The Elusive EmpressShe fell in love with a man - and married an Empire. The beautiful and tragic Elisabeth of Austria - wife of Emperor Franz Josef - has often been likened to Princess Diana. A reluctant Empress, she was adored by her people; championing the cause of the afflicted and influencing her husband to institute social and political reforms and improvements in hospitals. A superb horsewoman, she hunted with the Spencers at Althorp. Men everywhere fell under her spell. Yet beneath the beauty lay a mercurial personality. Obsessed with dieting and exercise, haunted by tragedy and the hereditary insanity of her Wittelsbach heritage, she took to constant travelling; searching for a happiness which always eluded her. |
