Plot

The queen of mythical Sylvania marries a courtier, who finds his new life unsatisfying.

Queen Louise's cabinet are worried that she will become an old maid, and are delighted when she marries the rougish Count Renard. Unfortunately, he finds his position as Queen's Consort unsatisfying and without purpose, and the marriage soon runs into difficulties.—Philip Apps <apps@math.wisc.edu>

Foremost on the minds of the subjects of Sylvania is when their beloved monarch, Queen Louise, will get married. Queen Louise, on the other hand, has no intention of doing so. Despite the Queen's beauty, she would have a difficult time finding a mate anyway because her husband would not be considered king - he would be given the title of prince consort - but have many of the responsibilities as a royal figurehead. Things change when one of her military attachés, Count Alfred Renard, is sent back to Sylvania from his posting in Paris for a reprimand by the Queen due to his womanizing ways. They, attracted to each other, decide to get married. Life for the Prince Consort ends up not being as he envisioned. He feels he has nothing to do while the Queen, wearing the proverbial pants of the family, attends to her duties. In addition, he is supposed to obey her commands, not only as one of her loyal subjects but also as her husband. The Prince Consort showing public dissatisfaction with the marriage could prove fatal not only to the marriage but also to Sylvania as a country, unless he can show the Queen a different style of monarchy.—Huggo

Count Renard, singing diplomat from mythical country Sylvania, is recalled from Paris because of his philandering. Meanwhile, singing Queen Louise of Sylvania is being badgered by her cabinet to marry. Expecting disgrace, Renard finds instead that he's just what the Queen had in mind for a consort. But he finds the subordinate status of a prince consort increasingly hard to take.—Rod Crawford <puffinus@u.washington.edu>

Count Alfred has disgraced his home country of Sylvania with one too many scandalous affairs with married women, and the ambassador of Sylvania commands him to return home. Alfred's manservant, Jacques, begs to come along, and his master relents. Alfred, burdened with a newly acquired French accent that makes him sound most un-Sylvanian, fears the wrath of his queen. But instead of having him shot, she falls in love with him, and he with her. The entire kingdom, which has had nothing on its mind except seeing the queen get married, is thrilled. As Jacques and Lulu the maid conduct their own romance, reveling in their commonness, Alfred discovers at the altar that his own marriage will be most uncommon - and a dire threat to his manhood. He may be marrying a queen, but he most definitely won't be a king.—J. Spurlin