LOVE STORY OF A PRINCESS

Stratford Evening Post, Issue 16, 4 October 1929, Page 3

LOVE STORY OF A PRINCESS

YBCTORIA OF PRUSSSA M. ZOUBKOFF, PRINCE CHARMING. A Princess who married a commoner because she loved him and was brave enough to laUgli in the face of convention has told the story ol her past. She is the Princess Victoria of Prussia, daughter of the Empress Frederick and gyand-claugliter of Queen Victoria, and her story, entitled “My Memoirs”, is one that primarily goes- to prove that a. woman is a woman, be she princess or serving maid —in other words, -all. that matters- to- a woman is love. Princess Victoria of Prussia takes up over 206 pages of the book she has written in describing her earlier life, but only in the last twenty does she reveal what she lived for—-and that only came about by accident. She fopnd her heart’s desire iu the love of a one-time “Russian gentleman”, Alexander Zonbkoff, and, despite all that the newspapers have printed about this apparently extra- ; ordinary union of a princess °t mature years to a young man of illfortune. She has great visions ol happiness. Here are portions from the postscript to her book :

After I had completed the foregoing pages of my memoirs I. concluded I had finished the story of my life so far as it .would be of interest. Happily, however, fate luvs bad another chapter in store for me. For years I have lived a quiet, retired life, my pleasures) being of the simplest and my happiness found chiefly in the -company of friends. Since the death of Prince Adolf in 1916, in spite of the affection of those- attached to me, many of my days have been lonely and long. Now r , by the queer workings of Providence, I have again a companion to fill my life with renewed interest and keep at bay the loneliness that so often comes in later years to those who have lived in the heart of things. At the end of 1.927 I married a Russian gentleman, Alexander Zonbkoff. Tiie newspapers- and the public generally seem to have 'interested themselves considerably in mv secon.d marriage, and not altogether m a, kindly mariner. To describe the state of my feelings at the time when I met M. Zonbkoff, 1 give the following excerpts from my diary;—

TALL, DARK AND HANDSOME. Monday.—To-day Count Z'eh. was here to tea, and with hiln came his cousin; M. ZoukofF. They are coming again, to-morrow. Tuesday.—.M.Z. rjnd his cousin came again to-night for dinner. AVbat an interesting man lie is! He m tall, dark, and handsome. He B eems very .intelligent, and I 'shall continue to invite him to the palace. Wednesday.—They have been to dinner, and we had a very enjoyable evening. M.Z. dances well, but does not' care for it. He seems to have travelled a great deal, a.nd has interested me very much. Thursday.—M.Z. came this morning. He is charming, and I hope ho will continue to visit me. Thursday (midnight).—There were several people whom I know at the Opera. They do not know M. Zoubkoff. and I noticed that they were very interested- in him. He is attracting me ai good deal, and I think that he enjoys my company. He has become very poor, owing to the Russian Revolution, but is not ashamed of his poverty. His parents had) a fine palate and were very wealthy. He related to me that he was wearing a borrowed suit of clothing ;it our first meeting. He was also, almost, penniless. I admire his frankness. I hope that lie is staying in 136 nn for some time. lam very much interested in him, ' Friday.—To-day wo have been much on the Rhine. Sascha (his nickname) aby myself paddled! to Konigswater and pio nicked over the hills. How attentive Sascha Is! I was wearing isom'e flowers winch I gathered from the grounds this morning, and as I was stepping into the boat they became unfastened and fell into the river. He insjllstedi on jbuyilng me more from an old flower-seller who w:ts passing by. It was very charming, of him, and 1 appreciated bis attention. fSatnjrday.—Count J. atgonipanibd M. Zoubkoff hero to dinner. He has again related some of his adventures and misfortunes. He is of a noble family that lost everything in the revolution. Since then he has travelled the world, just earning enough to to clothe and keep him. bio told me ho was at one time a deck hand, and! sailed to Newcastle and Grimsby. He was in England for a few weeks. Later in her diary the Princess says, after a temporary absence of the man she bad learned to love; “How I shall miss him - he has become part of my life.” Then her lover returns, and her diary records these words: “I care for him a great deal, and! I know ho cares for me. I wonder what people would say about a marriage between us ? If be should propose to me some ■ ■■ r-.y*

clay, I wonder what the world will say an.d invent ’’ The diary continues:— Tuesday, 12.1 it). —We had dinner at home, and Saischa has proposed. Ain overjoyed, 1 have, of course, accepted. What will one’s irelatiibns say about our marriage? But I shall overstep a.ll barriers. I will not sacrifice my own happiness and that of my fiancee for the sa,kq of worldly criticism. People will say that there is too great a difference in our ages for complete happiness • but if two. people really care for each other nothing else matters. Titles, money, everything else goes, but I will keep our happiness. My fiancee loves me and love him. 1 shall let my brothers and sisters know to-morrow. Thursday.—The formal engagement was announced last night, and the publicity which the papers will give our marriage does not trouble us. Jt was not really essential to have one’s family consent, for when I married into the house of' Schaum-biug-Lippe I passed out of the jurisdiction of the Hohenzollerns. Oar marriage (the book goes on), which took place on November lb, 1927, was extremely quiet, our best friends and members of the household only being present. M. Zoubkofi and' I wore married at the Town Hall,. Bonn, and on the 21st (my mother’s birthday) the church ceremony according to the rites of the Bussian (Greek) Church was performed here in our palace by the Bussian priest from Wiesbaden, a charming, kin.d gentleman. I feel that a, fresh life lias opened out to me, one that, with the graciousness of Providence, will he full of happiness in my newly-found companionship. We mean to live a. simple, (quiet life, d'evoted to pic, quiet life, devoting a. great deal of time to work, and later travelling abroad and visiting friends. Later developments indicate that the Pr in cess is now in poverty.