Show Succession on to Ic Dutch hrone I Puzzles Wise t Ones of oT Europe Grand Duke of Saxe Weimar Gets the First Chance If He HeS S S Doesn't Want Want- It Princess Marie of Reuss Reuss' 5 5 5 May MC Tackle the Ithe Job By Ely Van Van Calava S I S Republican n Special Service London Aug 2 27 O Once again there is no heir hell to the time crown rown of The Netherlands s and the tho question of oi the time Dutch succession is an open one ono again as it has hns been for or these past years There are arc few ow questions concern concerning In which a gi greater cater amount of Ignorance prevails lIs on Oil both sides of the Atlantic than that of the Dutch succession and amid It ma may be timely to offer a n. few notes by way of oC explanation of the subject subject the the more so as the name of or Em Emperor pero r Vi William I I ia who 0 i Includes n ci U des among amon his other titles that of Prince of Orange has imas been put forwar by some German writers as having rights to the Dutch crown Tho The Dutch succession suc sue cession is based upon the provisions of the time constitution n of Aug i 2 21 1815 when the Netherlands were organized by the time con congress of into a aI I kingdom ing om and the clauses bearing upon the the- su subject were maintained by bythe bythe bythe the subsequent constitution of or Oct 14 H ISIS 1818 According to the terms of the tIme two national constitutions the time of or orthe the Netherlands Is vested in the time thed d descendants of oC time the Prince of the House of Orange Orang-c who in 1815 1816 j was proclaimed first king of time the Netherlands Nether Nether- lands land un under er the title of William I. I Legitimate descent from him him is a sine qua non to the time succession to the Dutch throne an and it ft Is not until all his descendants in the male as well as asIn asIn In the female line have become extinct cx- cx that an any question could arise about the rights of Emperor William who It is perfectly true represents the senior branch of or the hou house e of or Oran Orange e by reason of his descent from that Frederick William elector of ot Brandenburg rg who married man Princess Louise of Orange daughter an sole heli ess of Henry Frederick of Orange who dle tiled died In iii 1647 16 COlIa Connate Cognate to It Is time the Cognate Conate or Castillo system of or succession that prevails in the time Netherlands as It does docs In Great Britian In Portugal al and in Spain t to its terms male He itches heirs In Inthe inthe de relation the tho th the same degree legree Iee of oC to sovereign exclude females males without an any ammy regard to priority of or birth Thus though time the son comm of or a a. sovereign may maybe maybe maybe be younger than the time daughter the son succeeds one Instance In point being that furnished by Spain where King Alfonso Alfono has two sisters older than himself one of them Indeed having n actually reigned as queen qu during luring the six months that intervened between I hl his fathers father's death and his own birth And In England It was Edward VI VIT I Iwho who succeeded to the tho British crown on tho time death of or his imis mother Instead O 0 of time the laUer's latter's born child the late lato Empress Frederick But if It the sovereign leaves a daughter and a CL brother or ora A nephew then according It ft is I IURu to Lo the tue system URu who d as us being In closer degree of r relationship hip The TIme late King ICing of Holland William III lo lost t both his imis sons during c. his life time and anel accordingly at his death his crown passed to his hiM only surviving child and anel daughter tho tIme present el The late lato king Icing had three brothers Alexander Henry and Ernest who all died tiled without leaving any le legitimate legitimate mate Issue m male le or female He lIe likewise like like- wise had a sister Princess Sophie who married the thc late Grand Duke of Saxe Weimar lInal Both she and amid her husband hus imus- band banti are arc dead all and amid her hel rights to the time throne of oC the Netherlands are arc therefore therefore there there- fore now vested In irm her imer children and grandchildren first and foremost of or whom whom's is her grandson gl-andson the now reigning Grand Duke of Saxe Weimar now floss about 30 years ol old It is Ig not known whether he would accept the succession to the thc Dutch throne For ForIt It would Involve his surrender er of his grand ducal throne of Saxo Saxe Weimar since article 26 of or the national constitution tulion of or the time Netherlands prohibits the occupancy of or any foreign foreign fore fore- I ign n throne jointly with that of HoIland HoI Hol