Royal romances of to-day . , whenthe trees and flowers come quickly into bloom andblossom through the spring haze. The June weekchosen for the visit of the Spanish King, however,proved a disappointing exception, for mist anddrizzling rain characterised the period of his stay,but all the rain and dampness of Britain, if con-centrated in London, would not have marred theindefatigable energy of this strenuous young man,who not only participated in all the festivities ar-ranged for him by the committees of the Court andMunicipality, but also managed to do muchextra sight-seeing and, most important
Royal romances of to-day . , whenthe trees and flowers come quickly into bloom andblossom through the spring haze. The June weekchosen for the visit of the Spanish King, however,proved a disappointing exception, for mist anddrizzling rain characterised the period of his stay,but all the rain and dampness of Britain, if con-centrated in London, would not have marred theindefatigable energy of this strenuous young man,who not only participated in all the festivities ar-ranged for him by the committees of the Court andMunicipality, but also managed to do muchextra sight-seeing and, most important of all, tomake up his mind which princess should be thenext Queen of Spain—his bride. Despite the gossips who already had PrincessPatricia the affianced bride of the young King,when these two met it was evident that neither at-tracted the other. Far too often in the history ofnations personal attraction has not been a dominat-ing influence in royal marriages. If reasons ofstate have demanded the marriage the individuals. THE QUEEN OF SPAIN. Queen Victoria Eugenie of Spain 13 have sunk their own feelings, surrendered theirpersonal happiness—and lived on, perpetual vic-tims of the political demands of their respectivestates. But Don Alfonso XIII had no desire tomartyr himself in this way. No more the Prin-cess Patricia. The late King Edward had arranged dinners,dances and fetes in Buckingham Palace in honourof the King of Spain. There were gathered thevery flower of the youth of Britain. Don Alfonsowas seen to be instantly struck by the sight of a cer-tain golden-haired girl whom he saw flitting hereand there across the rooms. Who is she? he finally inquired. Princess Ena of Battenberg, was the reply. The two were presented. They talked togetherand were visibly interested in each other. Theymet again and each day so long as the King re-mained in London. A few months later, King Alfonso confessedthat the first moment he saw Princess Ena, he de-termined that she was the one wh
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1910, bookidcu31924, booksubjectqueens
