Above: Empress Elisabeth of Austria (1837-1898). Photo dated 1899; one of many photos of her circulated in the year after her death.

Source: Osterreichische Nationalbibliothek (Austrian National Library)

14. The Next Morning (continued)

Count Hoyos reached Vienna shortly before 10 a.m. and took a cab to the Hofburg where he reported the tragedy to Franz Josef's Lord Chamberlain, Vice-Admiral Count Carl Bombelles. Bombelles, who has been credited with encouraging Rudolf in his sexual adventures, called in two other high-ranking courtiers but nobody had the courage to break the news to Franz Josef. So they told Empress Elisabeth instead.

It was left to Elisabeth to gather Franz Josef, Princess Stephanie and Rudolf's sister Archduchess Valerie and break the news to them. On hearing that Rudolf was dead Valerie immediately asked "Did he kill himself?"

Thanks to Count Hoyos the royal family believed that Rudolf and Mary were poisoned to death and that the only reasonable conclusion was that Mary murdered Rudolf and then committed suicide. The four of them decided to suppress this scandalous information and attribute Rudolf's death to a heart attack.

At this point Empress Elisabeth learned that Helene Vetsera was waiting to see her. The Countess, who was still desperately trying to lie her way out of her own web of deceit, had penned yet another of her bizarre letters, this time to Helene.

The Countess now told Helene that she suddenly remembered that the steel cigarette case which Rudolf gave her, and which she supposedly passed on to Mary, was not decorated with a sapphire. Therefore the cigarette case that Helene discovered in Mary's strongbox (the steel case with its sapphire) must have come to Mary directly from Rudolf.

The letter seemingly gave Helene solid evidence that Rudolf was encouraging Mary's infatuation. She now felt confident enough to approach the Empress on her own, but instead of offering help Elisabeth gave Helene the devastating news of Rudolf's murder and Mary's suicide.

As Helene collapsed sobbing to the floor Elisabeth left the room with the cold remark "And you will remember now that Rudolf died of heart failure!" (Judtmann 135).