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+The Project Gutenberg EBook of His Most Gracious Majesty King Edward VII, by 
+Marie Belloc Lowndes
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org/license
+
+
+Title: His Most Gracious Majesty King Edward VII
+
+Author: Marie Belloc Lowndes
+
+Release Date: June 4, 2016 [EBook #52237]
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: UTF-8
+
+*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK HIS MOST GRACIOUS MAJESTY ***
+
+
+
+
+Produced by Suzanne Shell and the Online Distributed
+Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was
+produced from images generously made available by The
+Internet Archive/American Libraries.)
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+HIS MOST GRACIOUS MAJESTY KING EDWARD VII.
+
+[Illustration: THE KING
+
+_From the Painting by Archibald Stuart Wortley, published by Henry
+Graves and Co._]
+
+
+
+
+                       HIS MOST GRACIOUS MAJESTY
+                           KING EDWARD VII.
+
+                                  BY
+                          MRS. BELLOC-LOWNDES
+
+                               AUTHOR OF
+                   ‘THE PHILOSOPHY OF THE MARQUISE’
+
+                              ILLUSTRATED
+
+                                London
+
+                            GRANT RICHARDS
+                9 HENRIETTA STREET, COVENT GARDEN, W.C.
+
+                                 1901
+
+
+
+
+PREFACE
+
+
+_This book, originally published as a Life of the Prince of Wales, has
+now been much enlarged and brought up to the latest date, including His
+Majesty’s Accession and the events which followed. Fresh illustrations
+have also been added. It is believed that no previous attempt has
+been made to present a connected account of the Kings life, although
+isolated portions of His Majesty’s manifold activities have been
+treated of by various writers. Thus the author of the present work
+acknowledges considerable indebtedness to the Honble. Mrs. Grey’s
+“Journal of a Visit to Egypt, Constantinople, the Crimea, Greece,
+etc., in the Suite of the Prince and Princess of Wales”; to Sir W. H.
+Russell’s delightful volumes on their Majesties’ tour in the East and
+the King’s tour in India (from which two illustrations are reproduced);
+and to Sir H. C. Burdett’s “Prince, Princess, and People,” which deals
+mainly with the philanthropic work of the King and Queen. A large
+number of memoirs have also been consulted, including those of the
+Prince Consort, the Duchess of Teck, Baron Stockmar, Archbishop Magee,
+Archbishop Benson, Dean Stanley, and Canon Kingsley._
+
+
+
+
+CONTENTS
+
+
+                                                                     PAGE
+
+                               CHAPTER I
+
+    AN APPRECIATION                                                     1
+
+                              CHAPTER II
+
+    BIRTH AND EARLY YEARS                                               5
+
+                              CHAPTER III
+
+    THE KING’S BOYHOOD                                                 22
+
+                              CHAPTER IV
+
+    OXFORD, CAMBRIDGE, AND THE CURRAGH                                 34
+
+                               CHAPTER V
+
+    THE KING’S VISIT TO CANADA AND THE UNITED STATES                   43
+
+                              CHAPTER VI
+
+    DEATH OF THE PRINCE CONSORT--TOUR IN THE EAST                      55
+
+                              CHAPTER VII
+
+    THE WEDDING OF KING EDWARD AND QUEEN ALEXANDRA                     63
+
+                             CHAPTER VIII
+
+    EARLY MARRIED LIFE                                                 83
+
+                              CHAPTER IX
+
+    THEIR MAJESTIES’ TOUR IN EGYPT AND THE MEDITERRANEAN              103
+
+                               CHAPTER X
+
+    THE FRANCO-PRUSSIAN WAR--THE KING’S ILLNESS                       125
+
+                              CHAPTER XI
+
+    1873-1875                                                         136
+
+                              CHAPTER XII
+
+    THE KING’S TOUR IN INDIA                                          143
+
+                             CHAPTER XIII
+
+    QUIET YEARS OF PUBLIC WORK, 1876-1887--VISIT TO IRELAND--QUEEN
+    VICTORIA’S GOLDEN JUBILEE                                         159
+
+                              CHAPTER XIV
+
+    SILVER WEDDING OF KING EDWARD AND QUEEN ALEXANDRA--ENGAGEMENT
+    AND MARRIAGE OF PRINCESS LOUISE                                   171
+
+                              CHAPTER XV
+
+    THE BACCARAT CASE--BIRTH OF LADY ALEXANDRA DUFF--THE KING’S
+    FIFTIETH BIRTHDAY--ILLNESS OF PRINCE GEORGE                       179
+
+                              CHAPTER XVI
+
+    THE DUKE OF CLARENCE AND AVONDALE                                 184
+
+                             CHAPTER XVII
+
+    THE HOUSING OF THE WORKING CLASSES--MARRIAGE OF PRINCE
+    GEORGE--THE DIAMOND JUBILEE--DEATH OF THE DUCHESS OF TECK         200
+
+                             CHAPTER XVIII
+
+    LATER YEARS--A SERIOUS ACCIDENT TO THE KING--GRADUAL
+    RECOVERY--THE ATTEMPT ON THE KING’S LIFE                          220
+
+                              CHAPTER XIX
+
+    THE KING AS A COUNTRY SQUIRE                                      235
+
+                              CHAPTER XX
+
+    THE KING IN LONDON                                                251
+
+                              CHAPTER XXI
+
+    THE KING AND STATE POLICY                                         262
+
+                             CHAPTER XXII
+
+    THE KING AND THE SERVICES                                         268
+
+                             CHAPTER XXIII
+
+    THE KING AND FREEMASONRY                                          279
+
+                             CHAPTER XXIV
+
+    THE KING AS A PHILANTHROPIST                                      287
+
+                              CHAPTER XXV
+
+    THE KING AS A SPORTSMAN                                           296
+
+                             CHAPTER XXVI
+
+    THE DEATH OF QUEEN VICTORIA--THE KING’S ACCESSION                 310
+
+
+
+
+LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
+
+
+                    PAGE
+
+    The King. From the Painting by Mr. A. Stuart Wortley   _Frontispiece_
+
+    The King at Homburg                                               xvi
+
+    The Christening of King Edward VII.                                 9
+
+    Queen Victoria, the Empress Frederick, and King Edward VII.        11
+
+    King Edward VII.                                                   13
+
+    King Edward VII. at the Age of Three                               15
+
+    The King in 1847                                                   17
+
+    The Landing of Queen Victoria, Prince Albert, and their
+        Children at Aberdeen                                           19
+
+    The King and the Empress Frederick as Children                     21
+
+    The Rev. Henry Mildred Birch, the King’s First Tutor               25
+
+    Queen Victoria, Prince Albert, and their Children                  27
+
+    The King at the Age of Eight, and the Duke of Saxe-Coburg
+        and Gotha at the Age of Five                                   29
+
+    Sketching at Loch Laggan--Queen Victoria with King Edward
+        and the Empress Frederick                                      31
+
+    Queen Victoria and King Edward VII.                                32
+
+    The King in 1859                                                   35
+
+    Christ Church, Oxford                                              38
+
+    Trinity College, Cambridge                                         39
+
+    The King in 1861                                                   41
+
+    The Tour in Canada and the United States, 1860                     43
+
+    The Fifth Duke of Newcastle, K.G.                                  44
+
+    The King’s Landing at Montreal                                     46
+
+    The King laying the Last Stone of the Victoria Bridge over
+        the St. Lawrence                                               47
+
+    The Grand Ball given at the Academy of Music, New York             52
+
+    Dean Stanley                                                       58
+
+    The King’s Reception by Said Pacha, Viceroy of Egypt, at Cairo     59
+
+    The King about the Time of his Marriage                            62
+
+    Queen Alexandra                                                    65
+
+    The King on Coming of Age                                          67
+
+    Queen Alexandra in 1863                                            69
+
+    Queen Alexandra                                                    71
+
+    The Marriage of the King and Queen                                 75
+
+    A Contemporary Design for the Royal Wedding                        78
+
+    On the Wedding Day                                                 81
+
+    Queen Alexandra at the Time of her Marriage                        82
+
+    Queen Alexandra in 1863                                            86
+
+    Queen Alexandra in 1864                                            89
+
+    Queen Alexandra with the Baby Prince Albert Victor                 91
+
+    King Edward, Queen Alexandra, and Prince Albert Victor             93
+
+    Queen Victoria with Prince Albert Victor                           95
+
+    King Edward at the Age of Twenty-Three                             99
+
+    Queen Victoria, Queen Alexandra, and Princess Christian           101
+
+    Queen Alexandra about the Year 1865                               102
+
+    Thanksgiving Day, 1872: The Scene at Temple Bar                   132
+
+    Thanksgiving Day, 1872: The Procession up Ludgate Hill            134
+
+    Queen Alexandra and her Sister, the Empress Alexander of Russia,
+        in 1873                                                       137
+
+    Queen Victoria, with the Princes Albert Victor and George,
+        and their sister, Princess Victoria                           139
+
+    The King’s Indian Tour, 1875                                      143
+
+    Embarkation on Board the _Serapis_ at Brindisi                    147
+
+    The King’s Visit to the Cawnpore Memorial                         153
+
+    The King in 1876                                                  157
+
+    The King in 1879                                                  161
+
+    The King in 1882                                                  164
+
+    Queen Alexandra in her Robes as Doctor of Music                   169
+
+    The Duchess of Fife, Princess Victoria, and Princess Charles
+        of Denmark                                                    175
+
+    The Duke of Fife                                                  177
+
+    The Duke of Clarence and Avondale                                 185
+
+    Queen Alexandra                                                   193
+
+    King Edward and Queen Alexandra, with the Duchess of Fife and
+        Lady Alexandra Duff                                           201
+
+    Queen Victoria and the Duke and Duchess of Cornwall and York      205
+
+    The King in the Undress Uniform of an Admiral of the Fleet        210
+
+    The King as Grand Master of the Knights-Hospitallers of Malta,
+        at the Duchess of Devonshire’s Ball                           213
+
+    The Duke of Cornwall and York in his Robes as a Knight of
+        St. Patrick                                                   215
+
+    The Duchess of Cornwall and York                                  217
+
+    The Duke of Connaught, the late Duke of Saxe-Coburg, the German
+    Emperor, King Edward VII., Queen Victoria, and the Empress
+    Frederick                                                         223
+
+    The King with the Ladies Duff                                     229
+
+    Sandringham from the Grounds                                      235
+
+    The Norwich Gate at Sandringham                                   238
+
+    The East Front, Sandringham                                       239
+
+    Queen Alexandra’s Dairy at Sandringham                            241
+
+    Queen Alexandra at Sandringham                                    245
+
+    The Kennels, Sandringham                                          248
+
+    Queen Alexandra with her Favourite Dogs                           250
+
+    Marlborough House from the South-West                             252
+
+    Marlborough House: the Drawing-Room                               254
+
+    Garden Party at Marlborough House, July 1881                      257
+
+    Marlborough House: the Salon                                      259
+
+    The King as Admiral of the Fleet                                  269
+
+    The King as Colonel of the 10th Hussars                           273
+
+    The King and the Duke of Connaught                                277
+
+    Sir Francis Knollys                                               292
+
+    Mr. John Porter and Mr. Richard Marsh, the King’s Past and
+        Present Trainers, and John Watts, his Jockey                  296
+
+    The Egerton House Training Stables, Newmarket                     297
+
+    The King’s Derby, 1896                                            299
+
+    The King as a Sportsman in 1876                                   305
+
+    The _Britannia_                                                   307
+
+    The King as a Yachtsman                                           308
+
+[Illustration: THE KING
+
+_From a Photograph by T. H. Voigt, Hamburg v.d.H._]
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER I
+
+AN APPRECIATION
+
+
+On the Sunday following that eventful 9th of November on which His
+Most Gracious Majesty King Edward VII. first saw the light, the Rev.
+Sydney Smith preached at St. Paul’s, and made the following interesting
+addition to the Bidding Prayer:--
+
+“We pray also for that infant of the Royal race whom in Thy good
+providence Thou hast given us for our future King. We beseech Thee so
+to mould his heart and fashion his spirit that he may be a blessing and
+not an evil to the land of his birth. May he grow in favour with man
+by leaving to its own force and direction the energy of a free people.
+May he grow in favour with God by holding the faith in Christ fervently
+and feelingly, without feebleness, without fanaticism, without folly.
+As he will be the first man in these realms, so may he be the best,
+disdaining to hide bad actions by high station, and endeavouring always
+by the example of a strict and moral life to repay those gifts which a
+loyal people are so willing to spare from their own necessities to a
+good King.”
+
+It must be remembered that this prayer was uttered in 1841, and some of
+the phrases which the great wit used reflect rather the Holland House
+view of the monarchy entertained at that time. Nevertheless, the prayer
+is noteworthy because in spirit, if not in the letter, it has been so
+completely answered. The manner of King Edward’s accession exhibits to
+a contemplative mind the eternal contrast between East and West. In an
+Oriental State a new Sovereign is as a rule unknown even in his outward
+appearance to his subjects, and is generally tossed up on to the throne
+by the angry waves of some palace intrigue of which he himself knows
+nothing. But it is the peculiar happiness of the British people that,
+in the midst of their bitter grief at the loss of Queen Victoria,
+there came to them the swift thought that one whom they had known and
+approved from his youth up was her successor, and would assuredly walk
+in her footsteps.
+
+The accession of a Prince so universally beloved to the throne of his
+ancestors amid the deeply-felt joy of a great and free people is an
+inspiring spectacle. Perhaps, however, it is not fully realised how
+much King Edward, in the years of his public life as Prince of Wales,
+shared in the duties of the British Crown. The following pages will,
+it is hoped, show how completely His Majesty and his lamented mother
+agreed in their conception of the position of ruler of the British
+Empire. It is known that the death of the Prince Consort drew even
+closer the ties of affection which subsisted between the late Sovereign
+and her eldest son, and it would seem as if King Edward from that day
+forward had set both his parents before himself as exemplars, and had
+endeavoured to approve himself to his future subjects as a worthy
+son, not only of Victoria the Wise but also of Albert the Good. It is
+certainly significant how many of the qualities of both his parents His
+Majesty possesses.
+
+In those admirable messages to his people, and to India and the
+Colonies, as well as to his Navy and Army, the King wrote absolutely as
+his mother would have wished him to write. There is in these documents
+the same keen personal sympathy, the same human touch, so notable
+in all Her late Majesty’s letters to her people, the same unerring
+perception, the same insight which demonstrated how completely the
+heart of the monarch was beating in unison with that of his people.
+
+Although the British people realised and appreciated the Prince
+Consort’s great qualities some time before his death, it is,
+nevertheless, true to say that they never came to regard him with
+quite the same feeling of affection as that in which other members of
+the Royal Family were held. This was in no sense the fault of Prince
+Albert, but is rather attributable to that national prejudice against
+everything and everybody not originally and completely British which
+was especially strong in the middle years of the nineteenth century.
+Certainly we have become more cosmopolitan since those days; we have
+come to see that the manners and customs of foreign nations are not
+perhaps always so absurd as our forefathers, at any rate, supposed, and
+may even in some few respects be worthy of adoption and imitation.
+
+In this salutary process of national illumination King Edward VII.
+undoubtedly played a considerable part. From the beginning of his
+public career he endeared himself to his future subjects by his natural
+_bonhomie_, his tact, and a certain indefinable touch of human sympathy
+which characterised all his actions and speeches. He was therefore able
+to carry on and to develop with extraordinary success his father’s
+work in promoting, not only the higher pursuits of science and art,
+but also the more immediately practical application of scientific
+principles to industries and manufactures. Few people realise how much
+England’s industrial prosperity was advanced both by the father and the
+son, and how much greater that prosperity would have been if Prince
+Albert’s foresight had been better understood and appreciated by his
+contemporaries.
+
+Prince Albert will also ever be remembered with gratitude by the
+British people for the unremitting care which he devoted to the
+education of all his children, and especially to that of his eldest
+son. Of course the seed must be sown in good ground, and we know that
+the ground was good; the effect of that early education is seen in
+the admirable tact with which King Edward filled a most difficult
+and delicate position for many years. This position was rendered
+additionally onerous by the sometimes ridiculous, sometimes malevolent,
+stories which used to be circulated about his private affairs. It is
+one of the great penalties of Royalty that practically no reply can
+be made to the voice of calumny and detraction. The increase of the
+means of communication, and the growth of the newspaper press, have
+tended to heighten the glare of publicity in which Royalty is compelled
+to live. But this bright light of publicity does not at all resemble
+that dry light of reason which Bacon regarded as so essential to the
+investigations of science; its rays are refracted and distorted by
+ignorance and clumsiness, if not by actual malevolence. Mr. Balfour’s
+quiet announcement in the House of Commons soon after the King’s
+Accession, that on the resettlement of the Civil List no question of
+debts will arise for consideration--as was the case, for instance,
+on the Accession of George IV.--is an impressive reply to rumours
+regrettably current of late years.
+
+It must have required no common discipline and self-control to bear
+such penalties as those, inflicted by the tongue of scandal, and at the
+same time to exercise that invariable discretion in reference to the
+great interests of State which we all admired so much in His Majesty
+when he was Prince of Wales. We should all regard as extraordinary,
+were it not that we have become so used to it, the way in which His
+Majesty contrived over so many years to be in politics and yet not
+of them; to educate himself in State affairs, while preserving that
+rigorous impartiality which our constitutional monarchy demands from
+the Heir to the throne. The sentiments with which he takes up his
+great task as King, not only of the United Kingdom but also of our
+vast Colonial Empire beyond the seas, added to the great dependency of
+India, is significantly shown in a sentence which His Majesty uttered
+in a speech long ago--that his great wish was that every man born in
+the Colonies should feel himself as English as if he had been born in
+Kent or Sussex.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER II
+
+BIRTH AND EARLY YEARS
+
+
+King Edward VII. was born on 9th November 1841, at Buckingham Palace.
+The Duke of Wellington, who was in the Palace at the time, is said to
+have asked the nurse, Mrs. Lily, “Is it a boy?” “It’s a _Prince_, your
+Grace,” answered the justly offended woman.
+
+The news was received with great enthusiasm throughout the country, and
+Queen Victoria and Prince Albert had thousands of letters and telegrams
+of congratulation not only through official sources at home and abroad
+but from many of Her Majesty’s humblest subjects all over the world.
+_Punch_ celebrated the event in some verses beginning--
+
+    Huzza! we’ve a little Prince at last,
+        A roaring Royal boy;
+    And all day long the booming bells
+        Have rung their peals of joy.
+
+    And the little park guns have blazed away,
+        And made a tremendous noise,
+    Whilst the air has been filled since eleven o’clock
+        With the shouts of little boys.
+
+At the moment of his birth the eldest son of the Sovereign became Duke
+of Cornwall. This dukedom was the first created in England. It was
+created by King Edward III. by charter, wherein his son, Edward the
+Black Prince, was declared Duke of Cornwall, to hold to himself and his
+heirs, Kings of England, and to their first-born sons; and it is in
+virtue of that charter that the eldest son of the Sovereign is by law
+acknowledged Duke of Cornwall the instant he is born.
+
+At the same time King Edward III. granted by patent certain provision
+for the support of the dukedom, including the Stannaries, in Cornwall,
+together with the coinage of tin, and various lands, manors, and
+tenements, some of which lay outside the county of Cornwall, but were
+nevertheless deemed to be part of the duchy. From these rents and
+royalties King Edward VII. derived, when he was Duke of Cornwall, a
+revenue of about £60,000 a year.
+
+The little prince also became at his birth Duke of Rothesay, Earl of
+Carrick, Baron of Renfrew, Lord of the Isles, and Great Steward of
+Scotland (by act of the Scottish Parliament in 1469), but he was not
+born Prince of Wales. King George IV. was only a week old when he was
+created Prince of Wales and Earl of Chester by letters patent, but King
+Edward VII. had to wait nearly a month--till 4th December 1841--for
+these dignities.
+
+The picturesque origin of the title of Prince of Wales is well
+known--how King Edward I. promised the turbulent Welsh barons to
+appoint them a prince of their own, one who was born in Wales and
+could not speak a word of English, and on whose life and conversation
+there was no stain at all. Having engaged the consent of the barons
+beforehand, he showed them his infant son, Prince Edward, who had been
+born in Carnarvon Castle but a few days before, and who was thereupon
+acclaimed as the first Prince of Wales. The dignity thus became
+established as personal, not hereditary, which could be granted or
+withheld at the pleasure of the Sovereign.
+
+The Earldom of Chester was an early creation which was annexed to the
+Crown for ever by letters patent in the thirty-first year of King Henry
+III., when Prince Edward, his eldest son, was immediately granted the
+dignity. Edward the Black Prince received the Earldom of Chester when
+he was only three years old, before he was created Duke of Cornwall.
+
+Queen Victoria’s recovery was rapid, as will be seen from the following
+entry in Her Majesty’s _Journal_ on 21st November, the birthday of the
+Empress Frederick (Princess Royal of England):--
+
+“Albert brought in dearest little Pussy [the Princess Royal] in such
+a smart white merino dress trimmed with blue, which Mama [the Duchess
+of Kent] had given her, and a pretty cap, and placed her on my bed,
+seating himself next to her, and she was very dear and good. And as my
+precious, invaluable Albert sat there, and our little Love between us,
+I felt quite moved with happiness and gratitude to God.”
+
+A little less than a month after the birth of her eldest son, Queen
+Victoria wrote to her uncle, Leopold I., King of the Belgians:--
+
+“I wonder very much who my little boy will be like. You will understand
+_how_ fervent are my prayers, and I am sure everybody’s must be, to see
+him resemble his Father in _every, every_ respect, both in body and
+mind.”
+
+Christmas with its Christmas tree brought a new fund of delight to the
+Royal parents. “To think,” wrote the Queen in her _Journal_, “that we
+have two children now, and one who enjoys the sight already, is like
+a dream!” Prince Albert also wrote to his father:--“To-day I have two
+children of my own to give presents to, who, they know not why, are
+full of happy wonder at the German Christmas tree and its radiant
+candles.”
+
+The christening of the Prince of Wales took place on 25th January
+1842, in St. George’s Chapel, Windsor, for although Royal baptisms had
+hitherto been celebrated within the Palace, both the Queen and Prince
+Albert felt it to be more in harmony with the religious sentiments
+of the country that the future King should be christened within a
+consecrated building.
+
+As can be easily understood, the choice of sponsors for the Prince
+of Wales was a matter of considerable delicacy. Finally the King of
+Prussia was asked to undertake the office, and Baron Stockmar gives
+the following interesting account of how His Majesty brushed aside the
+intrigues which were immediately set on foot:--
+
+“Politicians, as their habit is, attached an exaggerated political
+importance to the affair. The King, who foresaw this, wrote to
+Metternich, and in a manner asked for his advice. The answer was
+evasive; and on this the King determined not to give himself any
+concern about the political intrigues which were set on foot against
+the journey. Certain it is, that the Russians, Austrians, and even the
+French, in the person of Bresson (their Ambassador at Berlin) manœuvred
+against it. They were backed up by a Court party, who were persuaded
+that the King would avail himself of the opportunity to promote,
+along with Bunsen and the Archbishop of Canterbury, his pet idea of
+Anglicanizing the Prussian Church. When the King’s decision to go
+became known, Bresson begged that he would at least go through France,
+and give the Royal Family a meeting; but this was declined.”
+
+The King of Prussia arrived on the 22nd, and was met by Prince Albert
+at Greenwich and conducted to Windsor.
