The Washington times. [volume], March 19, 1922, SUNDAY MORNING, Page 3, Image 43

About The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939

Image provided by: Library of Congress, Washington, DC

                
Ihe Popula&
"Lady Patricia" (As She Was Kz
Her Royal Title as Prinm
LONDON, March 18.
RTNCESS MARY'S wedding is over.
It was an impressive and imposing
spectacle, which the unthinking
nasses of Greater London enjoyed with
Aride-eyed, open-mouthed enthusiasm.
But slowly things are beginning to leak
out which were only known to those be
hiad- the scenes. Some of these things
are almost comic, some are absolutely
runny to. anybody but a Britisher-and
some are really tragic.
The readers of this page have already
read of the endless conflicting thipgs
which arose from week to week and day
to day to perplex and strain the resource
fulness of the committee of arrangements
who had so many delicate questions to
solve. Besides the problems of prece
dence, social prestige, what clothes to be
worn and even the memorable row between
the Duke of Atholl, the Lord. Chamber
lain. and the fat peeresses as to squeezing
them into sixteen-inch chairs, there were
several unexpected surprises and compli
cations which developed only on the day
of the wedding
Or course. there has been much whis
pered cormment as to why the Prince of
Wales was not present at his royal sts
ler's marriage. Was the Prince purposely
sent away because his popular face and
figure would have utterly eclipsed the
rather plain face and not very distin
guished figure of sister Mary?
Or did the King and his daughter take
advantage of the absence of the Prince
of Wales, who is touring India, to spring
the announcement of Mary's engagement
and pull off the marriage quickly before
the popular young Prince got back to Eng
land to* overshadow the newly married
couple ?
But head and shioulders above every
thing 'else is the shadow cast on the great
event in Westminster Abbey by the ab
sence of Commander the Honorable Alex
under Ramssy, the "commoner" husband
of the very popular "Princess Pat," daugh
ter of the Duke of Connaught and cousin
of Princess Mary.
The two ,most popular people in all
Great Britain are the Prince of Wale. and
"'Princess Pat." While the absence of the
Prince of Wales is explained away by his
important tour in india. there is no satis
factory explanation of why the Hon. Mr.
Ramsay, husband of "Princess Pat," was
not there the last day of February with
his wife at the great ceremonial th famous
Woqtminster Abbey.
Nobody dreamed that "Princess Pat's"
husband would not he there. Not until
the newspapers began to tabulate the
guests did they make-the astonishing dig
cotery that Commander Ramsay was miss
ing. They looKed at each other in blank
amazement and ran around to find out
wkhat had happerned to Ramsay. Then the
official statement was given out that Com
mander Ramsay's 'official duties prevent
him from attending Princess Mary's wed
ding."
Of course, this is nonsense. Everybody
knows perfectly well that all the wheels
of machinery of the. British Government,
soial and official life were brought to a
standstill whe'nrver It interfered to the
slightest degree with anybody's atten
dance at that great event
r Daughter of t
Lown After She Threw Away
se), and Her Baby.
Suppose Uoyd George, the Pre
mier, had leen absent, and the
excuse was offered that England's
Prime Minister was busy at home
in his study readting publie docu
ments and Just couldn't get
around to the wedding. Every
body would laugh.
The signidcant abseees to the
husband of popuar "Priness
Pat" has spread amons the gen
era] , poblle wbt has long bees
known among those who are on
the Inside of things In high s
ciety circles.
"Princess Pat." who gave up Mr. I
the rank of royalty to marry a
"commoner" Just three years ago.
Is not happy with her "commoner has
band. The curious thing about it Is that
it appears that Mr.' Ramsay is the one who
tired of hin royal bride. They have been
only married. three years. and yet for
many months he and "Lady Patricia Ram
say" have practically been separated and
living apart.
So thick and fast flow the rumors after
the British public dibcovered the absence
of Mr. Ramsay that King George and the
Queen sent Imperative orders to "LAdy
Patricia" ant her husband that they ab
rolutely must get together-a least, long
enough to stop the rumora,
So the announcement the other day was
handed to the papers, with a requet that
they give it great prominence, that Lady
Patricia had left the Duke of Connaught's
home and had gone to Paris to rejoin her
husband. Commander Ramsay.
There are many circumstances about
the unusual and rather reeanto wedding
of Princess Patricia and Commander Ram
say that would tend to make It unhappy
unless the couple were very extraordinary
persons. Of course, they were only hu
man, and it seems that the natural conse
quences have happened.
The Princess gave up too muck when
she married Mr. Ramsay, and it transpires
that he did not appreciate her sacridoces
sufficiently. She reminded him of them
perhape rather often, and be grew weary
of the reminders.
"Her Royal Highness .Princess Patricia
of Connaught" drove in royal state to
Westminster Abbey on February U6, 1919,
In nearly the same state as her cousin,
Princess Mary, did the other day, and was
'here united to Commander the Hon. Alex
ander Ramsay, an active offier of the
navy, brother of a Scotch earl, but not in
immediate succession to the title.
At the conclusion of the ceremony it
wes announced that she had renounced
her royal rank and title and her possible
