EMPRESS MARIE DEAD

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 485, 15 October 1928, Page 9

EMPRESS MARIE DEAD

MOTHER OF MURDERED TSAR BRAVED THE BOLSHEVIKS (United P.A.—By Telegraph — Copyright) COPENHAGEN, Saturday. The death has occurred of the Dowager Empress Marie of Russia, at the age of 81. She was a sister of the late Queen Alexandra. According to the Copenhagen correspondent of the London “Times,” the Dowager Empress of Russia was interested in current events till her death, notably in the Graf Zepplin’s flight across the Atlantic. She always had photographs of the late Tsar and his family on her table. She only once mentioned the tragedy to strangers. When it was reported that the Grand Duke Cyril was attempting to secure the Russian crown, she said: “This is terribly like turning the knife in the wound.” She frequently recalled revolution incidents, notably sitting in her nightdress watching the Red soldiers searching her room and cutting up her mattress for letters. She declared that she only left Russia at the urgent representations of the late Queen Alexandra, King George and Queen Mary. » F’ 1 ?, ,ate Dowager Empress was formeny Princess Marie Dagmar of Denmark was born at Copenhagen on Novem- ? 6 I tllree years after her sister, the late Queen Alexandra. When Alexandra. married the heir to a great throne, she determined to do the same. Queen I.ouise, herself the most scheming and cleverest Princess in Europe, was for once in complete accord with Dagmar. and the result was a betrothal between her and Alexander, then Tsarevitch of Russia. She was married on November 9, 1866. Her love of government found every opportunity in her new home. Much of her power and wealth were, however used for good. She found St. Petersburg sorely lacking in the charitable institutions. and these wants she supplied largely from her private purse. The assassination of the Tsar in the following year topped the ambitions of the Princess, who, when the long 1 mourning was over, turned the "Russian Court into the most splendid In Europe, exceeding' «*ven the workers of the second French Empire. The new Empress was then at the height of her beauty and nower Her pride of mastery had the bitterest fall when Alexander 111. chose for his son’s wife the beautiful Princess Alix of Hesse. The discord between the youn? jbmpress and the Dowager Empress was soon < or>> mon talk. The Dowager Empress brought the last remnants of her power to bear on deposing- her son Nicholas, and establishing his younger brother Michael on the throne, but the scheme failed. For the last few years she had lived in retirement In Denmark.