land Po Possessed s Si 1 of colo colossal al wealth disposed towards Indolence and amid ac ac- ac- ac to take his duties as sovereign sovereign sov soy exceedingly easily it Is re regarded regarded regarded re- re as extremely probable that the time fat at young oun Grand Dul Duke e may prefer preer tho the comparatively comparative facile position of ruler of Saxe Weimar Velmar to the thc InfInitely Infinitely in infinitely In- In finitely more mom arduous and ani responsible ble hIe position of or monarch of the tha Netherlands Princess s Marie Xe Next t. t As the Grand Grand Grand' Duke has lost his younger brother the tho rights of successIon succession sion to the Dutch throne In the event of his waiving them thom would pass to the elder sister of his imis dead lead father father- that is to say a to the eldest daughter of that late Grand Duchess of oC Saxe Weimar eimar P lmar who was sister to King William III of the thc Netherlands This Princess Marie by name is 5 married to Prince Henry VII of Rou Reuss s who was wa formerly German ambassador dor at Vienna and at al Constantinople It Is therefore this Princess Marie Mario flours Reuss who stands second in him the tho line of succession succession suc sue cession to the Dutch throne an and amid in inthe inthe inthe the event of Queen death and anel the time Grand Duke Duko of Sax Weimar Velmar declining to accept the time Dutch cr cro crown iv a it is she sue who will become queen of the tIme Netherlands Princess s Marie 1 has four children of whom three are sons semis the oldest eldest 27 7 years of age and known as Prince Henry of or Reuss being a lieutenant In iii the time Imperial German nav navy His two younger brothers respectively Prince Henry and Prince Henry of Heuss como come next in inthe inthe the tho line limme of succession After them their theil sister the now 1 17 year car Princess Sophie of flours Reuss an and in iii the default of Princess s Marie 1 an and of her four children just enumerated tho time rights to the Dutch crown clown pa pass s to her younger sl sister Princess Elizabeth of or Saxe Weimar Veimar married to Duke John of or Mc half broth oth I er or of that Duke HenT Henry who married Queen of or the Netherlands Duchess John Joint of Sch Mecklenburg-Sch- has imas no children and failing falling her hel herthe herthe the throne of the time Netherlands would pass paso to the Queen of oC Denmark an and to her children the queen being n the time only child of or tho the late King Charles of or Sweden who married Princess s. s Louise Loul e of the Netherlands daughter of Prince Frederick who was younger brother of King William lIlIam II It of or time the Netherlands and an uncle therefore Of Or f the time late King of or Holland Denmark's Ro Royal nl Family The Queen of Denmark has has as a family of no mm less leS than eight children and antI also some ever every one of whom would havo have rights to tho the Dutch throne through their mother Then comes PrInce Frederick of the Netherlands Netherlands' only daughter who Is married to tho the Prince of or Wied felland fell and her children and lastly the thede de descendants of Prince Frederick of the thC th Netherlands Netherlands' s' s sister Marianne who married tho the Into lato Prince Albert of at Prussia and whose whoso son flon sons tho the present Prince Price Albert of or Pru Prussia Is no now oc occupying occupying oc- oc the the throne of the Duchy of at Brun Brunswick as aim Regent From this It will be seen that al although although al- al though Queen has no children yet et that there Is no lack of heirs to time the Dutch throne according to time the terms of oC the national constitution constitution tion Lion of the time Netherlands of or Aug 21 21 2 1815 and ani of Oct U 1 11 1848 18 In act fact the rights of Emperor William to the throne are arc so remote that it Is not nece necessary ary to tal take e them into serious consideration although h he ime is likely el to 0 prove an aim Important actor factor In the question of the Dutch succession owing to the time circumstance that all the heirs enumerated above are German German Ger Ger- man Princes nn and Princesses looking hooking to him him a as their theil de facto if not de do Jure Jume suzerain and as their guide g counselor and protector Moreover Emperor William as the recognized head of the tIme house of or Orange Nassau takes his imis position as such seriously and considers considers con con- siders that It gives hes him the right to exercise his will and to enforce his views in iii nil all matters relating to the time of Orange Nassau in which ion to the thc throne of Holland 1101 Hol land hand Is vested |