Posted by CatherineNY
on 6/10/2009, 16:23:04, in reply to "How Juliana met Bernhard"
148.168.40.4
Fascinating -- thanks so much for the translation/summary, Henri. Would love to read more, if you have the time and energy to keep posting!
--Previous Message--
: There are different versions on how Princess
: Juliana met her later spouse Prince
: Bernhard. In his book on the marriage
: 1936-1956, professor C. Fasseur makes a
: reconstruction based on letters and
: documents in various archives.
:
: The assumption by other authors as Wim
: Klinkenberg and Philip Dröge as would the
: two have met each other in Berlin, in the
: end of 1934 is declared 'nonsense' by
: professor C. Fasseur. On base of agenda's
: and documents he found out that Princess
: Juliana was, in the named period, staying at
: Het Loo and in The Hague. The Princess also
: visited family in London and also visited
: Waldeck-Pyrmont relatives at Schloss
: Steinfurt in Bentheim.
:
: On base of the material Fasseur states that
: the Prince has tried to contact the Court in
: the end of 1935 and the beginning of 1936.
: Various channels were used. Fasseur can only
: make guesses for the Prince's motives. After
: all he was having a fairly good life,
: working for a multinational in Paris. He led
: the carefree life of a bonvivant and a
: charmeur . It is agreeable to think that the
: Prince saw a 'good match' for a marriage. In
: German royal and noble circles the
: steinreiche (very rich) royal daughter in
: the Netherlands must have been discussed.
:
: Prince Bernhard's family was not very
: fortuned. From the available capital both
: the expensive studies of the Prince
: (Lausanne, Munich, Berlin) and his brother
: Prince Aschwin must be paid. In 1923 Germany
: almost went bankrupt due to a
: hyperinflation. Who was fortuned in 1923 saw
: his capital becoming worthless. This would
: not have been different for a countryside
: nobleman as Prince Bernhard's father.
: Despite the fact that Prince Bernhard -as a
: student- drove around in an expensive
: Maybach, the family's estate Reckenwalde
: could only be maintained with lots of
: efforts. This does not mean that Prince
: Bernhard had nothing. After his father's
: death 240.000 Reichsmark was reserved for
: the Prince besides the (not divided) estate
: (which went to Princess Armgard).
:
: To be presented at the Court in The Hague,
: Prince Bernhard needed an invitation. He
: requested a lunch with the Netherlands Envoy
: in Paris, Jonkheer John Loudon. He asked him
: for the person he should make contact with
: at the Court. The Envoy have him the name of
: one of the Queen's Aide-de-Camps. The Prince
: could send a letter to him.
:
: At the same time one of the Queen's
: Hofdames, Albertine Baroness van Heeckeren
: van Kell, wrote a letter of introduction to
: Princess Juliana. In that letter the Hofdame
: gave a positive recommendation of Prince
: Bernhard.
:
: Baroness van Heeckeren van Kell was
: requested to do so by the family Von der
: Goltz in Arnhem. These were friends and far
: relatives of Prince Bernhard's parents.
: During the lunch at the Netherlands Embassy
: in Paris, the Prince was accompagnied by
: Alwine Countess von der Goltz-Baroness
: Brantsen. Her spouse was a General-Major of
: the German Army and an Aide-de-Camp to the
: German Emperor, who was in exile at Doorn
: House.
:
: Also the Prince himself was no stranger to
: the Emperor. On July 1935 the Prince visited
: the Emperor, together with his mother
: Princess Armgard and Prince Aschwin. It is
: possible that the Emperor and his second
: spouse Princess Hermine Reuss-Von
: Schönaich-Carolath were aware of Prince
: Bernhard's plans and encouraged him. The
: Emperor was on non-speaking-terms with Queen
: Wilhelmina since 1918, but his spouse for
: sure could do a good word for him. And she
: did.
:
: It is clear that Princess Hermine Reuss-Von
: Schönaich-Carolath and Princess Armgard zur
: Lippe-Biesterfeld born Baroness von
: Sierstorpff-Cramm knew each other. Both
: ladies had estates in the same area in
: Germany. Already in 1933 Princess Hermine
: received a correcting letter by Queen
: Wilhelmina because she was 'unrequested'
: interfering with the choice of a partner for
: Princess Juliana.
:
: Princess Hermine requested Queen
: Wilhelmina's sister-in-law Grand Duchess
: Elizabeth of Mecklenburg-Schwerin born
: Princess zu Stolberg-Rossla, to recommend
: Prince Bernhard to the Queen and the
: Princess. By the way: Prince Bernhard barely
: needed this recommendation. His arrival in
: Igls, his charming appearance and his
: excellent manners totally won the Queen and
: her Hofdames and -we may assume- also
: Princess Juliana.
:
: According to the diary of C.M. 'Cox'
: Baroness van Asbeck, Hofdame to Queen
: Wilhelmina, the wintersport vacation in Igls
: was 'boring'. Aside from trips so now and
: then to the Olympic Games in
: Garmisch-Partenkirchen, the Hofdames had to
: accompany the Queen and the Princess with
: playing games in suites which were reserved
: for the Queen and her escorte.
:
: The atmosphere became sunny when suddenly at
: February 11th 1936 a certain Comte de
: Biesterfeld arrived at one of the snowed
: pistes. Everyone spoke French with this
: unknown Count "despite he could
: understand German very well". Back in
: the hotel the excited Hofdames immediately
: picked the Almanach de Gotha and found that
: 'Biesterfeld' gave four possible candidates.
: In the evening, 'the Count' was seated next
: to the Queen. After the Queen has left,
: there was a dancing.
:
: The next day the Prince did not appear at
: the breakfast table. Not strange: he did not
: stay in the hotel in Igls but in a hotel in
: Garmisch-Partenkirchen. At 10.15 o'clock the
: Prince was present again and accompagnied
: the Princess. The Prince seemed an excellent
: skier, was most friendly and acquiered the
: "complete approval" of the
: Hofdames. The Prince also advised the
: Hofdames on the purchase of Tiroler hats. In
: the evening the Prince again joined the
: diner. This time his identity was found by
: the Hofdames. On February 13th the Princess
: met the Prince in Garmisch-Partenkirchen.
: According the diary of Baroness van Asbeck
: she was full of joy and 'sang all the way in
: the train back to Igls'. The Princess showed
: a jewel which was a cadeau from the Prince.
: After all it turned out into "an
: unforgettable holiday".
:
:
:
: Page 27-30 of Juliana & Bernhard, the
: story of a marriage, the years 1936-1956 .
:
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