The Omaha Sunday Bee Magazine P
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AR
OYal Raker Progrerr-Even Faster
man Kirta Leopolds
His Highness of Orleans, Claimant to France's Throne, w
Royalty's Disgrace, Jilted, Spanked, Kicked,
Boycotted by Society, Chief Spendthrift of the
Brussels "White Way," Now Sued hy His
Wife for Wasting Her Property
and ho snid to tho ofllcer In chargo
of tho Duko:
"Do gentle to thnt young man. Lot
him sco his friend as often as ho
likes. There Is even no harm If thoy
go out quietly In tho evening." t
Tho Duko seized tho opportunity
to escape. Just as his followers were
preparing to shed their bitterest tears
over his sufferings ho was fleeing tho
country, escorted and protected by
Mine. Melba.
It was ever thus. Sometimes ho
would lesuo n heroic manifesto telling
Frenchmen that ho would lend them
on to glory, and at tho critical mo
ment an Indignant husband would
drive him to cover.
Tho Duko's devotion to Mclba con
tinued for an unusually long time,
although It did not lntcrfero with
lessor affairs. His behavior led to
tho breaking of his engagement to
his cousin, Princess Margucrlto of
Orleans, daughter 61 tho Duko of
Chartres. This was arranged for him
by his family, and considered a very
suitablo match, but oven French
royalties could not force a young
Princess to marry a man who bo
haved llko tho Duke.
A few years later ho married hla
distant cousin, tho Archduchess Maria
Dorothea of Austria, probably bo-
appeared thnt sho could never have
children, nnd ho expressed great In
dignation at this, for a royal pro
tender must havo children to Inherit
his prctonslons. Tho poor Duchess
wept long and bitterly, and Anally
waa forced to go to her mother for
protection. -Sho underwent two
operations, bud (without Increasing
nor prospects of maternity.
Not having dono anything to
mako himself popular in Frnnco for
somo tlmo tho Duko thought lie saw
a flno opportunity during; the Doer
war. Thero was then, of course,
much nntl-Engllsh feeling In Franco.
Tho Duko thought ho would gratify
this feollng by writing a letter of
congratulation to tho cartoonist, Wll
lcttc, who hnd published a horribly
gross carlcnturo of Queen Victoria.
Strange to nay, his letter aroused
Uttlo enthusiasm in Frnnco.
In England, on tho contrary, It
arousod fury. Ho was forcod to ro
elgn from every English club ha bo
longod to and warned that the coun
try would bo too hot for htm. It
must bo remembered that his family
had been welcomed to England by
Queen Victoria after bolng kicked out
of Franco in 18-18.
Ho Btayed away from England, but
u party of young Englishmen waylaid
Madame Auffmordt, Otherwise . Countess de, Salverte, the Beautiful Society
A (Woman at Present the Principal Object of the Fickle Duke's Devotion.
' Brussels, June 20.
ANEW disgrace -has crowned the
career of Europe's uncrowned
r6yal take, the Duke of
Orleans.
His wife, the former Archduchess
Maria Dorothea of Austria, has sued
him for a separation and an 'account
ing for her property, most of which
he has squandered on worthless
parasites. Such a proceeding by a
Catholic Princess is almost unheard
of, and proves tao outrageousness ot
the Duko's conduct
His Highness is tho royalist pre
tender to the throne of France, thb
head of the French Bourbons. His
great-grandfather was King Louis
Philippe of France, and his great-great-grandfather
was the Duko of
Orleans, who voted for the execution
of bis own cousin, King Louis XVI.,
in the French Revolution. Although
without a throne the Duko Is the
head of the most historic royal house
in the world.
Tho Duke Is now living near Brus
sels, having made England and other
countries too wnrin for him. Ho
trained at Brussels under the guid
ance of tho late King Leopold, and
has already surpassed the wicked
doings of that monarch in many
ways. Although he is not charged
with the cruelties of Leopold, he has
far outstripped him in extravagance,
riotous living, shameless public ex
hibition of himself with parasites of
both sexes and general sensual
profligacy.
i Orleans prides himself grently on
his resemblance to his famous an
cestor. Henri Quatre, the hero of
Hacaulay's lines;
"Look wbero ye see my white plume
shine amid the ranks of war,
And be your orlflamme to-day tho
, helmet of Navarre."
I Henry of Navarre was not more
distinguished In war than for his
generosity to his many fair favorites.
The Duke of Orleans has never dis
tinguished himself in war and is
never likely to, but in the other
matter he has beaten his famous
ancestor.
I Like Henry of Navarre he has a
long nose, a high, full cheekbone and
.a singularly sensual expression of
face. In order to heighten the re
semblance the Duko trims bis hair
and whiskers In exactly the same
manner as his illustrious forbear,
kind spends hours at this occupation
surrounded by busts and portraits of
he old King.
When he was a very young man
be Duke was intensely devoted to
Mme. Melba, the noted 'operatic
singer. Bhe .suggested to him a way
of maklnj himself a hero in France.
There is a law forbidding.' a pre
tender to the throne or his direct
heir to reside In France. The Duko
went to a provincial town under an
assumed nnnio and declared that he
had como to perform his regular
military service. He was iccepted
by the local officers, but in about
twenty-four Tiours they llscovered
who ho wns.
