ROYALTIES WHO HAVE BEEN JILTRD.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 11397, 14 April 1899, Page 6

ROYALTIES WHO HAVE BEEN JILTRD.

It may be some consolation to lovers who have been ruthlessly jilted by the objects of their affection to learn that it is an unpleasant fate which falls even to Princesses and Princes. Indeed so many Royal personages have been jilted that the wonder is that to be "thrown over" has not become " the thing," and jilting the most salient feature of fashionable engagements. Possibly the ; explanation why this is not so is because very few persons are aware of the names and numbers of Royal lovers who have been slighted in this cruel fashion. , , >

Of course, very many of our readers are more or less familiar with the details of the most' recent of Royal jiltings, when the Czar of ;AII the Russias—then the Czarewitch—broke off his engagement with the beautiful and dignified Princess Helene of Montenegro, and announced his intention of, wedding the pathetically beautiful Alix of Hesse. - ■ ■ ■

That Royal romance was recalled to mind a short time since, when the heir to the throne of Italy "married the slighted Princess Helene, who had been affianced to the Czarewitch for many years and educated at St. Petersburg in the Court over which she was intended in later years to'reign. ' It must have been a severe trial indeed for the beautiful Princess to have, had to leave the palaces she expected one day to own, to return to her father the King of Montenegro, a country which could be tucked into one of the pockets of the great Russian empire and entirely lost from view; and it must have been an especially bitter trial to a Princess of the pride and beauty of Princess Helene, who was lucky in subsequently having the great consolation of the prospect of becoming Queen of Italy. . ' •■■■■■..

It is not generally remembered that the late Duchess of Teck was jilted' by ■ the Prince of Orange prior to [ her engagement to the Duke of Teck. We Britishers who felt the kindly influence of the late .Duchess —and who of us did not?—Jiave every, reason to be thankful that the engagementj which would have taken her.out pf.-Eng-land, came to so abrupt a termination. At the time, however, the rude decision of the Prince of Orange must have > been very galling to Princess Mary, for up to that time the Prince had been a desirable husband, and a. maiv against whom nothing serious could be charged. As the time appointed for the .marriage approached, however, he became involved in ,a-series..of scandals in Paris, and upon this becqmuig known to the Queen and Princess Mary,\7]e lacked the courage or the desire to cross the Channel to carry gut the engagement, and briefly jilted the. Princess, who1' subsequently, as all the world knows,' married the Duke of Teck, and became a necessary and favourite figure in English daily life. The elder sister of the,murdered Empress of Austria, Princess Helene of Bavaria; was jilted by the Emperor of Austria-Hungary in favour of her younger sister, • the late Empress. Princess.' ;Helene " 'had' been affianced to Francis Joseph at quite a ten-, der age, and she was educated with the distinct view of her becoming iimpress. of Austria, for there never, appeared any reason why she should not hold that high position, until Francis^ Joseph chanced one day to meet his fiancee's ■ younger .'sister, with whom he immediately fell 'head' over ears in love. ' '.'' '■ ,' ■"..'■.

His long-standing engagement stood as nothing then in the face of his deeply-in-spired affection, and lie promptly jilted the elder sister, who was sincerely fond of him, and who for years had expected to become his .wife and share liis. throne, in favour of the younger and, perhaps, more beautiful sister, who recently died by the haiid of a mad-Anarchist. ■ . . . . :

The, Duke of Orleans, who delights in nothing more than railing at England, which for many years afforded him ah hospitable shelter when his country would have nothing to do with him, holds a record as far as jilting Princesses. goes. ".It would be somewhat difficult to say exactly how many fiancees he has had. and jilted, but his is a good record, and one-of his unfortunate victims'■ was his cousin, -Marguerite de Chartres, who, since being jilted by the French: Pretender, has married the Duke de Magenta, son of the famous Marshal MacMahon. •" ... ;

' Among other Royal personages who were jilted by their1 Royal lovers are included the sister of the-German Emperor, who was deserted and snubbed on the eve of her marriage by the late Prince Alex of Battenberg, who married in another direction almost immediately, after ho had refused to become Emperor. William's brother-in-law'; Princess Elsa of Wurlemberg", recently jilted by the late Prince -Alfred of Saxe-Coburg ;, and Princess Sophia of Bavaria, who subsequently became , ■ the Duchess d'Alcncon. "..'.•■ ..'.- .