The news of a great battle fought near Sedan caused the wildest excitement in Bucharest, and elaborate arrangements were made to celebrate a French victory. Rumours were current that King William had been taken prisoner with a force varying from 20,000 to 60,000 men, but a telegram announcing the voluntary surrender of the Emperor seemed to point, at any rate, to an undecided action. When the truth became known the greatest consternation prevailed in the Roumanian capital, where, in spite of the earlier German victories, the hope of the eventual success of the French arms had never been quite relinquished. The crowning defeat of the Imperial Army was followed by the flight of the Empress-Regent and the fall of the Napoleonic dynasty.
The birth of a daughter, Marie, on September 8, at a moment when the whole of Germany stood shoulder to shoulder against their foe, was welcomed by the Prince and Princess as a happy omen for the future. In accordance with the Constitution the child was baptised according to the rites of the Orthodox Church in the church of Cotroceni, on October 13, in the presence of the heads of the military and civil departments. A salute of twenty-one guns announced the moment of the ceremony to the capital.
The joyful news of the birth of a Princess was communicated to the various Courts and to the deposed French Emperor, who replied as follows:
"I thank you for the letter which you have kindly written to inform me of the birth of Princess Marie. I shall always take a lively interest in all that contributes to your happiness; and I pray that family joys may sweeten the bitterness inseparable from power. I am much touched by the memories you have preserved of your visit to Paris, and I again assure you of the sentiments of sincere friendship with which I remain
"Your most Serene Highness's cousin, "NAPOLEON."
The call of duty, however, prevented Prince Charles from devoting as much time as he otherwise would have done to his wife and daughter, for the disquieting effects of the German victories upon French soil were felt only too plainly in Roumania. The work on the railways, too, had suffered in consequence of the war, whilst the exports of grain had practically fallen to zero. Farmers and peasants were unable to sell their produce except at ruinous prices, and were wholly unable to pay their taxes. As the Prince had prophesied six weeks before, the Plojeschti insurgents were all acquitted by the jury. The Ministry wished to resign as a proof of their disapprobation, but Prince Charles was unable to accede to their request.