Diane de Mrode was born in Paris(1875).By her father she belonged to a famous Belgian noble family de Merode.Nicknamed "Cleo",she was selected for the Opera School of Dance when she was only 8 years old,at 11 she was dancing professionally, and at 13 she was chosen to dance in a prestigious ballet.She became renowned for her glamour even more than for her dancing skills and her image began appearing on such things as postcards and playing cards.In 1896,King Lopold II of Belgium attended the ballet and saw Mrode dance.It is said that the 61-year-old Belgian King became enamoured with the 22-year-old ballet star and gossip started that she was his latest mistress (The king became dubbed King Cleopold - I find it fun!).Because the King had a a strange celebrity ,Clo de Mrode's reputation suffered and she had to live with it for the rest of her life.Nevertheless,she became an international star,performing across Europe and in the U.S.A.She died in 1966.