+
+King Edward’s other sponsors were his step-grandmother, the Duchess of
+Saxe-Coburg, represented by the Duchess of Kent; the Duke of Cambridge;
+the young Duchess of Saxe-Coburg (Queen Victoria’s sister-in-law),
+represented by the Duchess of Cambridge; Princess Sophia, represented
+by the Princess Augusta of Cambridge; and Prince Ferdinand of
+Saxe-Coburg.
+
+Nothing was omitted to make the Prince of Wales’s christening a
+magnificent and impressive ceremony. There was a full choral service,
+and a special anthem had been composed by Mr. (afterwards Sir) George
+Elvey for the occasion. When Prince Albert was told of this, and asked
+when it should be sung, he answered, “Not at all. No anthem. If the
+service ends by an anthem, we shall all go out criticising the music.
+We will have something we all know--something in which we can all
+join--something devotional. The Hallelujah Chorus; we shall all join
+in that, with our hearts.” The Hallelujah Chorus ended the ceremony
+accordingly.
+
+[Illustration: THE CHRISTENING OF KING EDWARD VII.
+
+_From the Painting by Sir George Hayter_]
+
+“It is impossible,” wrote Queen Victoria in her _Journal_, “to describe
+how beautiful and imposing the effect of the whole scene was in the
+fine old chapel, with the banners, the music, and the light shining on
+the altar.” It was significant of the young Queen’s native simplicity
+that the Prince was only christened Albert, after his father, and
+Edward, after his grandfather, the Duke of Kent.
+
+Both Queen Victoria and Prince Albert soon showed that they were
+determined to allow nothing like publicity to come near their
+nurseries, and the public obtained but few glimpses of the Prince of
+Wales as a child. Prince Albert’s intimate friend and adviser, Baron
+Stockmar, wrote a year after his birth to one of his friends:--
+
+“The Prince, although a little plagued with his teeth, is strong upon
+his legs, with a calm, clear, bright expression of face.” Before he was
+eighteen months old His Royal Highness had already sat for his portrait
+several times.
+
+King Edward VII. was barely four months old when Baron Stockmar drew
+up a very long memorandum on the education of the Royal children. In
+this document he laid down that the beginning of education must be
+directed to the regulation of the child’s natural instincts, to give
+them the right direction, and above all to keep the mind pure. “This,”
+he went on, “is only to be effected by placing about children only
+those who are good and pure, who will teach not only by precept but by
+living example, for children are close observers, and prone to imitate
+whatever they see or hear, whether good or evil.” In the frankest
+manner the shrewd old German physician proceeded to point out that
+the irregularities of three of George III.’s sons--George IV., the
+Duke of York, and William IV.--had weakened the respect and influence
+of Royalty in this country, although the nation ultimately forgave
+them, because, “whatever the faults of those Princes were, _they were
+considered by the public as true English faults_”; whereas the faults
+of some of their brothers, who had been brought up on the Continent,
+though not at all worse, were not condoned, owing to the power of
+national prejudice.
+
+[Illustration: QUEEN VICTORIA, THE EMPRESS FREDERICK, AND KING EDWARD
+VII.
+
+_From the Painting by S. Cousins, A.R.A._]
+
+The conclusion at which Baron Stockmar consequently arrived was, “that
+the education of the Royal infants ought to be from its earliest
+beginning _a truly moral and a truly English one_.” It ought therefore
+to be entrusted from the beginning only to persons who were themselves
+morally good, intelligent, well informed, and experienced, who should
+enjoy the full and implicit confidence of the Royal parents. The Baron
+did not mince matters with regard to “the malignant insinuations,
+cavillings, and calumnies of ignorant or intriguing people, who are
+more or less to be found at every Court, and who invariably try to
+destroy the parents’ confidence in the tutor.”
+
+These principles commended themselves to Queen Victoria and Prince
+Albert, and Her Majesty wrote the following interesting letter to Lord
+Melbourne on the subject:--
+
+                                “WINDSOR CASTLE, _24th March 1842_.
+
+    “We are much occupied in considering the future management of
+    our nursery establishment, and naturally find considerable
+    difficulties in it. As one of the Queen’s kindest and most
+    impartial friends, the Queen wishes to have Lord Melbourne’s
+    opinion upon it. The present system will not do, and must be
+    changed; and now how it is to be arranged is the great question
+    and difficulty.… Stockmar says, and very justly, that our
+    occupations prevent us from managing these affairs as much
+    our own selves as other parents can, and therefore that we
+    must have some one in whom to place _implicit confidence_. He
+    says, a lady of rank and title with a sub-governess would be
+    the best. But where to find a person so situated, fit for the
+    place, and, if fit, one who will consent to shut herself up in
+    the nursery, and entirely from society, as she must, if she is
+    _really_ to superintend the whole, and not accept the office,
+    as in my case, Princess Charlotte’s, and my aunts’, merely for
+    title, which would be only a source of annoyance and dispute?
+
+    “My fear is, that even if such a woman were to be found, she
+    would consider herself not as only responsible to the Prince
+    and Queen, but more to the country, and nation, and public, and
+    I feel she ought to be responsible only to _us_, and _we_ to
+    the country and nation. A person of less high rank, the Queen
+    thinks, would be less likely to do that, but would wish to be
+    responsible only to the parents. Naturally, too, we are anxious
+    to have the education as simple and domestic as possible. Then
+    again, a person of lower rank is less likely to be looked up
+    to and obeyed, than one of some name and rank. What does Lord
+    Melbourne think?”
+
+[Illustration: KING EDWARD VII.
+
+_From an old Print published in 1843_]
+
+In his reply Lord Melbourne fully concurred in Baron Stockmar’s
+suggestion that a lady of rank should be appointed, and the choice
+of the Royal parents fell upon Lady Lyttelton, who had been a
+lady-in-waiting from 1838, and who appeared to possess the precise
+qualifications which the post demanded. The daughter of George John,
+second Earl Spencer, and his wife Lavinia, daughter of the first Earl
+of Lucan, she was born in 1787, married, in 1813, William Henry,
+afterwards third Lord Lyttelton, and died in 1870. Lady Lyttelton
+was installed as governess to the Royal children in April 1842, and
+discharged her duties with equal ability and devotion. Early in 1851
+she laid down her office. Her young charges parted from her with sad
+hearts and tearful eyes, as Sir Theodore Martin records in the _Life
+of the Prince Consort_, while from the Queen and Prince Albert she
+received marked proofs of the deep gratitude which they felt for all
+that she had done.
+
+In 1846 King Edward accompanied his parents on two yachting excursions,
+in August and September, on board the Royal yacht _Victoria and
+Albert_. Writing in her _Journal_ on 2nd September, Queen Victoria
+says, with a pretty touch of maternal pride:--
+
+“After passing the Alderney Race it became quite smooth; and then
+Bertie put on his sailor’s dress, which was beautifully made by the man
+on board who makes for our sailors. When he appeared, the officers and
+sailors, who were all assembled on deck to see him, cheered, and seemed
+delighted with him.”
+
+Then, when the yacht arrived at Mounts Bay, Cornwall, Her Majesty
+records on 5th September that “when Bertie showed himself the people
+shouted ‘Three cheers for the Duke of Cornwall.’”
+
+Again, at Falmouth, on 7th September, the Queen says:--
+
+“The Corporation of Penryn were on board, and very anxious to see
+‘The Duke of Cornwall,’ so I stepped out of the pavilion on deck with
+Bertie, and Lord Palmerston told them that that was ‘The Duke of
+Cornwall’; and the old Mayor of Penryn said that ‘he hoped he would
+grow up a blessing to his parents and to his country.’”
+
+At Sunny Corner, just below Truro, the whole population “cheered, and
+were enchanted when Bertie was held up for them to see. It was a very
+pretty, gratifying sight.”
+
+Princess Mary of Cambridge, afterwards the much-loved and lamented
+Duchess of Teck, gives a delightful picture of the Royal children in a
+letter written in 1847 to Miss Draper, her governess. Princess Mary was
+then about fourteen, and King Edward was rather more than five years
+old:--
+
+“We paid a visit to the Queen at Windsor on New Year’s Eve, and left
+there on the 2nd. The Queen gave me a bracelet with her hair, and was
+very kind to me. The little Royal children are sweet darlings; the
+Princess Royal is my pet, because she is remarkably clever. The Prince
+of Wales is a very pretty boy, but he does not talk as much as his
+sister. Little Alfred, the fourth child, is a beautiful fatty, with
+lovely hair. Alice is rather older than him; she is very modest and
+quiet, but very good-natured. Helena, the baby, is a very fine child,
+and very healthy, which, however, they all are.”
+
+[Illustration: KING EDWARD VII. AT THE AGE OF THREE
+
+_From the Painting by W. Hensel, in the possession of the German
+Emperor_]
+
+In August 1847, Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, with the Queen’s
+half-brother, the Prince of Leiningen, went for a tour round the
+west coast of Scotland, taking with them their two eldest children,
+the Prince of Wales and the Princess Royal. This is notable as King
+Edward’s first visit to Scotland, for he was too young to accompany his
+parents on their first tour in Scotland in 1842; while when the Queen
+and Prince Albert visited Blair-Atholl in 1844 they only took with
+them the little Princess Royal.
+
+Of this tour round the west coast of Scotland we obtain some delightful
+details in the late Queen’s _Leaves from the Journal of Our Life in the
+Highlands_. The Royal party started from Osborne in the Royal yacht
+_Victoria and Albert_, and they took the opportunity, after leaving
+Dartmouth, of visiting the Scilly Islands. The Queen writes:--
+
+“Albert (who, as well as Charles, has not been unwell, while I suffered
+very much) went with Charles and Bertie to see one of the islands.
+The children recover from their sea-sickness directly.” By “Charles,”
+it should be explained, is meant the Prince of Leiningen. Naturally,
+when the Royal yacht arrived in Welsh waters, there was the greatest
+enthusiasm among the inhabitants at the sight of their little Prince.
+It must be remembered that at that time practically nothing was known
+by the general public about the Royal children, for their parents
+had very wisely resolved that they should as far as possible enjoy a
+natural, happy childhood, that being the best possible preparation for
+the public life that awaited them. However, evidently no harm was done
+by the notice which was taken of the Royal children on this tour. At
+Milford Haven their loving mother writes:--
+
+“Numbers of boats came out, with Welshwomen in their curious
+high-crowned men’s hats, and Bertie was much cheered, for the people
+seemed greatly pleased to see the ‘Prince of Wales.’” Then again at
+Rothesay, when the yacht had passed up the Clyde:--
+
+“The children enjoy everything extremely, and bear the novelty and
+excitement wonderfully. The people cheered the ‘Duke of Rothesay’ very
+much, and also called for a cheer for the ‘Princess of Great Britain.’
+Everywhere the good Highlanders are very enthusiastic.”
+
+With regard to her son’s title of Duke of Rothesay, Queen Victoria
+appends the following interesting note:--
+
+“A title belonging to the eldest son of the Sovereign of Scotland, and
+therefore held by the Prince of Wales as eldest son of the Queen, the
+representative of the ancient Kings of Scotland.”
+
+[Illustration: THE KING IN 1847
+
+_From the Painting by Winterhalter_]
+
+At Inveraray, which was next visited, the little Prince first met his
+future brother-in-law, the Marquis of Lorne, whom the Queen describes,
+in words which have often been quoted but will bear repetition, as
+“just two years old, a dear, white, fat, fair little fellow with
+reddish hair, but very delicate features, like both his father and
+mother: he is such a merry, independent little child. He had a black
+velvet dress and jacket, with a ‘sporran,’ scarf, and Highland bonnet.”
+
+Naturally a good deal of interest was taken in the little Prince of
+Wales by those who had an opportunity of seeing him. When the great
+geologist, Sir Charles Lyell, went to Balmoral, the Queen’s eldest
+son, “a pleasing, lively boy,” gave him an account of the conjuring of
+Anderson, the “Wizard of the North,” who had just then shown the Court
+some marvellous tricks. Said the Prince in an awestruck tone:--
+
+“He cut to pieces Mamma’s pocket-handkerchief, then darned it and
+ironed it so that it was as entire as ever; he then fired a pistol,
+and caused five or six watches to go through Gibbs’s head; but Papa
+knows how all these things are done, and had the watches really gone
+through Gibbs’s head he could hardly have looked so well, though he was
+confounded.”
+
+Gibbs, it should be mentioned, was a footman.
+
+The late Archbishop Benson, before he went up to Cambridge, was tutor
+to the sons of Mr. Wicksted, then tenant of Abergeldie Castle. Writing
+to his mother on 15th September 1848, young Mr. Benson gives the
+following interesting description of a glimpse which he had of the King
+as a little boy:--
+
+“The Prince of Wales is a fair little lad, rather of slender make, with
+a good head and a remarkably quiet and thinking face, above his years
+in intelligence I should think. The sailor portrait of him is a good
+one, but does not express the thought that there is on his little brow.
+Prince Alfred is a fair, chubby little lad, with a quiet look, but
+quite the Guelph face, which does not appear in the Prince of Wales.”
+
+[Illustration: THE LANDING OF QUEEN VICTORIA, PRINCE ALBERT, AND THEIR
+CHILDREN AT ABERDEEN
+
+_From a Painting by Cleland_]
+
+In September 1848 Queen Victoria and Prince Albert established
+themselves with their six children at Balmoral, and Her Majesty
+records her first impressions of the place which was to be for so
+many years her much-loved Northern home. After describing her own and
+Prince Albert’s rooms, she says, “Opposite, down a few steps, are the
+children’s and Miss Hildyard’s three rooms.” Only a few days later
+we hear of the little Prince of Wales going out with his parents for
+a “drive” in the Balloch Buie. “We then mounted our ponies, Bertie
+riding Grant’s pony on the deer-saddle, and being led by a gillie,
+Grant walking by his side.” Grant, it should be explained, was head
+keeper, and much trusted by the Queen and Prince Albert, and for him
+was built a pretty lodge called Croft, a mile from Balmoral. “We
+scrambled up an almost perpendicular place to where there was a little
+_box_, made of hurdles and interwoven with branches of fir and heather,
+about five feet in height. There we seated ourselves with Bertie.” It
+can readily be imagined with what excitement the little Prince waited
+for nearly an hour till his father obtained a shot. The Queen records
+how her son helped her over the rough ground until they all gathered
+round the magnificent “Royal” which had fallen to Prince Albert’s gun.
+
+The life at Balmoral was as far as possible shorn of Royal state, and
+was much the same, no doubt, as that which was led under many another
+hospitable roof-tree in the country round about. Queen Victoria
+devoted herself to her husband and children. Thus she records, on 11th
+September 1849, “The morning was very fine. I heard the children repeat
+some poetry in German.”
+
+The life at Windsor Castle was scarcely less simple. Writing to an
+intimate friend, the late Duchess of Teck thus describes a dramatic
+performance at the Castle in January 1849, in which King Edward
+appeared, in spite of an accident which he had had a few days before:--
+
+
+“Last Wednesday we went to Windsor Castle to remain till Friday. The
+visit went off very well indeed. The Queen and the children are looking
+very well, and the latter much grown. The poor little Prince of Wales
+has disfigured his face by falling on an iron-barred gate, and the
+bridge of his nose and both his eyes are quite black and bruised, but
+fortunately no bones were broken. The first evening we danced till
+twelve o’clock. Next day, … dinner was very early, and at eight o’clock
+the Play began. ‘Used Up’ and ‘Box and Cox’ were chosen for that night,
+and I was much pleased at seeing two very amusing pieces. They were
+very well acted, and we all laughed a great deal. The Theatre was well
+arranged, and the decorations and lamps quite wonderfully managed. It
+was put up in the Rubens-room, which is separated from the Garter-room
+by one small room where the Private Band stood. In the Garter-room was
+the Buffet, and in the centre hung one of the beautiful chandeliers
+from the pavilion at Brighton. The four elder children appeared at the
+Play, and the two boys wore their ‘kilts.’ The two little girls had on
+white lace gowns, over white satin, with pink bows and sashes. Princess
+Royal wears her hair in a very becoming manner, all twisted up into a
+large curl, which is tucked into a dark blue or black silk net, which
+keeps it all very tidy and neat.”
+
+[Illustration: THE KING AND THE EMPRESS FREDERICK AS CHILDREN
+
+_From the Painting by Sir W. C. Ross, A.R.A._]
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER III
+
+THE KING’S BOYHOOD
+
+
+In view of all that has been said in the last chapter to show how
+anxiously Queen Victoria and Prince Albert considered the education of
+the future King of England, it is amusing to record that the latter
+was quite five years old before it occurred to the public to take an
+interest in the question. It was then that a pamphlet was published,
+entitled _Who should educate the Prince of Wales?_ This contribution to
+the subject was carefully read by Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, and
+Baron Stockmar drew up another long memorandum, dealing this time with
+the question of the Prince’s education alone. He was fully sensible of
+the importance of the subject.
+
+“On the choice of the principles on which the Prince of Wales shall be
+educated,” he wrote, “will in all probability depend whether the future
+Sovereign of England shall reign in harmony with, or in opposition
+to, the prevailing opinions of his people. The importance of the
+selection of principles is increased by the consideration that opinion
+in Europe is at this moment obviously in a state of transition, and
+that by the time the Prince shall ascend the throne many of the maxims
+of government and institutions of society now in the ascendancy will,
+according to present probabilities, have either entirely passed away,
+or be on the very verge of change.”
+
+After enlarging on this topic, the Baron lays down that the great and
+leading question is--whether the education of the Prince should be
+one which will prepare him for approaching events, or one which will
+stamp, perhaps indelibly, an impression of the sacred character of
+all existing institutions on his youthful mind, and teach him that to
+resist change is to serve at once the cause of God and of his country.
+Baron Stockmar recommends the former course, but he utters the warning
+that:--
+
+“The education of the Prince should, however, nowise tend to make
+him a demagogue or a moral enthusiast, but a man of calm, profound,
+comprehensive understanding, imbued with a deep conviction of the
+indispensable necessity of practical morality to the welfare of both
+Sovereign and people. The proper duty of the Sovereign in this country
+is not to take the lead in change, but to act as a balance-wheel on
+the movements of the social body. When the whole nation, or a large
+majority of it, advances, the King should not stand still; but when
+the movement is too partial, irregular, or over-rapid, the royal power
+may with advantage be interposed to restore the equilibrium. Above all
+attainments, the Prince should be trained to freedom of thought and a
+firm reliance on the inherent power of sound principles, political,
+moral, and religious, to sustain themselves and produce practical good
+when left in possession of a fair field of development.”
+
+As regards the religious faith in which the future King was to be
+brought up, the law prescribed that of the Church of England, and
+Baron Stockmar therefore does not discuss that point, but he does
+put a question arising out of it, which naturally seemed in that
+year--1846--more difficult than it would seem nowadays. The Baron asks
+in effect whether the Prince should be made acquainted with the changes
+then going on in public opinion in regard to matters of faith, and the
+important influence on the minds of educated men which the discoveries
+of science were likely to exert in the future? Without suggesting a
+definite answer to his own question, the Baron goes on to say:--
+
+“The Prince should early be taught that thrones and social order have a
+stable foundation in the moral and intellectual faculties of man; that
+by addressing his public exertions to the cultivation of these powers
+in his people, and by taking their dictates as the constant guides of
+his own conduct, he will promote the solidity of his empire and the
+prosperity of his subjects. In one word, he should be taught that God,
+in the constitution of the mind and in the arrangement of creation,
+has already legislated for men, both as individuals and as nations;
+that the laws of morality, which he has written in their nature, are
+the foundations on which, and on which alone, their prosperity can be
+reared; and that the human legislator and sovereign have no higher duty
+than to discover and carry into execution these enactments of Divine
+legislation.”
+
+Queen Victoria and Prince Albert also consulted the Bishop of Oxford
+(Dr. Wilberforce) and Sir James Clark, both of whom recorded their
+views in long and carefully considered papers, in which they came to
+conclusions substantially the same as those of Baron Stockmar. On these
+principles, therefore, King Edward VII. was educated, namely, that the
+best way to build up a noble and princely character was to bring it
+into intelligent sympathy with the best movements of the age.
+
+After some further discussion Prince Albert opened negotiations with
+Mr. Henry Birch, afterwards rector of Prestwich, near Manchester, the
+gentleman who was ultimately entrusted with the responsible position
+of tutor to the future ruler of the British Empire. This young man had
+been educated at Eton, where he had been captain of the school and
+obtained the Newcastle medal. He had taken high honours at Cambridge,
+and had then gone back to Eton as an assistant master.
+
+The Prince Consort had an interview with Mr. Birch in August 1848, and
+says in a letter to Lord Morpeth, “The impression he has left upon me
+is a very favourable one, and I can imagine that children will easily
+attach themselves to him.” Writing to his stepmother, the Dowager
+Duchess of Gotha, in April 1849, Prince Albert observed:--
+
+“Bertie will be given over in a few weeks into the hands of a tutor,
+whom we have found in a Mr. Birch, a young, good-looking, amiable
+man, who was a tutor at Eton, and who not only himself took the
+highest honours at Cambridge, but whose pupils have also won especial
+distinction. It is an important step, and God’s blessing be upon it,
+for upon the good education of Princes, and especially of those who are
+destined to govern, the welfare of the world in these days very greatly
+depends.”
+
+[Illustration: THE REV. HENRY MILDRED BIRCH, THE KING’S FIRST TUTOR
+
+_Photograph by Eastham, Manchester_]
+
+During the years 1848 to 1850 a Mr. George Bartley, well known at that
+time as an actor, was engaged to read at Buckingham Palace translations
+of the _Antigone_ and the trilogy of _Œdipus_. Queen Victoria was
+so much pleased with the ability which Mr. Bartley showed that she
+engaged him to give lessons in elocution to her eldest son, who
+certainly profited by them, to judge by the ability which His Majesty
+afterwards showed as a public speaker.
+
+In the summer of 1849 King Edward VII. visited Ireland for the first
+time. He landed with his parents at Queenstown, and received a splendid
+welcome, which probably laid the foundation of his hearty sympathy
+with and liking for the Irish character. Queen Victoria, after vividly
+describing the enthusiasm with which the Royal visitors were greeted at
+Dublin, Cork, and elsewhere, writes in her _Journal_ on 12th August:--
+
+“I intend to create Bertie ‘Earl of Dublin,’ as a compliment to the
+town and country; he has no Irish title, though he is _born_ with
+several Scotch ones (belonging to the heirs to the Scotch throne, and
+which we have inherited from James VI. of Scotland and I. of England);
+and this was one of my father’s titles.”
+
+Accordingly the Prince of Wales was soon afterwards gazetted Earl of
+Dublin, but in the peerage of the United Kingdom, not, as had been done
+in the case of the Duke of Kent, in the peerage of Ireland.
+
+It is a curious fact that King Edward visited Ireland, and, as we have
+seen, Cornwall, Wales, and Scotland, and made an excellent impression
+upon the “Celtic fringe” before he was brought before the public notice
+of his future English subjects.
+
+He made his first official appearance in London on 30th October 1849.
+It had been arranged that Queen Victoria was to be present at the
+opening of the Coal Exchange, but she was not able to go as she was
+suffering from chicken-pox. Accordingly it was arranged that the
+Princess Royal and the Prince of Wales should represent their Royal
+mother.
+
+“Puss and the boy,” as the Queen called them, went with their father
+in State from Westminster to the city in the Royal barge rowed by
+twenty-six watermen. All London turned out to meet the gallant little
+Prince and his pretty sister. Lady Lyttelton, in a letter to Mrs.
