[xJones]

Would that the Archduke Rudolph of Mayerling infamny could have had even half the character of his relative, Karl. Who knows, history might have been very different....

[royalcello]

Archduke Rudolf's death may not have been a suicide. According to James and Joanna Bogle's biography of Karl and Zita, A Heart for Europe, there is evidence that liberals opposed to the conservative rule of Emperor Franz Joseph, knowing that the Crown Prince had somewhat different views from his father, approached him with a proposal for a coup against the Emperor. When Rudolf refused to have anything to do with such treason, they killed him and his mistress. If this theory is true, that would somewhat redeem Archduke Rudolf's character.