[Illustration: AGE 15.
_From a Photo. by Carl Backofen, Darmstadt._]
[Illustration: AGE 21.
_From a Photo. by Carl Backofen, Darmstadt._]
[Illustration: PRESENT DAY.
_From a Photo. by Carl Backofen, Darmstadt._]
The marriage of the Princess Victoria Melita of Saxe-Coburg and
Edinburgh to the Grand Duke Ernest of Hesse, which is fixed to take
place on April the 22nd, and at which Her Majesty the Queen, the
Emperor of Germany, and other notabilities will be present, will almost
coincide with the appearance of these portraits. H.R.H. the Grand Duke
Ernest of Hesse Darmstadt was born in Darmstadt, Germany, on the 25th
of November, 1868, and succeeded his father, Louis IV., to the throne
in March, 1892. On his accession to the throne he concluded his speech
with the following words: "I shall try to follow in the footsteps of my
dear father. And I beg of you to help me as you have helped him, not
for duty only, but also out of love." The Duke is the eldest son of the
late Princess Alice, and is, therefore, a grandson of the Queen. In
offering our sincere congratulations and best wishes to the youthful
pair, we are sure that every reader of THE STRAND MAGAZINE will
cordially join us.