iht r»n.ago»iiin with her UMtinr-iii-'av-. Qa-' ■» Oiga. and with her ht>sbai:d\i brothers ar.<l sisters. As Crown Princess rvvphrit tirew surer «f her position, she bicante mere aggressive, and it was largely o.yi to her tactics that the army rose it. revolt about eight vears ago and 1 ■ p.lud King George", under threat of d-. p-sition, to deI prive the Crown Prince of tin' c ® ,n " j mand of the army niul of all his other military dignitiis. and to f.antsh him. along with 'his wife, front ' Greece. it I was M. Venizelos who. when sximinontKi later on by the people and by the army to assume something ariin to a dictatorship, cau-id (rown I'iir;. L'oiistantnie to be recalle<l to Greece, au-i it was \ eni ze'es. too, who helpid (. .. '.-Lantine fi.st as Crown Prince, and th.st as King, to plav a militarv role in the two Balkan wars. Yet to-day there i- no one in Greece whom Queen S'opliia hates with such bitter intensity as Vei-izelos, and at her door is laid the responsibility lor the fviuc's action in twict* «h riiis_ the last , eighteen months depriving Vemzelos of the Premiership when he was the head ol , overwhelming parliamentary majorities. , The antagonism between Queen Olga ond ] her German daughter-in-law. initiated by ( the latter, became more a:.d more pro- j nounced as time went by. It was sufficient , for Qaeen Olga to espouse any cause for ( Sophia to combat it. When King GSorgc, ( who throughout the last twelve years of his wizn liacJ been busy keeping tin . Crown Pnnccsa in clirck, was latd low by the hand of an assassin, and she became Qoeen Consort of Greece she assumed a legtee of arbitrariness bordering on

tyranny. It i- n r 't n-U,n;.-!i!iu:. nrul> r lite ciri um-tance.s. thai Queen i IL.I .-hould h.?v.' l'ouiid tli.' - quite inlr.liiaMf. She v.-n.i i: ' i-iv-r Qtic:-n Consort. ;\ii«l a,sii<h the ia ly i;i liio 1.v.:-j. I. nt nureiy the Qisnii I )uv. .■ zi r. .-n'>j' 'l I" f a.:-! :*• ;i:c v. jli ol !;• r .->! i. tli- Kin,. ■.v!i>>

plctelv u::.li . till- .'.v.-!-. hf! (I.'! II!:? u <ia i:. = h ti-l- i::-I.i v.. "i"h;s t i- why . it.- • !:. ■•:«! li< - <ieparture tor ?.'n ■:- .. n-titiitoo :::i additional -.rrievauce uhi'h tin.* •;i have ng;:ii:sl .Sophia.

Ii Queen Sophia !ea\e- Greece, as now appeals [iroi able. ."he v.-ill !reii:< ;:ibei r>ci by ihe people oi Allien.", thiuujii the ;:i't v/iii.h s-he tbu". oi' a model .-lauEhtirhoiiie i.variii;j h-r name. She had heeii by tin.- Tr.etitr,'!.- ci cattle and --heep, a:ttl by the insanitary cjntiitioi: a: I in: (itra rt:-i'it-voted tiiL> lour. i>f industry. » - i!i-- mailt- •" ittidy ci ail the .!i:• -_-ii Muds a'mitr.ir.-. even sei'-din;.' to the LY.iltd Slates. jih! (i,i k decided uj on thr one that a;.r.'.ii'cti to her the :iu->t sr> t>» -.lale. c..n *d it to be <« n:-trileted and i.iu: eiiy - j-.iipped at Atht'ii.-. and tin-!: ]>«< l it to the ei'.y uoveriimciiL. Queen Oiga enjoys the i-ui<i;:«■ distincoi til" <ml" v.on.tn v iio Jr.mU ihe rank or admiral. For niar.y y >iu m.> figured s» such cm the i ,ii ;nt impeital I'.w.--ian Xavy.