Identifier: theirmajestiesas00paoluoft (find matches)
Title: Their majesties as I knew them; personal reminiscences of the kings and queens of Europe
Year: 1911 (1910s)
Authors: Paoli, Xavier, 1835- Teixeira de Mattos, Alexander, 1865-1921
Subjects: Europe -- Kings and rulers
Publisher: New York, Sturgis (and) Walton
Contributing Library: Robarts - University of Toronto
Digitizing Sponsor: University of Toronto

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as he hadbeen, till then, of the liberals. Xay, more, I havelearnt since that he had a hand in the change ofattitude on the part of parliament and the nation.As I have hinted above, his personal sjTnpathieslay on the side of the liberal party; but, with theperspicacity that was all his own, he was not slowin perceiving the spectre of budding socialism whichwas beginning to loom behind Voltairean liberal-ism. He suspected its dangers; and he did nothesitate to give a sudden turn to the right to theship of state, of wliich he looked upon himself asthe responsible pilot. And this position he main-tained until the end of his days without, for a mo-ment, laying aside any of liis personal preferences. 2. My first meeting with Leopold II dates back to1896. The Kinf)^ had oone to the Riviera, accom-
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KING LEOPOLD IL THE LATE KING OF THE BELGIANS 271 panied by his charming daughter, Princess Cle-mentine, now Princess Xapoleon, who, from thattime onward, filled in relation to her father the partof the Antigone of a tempestuous old age. I shallnever forget my surprise when the King, who hadmade the long railway-journey from Brussels toNice without a stop, said to his chamberlain. BaronSnoy, as they left the station: Send away the carriage, monsieur le chambellan.Well go to the hotel on foot. I want to stretchmy legs a bit! We walked down the Avenue Thiers, followedby an inconvenient little crowd of inquisitive peo-ple. Just as we were about to cross a street, alandau drove up and obliged us to step back tothe pavement. As it passed us, the King solemnlytook off his hat: he had recognised Queen Victoriaseated in the carriage and apparently astonished atthis unexpected meeting. When we reached the Place Massena, again theKings hat flew off: this time, it was the DowagerEmpress of Russi

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