+Gladstone, gives a charming account of the event, and tells how the
+Prince Consort was careful to put the future King forward. Some city
+dignitary addressed the young Prince as “the pledge and promise of a
+long race of Kings,” and, says Lady Lyttelton, “poor Princey did not
+seem to guess at all what he meant.” In honour of the Royal children
+a great many quaint old city customs were revived, including a swan
+barge, and both the King and the Empress Frederick seem to have
+retained a very delightful recollection of their first sight of the
+City.
+
+[Illustration: QUEEN VICTORIA, PRINCE ALBERT, AND THEIR CHILDREN
+
+_From the Painting by Winterhalter_]
+
+It must have been about this time that Miss Alcott, the author of
+_Little Women_, paid a visit to London, and sent home to her family the
+following description of the Prince:--
+
+“A yellow-haired laddie, very like his mother. Fanny, W., and I nodded
+and waved as he passed, and he openly winked his boyish eye at us, for
+Fanny with her yellow curls and wild waving looked rather rowdy, and
+the poor little Prince wanted some fun.”
+
+Two years later the King was present at the opening of the Great
+Exhibition of 1851, and in the following year Mr. Birch retired from
+his responsible post, greatly to the sorrow of his young pupil, who was
+a most affectionate and open-hearted little boy.
+
+In June 1852 Viscountess Canning wrote from Windsor Castle:--
+
+“Mr. Birch left yesterday. It has been a terrible sorrow to the Prince
+of Wales, who has done no end of touching things since he heard that
+he was to lose him three weeks ago. He is such an affectionate, dear
+little boy; his little notes and presents, which Mr. Birch used to find
+on his pillow, were really too moving.”
+
+As was natural, there were many discussions as to who should become
+the Prince’s next tutor. On the recommendation of Sir James Stephen,
+Mr. Frederick W. Gibbs was appointed. He remained in his responsible
+position till 1858, and was rarely separated from his Royal pupil
+during those seven years.
+
+But although so much attention was devoted to the education and mental
+training of the King, he spent a very happy and unclouded childhood;
+and, like all his brothers and sisters, he retained the happiest
+memories of the youthful days spent by him at Balmoral, Osborne, and
+Windsor.
+
+The Baroness Bunsen in her _Memoirs_ gives a charming account of a
+Masque devised by the Royal children in honour of the anniversary of
+the Queen and the Prince Consort’s marriage. King Edward, then twelve
+years old, represented Winter. He wore a cloak covered with imitation
+icicles, and recited some passages from Thomson’s _Seasons_. Princess
+Alice was Spring, scattering flowers; the Princess Royal, Summer;
+Prince Alfred, Autumn; while Princess Helena, in the _rôle_ of St.
+Helena, the mother of Constantine, who was, according to tradition, a
+native of Britain, called down Heaven’s benedictions on her much-loved
+parents.
+
+Shortly before this pretty scene took place, King Edward had made his
+first appearance in the House of Lords, sitting beside his Royal mother
+upon the Throne. It was on this occasion that the addresses of the two
+Houses in answer to the Queen’s Message announcing the beginning of
+hostilities in the Crimean War were presented, and there is no doubt
+that the sad and terrible months that followed made a deep and lasting
+impression on the King’s mind. He took the most vivid interest in the
+fortune of the war, and in March 1855 went with his parents to the
+Military Hospital at Chatham, where a large number of the wounded had
+recently arrived from the East.
+
+[Illustration: THE KING AT THE AGE OF EIGHT, AND THE DUKE OF
+SAXE-COBURG AND GOTHA AT THE AGE OF FIVE
+
+_From the Painting by F. Winterhalter_]
+
+The popular concern was exhibited in many ingenious and touching ways.
+An exhibition was held at Burlington House in aid of the Patriotic
+Fund, and all the Royal children who were old enough sent drawings and
+paintings, the King’s exhibit obtaining the very considerable sum of 55
+guineas.
+
+The worst of the terrible struggle was over by the time King Edward and
+the Empress Frederick accompanied their parents to Paris in August of
+the same year. The visit was in many ways historically eventful. Queen
+Victoria was the first British Sovereign to enter Paris since the days
+of Henry VI., and the Royal Party received a truly splendid welcome.
+The young Prince and his sister, however, were not allowed to be
+idle, and, though they shared to a great extent in the entertainments
+organised in honour of Queen Victoria and the Prince Consort, their
+headquarters remained the whole time in the charming country palace of
+St. Cloud, and after sightseeing in Paris all day, they were always
+driven back there each evening. It is undoubtedly to the impression
+left by this visit that the King owes his strong affection and liking
+for France and the French people. When present at a splendid review,
+held in honour of Queen Victoria, he attracted quite as much attention
+as any of his elders, for he was dressed in full Highland costume, and
+remained in the carriage with his mother and the Empress, while the
+Emperor and Prince Consort were on horseback.
+
+The British Royal party remained in France eight days. The last gala
+given in their honour was a splendid ball at Versailles, and on this
+occasion both the Prince of Wales and the Princess Royal were allowed
+to be present, and sat down to supper with the Emperor and Empress. A
+dance had not been given at Versailles since the days of Louis XVI.
+
+One of the most pleasing traits in Napoleon III.’s character was
+his great liking for children. As was natural, he paid considerable
+attention to his youthful guests, who both became much attached to
+him; and later, when he was living at Chislehurst a broken-hearted
+exile, King Edward never lost an opportunity of paying him respectful
+and kindly attentions. Indeed, the King enjoyed his first Continental
+holiday so heartily that he begged the Empress to get leave for his
+sister and himself to stay a little longer after his parents were gone
+home. When with some embarrassment she replied that Queen Victoria and
+the Prince Consort would not be able to do without their two children,
+he exclaimed, “Not do without us! don’t fancy that, for there are six
+more of us at home, and they don’t want _us_”; but it need hardly be
+added that this naïve exclamation did not have the desired effect, and
+the young people duly returned home with their parents.
+
+[Illustration: SKETCHING AT LOCH LAGGAN--QUEEN VICTORIA WITH KING
+EDWARD AND THE EMPRESS FREDERICK
+
+_From the Painting by Landseer, published in 1858_]
+
+A few days later, the Prince Consort, writing to Baron Stockmar,
+observed: “You will be pleased to hear how well both the children
+behaved. They made themselves general favourites, especially the Prince
+of Wales, _qui est si gentil_.” And on the same topic Prince Albert
+wrote to the Duchess of Kent: “I am bound to praise the children
+greatly. They behaved extremely well and pleased everybody. The task
+was no easy one for them, but they discharged it without embarrassment
+and with natural simplicity.”
+
+[Illustration: QUEEN VICTORIA AND KING EDWARD VII.
+
+_After the Painting by Thorburn_]
+
+When the King was fourteen he started on an _incognito_ walking tour in
+the West of England with Mr. Gibbs and Colonel Cavendish. His father
+wrote to Baron Stockmar: “Bertie’s tour has hitherto gone off well
+and seems to interest him greatly.” Then followed a short time spent
+in Germany, as to which Prince Albert wrote to Baron Stockmar on 26th
+July, 1857: “Bertie set out to-day at noon for Königswinter--he will
+take a week to get there. Of the young people only Lord Derby’s son
+will go with him in the first instance; Wood, Cadogan, and Gladstone
+will follow.”
+
+This visit of the Prince of Wales to Königswinter was for purposes of
+study, and he had with him General Grey, Colonel (afterwards General)
+H. Ponsonby his domestic tutor, Mr. Gibbs his classical tutor, the
+Rev. Charles Tarver (afterwards Canon of Chester), and Dr. Armstrong.
+During the Prince’s stay at Königswinter Mr. W. Gladstone, Mr. Charles
+Wood (now Lord Halifax), the present Lord Cadogan, and the present Lord
+Derby, then Mr. Frederick Stanley, were with him as companions. It
+may be conveniently recorded here that in 1858, when Mr. F. W. Gibbs
+retired, Mr. Tarver was appointed the Prince’s Director of Studies
+and Chaplain, in which capacity he accompanied him to Rome, Spain,
+and Portugal, and then went with him to Edinburgh, remaining with
+the Prince till the autumn of 1859, when his education ceased to be
+conducted at home.
+
+The King was confirmed in 1858, and the Prince Consort, writing to
+Baron Stockmar on 2nd April, gives an interesting account of the
+ceremony:--
+
+“They were all three [Lords Palmerston, John Russell, and Derby]
+yesterday at the confirmation of the Prince of Wales, which went off
+with great solemnity, and, I hope, with an abiding impression on
+his mind. The previous day, his examination took place before the
+Archbishop and ourselves. Wellesley prolonged it to a full hour, and
+Bertie acquitted himself _extremely well_.”
+
+The day following his confirmation the King received the sacrament with
+his father and mother, and here may be fittingly ended the story of His
+Majesty’s boyhood.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IV
+
+OXFORD, CAMBRIDGE, AND THE CURRAGH
+
+
+King Edward had now emerged from boyhood, and his loving parents set
+themselves to make the arrangements suitable for his growing years.
+What these arrangements were will be clear from the following passages
+in the Prince Consort’s letter to Baron Stockmar of 2nd April 1858:--
+
+“Next week he [the Prince of Wales] is to make a run for fourteen days
+to the South of Ireland with Mr. Gibbs, Captain de Ros, and Dr. Minter,
+by way of recreation. When he returns to London he is to take up his
+residence at the White Lodge in Richmond Park, so as to be away from
+the world and devote himself exclusively to study and prepare for a
+military examination. As companions for him we have appointed three
+very distinguished young men of from twenty-three to twenty-six years
+of age, who are to occupy in monthly rotation a kind of equerry’s
+place about him, and from whose more intimate intercourse I anticipate
+no small benefit to Bertie. They are Lord Valletort, the eldest son
+of Lord Mount Edgcumbe, who has been much on the Continent, is a
+thoroughly good, moral, and accomplished man, draws well and plays, and
+never was at a public school, but passed his youth in attendance on his
+invalid father; Major Teesdale, of the Artillery, who distinguished
+himself greatly at Kars, where he was aide-de-camp and factotum of Sir
+Fenwick Williams; Major Lindsay, of the Scots Fusilier Guards, who
+received the Victoria Cross for Alma and Inkermann (as Teesdale did for
+Kars), where he carried the colours of the regiment, and by his courage
+drew upon himself the attention of the whole Army. He is studious in
+his habits, lives little with the other young officers, is fond of
+study, familiar with French, and especially so with Italian, spent a
+portion of his youth in Italy, won the first prize last week under the
+regimental adjutant for the new rifle drill, and resigned his excellent
+post as aide-de-camp of Sir James Simpson, that he might be able to
+work as lieutenant in the trenches.
+
+[Illustration: THE KING IN 1859
+
+_From a Painting by G. Richmond_]
+
+“Besides these three, only Mr. Gibbs and Mr. Tarver will go with him
+to Richmond. As future governor, when Gibbs retires at the beginning
+of next year, I have as yet been able to think of no one as likely to
+suit, except Colonel Bruce, Lord Elgin’s brother, and his military
+secretary in Canada, who now commands one of the battalions of
+Grenadier Guards, and lives much with his mother in Paris. He has all
+the amiability of his sister, with great mildness of expression, and is
+full of ability.”
+
+Of these early companions of the King, Lord Valletort succeeded to the
+Earldom of Mount Edgcumbe in 1861, Major Teesdale was afterwards well
+known as Sir Christopher Teesdale, while Major Lindsay was appointed
+extra equerry to the Prince of Wales in 1874, and was created Lord
+Wantage of Lockinge in 1885.
+
+While the Prince of Wales was at White Lodge, where the suite of rooms
+which he occupied still bears his name, he saw much of his relations
+at Cambridge Cottage; he often rowed up from Richmond or Mortlake, and
+mooring his boat alongside the landing-stage at Brentford Ferry, would
+get out and take a stroll in the gardens with his aunt and cousin. The
+first dinner-party the Prince attended was at the Cottage on Kew Green.
+
+By Queen Victoria’s special desire, Charles Kingsley about this time
+delivered a series of lectures on history to her eldest son, and the
+Prince remained fondly attached to the famous author of _Westward
+Ho_, who, till his death, was an honoured guest at Sandringham and at
+Marlborough House.
+
+On 9th November of the same year the King attained his eighteenth
+year, and became legally heir to the Crown. Queen Victoria wrote him a
+letter announcing his emancipation from parental control, and he was so
+deeply touched by its perusal that he brought it to General Wellesley
+with tears in his eyes, and we have the impartial testimony of Charles
+Greville as to the character of the epistle, which was, says the famous
+diarist, “one of the most admirable letters that ever was penned.” On
+the same day he became a Colonel in the Army (unattached), and received
+the Garter, while Colonel Bruce became his governor.
+
+Exactly a month after his birthday, the King started on a Continental
+tour, travelling more or less _incognito_ as Lord Renfrew. He was
+accompanied by Mr. Tarver, who had just been appointed his chaplain
+and director of studies. The King stayed some time in Rome and visited
+the Pope, but on 29th April 1859 the Prince Consort wrote to Baron
+Stockmar: “We have sent orders to the Prince of Wales to leave Rome
+and to repair to Gibraltar.” For it was very properly considered, that
+owing to the Franco-Italian and Austrian imbroglio, it was far better
+that the heir to the British throne should be well out of the way of
+international dissensions.
+
+The King reached Gibraltar on 7th May, and visited the south of
+Spain and Lisbon, returning home in the middle of the next month;
+and then, after having seen something of the world, he again took up
+a very serious course of study, this time at Edinburgh. Meanwhile
+the education and training of the Heir-Apparent was being watched
+very carefully by the British public, and a good many people began
+to consider that their future King was being over-educated; indeed
+_Punch_, in some lines entitled “A Prince at High Pressure,”
+undoubtedly summed up the popular feeling, not only describing the
+past, but prophesying, with a great deal of shrewd insight, the future
+course of the Prince of Wales’s studies:--
+
+    To the south from the north, from the shores of the Forth,
+      Where at hands Presbyterian pure science is quaffed,
+    The Prince, in a trice, is whipped to the Isis,
+      Where Oxford keeps springs mediæval on draught.
+
+    Dipped in grey Oxford mixture (lest _that_ prove a fixture),
+      The poor lad’s to be plunged in less orthodox Cam.,
+    Where dynamics and statics, and pure mathematics,
+      Will be piled on his brain’s awful cargo of cram.
+
+But the Prince seems to have borne his course of study very well,
+and after his son had been in Edinburgh some three months the Prince
+Consort wrote to Baron Stockmar:--
+
+“In Edinburgh I had an Educational Conference with all the persons who
+were taking part in the education of the Prince of Wales. They all
+speak highly of him, and he seems to have shown zeal and goodwill.
+Dr. Lyon Playfair is giving him lectures on chemistry in relation
+to manufactures, and at the close of each special course he visits
+the appropriate manufactory with him, so as to explain its practical
+application. Dr. Schmitz (the Director of the High School of Edinburgh,
+a German) gives him lectures on Roman history. Italian, German, and
+French are advanced at the same time; and three times a week the
+Prince exercises with the 16th Hussars, who are stationed in the city.
+Mr. Fisher, who is to be the tutor for Oxford, was also in Holyrood.
+Law and history are to be the subjects on which he is to prepare the
+Prince.”
+
+[Illustration: CHRIST CHURCH, OXFORD]
+
+The young Prince spent a delightful holiday in the Highlands, and
+made an expedition up Ben Muichdhui, one of the highest mountains in
+Scotland. Then, on 9th November, his nineteenth birthday was celebrated
+with the whole of his family, for the Princess Royal had arrived from
+Berlin in order to spend the day with her brother.
+
+The King was at that time very fond of the writings of Sir Walter
+Scott. He has always been a reader of fiction, French, English, and
+German, and as a youth he was studious and eager to learn.
+
+On leaving Scotland he went up to Oxford, being admitted a member
+of Christ Church. The Prince seems to have thoroughly enjoyed his
+life as an undergraduate. He joined freely in the social life of the
+University, and took part in all the sports, frequently hunting with
+the South Oxfordshire Hounds. Nor did he neglect his books, for we find
+the Prince Consort writing to Baron Stockmar on 8th December 1859 to
+say that, “The Prince of Wales is working hard at Oxford.”
+
+[Illustration: TRINITY COLLEGE, CAMBRIDGE]
+
+It seems more convenient here to abandon the strictly chronological
+arrangement, and to leave the Prince’s visit to Canada and the United
+States, which followed immediately, to be described in a separate
+chapter, passing on at once to his life at Cambridge.
+
+Early in 1861 the King became an undergraduate member of Trinity
+College, Cambridge. Curiously enough, Dr. Whewell, at that time Master
+of Trinity, did not think it necessary to make a formal entry of the
+Royal undergraduate, but in 1883, when visiting Cambridge in order to
+enter his son, the late Duke of Clarence, as a student of Trinity, the
+King expressed the opinion that it was a pity that his own entry had
+not been properly filled up, and he offered to fill in the blank spaces
+if the book was brought to him. Accordingly the record may now be found
+at its proper place in the King’s own handwriting. His entry is as
+follows:--
+
+      _Date of Entry._           _Rank._               _Name._
+    January 18th, 1861.         Nobleman.           Albert Edward
+                                                   Prince of Wales.
+
+  _Father’s Christian Name._  _Native Place._         _County._
+          Albert.                 London.             Middlesex.
+
+         _School._                _Age._               _Tutor._
+       Private Tutor.          November 9th,   Admitted by order of the
+                                   1841.       Seniority, Mr. Mathison
+                                                   being his tutor.
+
+The entry immediately preceding the King’s name is that of the Hon. J.
+W. Strutt (now Lord Rayleigh), in connection with which the following
+amusing story is told. A visitor to the library (where the book is
+kept) having expressed her doubts as to the King’s intellectual
+abilities, the librarian showed her the entry, and said: “You may be
+right in what you say, madam, but allow me to inform you that the
+Prince comes next to a former Senior Wrangler.” The lady’s astonishment
+may be imagined, she being of course ignorant that mere coincidence was
+the cause of the juxtaposition of the two names.
+
+The position of the Prince of Wales in the University was very much
+that of an ordinary undergraduate, except in one point--that he was,
+by special favour, allowed to live with his governor, Colonel the
+Hon. Robert Bruce, about three miles away from Cambridge, in a little
+village called Madingley.
+
+Charles Kingsley at the Prince Consort’s request gave some private
+lectures to the Prince of Wales. The class was formed of eleven
+undergraduates, and after the Prince settled at Madingley, he rode
+three times a week to Mr. Kingsley’s house, twice attending with the
+class, and once to go through a _résumé_ of the week’s work alone; and,
+according to the great writer’s biographer, the tutor much appreciated
+the attention, courtesy, and intelligence of his Royal pupil, whose
+kindness to him then and in after-life made him not only the Prince’s
+loyal but his most attached servant.
+
+[Illustration: THE KING IN 1861
+
+_Photograph by Silvy_]
+
+The King certainly enjoyed his life at Cambridge. All sorts of stories,
+perhaps more or less apocryphal, used to be told as to his University
+career. He was not allowed quite as much freedom as the ordinary
+undergraduate, and Colonel Bruce had strict orders never to allow him
+to make any long journeys unaccompanied. On one occasion the King made
+up his mind that he would like to pay an _incognito_ visit to London,
+and he succeeded in evading the vigilance of those whose duty it was to
+attend him. His absence, however, was discovered before he could reach
+town, and to his surprise and mortification he was met at the terminus
+by the stationmaster and by two of the royal servants who had been sent
+from Buckingham Palace for that purpose.
+
+Shortly after his marriage the King took his bride to visit Cambridge,
+and after the usual reception, the Royal pair drove to Madingley, to
+view the King’s former residence. On reaching one of the streets on the
+borders of the town it was found to be barricaded, it being thought
+that the carriage would proceed by another route. “This is the way I
+always came,” said the King, “and this is the way I wish to go now.”
+Forthwith the sightseers were removed and the barricade broken down,
+but the King signified his intention of returning by the other road so
+that the spectators might not be disappointed.
+
+The King remained more or less constantly at Cambridge all the winter
+of 1861, and it was arranged that during the long vacation he was to go
+on military duty at the Curragh.
+
+While the King was quartered there, Queen Victoria, the Prince Consort,
+and the young Princesses paid a short visit to Ireland in order to see
+him in his new character of soldier. On 26th August Her Majesty wrote
+in her diary:--
+
+“At a little before 3 we went to Bertie’s hut, which is in fact
+Sir George Brown’s. It is very comfortable--a nice little bedroom,
+sitting-room, drawing-room, and good-sized dining-room, where we
+lunched with our whole party. Colonel Percy commands the Guards, and
+Bertie is placed specially under him. I spoke to him, and thanked him
+for treating Bertie as he did, just like any other officer, for I know
+that he keeps him up to his work in a way, as General Bruce told me,
+that no one else has done; and yet Bertie likes him very much.”
+
+On the following day, which was a Sunday, the Prince Consort,
+accompanied by the Prince of Wales and Prince Alfred, went with Lord
+Carlisle to inspect the Dublin prisons.
+
+Prince Albert spent his last birthday, 26th August 1861, with his
+son in Ireland, and the Prince of Wales accompanied his parents and
+sisters to Killarney, where they had a very enthusiastic welcome. They
+travelled on the Prince Consort’s birthday. On the 29th Queen Victoria
+and Prince Albert, with their younger children, left Ireland, and
+writing to Baron Stockmar on 6th September the Prince Consort said:
+“The Prince of Wales has acquitted himself extremely well in the Camp,
+and looks forward with pleasure to his visit to the manœuvres on the
+Rhine.”
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER V
+
+THE KING’S VISIT TO CANADA AND THE UNITED STATES
+
+
+[Illustration: THE TOUR IN CANADA AND THE UNITED STATES, 1860]
+
+During the Crimean war, Canada, stirred, as were all the British
+colonies, by the direful stress of the mother country, levied and
+equipped a regiment of infantry for service in the field with the
+regular British troops--an interesting precedent for what was to
+happen in the Boer war nearly half a century later. In return for
+their demonstration of loyalty, the Canadians dispatched a cordial
+invitation to Queen Victoria to visit her American possessions; but it
+was considered undesirable that Her Majesty should be exposed to the
+fatigues and the risks of so long a journey.
+
+Queen Victoria was then asked to appoint one of her sons
+Governor-General of the Dominion, but the extreme youth of all the
+Princes made that quite out of the question. Her Majesty, nevertheless,
+formally promised that when the Prince of Wales was old enough he
+should visit Canada in her stead. When the Prince was well on in his
+eighteenth year his parents decided that it was time for this promise
+to be fulfilled, the more so that it would enable the great railway
+bridge across the St. Lawrence at Montreal to be opened, and the
+foundation-stone of the Parliament buildings at Ottawa to be laid, by a
+Prince of the Blood.
+
+[Illustration: THE FIFTH DUKE OF NEWCASTLE, K.G.]
+
+The Prince Consort, with the care and forethought which always
+distinguished him in such matters, made a most careful choice of those
+who were to accompany his young son. Both Queen Victoria and he felt
+the greatest confidence in the Duke of Newcastle, the grandfather of
+the present peer, and with him Prince Albert arranged all the details
+of the Prince’s Canadian visit. The careful and kindly father forgot
+nothing that might be needed. Not only did he take special pains to
+secure that the young Prince should learn something of the history,
+customs, and prejudices of the Canadian people, but he supplied the
+Duke with memoranda which might be found useful in drawing up the
+answers to be made to the addresses which were certain to be presented
+to the Prince of Wales during his progress through the Dominion. The
+best proof of the Prince Consort’s wisdom is to be found in the fact
+that every one of these notes afterwards turned out to be simply
+invaluable, owing to the peculiar aptness with which they had been
+framed to suit the circumstances of each locality where an address was
+likely to be received.
