PRINCESS WHO ELOPED.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 17218, 8 December 1923, Page 4 (Supplement)

PRINCESS WHO ELOPED.

ROYAL ROMANCE RECALLED. With the death of Count Geza de Mattachich in a small Paris hotel comes the end of the Royal romance which twenty years ago caused consternation and scandal in several courts in Europe. On a fine morning in the spring of 1895, Count Mattachich, an officer in the Austrian Imperial Guard, stopped in tho Prater of Vienna a runaway carriage and pair in which was Princess Louise, eldest daughter of the late King Leopold of Belgium and wife of Prince Philip of Saxe Coburg Gotha. They fell in loa'c : and two years later eloped during the Royal ball given in Vienna.

The Courts of Vienna. Brussels and Berlin—for the Princess was closely allied with the German Royal family—tried at once to hush tho matter up. The couple wePe hunted down, and the Princess was declared to be insane. She was placed, in an asylum, and was constantly removed from place to place. Count Mnttachich was charged with ; forgery and imprisoned. After four years’ of captivity he was released, and his first thought was to saA'e the Princess. • \ For years he prepared\his plan, for the constant changing of \ier place of convenient made the attempt difficult.

But in 1904 he traced her to a. watering place in Germany, and, with great

daring, suceeded in taking l«r from under the eyes of her guardians. The couple at tied to France, but einco then their life had been a one, the Princess always living in hopes that she would receive her portion of the estate left by her father. This was sequestrated after the death of King Leopold. They travelled fibout the- Continent •ivifig humbly, and"a feAv Aveeks ago went to Paris incognito. It- was a in a small hotel that the count became seriously ill. The Princess remained with him to the end, true to the vow they took many years ago when they braA r ed the wrath of three Courts and eloped together. Now, heartbroken but still retaining at the age of sixty-five some of the majesty and nobleness of demeanour which formerly made her one of the beauties of European aristocracy, the Princess says sho has nothing to live for. “ He was all my life,” she said, “ today I am Av.ithout friends or monej-. I don’t know "what will become of me.”