Zoubkoff beats page boy, may be deported

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 February 23, 1928 

 Alexander Zoubkoff, the husband of Princess Victoria of Prussia, may be deported because of an incident earlier today "when he was charged with having knocked a young page boy senseless." Zoubkoff was taken to a police station in Berlin, report the Associated Press, in a taxicab. 

He was released after his "name and address had been recorded." The young page boy told police that Zoubkoff "desired to talk in private with another guest" at a local cafe. Zoubkoff ordered the page boy to leave, but the boy replied: "that he must remain on duty." 

It was then that Zoubkoff allegedly "knocked him down and kicked him." The page boy was taken to a local hospital, where he was examined. The examination "revealed marks of brutal treatment." He also complained of internal pain. The Princess, who is 63 years old, arrived in Berlin a few days ago. She has denied charges that her 27-year-old husband "has been leading a riotous life since their marriage." She told reporters that they 'were looking for a cozy little nest in Berlin.

 The page, 16, is planning to sue Zoubkoff for assault. Zouobkoff has been a regular at the Casanova Cafe, where he, "with friends of both sexes, led a gay life, drinking, singing, and dancing," the New York Times reported. He was already intoxicated when he arrived at the bar after midnight. It was about 3 a.m, when he was about to leave, a page offered to assist him with his coat. Zoubkoff thought the young man was trying to "hear what he was asking his lady companion," and he ordered the page to leave the room. The page explained that "he was under orders of the manager to not leave the room."

It was then that the Russian "baron" struck the page in the face, sending him to the floor, and "immediately began kicking him." Zoubkoff denied that he kicked the young boy, saying that he "always fights fair." Police also discovered that Zoubkoff's passport expired in December, and it has not been renewed. He was charged with "violating the regulations for foreigners" and fined 300 marks.

 As he has been a "man without a country" since the Russian revolution, Zoubkoff holds a Nansen passport, granted by the League of Nations. Princess Victoria "is now on the same status," and she can be deported "for her husband's apparent violation of the law," although it is not known if the authorities will "exercise their prerogative."

 Members of Victoria's family "see deportation as the easiest means" of getting rid of Zoubkoff, an "undesirable adjunct to the family whom they show no desire to recognize."