+
+When it became known on the American Continent that the Prince of Wales
+was really coming to Canada, the President of the United States, Mr.
+Buchanan, wrote to Queen Victoria explaining how cordial a welcome the
+Prince of Wales would receive at Washington should he extend his visit
+to the United States.
+
+Her Majesty returned a cordial answer, informing Mr. Buchanan, and
+through him the American people, that the Prince would return home
+through America, and that it would give him great pleasure to have
+an opportunity of testifying to the President in person the kindly
+feelings which animated the British nation towards America. At the same
+time the American people were told that the future British Sovereign
+would, from the moment of his leaving British soil, drop all Royal
+state, and that he would simply travel as “Lord Renfrew.” In this again
+Her Majesty showed her great wisdom, for it would have been extremely
+awkward for the Prince of Wales, the descendant of King George III., to
+have visited the American Republic in his quality as Heir-Apparent to
+the British Throne.
+
+After a pleasant but uneventful voyage on board the frigate _Hero_,
+escorted by H.M.S. _Ariadne_, the Prince of Wales first stepped on
+Transatlantic soil at St. John’s, the capital of Newfoundland, the
+oldest British colony, on 24th July 1860. The morning was rainy, but
+the moment His Royal Highness landed the sun shone out, bursting
+through the clouds, and this was considered by those present to be a
+very happy omen.
+
+On that day the Prince may be said to have really had his first glimpse
+of that round of official duties to which he seemed to take naturally,
+and in which he was destined to become so expert.
+
+After the Governor of Newfoundland had been formally presented to the
+Prince, the Royal party, which comprised, in addition to His Royal
+Highness, the Duke of Newcastle, General Bruce, and Major Teesdale,
+went straight to Government House, where the Prince held a reception,
+and listened to a considerable number of addresses. The day did not end
+till the next morning, for in the evening a grand ball was given by Sir
+Alexander Bannerman, and King Edward won all hearts by mixing freely
+with the company, and dancing, not only with the ladies belonging to
+the Government and official circles, but with the wives and daughters
+of the fishermen. It was noticed that the Prince was quite remarkably
+like the portraits of his Royal mother on the British coins, and he
+displayed, not only in Newfoundland but also during the many fatiguing
+days that followed, the extraordinary tact and admirable breeding which
+have continually year after year increased the affection with which he
+is regarded by the British people.
+
+[Illustration: THE KING’S LANDING AT MONTREAL
+
+_From a contemporary picture in the “Illustrated London News”_]
+
+The wife of the then Archdeacon of St. John’s, in an interesting
+letter home, puts on record the impression produced by the King in
+Newfoundland:--
+
+“His appearance is very much in his favour, and his youth and royal
+dignified manners and bearing seem to have touched all hearts, for
+there is scarcely a man or woman who can speak of him without tears.
+The rough fishermen and their wives are quite wild about him, and we
+hear of nothing but their admiration. Their most frequent exclamation
+is, ‘God bless his pretty face and send him a good wife.’”
+
+[Illustration: THE KING LAYING THE LAST STONE OF THE VICTORIA BRIDGE
+OVER THE ST. LAWRENCE
+
+_From the “Illustrated London News”_]
+
+At Halifax, the news that his sister, the Princess Frederick of
+Prussia, had given birth to a little daughter met him, and he hastened
+to write home his affectionate congratulations on the event.
+
+The Prince’s tour through Canada may be said to have been one long
+triumphal procession. It was marred by no unpleasant incident, in
+spite of the fact that at Kingston and Toronto the Orangemen tried
+to induce the Prince to pass under arches decorated with their party
+symbols and mottoes. Thanks, however, to the Duke of Newcastle’s tact
+and firmness, the attempt failed, and the incident merely served to
+illustrate the young Prince’s freedom from party bias. Everywhere the
+Royal visitor produced the happiest impressions, and, thanks to his
+youth, he was able to endure considerable fatigue without apparently
+being any the worse for it.
+
+In America “Lord Renfrew’s” arrival was awaited with the utmost
+impatience, and while travelling over the Dominion His Royal Highness
+was surrounded by American reporters. Indeed, it is said that the
+Prince of Wales’s visit to Canada formed the first occasion on which
+press telegrams were used to any lavish extent. One enterprising
+journalist used to transmit to his paper long chapters from the Gospel
+according to St. Matthew and from the Book of Revelation in order to
+monopolise the wires while he was gathering material for his daily
+report of the Royal journey. At a great ball given in Quebec the Prince
+tripped and fell with his partner--the article recording this event was
+headed _Honi soit qui mal y pense_.
+
+The Royal visit to Montreal is still remembered in Canada. The Prince
+and his suite arrived there on 25th August, and the Prince, after
+opening a local exhibition, inaugurating a bridge, holding a review,
+and attending some native games, danced all night with the greatest
+spirit, even singing with the band when it struck up his favourite air.
+
+Many little stories were told of the King’s good-nature and affability.
+Hearing by accident that an old sailor who had served with Nelson on
+board the _Trafalgar_ had been court-martialled, the Prince begged him
+off, and asked that he might be restored to his rank in the service.
+
+The Canadian Government provided a number of riding-horses in order
+that the King might see Niagara Falls from several points of view, and
+he has since often declared that this was one of the finest sights he
+ever saw in his life. Next day, in the presence of the Royal party
+and of thousands of spectators, Canadian and American, the famous
+rope-walker, Blondin, crossed Niagara river upon a rope, walking upon
+stilts, and carrying a man on his back. After the ordeal was over,
+Blondin had the honour of being presented to the Prince. The latter,
+with much emotion, exclaimed, “Thank God, it is all over!” and begged
+him earnestly not to attempt the feat again, but the famous rope-walker
+assured His Royal Highness that there was no danger whatever, and
+offered to carry him across on his back if he would go, but the Prince
+briefly declined! The Prince seems to have been quite fascinated by
+the marvellous Falls. On 17th September he insisted on riding over on
+American ground for a farewell view of Niagara.
+
+The Prince of Wales formally crossed from Canadian territory to the
+States on the night of 20th September, making his appearance on
+Republican soil, as had been arranged, as Lord Renfrew. At Hamilton,
+the last place in Canada where he halted, the Prince made a speech, in
+the course of which he observed:
+
+“My duties as Representative of the Queen cease this day, but in
+a private capacity I am about to visit before I return home that
+remarkable land which claims with us a common ancestry, and in whose
+extraordinary progress every Englishman feels a common interest.”
+
+Great as had been the enthusiasm in Canada, it may be said to have been
+nothing to the _furore_ of excitement produced in America by the Prince
+of Wales’s visit. At Detroit the crowds were so dense that the Royal
+party could not get to their hotel through the main streets, and had
+to be smuggled in at a side entrance. The whole city was illuminated;
+every craft on the river had hung out lamps; and, as one individual
+aptly put it, “there could not have been greater curiosity to see him
+if the distinguished visitor had been George Washington come to life
+again.”
+
+Over 50,000 people came out to meet His Royal Highness at Chicago,
+then a village of unfinished streets, but there, for the first time,
+the Prince broke down from sheer fatigue, and the Duke of Newcastle
+decided that it would be better to break the trip from Chicago to St.
+Louis by stopping at a quiet village, famed even then for the good
+sport to be obtained in its neighbourhood. It was therefore arranged
+that His Royal Highness should have a day’s shooting at Dwight’s
+Station, and fourteen brace of quails and four rabbits fell to the
+Prince’s gun.
+
+A rather absurd incident marred the complete pleasure of the day. As
+the Royal party approached a farm-house an unmistakably British settler
+appeared at the door and invited every one _excepting the Duke of
+Newcastle_ to enter. “Not you, Newcastle,” he shouted; “I have been a
+tenant of yours, and have sworn that you shall never set a foot on my
+land.” Accordingly the party passed on, and the farmer, though revenged
+on his old landlord, had to forego the honour of entertaining Royalty
+under his roof.
+
+But, notwithstanding this awkward incident, the King seems to have
+thoroughly enjoyed his little respite from official functions. At one
+moment, when he was out on the prairie, he and his companions desired
+to smoke, but nobody had a light. At last a single match was found, but
+no one volunteered to strike it. Lots were drawn with blades of the
+prairie grass, and the King drew the shortest blade. The others held
+their coats and hats round him whilst he lighted the match, and he once
+said that he never felt so nervous before or since.
+
+On 30th October “Lord Renfrew” reached Washington, and Lord Lyons, the
+British Minister, introduced him to President James Buchanan, and Miss
+Harriet Lane, the latter’s niece and housekeeper. The Prince stayed
+at the White House, and President Buchanan, though he could not spare
+his Royal guest a certain number of _levées_ and receptions, did his
+best to make his visit to the official centre of the American Republic
+pleasant. During these five days there occurred a most interesting
+event--the visit of His Royal Highness to Mount Vernon and the tomb of
+Washington. A representative of the _Times_ gave the following eloquent
+account of the scene:--
+
+“Before this humble tomb the Prince, the President, and all the party
+stood uncovered. It is easy moralising on this visit, for there
+is something grandly suggestive of historical retribution in the
+reverential awe of the Prince of Wales, the great-grandson of George
+III., standing bareheaded at the foot of the coffin of Washington. For
+a few moments the party stood mute and motionless, and the Prince then
+proceeded to plant a chestnut by the side of the tomb. It seemed, when
+the Royal youth closed in the earth around the little germ, that he
+was burying the last faint trace of discord between us and our great
+brethren in the West.”
+
+Doubtless the Prince enjoyed these new experiences a good deal more
+than did his guides, philosophers, and friends. Political feeling
+ran high, and the pro-slavery leaders were very anxious to influence
+public sentiment in Great Britain. They formed the project of taking
+the Prince of Wales through the South to see slavery under its
+pleasantest aspect as a paternal institution. After a good deal of
+discussion between the Duke of Newcastle and Lord Lyons, it was felt
+better to accept the invitation of some representative Southerners,
+and accordingly the Prince went a short tour to Richmond; but it may
+be added that a great slave sale which had been widely advertised was
+postponed so as not to offend British susceptibilities. The Prince
+does not seem to have been at all impressed by the slave cities, and
+he flatly refused to leave his carriage to visit the negro quarters at
+Haxhall’s plantation, and so he returned to Washington, having shown a
+good deal more common sense than had those about him.
+
+The day that the Prince left Washington for Richmond, President
+Buchanan wrote a charming letter to the Queen, in which he said,
+speaking of his guest: “In our domestic circle he has won all hearts.
+His free and ingenuous intercourse with myself evinced both a kind
+heart and a good understanding.”
+
+From Washington the Prince proceeded to Philadelphia, and there, for
+the first time, His Royal Highness heard Adelina Patti. He was so
+greatly charmed with her marvellous voice and winning personality,
+that he begged that she might be presented to him.
+
+The Prince’s feelings must have been strangely mixed when he stood
+in Independence Hall, but he does not appear to have revealed them
+by making any remark, and after staying a few days in Philadelphia
+he started for New York, where he received a splendid welcome from
+Father Knickerbocker, being met at the station by the Mayor, and driven
+through Broadway to the Fifth Avenue Hotel. Half a million spectators
+saw him arrive, and so great was the anxiety to see Queen Victoria’s
+eldest son at close quarters, that there was no structure in New York
+large enough to contain those who thought that they had--and who no
+doubt had--a right to meet the Prince of Wales at a social function.
+
+[Illustration: THE GRAND BALL GIVEN AT THE ACADEMY OF MUSIC, NEW YORK
+
+_From the “Illustrated London News”_]
+
+At last a building was found capable of containing 6000 people;
+but, looking to the question of “crinolines and comfort,” it was
+reluctantly decided that not more than 3000 cards of invitation,
+admitting to the ball and to the supper to follow, should be sent
+out. Fortunately most of the 3000 guests were important people, and
+therefore too old to dance. They represented, in both senses of the
+word, the solid element in New York society, for, as they crowded
+round the Prince, the floor gave way, and it is a wonder that no
+serious accident took place. This splendid entertainment, which took
+place in the old Academy of Music, is still remembered by many elderly
+Americans. The Prince showed his tact and good taste by frequently
+changing his partner. For the supper, a special service of china and
+glass had been manufactured, the Prince’s motto, _Ich Dien_, being
+emblazoned on every piece.
+
+During the five days that the Prince remained in New York, he was
+the guest of the Mayor and of the Corporation. He seems to have most
+enjoyed a parade of the Volunteer Fire Department in his honour. There
+were 6000 firemen in uniform, and all, save those in charge of the
+ropes and tillers, bore torches. It was a magnificent spectacle, and
+the Prince, as he looked at the brilliant display in Madison Square,
+cried repeatedly, “This is for me, this is all for me!” with unaffected
+glee.
+
+From New York the Prince went on to Albany and Boston, and at the
+latter place Longfellow, Oliver Wendell Holmes, Emerson, and a number
+of other notable Americans were presented to him. He visited Harvard
+College, spent an hour at Mount Auburn, where he planted two trees, and
+drove out to Bunker’s Hill.
+
+Portland was the last place visited by the Prince in the United States,
+and on 20th October the Royal party set sail for home on board the
+_Hero_, which was escorted by the _Ariadne_, the _Nile_, and the
+_Styx_. The voyage home was not as uneventful as had been the voyage
+out. So anxious were they at Court about the fate of the _Hero_, that
+two ships of war were sent in search of the frigate and her escort.
+At last, to every one’s great relief, the _Hero_ was sighted, and it
+was ascertained that a sudden storm had driven the boat back from the
+British coast, and the Royal party had been reduced to salt fare, with
+only a week’s provisions in store.
+
+On 9th November the Prince Consort put in his diary: “Bertie’s
+birthday. Unfortunately he is still absent, neither do we hear anything
+from him.” Great, therefore, was the joy of the Queen and Prince
+Albert when, on 15th November, they received a telegram from Plymouth
+announcing the safe arrival of their son. That same evening the Prince
+of Wales arrived at Windsor Castle, being greeted with the warmest
+affection by his family and friends.
+
+Queen Victoria showed the most vivid interest in all her eldest son’s
+many and varied adventures. Both Her Majesty and the Prince Consort
+were very much gratified by the way in which the Duke of Newcastle had
+performed his arduous and delicate task, and, after some consultation,
+it was decided that the Queen should publicly mark her satisfaction by
+conferring upon the Duke the Order of the Garter.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VI
+
+DEATH OF THE PRINCE CONSORT--TOUR IN THE EAST
+
+
+King Edward’s visit to Germany in the autumn of 1861 is explained by
+Sir Theodore Martin, in his _Life of the Prince Consort_, to have been
+made with another object in view besides that of seeing the military
+manœuvres in the Rhenish Provinces. It had been arranged that he was
+to make the acquaintance of the Princess Alexandra of Denmark, who
+was then on a visit to Germany, with a view to a marriage, should the
+meeting result in a mutual attachment.
+
+In spite, however, of every precaution to ensure secrecy, until at
+least the inclinations of the principal parties should have been
+ascertained, the project leaked out, and even before they met, it was
+actually canvassed, much to the Prince Consort’s annoyance, in the
+Continental papers. From these it soon found its way into the English
+journals, where it met with general approval; but as the meeting, which
+took place at Speier and Heidelberg on the 24th and 25th of September,
+ended with the happiest results, no harm was done, though in other
+circumstances it might have been extremely painful.
+
+“We hear nothing but excellent accounts of the Princess Alexandra,”
+Prince Albert notes in his diary on the 30th of September, and he adds,
+with evident satisfaction, that “the young people seem to have taken a
+warm liking for each other.” On 6th October the Prince Consort, writing
+to the King of Prussia, says: “Bertie has come back in raptures with
+his excursion to the manœuvres, and cannot speak sufficiently highly
+of your kindness to himself, and to all the English officers.” About a
+week later the Prince Consort was able to write to Baron Stockmar: “The
+Prince of Wales leaves to-morrow for Cambridge. He came back greatly
+pleased with his interview with the Princess of Holstein at Speier.…
+His present wish, after his time at the University is up, which it
+will be at Christmas, is to travel; and we have gladly assented to his
+proposal to visit the Holy Land. This, under existing circumstances,
+is the most useful tour he can make, and will occupy him till early in
+June.”
+
+The Prince Consort that same autumn went specially to London in order
+to inspect the alterations that were being made at Marlborough House,
+which was then being actively prepared as a residence for the Prince of
+Wales; and on the 9th Queen Victoria wrote in her diary: “This is our
+dear Bertie’s twentieth birthday. I pray God to assist our efforts to
+make him turn out well.… All our people in and out of the house came in
+to dinner. Bertie led me in by Albert’s wish, and I sat between him and
+Albert.”
+
+Prince Albert paid a hurried visit on 28th November to Cambridge in
+order to visit the Prince of Wales. The weather was cold and stormy,
+and he returned to Windsor with a heavy cold.
+
+The next few days were spent by both the Prince Consort and Queen
+Victoria in considerable anxiety. The seizure of the _Trent_ aroused
+a great deal of bitter public feeling, and the fact that America was
+convulsed by civil war did not make the position of Great Britain more
+easy. The Government adopted a very resolute attitude, and the Prince
+Consort, instead of allowing himself to be nursed through his feverish
+attack, spent some hours in composing and writing a draft, on the
+burning question of the day, to Lord Russell.
+
+The story of those sad days is well known. As time went on, Prince
+Albert grew slightly worse rather than better, but no real danger was
+apprehended by those nearest and dearest to him, and Queen Victoria
+would not hear of having the Prince of Wales summoned, until at last
+Princess Alice, who behaved with extraordinary fortitude and marvellous
+self-possession, felt that she must send for her eldest brother on
+her own responsibility. She accordingly did so, and King Edward was
+always, up to the day of her death, very grateful to her for her prompt
+action, because it enabled him to arrive in time to be present at his
+much-loved father’s death-bed. Although she was herself overwhelmed
+with bitter grief, it was to the Princess Alice that all turned,
+for Queen Victoria was so completely overcome that nothing could be
+referred to her, and it was finally arranged that the Prince of Wales
+and the Princesses Alice and Helena should accompany their mother to
+Osborne, where she had consented very reluctantly to go.
+
+The Prince of Wales returned immediately, in order to complete the
+arrangements for the funeral, and to receive his uncle the Duke of
+Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, his brother-in-law the Crown Prince of Prussia
+(afterwards the Emperor Frederick), and the other foreign mourners who
+were to take part in the last sad ceremony.
+
+The funeral took place on 23rd December, the service being held in St.
+George’s Chapel, Windsor. The chief mourner was, of course, the Prince
+of Wales, who was supported, in the absence of Prince Alfred (Duke of
+Edinburgh), by Prince Arthur. All those present were deeply moved by
+the grief of the two young princes. They both hid their faces, and
+after the coffin had been lowered into the vault the Prince of Wales
+advanced to take a last look and stood for one moment looking down;
+then, his fortitude deserting him, he burst into a flood of tears, and
+was led away by the Lord Chamberlain.
+
+Sad indeed were the days that followed. The effect of the Prince
+Consort’s death on King Edward’s affectionate and sensitive nature was
+terrible, and those about the Court felt that something must be done to
+rouse him from his grief.
+
+[Illustration: DEAN STANLEY
+
+_From a Photograph by the Stereoscopic Co._]
+
+As we have already seen, the Prince Consort, not long before his death,
+had assented to his eldest son’s proposal of making a tour in the Holy
+Land, and it had also been his earnest wish that His Royal Highness
+should on that occasion be accompanied by the Rev. Arthur Penrhyn
+Stanley, who had himself already taken a journey to Jerusalem. And
+so, when the tour was decided upon as a means of rousing the Prince
+of Wales from his stupor of grief, Queen Victoria made up her mind
+that she would be guided by her late Consort’s wishes, and General
+Bruce was commanded to write to Dr. Stanley, but not till he reached
+Osborne was he actually asked whether he would consent to undertake the
+responsibility.
+
+[Illustration: THE KING’S RECEPTION BY SAID PACHA, VICEROY OF EGYPT, AT
+CAIRO
+
+_From the “Illustrated London News”_]
+
+Dr. Stanley, though he regarded the proposal with reluctance and
+misgiving, for he could not bear to leave his aged mother, to whom he
+was most tenderly devoted, consented to do as Her Majesty wished. It
+was ultimately arranged that he should meet the Prince at Alexandria,
+ascend the Nile with him, and accompany him, not only through the Holy
+Land, but on the Egyptian portion of the expedition.
+
+On 28th February King Edward, accompanied by General Bruce, Major
+Teesdale, Captain Keppel, and a small suite, was joined by Dr. Stanley,
+the party at once proceeding to Cairo. “The Prince,” wrote General
+Bruce to his sister, “takes great delight in the new world on which
+he has entered, and Dr. Stanley is a great acquisition.” They visited
+the Pyramids together, and then resumed their voyage, the Prince
+characteristically persuading Dr. Stanley to read _East Lynne_, a
+book which had greatly struck his imagination. When recording the
+circumstance, Dr. Stanley adds:--
+
+“It is impossible not to like him, and to be constantly with him brings
+out his astonishing memory of names and persons.… I am more and more
+struck by the amiable and endearing qualities of the Prince.… His Royal
+Highness had himself laid down a rule that there was to be no shooting
+to-day (Sunday), and though he was sorely tempted, as we passed flocks
+of cranes and geese seated on the bank in the most inviting crowds, he
+rigidly conformed to it; a crocodile was allowed to be a legitimate
+exception, but none appeared. He sat alone on the deck with me, talking
+in the frankest manner, for an hour in the afternoon, and made the
+most reasonable and proper remarks on the due observance of Sunday in
+England.”
+
+A sad event which occurred in March was destined to draw closer
+together the ties which were now binding His Royal Highness and his
+chaplain, for on 23rd March the news was broken to Dr. Stanley that his
+mother was dead. The Prince of Wales showed the kindest and most tender
+consideration for his bereaved travelling companion, and was much
+gratified that Dr. Stanley very wisely made up his mind to continue the
+journey instead of hurrying home at once.
+
+A few days later the Royal party reached Palestine, and it is
+interesting to note that this was the first time that the heir to the
+English throne, since the days of Edward I. and Eleanor, had visited
+the Holy City. King Edward landed at Jaffa on 31st March, and both on
+his entrance into the Holy Land and during his approach to Jerusalem
+he followed in the footsteps of Richard Cœur de Lion and Edward I. The
+cavalcade, escorted by a troop of Turkish cavalry, climbed the Pass
+of Bethhoron, catching their first glimpse of Jerusalem from the spot
+where Richard is recorded to have hidden his face in his shield, with
+the words, “Ah, Lord God, if I am not thought worthy to win back the
+Holy Sepulchre, I am not worthy to see it!”
+
+The King, accompanied by Dr. Stanley, carefully explored Jerusalem
+and its neighbourhood, riding over the hills of Judæa to Bethlehem,
+walking through the famous groves of Jericho, and staying some time at
+Bethany.
+
+“Late in the afternoon,” writes Dr. Stanley, “we reached Bethany. I
+then took my place close beside the Prince. Every one else fell back
+by design or accident, and at the head of the cavalcade we moved on
+towards the famous view. This was the one half-hour which, throughout
+the journey, I had determined to have alone with the Prince, and I
+succeeded.”