He was put under nrrest, but tho
Government felt embarrassed, for it
wns an awkward thing to Imprison
a young man for trying to do his
duty to his country. That was Just
what he and his royalist friends ex
pected. Their newspnpers began to
print indignant article? nbout the
shame of keeping the youpg Prince in
4 vile dungeon fo'r tho crlmd of try
ing to serve his beloved Fatherland.
Sympathetic Mme; Melba "went to
see him In his dungeon. The crafty
French Prime Minister noted this,
the descendant of Henry of Navarre
might be teen any night in tho
cafei of Brussels behaving riot
ously with persons of un.
questionablo reputation."
Ninette des Mel.
ays, Ono of His
Former Favorites
Wearing the
Duke's Family
Jewels Which He
Gave Her.
"His three hand,
some sisters, ex
Queen Amelie of
Portugal, Princess
Helene, and Prin
cess Louise are
deopljr distressed
by his conduct."
5PlflJ3s
"A party of Indignant Englishmen
waylaid the Duke and spanked him
for insulting Oueen Victoria."
him whilo ho was tnklng a quiet
stroll at San Sebastian, tho Spanish
"watering place, nnd gavo him a
thorough spanking. He then tried
Wiesbaden as a health resort, but a
stout Gorman whoso wlfo bo hnd
been trifling with sought an Inter
view with him, nnd, ns a result, ho
was unablo to sit down or
move about with comfort for
three weeks.
The Duko then found the
gay capital ot Brussels more
The Duke of Orleans, Royal Rake and Claimant f
France's Throne, in Court Dress.
"The Duke Trained in Brussels with
the late King Leopold, and the old
' sinner taught the young rake
all he knew."
cause she was the only consort of
royal rank he could And. Sho was a
good, pious woman, but she was two
years older than her husband, sickly,
shy, and qulto unable to bold such a
rake as ho to hi own fireside. They
made their principal residence at
Wood Norton, tbo Duko's splendid
English estate, near Evesham, in
Worcestershire. A fervent admirer
ot royalty describing this place says:
"Tho Duchess is a beautiful pninter,
and tho mansion is filled with her
paintings. Ono shows an angel bear
ing tho emblems of tho Royal House
of France to heaven on a cushion
surrounded by cherubs. A companion
piece, shows tho Duko in shooting
costume, with the trophies of tho
chase at his feet."
1 From the first day the Duke neg
lected his wife outrageously. Even
the paintings did not hold him. It
to his liking. Ho began to go thero
in tho time of old King Leopold. To
gether thoy frequented tbo cafes and
cabarets and sldo doors of thoatres.
Tho old sinner taught the young rako
all ho know.
Tho Duko had sovorcd his friend
ship with Mme. Melba, and this
seems to have marked a downward
turn In his career. At Brussels his
favorite companion was Ninette des
MelayB, a very pretty, hut vulgar,
Parisian actress.
Surrounded by
Nlnotto and men
and women ot
similar position
tho descendant ot
Henri IV. would alt
in the public cafes
of Brussels drink
ing, singing, shout
ing at the top of
his voice and en
joying tho homags
of his pocullar
courtlors.
NInutto des Mel
ays directed his
political policy.
Sho made him toll
the dignified noble
men who repre
sented him in tho
various depart
ments of Franco
that thoy wore
slow-going old fo
gies. Ninetto dropped
a magnificent pearl
necklace In a Brus
sels restaurant and
It was returned by
a Belgian woman
who had seen her
wearing It. This
Incident led to tho
disclosure that tho
Duko had given the
actress most of tho
splendid Jewels in
herited from his
great- grandmother,
Queen Marie
Amolie of France.
Ills wife, who
had tho right to
wear them, ransomed thorn at great
expense, from tho actress, using the
last ot her own money nnd borrowing
more from her fnmlly for this pur
pose. Sho brought $300,000 to the
Duko on her marriage, and practi
cally nil of this hns been squandered.
Both she and her mother havo been
ruined financially by him.
Ills conduct has caused tho most
Intense distress to .his three hand
some sisters, ex-Queen Amello of
Portugal, Princess Helene, Duchess
of Aosta, and Princess Louise, wife
of Prince Charles of Bourbon.
Thcso princesses induced King
George nnd Queen Mary to pay the
Duko n vjslt at Wood Norton two
years ngo ns' a token thnt they for
gave him and recognized that ho was
trying td do better. Now, Queeu
Mnry is naturally furious at tljtf re
ports of what be is doing- at Brussels.
No one fnvorlto has ever held the
Duke's Interest for very long. There
aro many of them, but ono is rather
moro conspicuous than tho others for
n period, nnd then passes into pb
securlty. So It was with Ninette des
Melays. Sho Is no longer seen in his
society.
Tho latest object of his admiration
Is n rcmarknble woman, Mme. Auff
mordt. She belom to an excellent
family of tho French aristocracy, and
before her marriage was Countess
Baconulero de. Snlvcrte. She then
married a wealthy manufacturer of
Germnn origin. Sho has been very
much with the American set on the
Continent,, nnd tlds has even given
rlso to tho report thnt she is an
Amorlcnu. For her ho has rented u
charming chateau at Putdael, near
Brussels.
They give amailng banquets,
where, utter a hearty consumption ot
wine, plans are made to destroy the
Ffench republic. Instead of belnr a
danger to tho republic the Duke has
really become a walking disgrace to
royalty.
Tho very latest report is that the
Duke will run away from his troubles
by taking ship for foreign parts
under an assumed name with his
chartaiwi
