Swedish prince to divorce

 November 13, 1913

Prince Vilhelm of Sweden is about to divorce his "young and beautiful wife," Marie," reports the New York Times, which received the dispatch by Marconi transatlantic wireless telegraph.

Prince Vilhem is the second son of King Gustav V. He married Grand Duchess Marie Pavlovna, daughter of Grand Duke of Rusia in 1908.  They have one son, Prince Lennart, age 4.

According to reports, the divorce is "commonly connected with a recent espionage affair at Stockholm," which implicated the Russian Attaché at Stockholm; a Swedish naval office, and another Swedish subject.

Although the Attaché's "complicity in the affair" was proved in court,  the Russian government refused to recall the official, despite Swedish demands, "declaring that the evidence was not sufficient."

The Swedish government provided "further facts"  to Russia, which lead to further reports that Russia's hesitation was "due to the fact that a lady of elevated position at the Swedish court, whose relations with a diplomat at Stockholm," long a subject of talk, was also "implicated in the espionage affair."

These reports gained further credibility when the Russian Attaché left Stockholm for Christiana, the diplomat "departed for abroad," and Princess Marie went to Paris, ostensibly to visit her father.

It has long been "asserted in Court Circles at Stockholm" that the relationship between Prince Vilhelm and his lively, but somewhat "imprudent consort" have been "far from satisfactory," which probably has caused the forthcoming divorce.

Neither the diplomat nor the Attaché will return to Stockholm.