+
+During Dr. Stanley’s previous journey to the Holy Land he had not been
+permitted to visit the closely-guarded cave of Machpelah, but on this
+occasion, thanks to the diplomacy of General Bruce, not only the King,
+but also his chaplain, were allowed to set foot within the sacred
+precincts. Even to Royal personages the Mosque of Hebron had remained
+absolutely barred for nearly seven hundred years, and on the present
+occasion the Turkish official in charge declared that “for no one but
+for the eldest son of the Queen of England would he have allowed the
+gate to be opened; indeed, the Princes of any other nation should have
+passed over his body before doing so.”
+
+King Edward, with his usual thoughtfulness, had made Dr. Stanley’s
+entrance with himself a condition of his going in at all, and when the
+latter went up to the King to thank him and to say that but for him he
+would never have had this great opportunity, the young man answered
+with touching and almost reproachful simplicity, “High station, you
+see, sir, has, after all, some merits, some advantages.” “Yes, sir,”
+replied Dr. Stanley, “and I hope that you will always make as good a
+use of it.”
+
+On the party’s return to Jerusalem, they witnessed the Samaritan
+Passover, and Easter Sunday, 20th April, was spent by the shores of
+Lake Tiberias.
+
+During the journey from Tiberias to Damascus King Edward and his
+escort lived in tents, an experience which he seems to have thoroughly
+enjoyed. From Damascus the party turned westward, reaching Beyrout on
+6th May, and after visiting Tyre and Sidon they proceeded to Tripoli.
+On 13th May the King left the shores of Syria, visiting on his
+homeward journey Patmos, Ephesus, Smyrna, Constantinople, Athens, and
+Malta.
+
+[Illustration: THE KING ABOUT THE TIME OF HIS MARRIAGE
+
+_From Photographs by Hughes and Mullins, Ryde_]
+
+It was very characteristic of King Edward’s readiness to take any
+trouble to please those dear to him that wherever he went he collected
+a number of flowers or leaves from every famous spot. These, after
+having been carefully dried by him, were sent to his sister, the
+Princess Royal, afterwards the Empress Frederick, who had a particular
+taste for such memorials.
+
+It was very soon after his return from the East that the King played
+for the first time an important part in a family gathering--the wedding
+of his favourite sister, Princess Alice, to Prince Louis of Hesse. The
+bride was given away by her uncle, the Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha,
+but the young Prince of Wales acted as master of the house during the
+quiet week which preceded the ceremony.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VII
+
+THE WEDDING OF KING EDWARD AND QUEEN ALEXANDRA
+
+
+As is very generally known, the marriage of King Edward to Princess
+Alexandra of Denmark was brought about in quite a romantic fashion. It
+is said that long before His Majesty saw his future wife he was very
+much attracted by a glimpse of her photograph, shown him by one of his
+friends.
+
+A more authoritative story of a photograph is told in the memoir of
+the late Duchess of Teck. The meeting at Heidelberg in September 1861,
+already referred to, took place when the Danish Princess and her father
+were on their way to join one of those famous family gatherings at
+Rumpenheim, and the Duchess of Teck’s biographer writes:--
+
+“As soon as the Princess arrived at the Hessian Palace, her cousins
+were most anxious to hear all about the meeting, and much excitement
+followed when Princess Alexandra, producing a photograph from her
+pocket, laughingly exclaimed, ‘I have got him here!’”
+
+It is certain that though many Princesses had been spoken of in
+connection with the Prince, and at one time negotiations were actually
+impending with a view to his engagement to the daughter of a German
+Royal House, all such schemes were instantly abandoned after he had
+seen the beautiful Danish Princess.
+
+Another meeting is said to have taken place in the Cathedral of Worms
+during this eventful tour in 1861. The Prince, accompanied by his tutor
+and equerry, had gone to examine the frescoes, and when wandering
+through the beautiful old Cathedral they met Prince Christian of
+Denmark and his daughter intent on the same object.
+
+Later, after the Prince Consort’s death, during a short visit which
+he paid to his cousin, the King of the Belgians, the Heir-Apparent
+again met Princess Alexandra, and it is said that King Leopold had a
+considerable share in arranging the preliminaries of the marriage, for
+it was while the Prince and Princess were both staying at Laeken that
+Queen Victoria’s formal consent to her son’s making a Danish alliance
+was granted.
+
+The formal betrothal took place on 9th September 1862, but even then
+what had occurred was only known to a comparatively small circle
+of friends and relations, for it was not till the eve of His Royal
+Highness’s coming of age that his engagement was formally announced in
+the _London Gazette_, and so made known to the whole British Empire.
+
+The announcement roused the greatest enthusiasm, for deep as had been
+the public sympathy with Her Majesty, a widowed Court could not but
+cast a very real gloom, not only over society, but over all those
+directly and indirectly interested in the sumptuary trades and the wide
+distribution of wealth. It was universally felt that the marriage of
+the Heir-Apparent would inaugurate a new era of prosperity, and scarce
+a dissenting voice was raised to oppose the Grant voted by the House of
+Commons for the Royal couple.
+
+On the proposal of Lord Palmerston, it was decided that the Prince of
+Wales should receive from the country an income of £40,000 a year, with
+an added £10,000 a year to be specially set apart for the Princess.
+And so it came to pass that the Heir-Apparent and his bride began
+housekeeping with an income of somewhat over £100,000 a year, for,
+owing to the Prince Consort’s foresight and good sense, out of the
+savings made during his son’s long minority, Sandringham, of which the
+initial cost was £220,000, had been purchased.
+
+Unlike most Royal engagements, that of the Prince and Princess of Wales
+lasted nearly six months, but active preparations for the wedding did
+not begin till the official announcement had been made.
+
+[Illustration: QUEEN ALEXANDRA
+
+_From a Photograph in the possession of the King of Denmark, taken on
+1st December 1862_]
+
+Although Princess Alexandra had visited England as a child in order to
+make the acquaintance of her great-aunt, the Duchess of Cambridge, it
+was at Laeken that she was presented to her future mother-in-law, Queen
+Victoria, who was then paying a visit _incognito_ to King Leopold.
+Later on, the young Princess, accompanied by her father, paid Queen
+Victoria an informal visit at Osborne. She did not on this occasion
+come to London or take part in any public function, but rumours of her
+beauty and of her charm of manner had become rife, and as the wedding
+day, which had been fixed for 10th March, approached, the public
+interest and excitement were strung to the highest pitch. It was felt
+that Denmark’s loss was Britain’s gain, and Alfred Tennyson, the Poet
+Laureate, voiced most happily the universal feeling in his fine lines:
+
+    Clash, ye bells, in the merry March air!
+    Flash, ye cities, in rivers of fire!
+        And welcome her, welcome the land’s desire,
+                                  Alexandra.
+
+With what feelings the event was regarded among King Edward’s near
+relatives may be estimated from the following characteristically
+warm-hearted references in the diary of the late Duchess of Teck, whose
+mother, the Duchess of Cambridge, was the bride’s great-aunt:--
+
+“_Brighton, November 9._--The Prince of Wales--God bless him!--attains
+his majority (21) to-day. After luncheon we watched anxiously for the
+expected and longed-for arrival of dear Christian, who was on his way
+back to Copenhagen, having established Alix at Osborne. At half-past
+three we had the happiness of welcoming him, and for upwards of three
+hours sat talking over the _Verlobung_ [betrothal] of Alix and Bertie.
+We had much to hear and discuss, and while fully sharing his happiness
+at the marriage we could enter into his feelings at leaving Alix thus
+for the first time. We dined at eight o’clock, a party of five, and
+toasted our dear Prince in champagne.
+
+“_Cambridge Cottage, November 21._--… We reached Windsor Castle about
+twelve, and were shown into our old Lancaster Tower rooms, where we
+were presently joined by darling Alix,--too overjoyed at the meeting to
+speak!--dear Alice and Louis; after a while Alix took me to her room.…
+I then returned to the others, and we went with Alice to see her rooms
+in the Devil’s Tower, where Louis was being _sketched_; here the poor
+dear Queen joined us and remained with us for some time. We lunched
+without Her Majesty, and Beatrice came in afterwards.… Went into Alix’s
+room again and played to her _en souvenir de Rumpenheim_, afterwards
+accompanying her into all the state-rooms, Mama, Alice, Louis, and
+Helena being also of the party. On our return Mama and I were summoned
+to the Queen’s Closet, and had a nice little talk with her, ending with
+tea. We were hurried off shortly before five, Alix, Alice, and the
+others rushing after us to bid us good-bye.”
+
+[Illustration: THE KING ON COMING OF AGE
+
+_From an Engraving published by Henry Graves and Co._]
+
+Even the humblest of His Majesty’s subjects usually finds a good
+deal to do in the weeks that precede his marriage, and it will be
+easily understood that the high station of the future King rather
+augmented than diminished these engrossing occupations. He had to
+receive and suitably acknowledge countless addresses of congratulation
+from individuals, corporations, and other public bodies; he had to
+superintend the extensive alterations which were still being carried
+out at Marlborough House; he had to pass in review the innumerable
+details of the various elaborate functions which were to mark the
+occasion of his marriage; and last but not least it was considered
+desirable that he should now go through the somewhat trying ceremony of
+taking his seat in the House of Lords.
+
+Nearly three-quarters of a century had elapsed since the Heir-Apparent
+to the British Crown had taken the oath and his seat as a Peer of
+the Realm. It was on 5th February 1863, within a few weeks of his
+marriage, that King Edward went through this historic ceremony, and
+it is a curious fact that the business before the House of Lords on
+that occasion was an Address from the Crown to the British Parliament
+announcing the Prince’s approaching marriage. It is also noteworthy
+that soon after the ceremony the two chief dignitaries of the English
+Church, the new Archbishops of Canterbury and York, also took the oaths
+and their seats upon the Episcopal benches of the House.
+
+The Duchess of Cambridge and Princess Mary and a brilliant array of
+Peeresses and ladies from the various foreign Embassies and Legations
+were present at the ceremony, which was invested with a great deal
+of pomp and solemnity. After prayers had been read by the Bishop of
+Worcester, a procession emerged from the Prince’s Chamber, and advanced
+slowly up the floor of the House. First came the Usher of the Black
+Rod, followed immediately by the Garter King of Arms, attired in his
+robes. Then came the Prince of Wales, preceded by an equerry, bearing
+his coronet on an embroidered crimson cushion. His Royal Highness
+was also accompanied by the Duke of Cambridge, the Duke of Argyll,
+the Hereditary Lord Great Chamberlain, and Lord Edward Howard, who
+represented the infant Duke of Norfolk, Hereditary Earl Marshal.
+
+[Illustration: QUEEN ALEXANDRA IN 1863
+
+_From the Painting by Madame Jerichau, published by Henry Graves and
+Co._]
+
+The Prince wore the scarlet and ermine robes of a Duke over the uniform
+of a General. He also wore the Order of the Garter, the Order of the
+Golden Fleece, and the Order of the Star of India. As he entered the
+House, the Peers rose in a body, the Lord Chancellor alone remaining
+seated and covered with his official hat. His Royal Highness then
+advanced to the Woolsack, and placed his patent of peerage and writ of
+summons in the hands of the Chancellor. The oaths were administered to
+him at the table by the Clerk of Parliament, the titles under which the
+Prince was sworn being those of Duke of Cornwall, Earl of Chester, Earl
+of Carrick, Duke of Rothesay, and Lord of the Isles.
+
+After the roll had been signed the procession moved on, and His Royal
+Highness, on reaching the right-hand side of the Throne, took his seat
+upon the Chair of State specially appropriated on State occasions to
+the Prince of Wales. While thus seated he placed on his head the cocked
+hat worn by general officers in full dress. The Prince and the other
+Peers finally left the House, retiring by the entrance at the right of
+the Throne in the same order as they had entered.
+
+About an hour later His Royal Highness re-entered the House dressed
+in ordinary afternoon costume, and took his seat on one of the
+cross-benches, thereby formally dissociating himself from either
+political party. The Prince remained almost throughout the entire
+debate. When leaving he shook hands with the Earl of Derby and a number
+of other Peers whom he recognised.
+
+As is well known, the only votes which King Edward has ever given in
+the House of Lords have been in favour of the Bill for legalising
+marriage with a deceased wife’s sister, but he is a constant visitor
+at the Houses of Parliament when anything of special interest is going
+on, and there is no doubt that he takes the keenest interest in the
+political questions of the day.
+
+As regards the Deceased Wife’s Sister Bill, it is well known that the
+King and the Bench of Bishops hold opposite opinions, and there is a
+curious allusion to this in the _Life_ of the late Archbishop Benson.
+The Archbishop went to a great garden party given by Queen Victoria in
+July 1896, and thus describes it in his diary:--
+
+“The Queen’s Garden Party at Buckingham Palace was of 4000 persons.…
+The Prince, after glancing my way several times, came up, holding out
+his hand _as if_ diffidently, and saying, ‘Will you shake hands with
+me?’ I said, ‘Vicisti, sir.’ He said, ‘What?’ But on my saying again,
+‘Vicisti,’ he laughed very heartily in his own way.” It should be
+explained that the Prince and the Duke of York had just voted in the
+House of Lords in favour of the Deceased Wife’s Sister Bill, the third
+reading of which was passed.
+
+[Illustration: QUEEN ALEXANDRA
+
+_From a Photograph by Mayall in 1863_]
+
+The Danish people were extremely pleased at the marriage their
+Princess was making, and so determined were they that she should not
+go dowerless, that 100,000 kroner, known as “the People’s Dowry,” were
+presented to her, and countless presents, many of them of the humblest
+description, poured in upon her from all over the sea-girt kingdom.
+By the Princess’s own wish, 3000 thalers were distributed among six
+Danish brides belonging to the poorer classes during the year of Her
+Royal Highness’s marriage. The fact became known, and naturally greatly
+added to Her Royal Highness’s popularity, and from the day she left
+Copenhagen to that on which she landed on British soil, the journey of
+Prince Christian and his family, for Princess Alexandra was accompanied
+by her father and mother, and brothers and sisters, was nothing short
+of a triumphal progress.
+
+The Royal _cortège_ left Denmark on 26th February, reaching Cologne on
+2nd March. There the Prince of Wales’s _fiancée_ received the first
+greetings of her future husband’s people, the British residents. The
+whole party were also royally entertained at Brussels by the Count of
+Flanders; and at Flushing they found a squadron of British men-of-war
+to escort the Royal yacht _Victoria and Albert_.
+
+On the morning of 7th March the Danish Royal Family first saw the
+white cliffs of Old England, and at twenty minutes past eleven,
+the Royal yacht, which had steamed slowly up the river amid craft
+splendidly decorated with flags and flowers, anchored opposite the
+pier at Gravesend. A moment later the Prince of Wales, accompanied by
+a numerous suite, and attired in a blue frock-coat and gray trousers,
+stepped on board. As His Royal Highness reached the deck Princess
+Alexandra advanced to the door of the State cabin to meet him, and,
+to the great delight of the assembled crowds ashore and afloat, the
+Prince, walking quickly towards his bride, took her by the hand and
+kissed her most affectionately.
+
+Then followed the procession through London; every street, from the
+humblest portions of the East End to the great West End thoroughfares,
+was lavishly decorated, and the Prince and Princess accepted addresses
+presented by the Corporation and many other London public bodies.
+
+The Princess of Wales gave some special sittings for a medal which
+was struck to commemorate her public entry into the City of London,
+and it remains one of the finest examples of Wyon’s art. The reverse
+represents the Princess Alexandra, led by the Prince of Wales, and
+attended by Hymen, being welcomed by the City of London, who is
+accompanied by Peace and Plenty, the latter carrying the diamond
+necklace and earrings which the City offered to the Princess as a
+wedding present. In the background is the triumphal arch erected
+by the Corporation at London Bridge, where Her Royal Highness first
+entered the City precincts. The medals were struck only in bronze, and
+were presented to Queen Victoria, King Edward, and Queen Alexandra, all
+the members of the Royal family, the Royal and distinguished guests who
+were asked to the wedding, and the members of the Corporation of the
+City of London.
+
+The poor young Princess must have been glad when that long day came to
+an end, for the Royal train from Paddington to Windsor did not start
+till a quarter past five, and thus from early morning till late in the
+afternoon the future Queen had been compelled to remain the cynosure
+of all eyes. It is an interesting fact that the engine which took the
+Princess to Windsor was driven by the Earl of Caithness, then the best
+known amateur locomotive engineer of the day.
+
+As may easily be imagined, the Royal borough was determined not to be
+outdone by London in the matter of a bridal welcome. The Eton boys
+presented an address signed by the whole 800; and then came the arrival
+at the Castle, where Queen Victoria, surrounded by all her children and
+a large number of Royal visitors, received her future daughter-in-law.
+Then followed two days of almost complete rest for the Princess.
+
+King Edward, in addition to the multifarious duties which beset even
+humble individuals when they are about to enter the holy estate, was
+also compelled to hold his first _levée_ within a few days of his
+wedding. Over a thousand gentlemen had the honour of being presented to
+him, the presentations, by Queen Victoria’s pleasure, being considered
+as equal to presentations to Her Majesty. The _levée_, which was held
+in St. James’s Palace, was also attended by about seventeen hundred of
+the nobility and gentry, all anxious to do honour to the Heir-Apparent,
+who was, it need hardly be added, attended by a brilliant Court.
+
+The Prince and the British Royal Family had not been idle during the
+period of the engagement. His Royal Highness himself ordered and
+examined the designs for all the gifts about to be presented by him
+to his bride, and to her family whom he specially wished to honour.
+His first present to her, the engagement ring, has since served as
+keeper for the Princess’s wedding ring. It is a very beautiful example
+of the jeweller’s art, being set with six precious stones--a beryl,
+an emerald, a ruby, a turquoise, a jacinth, and a second emerald, the
+initials of the six gems spelling the Prince’s family name, “Bertie.”
+His Royal Highness’s gifts also included a complete set of diamonds and
+pearls, comprising diadem, necklace, stomacher, and bracelet; also a
+very beautiful waist-clasp, formed of two large turquoises inlaid with
+Arabic characters, and mounted in gold.
+
+Queen Victoria presented her daughter-in-law with a set of opals and
+diamonds exactly similar in form to that designed for Princess Alice by
+the Prince Consort. Her Majesty also gave the Prince a centre-piece,
+which was presented to him in the name of the Prince Consort and of
+herself. This fine piece of work had been designed by the Prince
+Consort as a gift to his son. It has a group at the base showing Edward
+I. presenting his heir to the Welsh chieftains, and round the base are
+portraits of six Princes of Wales. Queen Victoria, whose thoughtful
+care was shown in this as in many other matters, gave the Prince and
+his bride a great deal of valuable plate as well.
+
+The London jewellers had certainly cause for rejoicing over the Royal
+marriage, for the Prince, not content with presenting his bride-elect
+with a number of other very costly gifts, also showered gems on all
+his own and her relations. Neither were his friends forgotten. He
+ordered twenty breast-pins, heart-shaped, encircled by brilliants,
+with the initials of himself and the Princess traced in rubies,
+diamonds, and emeralds occupying the centre of each heart. These were
+distributed to his brothers and to a number of his intimates. To his
+future mother-in-law, Princess Christian of Denmark, the Prince gave a
+beautiful bracelet, containing a miniature of himself; also a diamond,
+ruby, and emerald brooch, inscribed with the date of the marriage,
+and containing miniature portraits of himself and the Princess. An
+exactly similar jewel was presented by Princess Alexandra to the Queen.
+
+[Illustration: THE MARRIAGE OF THE KING AND QUEEN
+
+_From a Painting by W. P. Frith, R.A. published by Henry Graves and
+Co._]
+
+In order efficiently to conduct the Royal wedding in St. George’s
+Chapel at Windsor, it became necessary to build proper apartments for
+the accommodation of the bride and bridegroom on their arrival, and for
+the Lord Chamberlain to marshal the processions without any danger of
+a hitch. With this object the Board of Works built an immense Gothic
+hall, opening out of the west door of the Chapel, and surrounded by
+apartments appropriated to the use of the Royal Family. Facing the
+Chapel, the two rooms upon the right were assigned to the bridegroom,
+and those on the left to the bride.
+
+The marriage of King Edward and Queen Alexandra was the first Royal
+marriage which had been celebrated in St. George’s Chapel since that
+of Henry I. in 1122. The day was kept as a public holiday throughout
+the country, and the attention of the whole kingdom was concentrated
+on Windsor. The ceremony took place on 10th March 1863, at 12 o’clock.
+The total number of persons admitted to the Chapel did not exceed 900
+ladies and gentlemen, exclusive of the Guards and of the attendants on
+duty.
+
+The scene will never be forgotten by those who had the privilege
+of being present. It was an extraordinarily magnificent pageant,
+heralds and trumpeters in coats of cloth of gold adding greatly to the
+brilliancy and pomp.
+
+Queen Victoria surveyed the scene from the Royal closet, which, placed
+on the north side of the Communion Table, is really a small room in
+the body of the Castle with a window opening into the Chapel. Her
+Majesty was clad in deep black, even to her gloves, and she wore a
+close-fitting widow’s cap, but in deference to the occasion she had
+consented to put on the broad blue riband of the Order of the Garter
+with the glittering star, and this was specially noticed by the few
+persons who, from the body of the Chapel, caught a glimpse of their
+beloved Sovereign.
+
+The bridegroom, as in duty bound, arrived some time before the bride.
+He was supported by his uncle, the Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, and
+his brother-in-law, the Crown Prince of Prussia, and wore the uniform
+of a British General, the Collar of the Garter, the Order of the Star
+of India, and the rich flowing purple velvet mantle of a Knight of the
+Garter. His supporters also wore the robes of the Garter, and the three
+were naturally the centre of interest till the arrival of the bride,
+who came in upon the stroke of half-past twelve.
+
+[Illustration: A CONTEMPORARY DESIGN FOR THE ROYAL WEDDING]
+
+Princess Alexandra, who was given away by her father, wore, according
+to the notions of that day, a very beautiful and splendid wedding
+dress. It consisted of a white satin skirt, trimmed with garlands of
+orange blossom and puffings of tulle and Honiton lace, the bodice being
+draped with the same lace, while the train of silver moire antique
+was covered with nosegays of orange blossom and puffings of tulle. In
+addition to the necklace, earrings, and brooch presented to Her Royal
+Highness by the bridegroom, she wore the _rivière_ of diamonds given
+by the Corporation of London, and three bracelets, presented to her
+respectively by Queen Victoria, the ladies of Leeds, and the ladies of
+Manchester. On her beautiful hair, which was very simply dressed, lay a
+wreath of orange blossoms covered by a veil of Honiton lace.
+
+The bridal bouquet was composed of orange blossoms, white rosebuds,
+orchids, and sprigs of myrtle, the latter being taken from the same
+bush as that from which the myrtle used in the Princess Royal’s bridal
+bouquet was cut.
+
+As the Princess moved slowly up the Chapel her train was carried by
+eight bridesmaids, Lady Victoria Scott, Lady Victoria Howard, Lady
+Agneta Yorke, Lady Feodora Wellesley, Lady Diana Beauclerk, Lady
+Georgina Hamilton, Lady Alma Bruce, and Lady Helena Hare. They each
+wore dresses of white tulle over white glacé silk, trimmed with blush
+roses, shamrocks, and white heather, with wreaths to correspond, and
+each also wore a locket presented to her by the Prince of Wales,
+composed of coral and diamonds, signifying the red and white which
+are the colours of Denmark, while in the centre of each was a crystal
+cipher forming the letters “A. E. A.” twined together in a monogram
+designed by Princess Alice.
+
+It is an interesting fact that all these ladies are still living, or
+were until quite lately, and many of them became Queen Alexandra’s
+personal friends. Even now Her Majesty occasionally wears the splendid
+diamond and enamelled bracelet, made in eight compartments, each
+containing a miniature of one of the Royal bridesmaids, which was their
+gift to her on the occasion of the marriage.
