Monday, July 6, 2015

Divorce for Greek sovereigns




July 6, 1935


Queen Elisabeth of Greece "abandoned all hope of restoration to the throne of Greece," today, when she obtained a divorce from former King George II, reports the Associated Press.

The divorce was granted by a Bucharest court. 

There are rumors in the Romanian capital that Elisabeth has plans to marry her secretary and "run a model farm."

Elisabeth, the eldest sister of King Carol II of Romania, and Alexander Scavani, a "tall, handsome, 40-year-old Greek," who served in the "czarist army" during the world war, have been "on excellent terms for some time."  He was recently appointed as her court chamberlain and personal secretary.

She has reportedly bought an estate near Timisoara for about $3,500,000.  Friends say the former queen wants to turn the estate into an "experimental farm on the American model," and manage it with Scavani. 

Elisabeth now lives in a "palatial residence" in Bucharest.   She "expressed no surprise" when she was informed that she had won her divorce.  The proceedings were a mere formality and were held in secret.  The court took 16 minutes to "return the verdict."

King George II, who now lives in London, "paid no attention to the trial."  He was not represented by a lawyer and has five days to appeal, but he is not expected to do so.

The former queen will resume the use of her pre-marital title: Princess Elisabetha of Roumania.  She instituted divorce proceedings after her Romanian citizenship was restored.  Under Romanian law, a wife takes her husband's citizenship.  The restoration of her citizenship was seen as the equivalent of a "legal separation."

The couple was married in 1921.

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