Another Royal Who Chafed at Etiquette

Princess Letitia's hair is of raven darkness, her large eyes are black, and she possesses a superb figure. She resents the restrictions of etiquette, is addicted to flirting to an outrageous extent and is a continual source of dismay and anxiety to her uncle and brother-in-law, King Humbert.

PRINCESS LETITIA

The Italian Grandniece of the Great Napoleon

Princess Letitia of Savoy-Napoleonic Duchess of Aosta—is now 30 years old and has what is in feminine eyes the distinction of being one of the best dressed women at the Italian court. Аs the only daughter of Princess Clotilde of Italy and Prince Jerome Napoleon, this lady has a good right to her headstrong nature. She is the leader of the brilliant Italian court established at Turin, the capital of Lombardy, where is located the greatest military camp in Savoy and the chief soldiers of the Italian king.

With the latter, the Princess is in high favor on account of her esprit and unconventional manner—attributes rare at the court of Rome, She was the pioneer wheel-woman at the Italian court— an accomplishment once viewed there with much disfavor as being unwomanly. But this enthusiastic royal cyclist cared naught for that, and has since convinced Queen Margherita herself of the delights of a sport which is now practiced so assiduously in every court circle in Europe. She is an ardent amateur photographer and is very fond of taking pictures of her only child, Prince Humbert, count of Salamis.

She was on the point of marrying her cousin, the present young Duke of Aosta, when suddenly his father, who may or may not have been aware of his son's| sentiments, offered himself and was accepted by the Princess, who is exceedingly ambitious and who believed at the time that she had a better chance of becoming Queen of Italy by marrying the father than by marrying the son. The wedding took place and created a considerable amount of talk at the time, not only by reason of the fact that the bride had jilted the handsome son for the monstrously ugly father, but also because the latter was her mother's brother— that is to say, her uncle. The union was short lived. Today the Duchess is a widow.

Princess Letitia's hair is of raven darkness, her large eyes are black, and she possesses a superb figure. She resents the restrictions of etiquette, is addicted to flirting to an outrageous extent and is a continual source of dismay and anxiety to her uncle and brother-in-law, King Humbert. —New York Tribune, 1897

🍽Etiquette Enthusiast, Maura J. Graber, is the Site Editor for the Etiquipedia© Etiquette Encyclopedia