+
+The ceremony itself did not last very long. The Prince is recorded to
+have answered his “I will” right manfully, but the Princess’s answers
+were almost inaudible. As soon as the Prince of Wales and the Princess
+Alexandra were man and wife, they turned to the congregation hand in
+hand, bowing low to the Queen, who, in returning the salutation, made a
+gesture of blessing rather than of ceremonious acknowledgment.
+
+The late Bishop Wilberforce thus describes the scene in the Chapel:--
+
+“The wedding was certainly the most moving sight I ever saw. The Queen,
+above all, looking down, added such a wonderful chord of feeling to all
+the lighter notes of joyfulness and show. Every one behaved quite at
+their best. The Princess of Wales, calm, feeling, self-possessed; the
+Prince with more depth of manner than ever before.”
+
+Dr. Norman Macleod wrote:--
+
+“I returned home and went back to the marriage on the 10th of March.…
+I got behind Kingsley, Stanley, Birch, and in a famous place, being in
+front of the Royal pair. We saw better than any except the clergy. It
+was a gorgeous sight, yet somehow did not excite me. I suppose I am
+past this.
+
+“Two things struck me much. One was the whole of the Royal Princesses
+weeping, though concealing their tears with their bouquets, as they
+saw their brother, who was to them but their ‘Bertie,’ and their dead
+father’s son, standing alone waiting for his bride. The other was
+the Queen’s expression as she raised her eyes to Heaven, while her
+husband’s Chorale was sung. She seemed to be with him alone before the
+throne of God.”
+
+Mr. W. P. Frith, who had been commissioned to execute a painting of
+the Royal marriage for Queen Victoria, was accommodated with a special
+corner for himself and his sketch-book, and later, all those who had
+taken part in the historic pageant sat to him for portraits with the
+most excellent result.
+
+On their return to the Castle a few moments later the bride and
+bridegroom were met by Queen Victoria and conducted to the Green
+Drawing-Room, where the formal attestation of the marriage took place.
+
+[Illustration: ON THE WEDDING DAY
+
+_From a Photograph by Mayall_]
+
+It may be added that among those present at the marriage and afterwards
+at the wedding breakfast were the Rev. H. M. Birch and the Rev. C. F.
+Tarver, the Prince’s tutors, and when lunch was over these gentlemen
+were informed that their old pupil sent them a souvenir of himself, of
+which he desired their acceptance. This souvenir proved to be in each
+case a copy of the Holy Scriptures, handsomely bound, and containing an
+inscription in His Royal Highness’s own handwriting.
+
+[Illustration: QUEEN ALEXANDRA AT THE TIME OF HER MARRIAGE
+
+_From a Photograph by Hughes and Mullins_]
+
+The wedding breakfast, which was served in St. George’s Hall, was very
+sumptuous, but out of respect to the Queen’s recent bereavement there
+were not many speeches--a circumstance which probably did not greatly
+disappoint either the bride or the bridegroom. While the marriage was
+actually in progress the King of Denmark was entertaining both the
+rich and poor in his kingdom right royally, and it must have been a
+pleasant thought for the Princess to know that her marriage was filling
+with gladness innumerable multitudes both of her own people and of her
+husband’s future subjects.
+
+At four o’clock the Prince and Princess took their departure for
+Osborne, where a very short honeymoon was spent. On their return home,
+which in this case meant Windsor, it was noticed that the lovely bride
+looked the very picture of happiness. The streets of Windsor were
+decorated with flags, and the Royal borough looked as gay as it did on
+the wedding day.
+
+After the marriage the Liturgy of the Church of England was officially
+altered by the introduction of the name of the Princess of Wales
+into the Prayer for the Royal Family. The Scottish Church was also
+officially instructed to pray for “Her Most Sacred Majesty Queen
+Victoria, Albert Edward Prince of Wales, the Princess of Wales, and all
+the Royal Family.”
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VIII
+
+EARLY MARRIED LIFE
+
+
+At the outset of their married life King Edward and Queen Alexandra
+were called upon to perform the public duties of the Sovereign, which,
+since the Prince Consort’s death, had in some measure necessarily
+developed upon the Duke of Cambridge and his family. The late Duchess
+of Teck’s biographer records that Society did its utmost to give the
+beautiful young bride a right royal welcome. A memorable event of
+the London season was the Guards’ ball in honour of the Prince and
+Princess of Wales, held in the picture galleries of the International
+Exhibition. The decorations were unusually magnificent, and Queen
+Victoria graciously lent some splendid plate from Buckingham Palace.
+Many members of the aristocracy, too, placed at the disposal of the
+Duke of Cambridge, as head of the Committee, their collections of gold
+and silver plate, the contributions being valued at £2,000,000. The
+guests, limited in number to 1400, began to arrive at nine o’clock, and
+soon after ten the ball was opened by a royal quadrille, in which eight
+couples took part, the Duke of Cambridge dancing with the Princess of
+Wales, and the Prince of Wales with Princess Mary (afterwards Duchess
+of Teck). The Prince and Princess of Wales showed their appreciation of
+the entertainment which their soldier hosts had provided by remaining
+almost till dawn.
+
+One of the first public appearances made by King Edward after his
+marriage was at the Royal Academy dinner, where he made an excellent
+short speech, greatly impressing those who were present by his modesty
+and good sense. Sir Charles Eastlake was then President of the Royal
+Academy, and Lady Eastlake gives this amusing account of the affair in
+her reminiscences:--
+
+“All went perfectly well at the Royal Academy dinner. My husband was
+quite enchanted with the Prince of Wales, and with his natural manners
+and simplicity. The Prince hesitated in the middle of his speech, so
+that everybody thought it was all up with him; but he persisted in
+thinking till he recovered the thread, and then went on well. The very
+manner in which he did this was natural and graceful. He was so moved
+when mentioning his father that it was feared he would break down.
+After the speech the Prince turned to my husband and told him he was
+quite provoked with himself. ‘I knew it quite by heart in the morning’;
+but he evidently had no vanity, for he laughed at his own ‘stupidity,’
+and immediately recovered his spirits. ‘Hesse’ was next the Prince, who
+chaffed him from time to time, and told him he would have to sing a
+song.”
+
+William Makepeace Thackeray was among the other speakers at the Academy
+dinner, which was very shortly before the famous novelist’s lamented
+death. At the anniversary of the Royal Literary Fund some months later
+King Edward made some graceful and appropriate allusions to the great
+writer whom the Empire had lost. He spoke with evident feeling of the
+fact that Thackeray had been the life of the Fund, always ready to open
+his purse for the relief of literary men struggling with pecuniary
+difficulties.
+
+This spring was a very busy time for both King Edward and Queen
+Alexandra. On 8th June they were sumptuously entertained by the
+Lord Mayor at the Guildhall, when the Prince took up the freedom of
+the City, to which he was entitled by patrimony. The entertainments
+included a great ball, which the Princess opened, dancing a quadrille
+with the Lord Mayor, while the Prince had the Lady Mayoress for his
+partner.
+
+A week later the Royal couple attended “Commem.” at Oxford. They
+received a splendid welcome both from the University authorities and
+the undergraduates. The honorary degree of Doctor of Civil Law was
+conferred on King Edward in the Sheldonian Theatre, where the wildest
+uproar prevailed, till amid a sudden lull of perfect silence Queen
+Alexandra entered with Dr. Liddell, the then Dean of Christ Church.
+Scarcely had she traversed half the distance to her seat when a cheer
+loud and deep arose, and seemed to shake the theatre to its foundation,
+to the evident gratification of her Royal husband.
+
+After the ceremony was over their Royal Highnesses escaped from all
+their friends and entertainers and took the opportunity of going over
+what had been the Prince’s rooms as an undergraduate. That same evening
+a ball was given in the Prince’s honour in the Corn Exchange by the
+Apollo Lodge of Freemasons.
+
+Shortly after their visit to Oxford the Prince and Princess celebrated
+their house-warming at Marlborough House by an evening party and a
+ball. During the summer months they spent some time at Sandringham in
+the original house, which at that time stood in an isolated park, and
+which was afterwards pulled down and superseded by the present very
+much larger and more comfortable mansion. There can be no doubt that
+Queen Alexandra’s strong affection for her country home is based on the
+tender recollections of her early married life. It is a significant
+fact that when the new Sandringham House was built, she begged that
+her boudoir in the new mansion might be arranged so as to be an exact
+reproduction of her boudoir in the old house.
+
+Among the very first visitors entertained at Sandringham by the Royal
+bride and bridegroom was Dr. Stanley, who spent Easter Sunday with them
+there.
+
+[Illustration: QUEEN ALEXANDRA IN 1863
+
+_From the Painting by Lauchert, published by Colnaghi_]
+
+“On the evening of Easter Eve,” he writes, “the Princess came to
+me in a corner of the drawing-room with her Prayer Book, and I went
+through the Communion Service with her, explaining the peculiarities
+and the likenesses and differences to and from the Danish Service.
+She was most simple and fascinating.… My visit to Sandringham gave me
+intense pleasure. I was there for three days. I read the whole Service,
+preached, then gave the first English Sacrament to this ‘angel in the
+Palace.’ I saw a great deal of her, and can truly say that she is as
+charming and beautiful a creature as ever passed through a fairy tale.”
+
+Much satisfaction was felt by the nation when the interesting fact
+became known that Queen Victoria hoped to welcome the first of her
+British grandchildren in the month of March. One Friday evening, early
+in January, shortly after Queen Alexandra, who was staying, had been
+skating on Virginia Water, near Windsor, her eldest child appeared
+so unexpectedly that for a while the Royal baby had to be wrapped in
+cotton wool, for all the beautiful layette which was in course of
+preparation was at Marlborough House.
+
+The rejoicings over the event, both in this country and in Denmark,
+were naturally very great, more especially when it became known that
+the Royal infant was none the worse for his early arrival. Among
+the two Royal families most immediately concerned the interest and
+excitement were intense. Princess Alice wrote to Queen Victoria on
+9th January 1864, “I was aghast on receiving Bertie’s telegram this
+morning announcing the birth of their little son.” But this feeling
+of trepidation quickly gave place to one of relief when the bulletins
+announced the steady progress of both mother and babe, and soon the
+British public saw many charming photographs and portraits of Queen
+Alexandra in her new _rôle_ of mother. At the time of the birth of
+the Duke of Clarence Queen Alexandra was not yet twenty, but, like
+Queen Victoria, she seems to have been wholly absorbed in her maternal
+duties, and at any moment she would joyfully give up attending a State
+function or ball in order to spend an hour in her nursery.
+
+It need hardly be said that the first portion of the Prince and
+Princess’s married life was overshadowed by the war between Denmark
+and Prussia. The young Princess was naturally strongly patriotic in
+her sympathies. At breakfast one morning a foolish equerry read out
+a telegram which announced a success of the Austro-Prussian forces,
+whereupon Her Royal Highness burst into tears, and the Prince, it is
+said, thoroughly lost his temper for once, and rated his equerry as
+soundly as his ancestor, King Henry VIII., might have done. An amusing
+story went the round of the clubs about this time. It was said that a
+Royal visitor at Windsor asked Princess Beatrice what she would like
+for a present. The child stood in doubt, and begged the Princess of
+Wales to advise her. The result of a whispered conversation between the
+two was that the little Princess declared aloud that she would like to
+have Bismarck’s head on a charger!
+
+In July 1864 the Prince laid the foundation-stone of the new West
+Wing of the London Hospital. He was accompanied by the Princess. This
+was one of the first occasions on which King Edward showed his great
+interest in hospital management. The fact that there was a separate
+ward for the Jews aroused his keen interest. In the same month King
+Edward and his Consort went to the Fourth of June at Eton, and also
+stayed at Goodwood for the races. In the middle of August they went to
+the Highlands, visiting Stirling Castle on the way. They spent some
+weeks at Abergeldie, entertaining a great deal. Dr. Norman Macleod
+stayed with them there. It was during this stay in Scotland that the
+Prince and Princess first became intimate with the family of their
+future son-in-law, and the Countess of Fife, his mother, gave a great
+picnic in their honour.
+
+That autumn they went from Dundee to Denmark, being accompanied by
+their baby, now nearly a year old. This was King Edward’s first visit
+to his wife’s home. They received a most enthusiastic welcome, and
+were splendidly entertained. At Bernsdorf, where the Royal party spent
+several days, a number of shooting parties were organised in honour of
+the Prince, who, certainly for the first time in his life, was invited
+to shoot foxes. He bagged two, and some of the teeth of the animals
+were set as breast-pins for him.
+
+From Elsinore the Prince and Princess went in their yacht to Stockholm
+in order to pay a visit to the King and Queen of Sweden. In Sweden also
+the Prince was invited to take part in several hunting expeditions. One
+odd bag resulted in ten foxes, six hares, and seventeen stags.
+
+[Illustration: QUEEN ALEXANDRA IN 1864
+
+_From the Painting by Lauchert, published by Henry Graves and Co._]
+
+[Illustration: QUEEN ALEXANDRA WITH THE BABY PRINCE ALBERT VICTOR
+
+_Photograph in 1864 by Vernon Heath, published by McQueen_]
+
+After sending Prince Albert Victor home with Countess de Grey, the
+Royal couple travelled back _via_ Germany and Belgium, visiting on the
+way Prince and Princess Louis of Hesse at Darmstadt, and making a short
+stay at Brussels. Then they came home for the rest of the autumn to
+Sandringham, where Queen Alexandra spent her twentieth birthday.
+
+The year 1865 proved an eventful one to both King Edward and his
+wife. King Edward paid his first State visit to Ireland, opening the
+International Exhibition of Dublin on 9th May, and a little less than a
+month later Prince George of Wales was born at Marlborough House.
+
+Although there have at various times been more or less serious fires
+in Royal residences, Sandringham, for instance, having been almost
+destroyed by a conflagration within the last few years, the King has
+only once been really in a fire, and this was just a month after his
+second son’s birth. The fire began in the floor then styled the nursery
+floor, and after Queen Alexandra had been moved to another part of the
+house with her two children, King Edward set to work with the utmost
+energy to check the flames. It need hardly be said that very soon the
+whole of London seemed to be congregated in Pall Mall and St. James’s
+Park. At first it could not be made out where the fire was coming from,
+and the King helped to rip up the whole of the nursery floor before
+the mischief could be traced, and while doing so he nearly had a bad
+accident, for he fell some distance through the rafters.
+
+At last, however, the fire was got under, and it was found that
+comparatively little harm had been done. Then for the first time it
+occurred to some one to ask if Marlborough House was insured. Strangely
+enough this very important precaution had not been taken. Now, however,
+both Marlborough House and Sandringham are insured to their full value.
+
+King Edward from childhood has always shown the keenest interest
+in firemen and fires. During many years of his life he used to be
+informed whenever a really big blaze was signalled, and he has attended
+_incognito_ most of the great London fires during the last thirty years.
+
+[Illustration: KING EDWARD, QUEEN ALEXANDRA, AND PRINCE ALBERT VICTOR
+
+_Photograph in 1864 by Vernon Heath, published by McQueen_]
+
+About this time the King visited the gigantic steamship _Great
+Eastern_, off Sheerness, in order to see the Atlantic telegraph cable,
+which had just been completed. He was received by a number of prominent
+engineers, and while he was present the last section of the cable was
+being wound into the tanks on board the _Great Eastern_ from the vessel
+alongside which had brought it from the works at Greenwich. A message
+was sent through one of the coils, the length of which was equivalent
+to the distance from Sheerness to Valentia. The signals transmitted,
+“God Save the Queen,” were received at the other end of the coil in
+the course of a few seconds, a fact which, commonplace as it may now
+seem, struck the onlookers in the year 1865 with amazement. The King
+visited every portion of the huge ship, and accepted specimen pieces of
+portions of the cable in various stages of manufacture.
+
+In that same year, that is two years after her marriage, Queen
+Alexandra performed her first public act by opening the Cambridge
+School of Art. It was in 1865 also that the King attended his first
+public dinner as President of the Royal Literary Fund, and on this
+occasion he toasted the ladies in the following graceful words:--“In
+the presence of a society accustomed to cultivating with such success
+the flowers of literature, it would be unpardonable to forget the
+flowers of society.”
+
+During that summer the Prince and Princess visited Cornwall, and went
+down the Botallack tin mine, near St. Just, the depth of which is about
+200 fathoms. The bottom level of the mine extends horizontally about
+half a mile beneath the sea. A part of this mine then belonged to the
+Prince as Duke of Cornwall. During the same tour he visited Land’s End.
+The day was exceptionally clear and fine, and the Prince lingered for
+some time among the grim rocks which form the western-most point of
+England.
+
+All this time Queen Victoria was living in the strictest retirement,
+and the great shadow of the Prince Consort’s death had thrown scarcely
+less gloom over the life of his eldest son. King Edward mourned deeply
+for his father, and it is significant that he never lost an opportunity
+of testifying in his public speeches to the high purpose and noble
+aims which had distinguished Prince Albert’s life. To the cost of the
+mausoleum at Frogmore the King contributed from his private purse no
+less a sum than £10,000. At the end of 1865 he sustained another severe
+blow in the death of Lord Palmerston, whom he had honoured with his
+special friendship, and whom he had been accustomed to consult in his
+private affairs.
+
+Not till February 1866 did Queen Victoria consent to open Parliament
+again in person. She was accompanied by the Prince of Wales and two of
+her daughters, the Princess of Wales being accommodated with a seat on
+the Woolsack facing the Throne.
+
+[Illustration: QUEEN VICTORIA WITH PRINCE ALBERT VICTOR
+
+_Photograph by Hughes and Mullins, Ryde_]
+
+It was in this year, when the Austro-German war was going on, that
+King Edward established special telegraphic communication between
+Marlborough House and the seat of war. Like his lamented mother, he
+is a shrewd observer of foreign politics, and now that he is called
+upon to reign, he will be, as she was, the greatest help to the
+Foreign Minister of the day. He has since kept up in every important
+war the practice of securing the earliest possible telegraphic
+information, notably in the Franco-Prussian, the Russo-Turkish, and the
+Greco-Turkish wars, but most of all in the Boer war.
+
+In the summer of 1866 the King laid the foundation-stone of the new
+building of the British and Foreign Bible Society, when he was received
+by the venerable Earl of Shaftesbury, President of the Society, the
+Lord Mayor, the Archbishop of York, and the Bishop of Winchester.
+
+In his speech the King recalled the fact that only sixty-three years
+previously Mr. Wilberforce had met with a few friends in a small room
+in a dingy counting-house and had established the Bible Society, while
+in the interval the Society had already spent six millions of money
+in the furtherance of its objects, and that it had contributed to
+the translation of the Bible into two hundred and eighty different
+languages and dialects. The King further said:--
+
+“I have an hereditary claim to be here on this occasion. My
+grandfather, the Duke of Kent, warmly advocated the claims of the
+Society, and it is gratifying to me to reflect that the two modern
+versions of the Scriptures more widely circulated than any others--the
+German and English--were both in their origin connected with my family.
+The translation of Martin Luther was executed under the protection
+of the Elector of Saxony, the collateral ancestor of my lamented
+father; whilst that of William Tyndale--the foundation of the present
+Authorised English Version--was introduced with the sanction of the
+Royal predecessor of my mother, the Queen who first desired that ‘the
+Bible shall have free course through all Christendom, but especially in
+my own realm.’ It is my hope and trust that, under the Divine guidance,
+the wider diffusion and a deeper study of the Scriptures will, in this
+as in every age, be at once the surest guarantee of the progress and
+liberty of mind, and the means of multiplying in the present form the
+consolations of our holy religion.”
+
+In the autumn following, King Edward and Queen Alexandra, accompanied
+by their two sons, visited the Duke and Duchess of Sutherland at
+Dunrobin. At that time the most northern point of railway communication
+was at Ardgay, and thence the King and Queen had to drive a distance of
+twenty-five miles before they could reach Dunrobin Castle. All along
+the route they received a most enthusiastic welcome. They arrived at
+night at the Castle, and were received in Royal Highland style. Among
+those asked to meet them were the Duke of Edinburgh, the Prince of
+Saxe-Weimar, and many members of the leading Scotch nobility. The King
+reviewed the Sutherland Volunteers in the grounds of the Castle, and
+later, on the same day, the Duke of Sutherland announced that it was
+the wish of the King that the whole of the corps should adopt the kilt
+as their uniform, His Majesty having a preference for the national
+costume.
+
+Shortly after their return from Scotland the King and Queen had the
+pleasure of entertaining the Queen of Denmark and her two younger
+children, and they spent some time at Sandringham with Queen
+Alexandra, while the King went to Russia in order to be present at
+the marriage of his sister-in-law, Princess Dagmar, to the then
+Cesarewitch. It was quite late in the year, and it was considered that
+the cold in St. Petersburg would be too severe for Queen Alexandra to
+accompany her husband. The King, who attended the Imperial marriage
+in his official capacity, was accompanied by a considerable suite,
+including Lord Frederick Paulet, Viscount Hamilton, the Marquis of
+Blandford, and Major Teesdale. On his arrival at St. Petersburg he was
+met at the railway terminus by the Emperor of Russia, the Cesarewitch,
+and the Grand Dukes; and he was given splendid quarters at the
+Hermitage Palace.
+
+King Edward has always been known to have a great liking for Russia and
+the Russian people, and he is himself very popular in St. Petersburg.
+After the Imperial marriage he visited Moscow, being accompanied by
+the Crown Prince of Denmark. The Princes went over the Kremlin, and
+the King paid a call on the Metropolitan Archbishop, the highest
+dignitary of the Russian Church. The aged ecclesiastic received him in
+a perfectly plain cell. They conversed for a quarter of an hour, and as
+the King took his leave, the Metropolitan gave him his blessing, and
+with the assistance of his monks accompanied his Royal visitor to the
+door.
+
+The year 1867 was, if not very eventful, an anxious one, for both
+before and after the birth of Princess Louise, now the Duchess of
+Fife, on 20th February, Queen Alexandra suffered from acute rheumatism
+and inflammation of a knee-joint. Her illness caused so much anxiety
+at the Danish Court that her father and mother came over and spent
+some time in London. King Edward was most devoted in his attentions
+to the invalid, and actually had his bureau moved into her sick-room
+in order that he might not be separated from her in her convalescence
+even by the imperious demands of his enormous correspondence. Happily
+Queen Alexandra grew quite strong again, but the serious nature of her
+illness may be judged from the fact that she was not able to drive out
+until 9th July. Naturally for the rest of that year the King and Queen
+lived very quietly and went about as little as possible.
+
+Five years after their marriage the King and Queen paid a visit to
+Ireland, and their reception was marked by a very genuine demonstration
+of cordiality and even of enthusiasm. On arriving in Kingstown Harbour
+Queen Alexandra was presented, as Queen Victoria had been in 1849,
+with a white dove, emblematic of the affection and goodwill which she
+was supposed to be bringing to the distressful country. King Edward,
+with his usual tact, declared it to be his wish that no troops should
+be present in the streets of Dublin. Entire reliance was accordingly
+placed on the loyalty and hospitable spirit of the people, and, in
+spite of many doleful prognostications to the contrary, the Royal visit
+was successful from every point of view.
+
+It has often been asserted that King Edward is fonder of the Emerald
+Isle than is any other member of his family; he certainly numbers
+several Irishmen among his closest friends. Although he thoroughly
+enjoyed his visit, this one week in 1868 was one of the most tiring
+ever spent by the King. Like his younger son, twenty-nine years later,
+the King was installed with great pomp as a Knight of the Order of St.
