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Show THE PftlNCS'9 DENIAL A Startling: and Romantic Story Which It Important if Trne. I see that the news associations have been authorized by the Prince of Wales to deny that the Duke of York was married mar-ried previous to his union with Princess May of Teck. The Prince of Wales was quite right to make the denial; the morning newspapers were quite right to publish it Permit me to quote the prince' statement, which wa3 issued by his private secretary, Colonel Sir Francis Fran-cis Knollya Then I wish to add a rider: Losdon, Aug. 15. A letter signed by Sie Francis Knollys, K. C. M. G one of the grooms In waiting upon the Prince of Wales, is pub. liahed today, saying that the Prince of Wales directs him to say that there is not a shadow of foundation for the report that the Duke of York was married previous to his union with Princess May of Teck. The letter adds that the report of a previous marriage was obviously Invented to cause pain and annoyance to the young oouple. There is more than a "shadow of proof " for the duke'B marriage there is the record in the English church in Malta. The marriage took place four years ago, when Prince George was with the Mediterranean squadron. At that time his elder brother was living and was heir to the throne. There would never have been a question of the legality legal-ity of the marriage had not "Collars and Cuffs" died. His death made the Duke of York Prince George, as he was then heir to the dignities of his giand-mother. giand-mother. His marriage to a commoner was out of the question. Now, mark the odd course of events. Tho Duke of Clarence "Collars and Cuffs" had been betrothed for nine months to the Princess May of Teck. When ho died suddenly, his brother, Prince George, was ordered to keep tho engagement la 6pite of all his resistance he was married mar-ried to his brother's fiancee. Hi3 own wife his morganatic wife, if you please forced her way into the church on the wedding day and created a scandal Which waB only half suppressed. She was his wife, the mother of his two children. Had he not been forced by ciroumstances into the direct succession to the throno there would have been no question of the legality of that marriage ceremony performed by the English chaplain at Malta. But the woman was repudiated. She was a Miss Tryon and the niece of one of England's famous sailors a man under whom the "sailor prinoe," this charming Duke of York, had learned learn-ed his seamanship, When Admiral Try-on Try-on learned of the shame cast upon his name, he was nait maa. ine anna ne took did not mollify him. The one thins he could do was to kill himself, and he committed suicide by sinking the finest man-of-war in the English navy. Hs drowned hundreds of men, sank a million mil-lion pound ironclad and went down laughing drunk on the bridge. Tho Prince of Wales denies? Not even the Prinoe of Wales can I bury that scandal. The Duke of York's morganatio wife has been pensioned. She is living at Richmond with her two children. In the latter part of June she obeyed orders and married a poor gentleman whom the Prince of Wales provided. Now that nvervthine has been "covered" in these days when thetDike of York is rejoicing over a son aril heir to the throne the cry is raised that the "sailor "sail-or prince" has been slandered. What about that ruined woman? What about Admiral I Tryon? Vanoe Thompson in New York Commercia' Advertiser. |