The tale of a scandalous affair between a Hapsburg princess and a lowly cavalryman, it was the greatest European scandal of the day: she was Louise of Saxe-Coburg, the wife of a prince, the daughter of King Leopold II of Belgium. Her lover was Second Lieutenant Géza Mattachich, ten years younger than the princess, an undistinguished subaltern of dubious origin and extravagant ambition. Ahead of them both lay assignations, adultery, flight, the squandering of a fortune, a duel, imprisonment, bank...