+Patrick, on which occasion he used the sword worn by King George IV.
+The King also unveiled with much ceremony a statue of Edmund Burke.
+The _Times_ described the exertions entailed by the Royal visit in the
+following vivid passage:--
+
+“There were presentations and receptions, and receiving and answering
+addresses, processions, walking, riding and driving, in morning and
+evening, military, academic, and medieval attire. The Prince had to
+breakfast, lunch, dine, and sup, with more or less publicity, every
+twenty-four hours. He had to go twice to races, with fifty or a hundred
+thousand people about him; to review a small army and make a tour in
+the Wicklow mountains, of course everywhere receiving addresses under
+canopies and dining in State under galleries full of spectators. He
+visited and inspected institutions, colleges, universities, academies,
+libraries, and cattle shows. He had to take a very active part in
+assemblies of from several hundred to several thousand dancers, and
+always to select for his partners the most important personages.… He
+had to listen to many speeches sufficiently to know when and what to
+answer. He had to examine with respectful interest, pictures, books,
+antiquities, relics, manuscripts, specimens, bones, fossils, prize
+beasts, and works of Irish art. He had never to be unequal to the
+occasion, however different from the last, or however like the last,
+and whatever his disadvantage as to the novelty or dulness of the
+matter and the scene.”
+
+[Illustration: KING EDWARD AT THE AGE OF TWENTY-THREE
+
+_From a Painting by Weigall, published by Henry Graves and Co._]
+
+Some amusing incidents happened. A loyal Irish girl, determined to
+have a good look at her future King and Queen, defied all rails and
+barriers, and, mounted on horseback, dashed through the crowd of
+sightseers and galloped past the Royal visitors, exclaiming, “Oh, thank
+you all, I have seen them and shall go home happy now.” King Edward,
+with a smile, raised his hat, which was certainly the most sensible
+thing he could have done in the circumstances.
+
+The King has always shown great interest in Ireland and Irish matters,
+so much so that it has been more than once whispered that he is a Home
+Ruler. He gave his warm support and help to a fund for the relief of
+distress in Ireland, and more recently, during the annual Show of the
+Royal Agricultural Society, he took the opportunity to receive and
+entertain at Sandringham no fewer than three hundred and fifty Irish
+tenant-farmers.
+
+On their way back from Dublin the Prince and Princess of Wales visited
+North Wales, and on landing at Holyhead they passed along the pier
+through a double line of aged Welshwomen, who were all wearing the tall
+hat and national dress of the Principality. At Carnarvon the Prince
+inaugurated some new waterworks, and after this ceremony the Royal
+party proceeded to the famous castle, where they were presented with an
+address from the Council of the National Eisteddfod. The Prince replied
+in a neat little speech, in which he observed that he and the Princess
+received the address with peculiar satisfaction on the anniversary of
+the birth, on 25th April 1284, and in the very birthplace, of the first
+Prince of Wales, “Edward of Carnarvon,” the son of Edward I.
+
+King Edward’s fourth child, the Princess Victoria, was born on 6th
+July, and after a quiet summer spent at Sandringham the King and Queen,
+attended by a small suite, left Marlborough House in November for a
+long Continental tour, which extended over some months and enabled them
+to renew old ties and make new friendships. They spent a few days
+in Paris, and paid a visit to the Emperor and Empress of the French
+at Compiègne, where, during a stag hunt organised in honour of King
+Edward, an accident happened which might easily have cost him his life.
+As he was galloping along one of the grassy drives of the forest, a
+stag rushed from one of the cross-paths and knocked him and his horse
+completely over. Fortunately he was not hurt, though much bruised and
+shaken. Without alarming those about him, he again mounted and went on
+hunting to the end of the day. At this house-party the King and Queen
+had as fellow-guests Marshal Bazaine, Count von Moltke, and a number of
+other notable people destined to make history.
+
+[Illustration: QUEEN VICTORIA, QUEEN ALEXANDRA, AND PRINCESS CHRISTIAN
+
+_Photograph by Hughes and Mullins, Ryde_]
+
+[Illustration: QUEEN ALEXANDRA ABOUT THE YEAR 1865
+
+_From a Photograph by Hughes and Mullins_]
+
+Queen Alexandra’s birthday, 1st December, was spent in Denmark. After
+a short stay there the travellers went to Berlin, where a large family
+party was assembled to meet them, and on 18th January, which is,
+curiously enough, one of the only two days of the year in which it
+can be held, a Chapter of the Order of the Black Eagle was convened,
+and King Edward was formally invested with the insignia of this, the
+highest Order in Germany, by the King of Prussia, to whom he was
+introduced by his brother-in-law, the Crown Prince, and by Prince
+Albert of Prussia.
+
+Then followed an interesting sojourn in Vienna, where the Royal party
+were splendidly entertained by the Emperor and Empress of Austria, a
+suite of apartments in the Burg having been specially prepared for them.
+
+These Continental visits, however, were all preliminary to a prolonged
+tour in Egypt and the Mediterranean, which must be described in a
+separate chapter.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IX
+
+THEIR MAJESTIES’ TOUR IN EGYPT AND THE MEDITERRANEAN
+
+
+Of this tour Queen Alexandra’s Bedchamber Woman, the Hon. Mrs. Grey,
+wrote a charming record, which her brother-in-law, General Grey,
+persuaded her to give to the world. It should be mentioned that Mrs.
+Grey was a Swedish lady, the daughter of Count Stedingk. Her first
+husband, the Hon. William George Grey, eighth son of the famous Earl
+Grey who was Prime Minister in the reign of William IV., had been dead
+some years before this tour began. She afterwards married _en secondes
+noces_ the Duke of Otranto, but it will be more convenient to speak of
+her here as Mrs. Grey.
+
+Mrs. Grey begins by giving an outline of her plans for the summer of
+1868, and then goes on:--
+
+“These plans were, however, all upset by a letter from the Princess,
+in which she told me that she wished me to accompany her on the tour
+she projected with the Prince of Wales to the East, and to join her
+at Copenhagen in the beginning of January; and that in the meantime I
+might remain quietly--which she knew would be a pleasure to me--with my
+father and mother in Sweden. This was too tempting an offer not to be
+eagerly embraced.”
+
+Mrs. Grey went to Copenhagen, and there writes in her journal at the
+beginning of 1869 the following sketch of the tour:--
+
+“_January 12._--Soon after breakfast I went to see my dear Princess,
+and to hear something of the proposed plans. I found her, as usual,
+most kind and affectionate, but very sorry that the few weeks she had
+been able to spend with her father and mother had come to an end. Her
+visit seemed to have been a great happiness to her. It is now arranged
+that we shall set out for our long journey on the 15th, and that while
+I accompany Her Royal Highness as her lady-in-waiting, Lady Carmarthen
+and Colonel Keppel, who accompanied the Prince and Princess from
+England in November, shall part from us at Hamburg, and, with Sir W.
+Knollys, take the Royal children home. The plan is for us to pass by
+Berlin and Vienna, and embark on board the _Ariadne_ frigate, fitted as
+a yacht, at Trieste; sail from thence to Alexandria; and, after going
+up the Nile as far as the Second Cataract, to visit Constantinople, the
+Crimea, and Greece, before returning home somewhere about the beginning
+of May. Such is the plan made out for us, but it is, of course, open
+to many changes, as the political state of things between Greece and
+Turkey at the present moment may, after all, very possibly upset the
+latter part of the journey; and in that case we shall return home
+through Italy.”
+
+King Edward and Queen Alexandra were joined at Trieste by Prince Louis
+of Battenberg, the Duke of Sutherland, Dr. (afterwards Sir) W. H.
+Russell, and other friends, together with their suite. There the Royal
+party embarked on board H.M.S. _Ariadne_, which had been specially
+fitted up for their reception. Of the accommodation in this vessel Mrs.
+Grey gives an attractive account:--
+
+“The _Ariadne_, in reality a man-of-war, but for this occasion fitted
+up as a yacht, is most comfortable. The Prince and Princess have two
+large sleeping cabins, besides a large cabin for a sitting-room,
+and another for a dining-room. I have a charming cabin also, with a
+bath-room outside, and my maid next door to me. In short, I think we
+were all much pleased with the accommodation and arrangement of what is
+to be our _home_, while at sea, for the next four months.”
+
+The travellers reached Alexandria on 3rd February 1869, and were met
+by the usual loyal greetings, addresses, and bouquets presented by the
+British residents. The party then went on to Cairo, where they were
+received by the Viceroy of Egypt and his ministers. Here the King and
+Queen were assigned a palace, which Mrs. Grey thus describes:--
+
+“The Palace of Esbekieh is beautiful, full of French luxury, but
+without the real comfort of an English house. The Prince and Princess
+have an immense bedroom, full of rich French furniture. The beds are
+very beautiful, made of massive silver, and cost, I believe, £3000
+each! My room is so large that even when the candles are lit, there
+might be somebody sitting at the other end of it without your knowing
+it. You could not even hear people speaking from one end to the other!
+It is as high as it is long, with nine large windows. There is a
+beautiful silver bed, a large divan (rather high and hard for comfort)
+round half of the room, a common writing-table and washhand-stand
+(put in all the rooms at the request of Sir S. Baker), a large sofa,
+and quantities of very smart chairs round the walls. The curtains and
+covers of the furniture are all made of the richest silk. Add to all
+this, one immense looking-glass, and you have the whole furniture of
+my room, which is more like a State drawing-room at Windsor than a
+bedroom. All the other rooms are furnished in the same way.”
+
+Queen Alexandra and Mrs. Grey had an absolutely novel experience on 5th
+February, namely an invitation to dinner at the Harem of “La Grande
+Princesse,” the Viceroy’s mother.
+
+The Queen, her lady-in-waiting, and two English ladies were received
+at the door of the Palace by la Grande Princesse, the second and third
+wife of the Viceroy (the first and fourth were not well), his eldest
+son, and two eldest daughters. La Grande Princesse took Queen Alexandra
+by the hand, while one of the wives handed Mrs. Grey, another Mrs.
+Stanton (wife of the British Consul), and one of the daughters Miss
+M’Lean; and so the party went in procession to an immense drawing-room,
+the whole way thither being lined with slaves. No stay, however, was
+made in the drawing-room, and what followed reads like a page out of
+the _Arabian Nights_.
+
+The visitors were conducted straight to the dining-room, after having
+a cherry given them to eat, handed to them on a beautiful gold tray,
+with goblets and plates of gold and precious stones. A slave then
+offered each visitor a silver basin to wash their hands in before
+sitting down to dinner. In the middle of the room there was a kind of
+round silver table, about one foot high from the floor, looking more
+like a big tray than anything else; large square cushions were placed
+all round it, and the company sat down _à la Turque_ round the table,
+la Grande Princesse having Queen Alexandra on her right, next whom was
+Mehemet Taafik Pasha, then the third Princess and Mrs. Grey, with the
+second Princess next, on the left side of the Viceroy’s mother. Mrs.
+Stanton and Miss M’Lean, with the two daughters of the Viceroy, dined
+in another room.
+
+A slave then entered very smartly dressed, half her skirt being of
+black satin and embroidered in gold, and the other half of yellow
+satin, also trimmed with gold, and with a sort of turban on her head.
+She had a beautifully embroidered napkin, with gold fringe, hanging
+on her arm, as a sort of badge of her office, which corresponded with
+that of a European _maître-d’hôtel_. She placed each dish in the middle
+of the table, beginning with soup--a sort of chicken broth with rice.
+Each visitor was given a sort of tortoiseshell spoon, with a large
+coral branch as a handle, but neither knife nor fork; and then, at a
+sign from the old Princess, everybody dipped their spoons into the
+tureen together. Next came an enormous piece of mutton, of which the
+company had to tear off bits with their fingers and put them straight
+into their mouths. About twenty dishes followed in rapid succession,
+alternately savoury and sweet, and the dinner ended with _compôte_ of
+cherries. No wine or water was served during the meal, and Mrs. Grey
+confesses that she felt thoroughly disgusted.
+
+Some very necessary washing of hands followed, and then there was
+an entertainment in the great drawing-room, given by musicians and
+dancing-girls, in the course of which a slave brought in a tray covered
+with black velvet cloth embroidered with pearls and uncut emeralds, and
+decorated with an enormous diamond star in the centre. This was lifted
+off, and then were revealed a number of cups encrusted with diamonds,
+and full of coffee. These were handed round, and a slave brought pipes
+and cigarette-holders, all lavishly ornamented with precious stones,
+each mouthpiece being formed of one large ruby or emerald.
+
+After an interval the visitors were taken all through the upper rooms,
+a young prince who acted as interpreter being most anxious that Queen
+Alexandra should see everything. “La Princesse doit tout voir,” he kept
+saying. More music and dancing followed, and more coffee, until at
+four o’clock it seemed to be time to go, so Queen Alexandra rose, and
+the party were handed out to the door of the garden at which they had
+entered amid enthusiastic demonstrations of affection on the part of
+their hospitable entertainers.
+
+There can be no doubt of the impression which the Queen’s graciousness
+and charm created. Mrs. Grey says:--
+
+“They were all perfectly enchanted with the Princess, and about
+every ten or fifteen minutes _une phrase de cérémonie_ was exchanged
+through the Prince [that is, the young Egyptian prince who acted as
+interpreter]. ‘La Grande Princesse est si contente de vous voir,’
+or ‘La Grande Princesse regrette tant que cela soit contre l’usage
+du pays, de vous rendre cette visite’; and so on.… At last they all
+expressed a hope that the Princess would come and dine again on her
+return to Cairo.”
+
+The same evening Queen Alexandra had the pleasure of visiting some
+beautiful Arab horses in the stables of Ali Sherif Pasha.
+
+Before starting on their journey up the Nile the King and Queen took
+the opportunity of witnessing the curious and interesting Procession
+of the Holy Carpet starting from Cairo on its way to Mecca, which,
+strangely enough, few of the Europeans who at that time visited Cairo
+cared to see. Every year two carpets are sent, one of which goes to
+Medina to serve as a covering for the tomb of the Prophet, and the
+other to Mecca to be a covering for Kaabah or the central point of the
+Mahomedan religion. The King and Queen also witnessed the departure
+of the pilgrims for Mecca, or rather of that portion of the pilgrimage
+consisting of sheikhs and holy men, escorted by irregular cavalry and
+artillery, which left the city to join the other pilgrims encamped on
+the plain outside.
+
+On 6th February the voyage up the Nile began. The party was a large
+one, and the number of vessels provided for them formed quite a little
+fleet, of which the following was the order of sailing:--
+
+A large and very smartly fitted-up steamer, the _Federabanee_, Captain
+Achmet Bey, headed the squadron, and was occupied by Prince Louis of
+Battenberg (then a midshipman on board the _Ariadne_), Major Teesdale,
+Captain Ellis, equerries in waiting, Lord Carrington, Mr. O. Montagu,
+Dr. Minter, Sir Samuel Baker, and Mr. Brierley. On deck there was a
+large saloon, all fitted up with silk and looking-glasses and every
+description of luxury, and there meals were served. Outside this there
+was a small open saloon with a large looking-glass at the back, in
+which the scenery could be viewed in comfort.
+
+The _Federabanee_ towed a most beautiful dahabeah, or Nile boat, which
+was named the _Alexandra_, and in which the King and Queen and Mrs.
+Grey lived. It was all fitted up in blue and gold, with a great deal of
+taste, and the cabins were all large and most comfortable. Mrs. Grey
+mentions that the King and Queen had “a very nice sleeping cabin, with
+a bath-room and dressing-room apiece.” The _Alexandra_ also contained
+a large sitting-room with a piano, and outside there was a place for
+sitting and reading, as well as the upper deck. The only inconvenience
+of this arrangement was that the travellers in the dahabeah had to
+go on board the _Federabanee_ for every meal. This necessity was
+especially hard on Queen Alexandra, who resolved, however, to return
+to the dahabeah after breakfast as often as she could in order to have
+time for painting and reading; this, with the active co-operation of
+Mrs. Grey, she contrived to do on a good many days.
+
+After the dahabeah came a kitchen steamer, carrying four French
+cooks and one Arab cook, and towing a barge full of provisions and
+live stock, such as turkeys, sheep, and chickens. Following this
+came another steamer, having on board Colonel Stanton, British
+Consul-General at Cairo, with two Egyptian gentlemen, Mourad Pasha and
+Abd El Kader Bey, and towing a barge containing horses, donkeys, and a
+French washerwoman. Nor was this all. In his anxiety to do everything
+possible for the comfort of the Royal party, the Viceroy had actually
+provided another steamer of lighter draft than the _Federabanee_,
+simply in case the latter vessel should get stuck in the mud.
+
+The whole flotilla was completed by a steamer belonging to the Duke
+of Sutherland, the father of the present Duke, who brought with him
+a distinguished party, composed of his son, Lord Stafford, Colonel
+Marshall, Dr. Russell, Mr. Sumner, Professor Owen, Mr. Fowler, the
+distinguished engineer, Major Alison, the Duke’s brother Lord A. Gower,
+and Sir Henry Pelly.
+
+The King looked forward to having plenty of sport during the voyage.
+Accordingly he had taken a large variety of guns of almost every
+calibre in use, as well as a wherry to be used for approaching land
+game. For the purpose of capturing crocodiles, nets were brought which
+had been specially made under the superintendence of Sir Samuel Baker.
+The King also specially arranged for the inclusion in his party of a
+clever naturalist and taxidermist.
+
+Both the King and Queen greatly enjoyed this novel form of yachting,
+although, unfortunately, bad weather soon set in, and the _Alexandra_
+was frequently enveloped in clouds of dust and sand. Notwithstanding
+this, however, the King had fairly good sport and bagged some very
+large birds, though the crocodiles were, on the whole, conspicuous by
+their absence. Soon the Royal taxidermist could show some very fine
+specimens of spoonbills, flamingoes, herons, cranes, cormorants, and
+doves.
+
+Mrs. Grey thus records an amusing adventure which happened on 9th
+February:--
+
+“The fog was so thick this morning that we could not start till nine
+o’clock, the hour at which we are in future usually to begin our day’s
+voyage being between five and six in the morning; and then to go on,
+with occasional stoppages, till six in the evening. We now only went
+on for about an hour, as the Prince wanted to try and shoot some ducks
+from a small punt with a large gun, which had been lent to him for the
+trip. At eleven, the Princess and myself, with Prince Battenberg, Sir
+S. Baker, Mr. Brierley, and Dr. Minter, followed in another boat to
+look at the shooting. We saw perfect swarms of wild ducks, and hundreds
+of flamingoes and a few pelicans. However, the ducks took fright, and
+only a few flamingoes were shot. We determined to land, as soon as we
+saw that we could no longer spoil the sport; but the water being low,
+we stuck fast in the sand about thirty or forty yards from the shore.
+The four boatmen at once took off their jackets, shoes, and trousers;
+but luckily some undergarments (waistcoats and trousers in one)
+remained; and in they jumped, and dragged the boat a few yards, beyond
+which their utmost efforts were unable to move it. The alternative was
+now either to remain in the boat or to allow ourselves to be carried
+through the water. Of course we chose the latter. Sir S. Baker and Mr.
+Brierley carried the Princess, crossing their arms, on which she sat.”
+
+Ultimately the whole party got off and reached Minieh. There the King
+joined a shooting party on the following day, while the Queen, Prince
+Louis of Battenberg, and some of the others visited the Viceroy’s
+palace, and afterwards saw the process of making sugar out of the
+sugar-canes. Queen Alexandra and Mrs. Grey were allowed to visit the
+wife of one of the directors of the sugar factory, whom Mrs. Grey
+describes as a very ugly woman, painted and bedizened. The room was
+full of her women friends, all as ugly and as lavishly dressed as
+she was. Queen Alexandra, however, was much pleased with the novelty
+of such a visit, for, though the hostess and her friends were very
+cheerful and talked and laughed, yet naturally everything that was
+said was quite unintelligible to their English visitors. The Queen
+afterwards sent some presents to the ladies in memory of the visit.
+
+On the 11th the Queen and Mrs. Grey succeeded in staying for the whole
+day in the dahabeah, where they played and wrote and painted. The same
+thing happened on the afternoon of the 13th, the morning being occupied
+by an interesting lecture from Mr. Fowler on the Suez Canal.
+
+During the voyage Queen Alexandra had one very serious adventure.
+One night the King, who was on board the steamer, observed a light
+reflected on the side of the _Alexandra_. He at once gave an alarm,
+the Queen and Mrs. Grey, who were in the dahabeah, were hurried off
+to the shore, and the fire, which had been caused by a lighted candle
+in Prince Louis of Battenberg’s cabin, was put out by the King and
+his suite. Had not the quick eye of the King discovered the danger
+a terrible disaster might have happened, for the boats were wooden
+and scorched by an Egyptian sun, while there were, of course, a
+considerable number of cartridges on board.
+
+The 14th was Sunday, the first Sunday in Lent, and Mrs. Grey records
+that King Edward read the service to the party and the servants very
+impressively. The party frequently landed to visit the temples and the
+other splendid ruins of ancient Egyptian civilisation. On one occasion
+the King caught a bat in the large tomb of Rameses IV.
+
+The party started to see the Temple of Karnak by moonlight on the
+evening of the 18th. The King rode a milk-white ass caparisoned in
+crimson velvet and gold, while the Queen was mounted on a gray mule.
+When they approached the temple an electric light was lit between
+each enormous column, and in the background there was a display of
+rockets and fireworks, forming stars of different colours. This had
+been arranged by the King as a surprise for the Queen, though Mrs. Grey
+confesses that the secret had been accidentally revealed. However, she
+describes the whole scene as one of surprising beauty. She walked alone
+with the Queen amid the gigantic columns, until they were recalled to
+the prosaic luxury of the nineteenth century by being offered glasses
+of iced champagne.
+
+The 20th was rendered memorable by a mishap; all the steamers stuck
+fast in the ground, with the result that everybody had to turn out,
+and all the luggage had to be removed in order to lighten the boats.
+The King and Queen and Mrs. Grey were entertained on board the Duke of
+Sutherland’s steamer at dinner, and by the next day the difficulty of
+the sand-banks had been surmounted, thanks to the smaller steamer which
+the Viceroy’s foresight had provided.
+
+On the 21st the King again read Divine Service, and the party arrived
+at Assouan. Here they found a large number of camels ready to carry the
+baggage across from the First Cataract to Philæ, whither the party rode
+to see the boats in which they were to go on to the Second Cataract. On
+the 22nd the King started first in order to pay a visit to Lady Duff
+Gordon, who was living in her dahabeah a little above Assouan; while
+the Queen, the Duke of Sutherland, and Mrs. Grey followed in a boat to
+the foot of the First Cataract, where they were to meet the King. There
+seems to have been some hitch in the arrangements, but Queen Alexandra
+was not at all disconcerted, and was highly amused at having to ride
+a wretched donkey without a bridle, and with a cushion for a saddle,
+though Mrs. Grey, who was no better mounted, regarded the incident with
+less philosophy. After a time, however, they met their own donkeys, and
+ultimately joined the King’s party, who had been getting very anxious.
+
+The Duke of Sutherland and his party left on the 23rd, while the Royal
+party continued their voyage in two new dahabeahs tied together, and
+towed by a small steamer. The accommodation was not nearly so good as
+it had been below Philæ. The Queen and Mrs. Grey landed frequently,
+and the latter notes that her Royal mistress found great pleasure in
+distributing the _baksheesh_ for which the natives were continually
+asking, especially the little children. On one occasion the Queen and
+her lady-in-waiting found a donkey running about; they caught it, and
+the Queen mounted it and rode through the fields in the cleverest way
+without saddle or bridle.
