Friday, November 2, 2012

Rumors about Princess Nicholas

November 2, 1902

The Marquise de Fontenoy is telling her readers to view "stories which may come over the wire concerning the newly married Princess Nicholas of Greece" with "extreme caution."   She reminds her readers of an earlier "circumstantial account" that was cabled to the United States about the then Grand Duchess Helen Vladimirovna of Russia, running off from St. Petersburg with a student, and was "stopped by the police at the frontier station of Wirballen: before she was escorted back to St. Petersburg, and the student sent off to the remotest point in Siberia.

The story was completely false, as the Marquise pointed out.  At the time of the alleged escapade, the young Grand Duchess was nursing her mother, Grand Duchess Marie Pavlovna, who was very ill.

Now the German, French and British newspapers reporting a story to the effect that the Grand Duchess has bolted, deserting her husband, Prince Nicholas of Greece, and has run off "with someone or another."

However, at the time of the alleged bolt, Helen and her husband were in Copenhagen as the guests of King Christian X.  The party included the Dowager Empress of Russia,  and her son Grand Duke Michael,  Queen Alexandra and her daughter, Princess Victoria, as well as other family members. 
The Marquise concedes that Helen is "high spirited, extremely good-looking, and flirt and a jilt.  But there is no reason why such unsavory and ridiculous stories should be "constantly circulated" about her, when the stories are not true.

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