right of succession to the throne, ant that
the would henceforth take rank as a non
royal duke's daughter 'ad be known as
"Lady Patricia Ramisay." Even then she
ranked higher than her husband, accord
Ing to the Lord Chamberlain's rules, but
the eacrifice of reank was a grist one.
One of therobjects of her renunciation, If
not only the only one, was to save her bus
band from the embarrassment of living
with a royal princess, who would receive
honors In which he could not share.
It meant that she would no longer have
a lady-In-waIting of high rank to attend
her and an army officer of high rank.
called an anuerry. to aompany her when
he Duke of Co
PasyTen i iesBl asT
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r ecevesimla hoor frmfoeg
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wAst the eingt or hricessariy inshe
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asroao princess, aldthughact that bhe
said thatoupced tht rsnt ash a orer
Evien d f aiscinge the bdeate waestin
not ntedt wedit Pihcte ry inmtly
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thoser wh stcurey httes that olde
sonofady Par. Hesy cupi a fewdegee
higher seank wthfatahCmmer hemDkey,
whopreftrrin the stion reeredfoy.
roa iywith the unKgust and Quweehad
ocuer e oa position, spro to hat ofl
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as a arnycttaios, and iac t se
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not ionvtd towit with 'mothe oya faiy
theretecrmn.H i elyacm
moner wthe arrouages tfies theidea
higherhinhrankmthn Commander Ramsaya
whoepanderr wator sta away.Atrta
Lad Comadrct Ramsayh began paeren
with the untitent gusts and his fter had
opcut two hear, roaoit io, he hs crcela
tie habeenlt wols veen quiteGodoo pitifu,
tashesemny eattations gand ietig ofr
hapeonolta surpiietat Connmmande ano
athere hot.e ubad Seha e
Afterd the marriae of prinates socaltife,
and the honmorn Comner pamd to~ war
appoinedva niaval attaei aris mapos.
nnatight
Separates
frdm Mr.
Ram say,
the Man
or Whom
5he Threw,'
away Her
Royal'
Rank and
Title
iy Played
The Popular "Princess Pat,"
Duke of Connaught, Photo
quaintances in society find that they are
sure to win her friendship by giving her
the royal honors.
The gossips point out that there are a
good many peculiar circumstances in
connection with the relations between
Lady Patricia Ramsky and her hus
band. For instance, at the time of
her marriage the Princess was decidedly
past her first youth, having reached the age
of thirty-three. On a close inspection she
scarcely looked as attractive as her photo
graphs, prepared with great art and some
times of early vintage, would lead one to
expect. This fact might produce a certain
effect on a husband of ordinary, character.
Commander the Hon. Alexander Ramsay
must have refiected at times that he had
married a lady verging on middle age, who
made an enormous amount of fuss about
herself and the sacrifices she had made for
him.
"I might have married a king" is the bit
ter remark which has been attributed by
some of the gossips to the former Princess.
It is a fact that the Princess Patricia
was for several years sought in marriage
by moat of the eligible monarchs and heirs
to thrones in Europe. King Alfonso of
Spain was one of her most ardent suitors
and made a very notable visit to the Brit
ish royal family in order to urge his suit..
His offer was declined because the Prin
cess did not care for him and because King
Edward did not wish a princess so near
to the throne to make the change of re
ligion which would have been necessary.
King Aifonso then married Princess Pa
tricia's cousin, Princess Victoria Nugenla
of Battenberg, and bestowed upon her reve
nues, which have enabled her to be the
jg.
of Swtedeon. h
C~rw Princews
getll mrdied
mteCrw PrinceP
wth wshdined t,
f o r various rea
son.
If the Princess
Patricia reminded Honorable All
Commander Ram- Won, Marri4
say that she might , Tirled of
have been Queen
of Spain, he could have retorted that then
she would be looking after fire or more
children, while her husband roamed about
studying the attractions of new dancers
and concert hall artists.
Then again, if she had married the Ger
man Crown Prince her present position
would be about the most unfortunate imag
Inable.
Nobody, of course, can know all the
distressing conversations that have oc
curred between the oddly mated couple,
but there is the undisputed fact that they
have been drifting apart, and there are the
obvious conditions that might have caused
discoud between them.
Coammader Ramsay is not a specially
heroic or' diinguished character. He is a
competent naval oficer, but all the other
officers in the British Navy are supposed
to be that. He served in the Ihrdaalas
f.
/ ee
exainder Ramsay Who Wooed,
d and Is Sad to Have Quickly
His Royal Princess Wife.
expedition, but he did not win the Victoria
Cross or distinguish himself especially.
Of course, no ofricer gained very much
glory for leadership in the tragic aglair.
The commander, moreover, is not a no
ticeably handsome man. He is just ordi
narily looking, neither ugly nor handeome.
if he had been a hero, a great leader or as
beautiful a. a young Greek god, the Prin
ce.s might have felt ,recompensed for the
immense sacrifices she made, but he was
none of these things.
He was just a common or garden spec!
men of the genus man, for whom she had
given up the incalculable privileges and
joys of being a princess.. And, them, when
the honeytnoon was oyer he showed little
appreciation of the romantic renunciation
his wife had made and actually grew trri
tated when he was frequeutly reminded
of It.