+
+Meanwhile the King was very anxious for crocodile, but he had very poor
+luck, though he had better sport with fishing. It was not, indeed,
+until the 28th that he had a fair shot at a crocodile, which he killed
+at fifty yards with his first barrel. The excitement was tremendous
+among the party, for, as is well known, the shyness of these beasts is
+so great that they are among the most difficult game to stalk in the
+world. This specimen was 9 feet long and 4 feet round the body; and it
+was at once skinned with a view to being stuffed. Inside the creature
+was found a quantity of pebbles, two bottles full of which were brought
+away as mementoes.
+
+The King and Queen throughout the voyage took the greatest interest in
+the antiquities along the route, visiting all that were accessible.
+Mrs. Grey mentions how much Queen Alexandra enjoyed the extreme
+peacefulness of the life led by the party, for there was no post nor
+any papers, and, after the first inconvenience had worn off, the
+feeling that no means existed of either sending or receiving letters
+soon became perfectly delightful.
+
+A touching incident occurred at Wady Halfa on 3rd March. The party were
+at dinner, when the King and Queen took a fancy to a little boy whom
+they saw watching the torches, which were always fixed in the ground
+on shore wherever the Royal dahabeah stopped for the night. On being
+questioned, the child said that his father was dead, his mother had
+married again, and he had not a friend in the world. He was delighted
+with the idea of going with the party, and so he was engaged as a pipe
+cleaner. The only property he had was a white linen shirt and a white
+cap. Mrs. Grey describes him as an intelligent ugly little boy, not
+very black, but rather bronzed, and wearing a large silver ring in one
+ear.
+
+Whenever the dahabeah stopped, numbers of natives came down to the
+bank, mostly children; and at first the Queen used to throw them bread
+and oranges, but it was discovered that they regarded empty bottles as
+much more valuable, and for these there was the greatest competition,
+although in the end they generally agreed to divide the spoil equally
+in the most good-humoured manner. At one place a little Nubian monkey
+was presented to Queen Alexandra, and the fortunate donor was
+presented in return with a double-barrelled English fowling-piece and
+some money.
+
+There were the usual groundings on sand-banks, but nothing else of
+interest occurred, and the party returned to their old dahabeah on
+8th March, having thoroughly enjoyed their expedition to the Second
+Cataract. After lunch the King and Queen, with Mrs. Grey and Sir Samuel
+Baker, paid a visit to Lady Duff Gordon in the dahabeah, which she had
+made entirely her home on account of her health.
+
+The return voyage down the Nile began on the following day, and
+immediately the big steamer stuck fast on the old sand-bank which gave
+so much trouble on the way up, although the Viceroy had had six hundred
+people working away in the interval to deepen the channel. No amount of
+exertion could get the steamer off, and consequently the little steamer
+was used, and Prince Louis of Battenberg, Sir Samuel Baker, and Lord
+Carrington had to sleep on deck.
+
+On 10th March, the anniversary of the King and Queen’s wedding day,
+some members of the Duke of Sutherland’s party, which had broken up,
+met the Royal party at Thebes, namely, Colonel Stanton, Sir Henry
+Pelly, Major Alison, and Abd El Kader Bey. Colonel Stanton entertained
+the party, and Mourad Pasha proposed the health of the Royal pair.
+After dinner the party went to the house of Mustapha Aga, the English
+Consul, where they saw some famous Egyptian dancing-girls, including
+the Taglioni of the country, and some remarkable mummy cases, which
+had been excavated on purpose for the King. The following day they
+visited the spot where the digging was going on. Mrs. Grey describes
+it as like a coal pit, at the bottom of which was a magnificent stone
+sarcophagus, said to be that of the beautiful Queen Nicotris, which the
+King intended to take to England, together with a selection of mummies.
+
+This was the last day’s picnic on the Nile, and the party were due
+at Minieh in two days, going thence by rail to Cairo. On the 15th,
+however, the Queen, Mrs. Grey, and some of the gentlemen of the party
+paid a visit to the little town of Minieh, where an old woman was
+engaged to tell fortunes. This she did with the aid of a heap of shells
+and bits of coloured glass; and she told the Queen that she had many
+friends and much money, with the usual “patter” traditional among
+fortune-tellers. Thence the party went on to the house of the Governor
+of the town, where a kind of lemonade was offered to the visitors, and
+the Queen was presented with a beautiful white parrot and two live
+flamingoes. The menagerie already consisted of the Nubian monkey, a
+snapping turtle, and two goats. As for the little Nubian boy, who was
+added to the party at Wady Halfa, he turned out much too sharp and
+difficult to manage, so, instead of bringing him to England, the King
+decided to start him in life with a donkey, as one of the numerous
+donkey boys so common in Egypt.
+
+On 16th March the party went by train from Minieh to Ghizeh, where
+they were met by the Viceroy’s eldest son and a number of officials.
+After some conversation the King and Queen took their leave, and the
+Royal party, entering some carriages, drove to the Pyramids. At the
+foot of the big Pyramid they found a small pavilion which had been
+built on purpose for the Royal visit. The King and Queen, in spite
+of the slippery, difficult, and suffocating ascent, visited the
+King’s and Queen’s chambers, and the King actually went up to the top
+of the Pyramid. Dinner was served in the pavilion by order of the
+Viceroy, consisting of nineteen dishes, eight entrées, ice, and other
+luxuries--quite a small dinner for Egypt.
+
+On the night drive to Cairo which followed, there was very nearly a bad
+accident, the carriage being driven up against a high white flag-post,
+which it fortunately only just touched.
+
+During the voyage down the Nile the King received letters to say that
+as the differences between Turkey and Greece had been happily settled,
+their Majesties were free to pay their proposed visit to Constantinople
+and Athens.
+
+The King and Queen spent a week in Cairo, and saw all the sights of
+that wonderful city, which were then, it must be remembered, much
+more novel than they are nowadays when Egypt has become a regular
+winter resort. Mrs. Grey gives an amusing description of a shopping
+expedition on which she attended Queen Alexandra in the Turkish bazaar.
+Abd El Kader Bey, their old friend of the Nile expedition, did the
+bargaining in the Oriental method. The Queen wished to buy a burnous,
+but the price was too high, and so Abd El Kader Bey sent for a shopman
+from another shop where they had seen a similar burnous, and employed
+him to help in bargaining with the other shopman. This extraordinary
+device was most successful, and the Queen ultimately obtained her
+burnous for £9.
+
+On the 19th Mrs. Grey attended the Queen in the ordeal of being
+photographed on a dromedary, and then the party, having been joined by
+the King, went to see the museum of Egyptian antiquities, where the
+distinguished French Egyptologist, M. Mariette, explained everything.
+In the evening of the same day there was a great dinner at the
+Viceroy’s palace on the other side of the river, where the scene was
+one of truly Oriental magnificence and luxury, finishing up with a
+display of fireworks so arranged that their reflection was seen in a
+large ornamental piece of water.
+
+The Royal party had intended to leave Cairo on the 21st March, but the
+King was persuaded by the Viceroy to remain over the Feast of Bairam,
+which corresponds with the Christian Easter. Consequently, instead of
+starting immediately, the Queen, to her great delight, was able to
+pay a visit to the wife of Mourad Pasha, who had attended so ably to
+the comfort of the Royal travellers during their voyage on the Nile.
+Queen Alexandra was delighted with this lady, who was most kind and
+good-natured, and spoke French very well, her father, indeed, having
+been half a Frenchman.
+
+On the 22nd the Queen started after breakfast for the bazaars, and met
+the King there and shopped until lunch-time. In the afternoon the Queen
+and Mrs. Grey visited the wife of Abd El Kader Bey, and then went on
+to see Achmet Bey, the captain of their dahabeah. His wife received
+the English visitors with much enthusiasm, kissing both the Queen and
+Mrs. Grey violently. Mrs. Achmet was a very pretty woman with pleasant
+manners, but although she could only speak Arabic, which was not
+understood by her visitors, yet she never stopped talking for a minute.
+
+The following day, the 23rd, was the first day of Bairam, and the Queen
+again visited la Grande Princesse, the Viceroy’s mother, who held a
+sort of Drawing-room in the Harem. In the evening the Queen went to
+the Viceroy’s palace across the river to dine with His Highness’s four
+wives. The Princesses were much charmed with some photographs which
+the Queen gave them of herself. Shortly before leaving she expressed
+a wish to see how the Egyptian ladies’ outdoor veils were fastened
+on. Some were accordingly sent for, and Queen Alexandra was dressed
+up in a veil, much to her amusement; her eyebrows, and those of Mrs.
+Grey, were painted, and the thin veil and the burnous were put over
+them. These Her Majesty and her lady-in-waiting were entreated to
+keep as a _souvenir_ of their visit. They were still wearing their
+Egyptian dresses when they returned to their palace, but to their
+great disappointment found everybody gone to bed except their courier,
+whom they succeeded in surprising, though he very frankly said that he
+thought the ladies were looking far better than usual. That was the
+last night in Cairo.
+
+On the following day the Royal party had a very hot and dusty journey,
+and arrived at Suez at seven o’clock in the evening. There they were
+joined by Dr. Russell and Major Alison, and were met by the great de
+Lesseps. Dinner was served in the large dining-room of the hotel, and
+among the waiters the King observed a small black boy about fourteen
+years old, who seemed intelligent above the average. After dinner His
+Majesty asked the landlord of the hotel about him, and, finding that
+he was an Abyssinian boy and had an excellent character, he decided to
+take him home instead of the little _mauvais sujet_ whom the party had
+picked up at Wady Haifa.
+
+Then came one of the most interesting episodes of the tour, namely,
+their visit to the Suez Canal, where their Majesties were received and
+escorted by M. de Lesseps. The works of the Canal Company were by no
+means completed, but they were being actively carried forward, a large
+dock, 450 feet long, having been already finished. At Tussum the King
+performed the important ceremony of opening the sluices of the dam
+across the finished portion of the canal, thus letting the waters of
+the Mediterranean into the empty basin of the Bitter Lakes.
+
+The Royal party then drove about three miles beyond the town through
+the desert to the Viceroy’s _châlet_, a pretty little place built on
+high ground overlooking Lake Timsah. The King and Queen were lodged
+here, the rest of the party having to rough it in out-houses and
+tents. Dinner was served in a large tent, and, thanks to the Viceroy’s
+forethought, it was a most excellent French dinner, for His Highness
+was determined that his guests should not have to rough it unless it
+was absolutely necessary.
+
+The next day the Royal party went up the Canal towards the
+Mediterranean, and after driving through Port Said, they embarked on
+board the Viceroy’s yacht _Mahroussa_ for passage to Alexandria. M. de
+Lesseps and his party also came on board the yacht. When the vessel
+passed outside the breakwater she began to roll so much that dinner
+became more exciting than comfortable. One swell threw everything off
+the table, and the Royal party were rolled out of their chairs, and
+then in an instant, before they had time to pick themselves up, another
+roll threw the ship over on the other side. Fortunately, however, the
+rolling did not last very long, and the resources of the yacht were so
+great that dinner was not long interrupted.
+
+The following morning the yacht arrived at Alexandria, where the
+Royal party visited the various sights, including Cleopatra’s Needle
+and Pompey’s Pillar. Then they were rowed off in a barge to the
+_Ariadne_, their old home, which looked quite small and poor after
+the gorgeous _Mahroussa_, with its silk hangings, Italian marbles,
+mosaic mother-of-pearl, and so on, though in reality it was much more
+comfortable in a practical way. Here they said good-bye, much to their
+regret, to Mourad Pasha, Abd El Kader Bey, and old Captain Achmet, as
+well as to Colonel Stanton, the British Consul.
+
+The next day, 28th March, the _Ariadne_ left for Constantinople, but
+nothing much of importance occurred during the voyage, and the vessel
+anchored on 1st April some three miles from Constantinople. There the
+Royal party were transferred to the Sultan’s yacht _Pertif Piati_,
+in which they went past the entrance to the Golden Horn, as far as
+the Saleh-Bazar Palace, which had been assigned as a residence by the
+Sultan to the King and Queen during their visit. The Sultan himself
+received the Royal party on landing, and took Queen Alexandra up to her
+rooms, every one following.
+
+Mrs. Grey describes the rooms in the Saleh-Bazar Palace as not quite
+so gorgeous as those which they had had at Cairo, but, on the other
+hand, fitted up with the most perfect taste in the French style. Every
+European luxury had been provided. The lattice work, which is always
+put up across the windows in Turkish houses in order to screen the fair
+inmates from the rude gaze of outsiders, had been removed and replaced
+with magnificent silk hangings. All the servants appointed to wait
+on the King and Queen were Greek and European, except the coachmen,
+who were French. The meals at the Palace were all served on gold and
+silver plate studded with gems; a band of eighty-four musicians played
+during dinner; every morning arrived gorgeous presents from the Sultan,
+including exquisite flowers and trays laden with fruits and sweets;
+while, at a clap of the hand, black-coated chibouquejees brought in
+pipes with amber mouth-pieces of fabulous value, encrusted in diamonds
+and rubies. There was a complete Turkish bath establishment in the
+Palace, and the slightest wish expressed by the Royal guests was
+considered an order.
+
+Almost immediately after the arrival the labour of official functions
+began, King Edward going to pay a visit to the Sultan at the Palace of
+Dolma-Baghtche. The next day the Royal party saw the Sultan going to
+the Selamlik, the brilliant uniforms and the native ladies in their
+white yashmaks and brilliantly-coloured dresses producing to Mrs.
+Grey’s eyes the effect of a bright flower-garden. While the pageant
+was passing, little Prince Izzedin, the Heir-Apparent, visited their
+Majesties. Nothing could exceed the anxiety of the Sultan to entertain
+his distinguished visitors in a splendid manner, and he certainly seems
+to have succeeded.
+
+On 4th April the Royal party dined with the Sultan at the Palace of
+Dolma-Baghtche. The dinner was good, and well served in the European
+fashion, but it was remarkable for being the first time that the Sultan
+had ever sat down to dinner with ladies; and, indeed, it was the first
+time that any of his own Ministers, except the Grand Vizier, had ever
+been known to sit down in his presence. Half the party were Turks,
+and they looked so frightened and astonished that they acted as wet
+blankets to the rest of the company, which included Mr. Elliot, the
+British Ambassador, and Mrs. Elliot, and General Ignatieff, the Russian
+Ambassador, and his wife. The Sultan was in high good-humour, but spoke
+very little.
+
+After dinner Queen Alexandra, attended by Mrs. Grey and accompanied by
+Mrs. Elliot and Madame Ignatieff, went to visit the Sultan’s mother
+and wife. The visit very much resembled that which had been paid in
+Cairo to La Grande Princesse; and the most amusing part of the evening
+was the sudden appearance of the Sultan’s son, aged ten, and daughter,
+aged nine, who both came marching in followed by slaves. Both were
+enormously over-dressed, the little girl, indeed, being hardly able to
+move under all her lace and finery. They sat themselves down in large
+arm-chairs, and the little Princess kept slipping down off hers, but a
+slave always helped her up again.
+
+The King and Queen, who adopted for the nonce the name of Mr. and Mrs.
+Williams, spent the whole morning of 5th April in the bazaars, attended
+by Mrs. Grey, and entirely escaped being recognised. Another Oriental
+precedent was broken on the 7th, when the Royal party went to the
+opera, and the Sultan joined the King and Queen and Mrs. Grey in the
+Royal box. This was the first time that the Sultan had been seen with
+ladies in his box. On the following day Queen Alexandra was delighted
+to have an opportunity of seeing the Sultan’s stables, containing about
+200 horses of extraordinary beauty.
+
+It would be tedious to describe in detail the ceremonies and visits to
+places of interest which the Royal party paid. In this way the days
+were filled up until the 10th, when it was decided that the Queen
+should accompany the King in his proposed visit to the Crimea.
+
+After lunching with the Sultan, the Royal party again went on board
+the _Ariadne_ with the usual ceremonies, and started for the Crimea.
+They had a beautiful passage across the Black Sea, and arrived in the
+harbour of Sevastopol on 12th April. The great struggle with Russia was
+still fresh in every one’s memories, and they found not a single ship
+in the harbour, and all the forts and fortifications abandoned--indeed,
+the whole town on one side almost one mass of ruins. The _débris_
+remained just as they were left in 1856, and the populace, which before
+the war amounted to 60,000, had been reduced to 5500.
+
+As soon as the _Ariadne_ had cast anchor a boat came off containing
+General Kotzebue, Governor-General of New Russia, and General
+Jukoffsky, Governor of Crim Tartary, who had come from Simferopol
+to meet King Edward. They were accompanied by Admiral Kisalinsky,
+the Commandant of Sevastopol, and other officials, together with
+the British Consul at Odessa. The Russian authorities offered every
+possible assistance to the King and Queen in order that they might see
+everything that could be seen.
+
+On that first day of their arrival they visited the Russian cemetery,
+and then drove to the battlefield of the Alma, where Mrs. Grey records
+the shaking which the Queen and she experienced in driving over the
+rough ground still full of great holes made by the shells used in the
+battle; indeed, the pony carriage broke down, and they had to get into
+a larger one with four horses. They saw the broken-down bridge over the
+Alma, just as it was left after the battle; the party drove through
+the water, and Dr. Russell pointed out where the Duke of Cambridge
+had passed with his Staff--in fact, the King and Queen examined the
+battlefield most thoroughly, studying the various positions occupied by
+the forces on both sides.
+
+The Russian authorities entertained the party at luncheon in a Tartar
+farm-house, which had been used during the war as a field-hospital.
+Dr. Russell, Major Alison, and Captain Ellis, who had all been there
+during the war, were perpetually pointing out fresh places of interest,
+and in the evening the Russian officials were entertained at dinner on
+board the _Ariadne_. Nothing could exceed the tact and courtesy of the
+Russians, who affected to regard the war as if it had been some long
+distant historical campaign, and had no hesitation even in pointing out
+to their visitors the different places where the Russian forces had
+been beaten.
+
+It is needless to mention the names of all the places visited by the
+Royal party. Wherever they went the beautiful old Russian custom of
+offering bread and salt was never omitted, the inhabitants of the
+villages always rushing out and presenting these signs of hospitality
+to Queen Alexandra.
+
+On the 14th the Royal party found the _Psyche_ in the harbour of
+Balaklava, in which they embarked and steamed out of the harbour to
+see the rocks at the entrance where the ship _Prince_ was lost in
+1845, and where the Duke of Cambridge had such a narrow escape in the
+_Retribution_. On re-landing they visited the field of Balaklava, and
+listened to many amusing stories told by Dr. Russell.
+
+That night the party slept at Livadia, and were most agreeably
+entertained by Count Stenboch, who had been sent all the way from St.
+Petersburg on purpose to receive the King and Queen. The _Ariadne_ and
+_Psyche_ had been sent round from Sevastopol to meet the party, and
+after visiting some villas in the neighbourhood, they all embarked in
+the _Ariadne_ and bade farewell to their Russian friends with much
+regret.
+
+On the 16th they anchored again opposite the Sultan’s palace, and His
+Majesty and King Edward exchanged farewell visits. On the 17th the
+_Ariadne_ left Constantinople for Athens; she was lighted up with
+red and blue lights held by sailors at the end of the yard-arm. The
+Turkish ships were all illuminated, and rockets, music, and cheering
+sped the parting guests.
+
+Bad weather detained the _Ariadne_ until the 20th, when they entered
+the Piræus, where the King of the Hellenes and Prince Frederick of
+Glucksburg came on board. The King had arrived, on purpose to receive
+the Royal visitors, from Corfu, where the Court was established, and
+after two days’ sightseeing His Majesty was to conduct the Royal party
+there, where he had left the Queen. King Edward and Queen Alexandra
+duly arrived at Corfu on the 24th, and on the following day, which was
+the Festival of St. Spiridion--the patron saint of Corfu--they had an
+opportunity of seeing the town _en fête_. The body of the saint was
+carried in procession amid much picturesque rejoicing of the populace.
+On the 27th the King left for the Albanian coast for some wild boar
+shooting, and returned on the following evening, having bagged two
+boars and other game.
+
+The visit to Corfu came to an end on 1st May. There was a great display
+of fireworks, and the _Ariadne_ and the _Royal Oak_ were dressed with
+red and blue lights. Unfortunately there was a sad accident which
+occurred just as the illuminations were over. One of the sailors fell
+overboard, and though a most careful search was made, nothing was ever
+seen or heard of him again except just the splash as he fell into the
+water.
+
+On the following day the Royal party arrived at Brindisi, and returned
+to London over-land, stopping a little while in Paris, where they were
+treated with the most marked attention by the Emperor and Empress of
+the French.
+
+As may be easily imagined, the King is very popular all over France,
+and he has had many curious and interesting adventures when going
+out in the semi-_incognito_ which he affects when travelling for
+pleasure. On one occasion, shortly after the end of the war, he
+visited the battlefield of Sedan attended by General Teesdale. He was
+naturally anxious that his identity should not become known, for French
+susceptibilities were very keen at that time, and he had no desire to
+appear to glory over his brother-in-law’s brilliant victories. When
+the time came to pay the hotel bill General Teesdale found with great
+dismay that he had no ready cash; the King was in an equally penniless
+condition; while any telegram sent would have disclosed the identity of
+the Royal visitor. At length, after much discussion, the equerry made
+his way to the local _Mont de Piété_ and placed both his own and King
+Edward’s repeater in pawn.
+
+Among the formal acts of ceremony which King Edward performed during
+this year was the unveiling of a statue of the late Mr. George Peabody.
+In the speech which he delivered on this occasion he alluded in the
+warmest terms to his feeling of personal friendship towards the United
+States, and his enduring recollection of the reception which had been
+accorded to him there.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER X
+
+THE FRANCO-PRUSSIAN WAR--THE KING’S ILLNESS
+
+
+The outbreak and progress of the Franco-Prussian war were naturally
+watched with the keenest interest at Marlborough House. Two of the
+King’s own brothers-in-law were serving with the German forces, while,
+on the other hand, he not only had many close ties with France,
+but from childhood had always regarded the Emperor and Empress of
+the French with special affection. When public subscription lists
+were opened in aid of the ambulances, which distributed medical aid
+impartially to the sick and wounded on both sides, King Edward gave a
+liberal donation; and when the Empress Eugénie fled to England, one of
+the first visits which she received at Chislehurst was from the King
+and Queen Alexandra.
+
+Exactly ten years after the first dread news of the Prince Consort’s
+fatal illness had gone forth, it became known that the Heir-Apparent
+was lying seriously ill at Sandringham. Not very long before, Princess
+Alice, who was then staying at Sandringham, wrote the following note to
+Queen Victoria:--
+
+“It is the first time since eleven years that I have spent Bertie’s
+birthday with him, and though we have only three of our own family
+together, still that is better than nothing, and makes it seem more
+like a birthday. Bertie and Alix are so kind, and give us so warm a
+welcome, showing how they like having us, that it feels quite home.
+Indeed, I pray earnestly that God’s blessing may rest on him, and that
+he may be guided to do what is wise and right, so that he may tide
+safely through the anxious times that are before him, and in which we
+now live.”
+
+Princess Alice little knew the days and nights of anxious misery that
+were coming so swiftly upon her brother’s peaceful household, and
+indeed upon the whole nation. The King sickened in London, but as soon
+as he felt himself to be seriously attacked he insisted on going home
+to Norfolk, where the disease was pronounced to be typhoid fever.
+
+The King, his groom Blegge, and Lord Chesterfield, who had all been
+at Scarborough with Lord Londesborough, were stricken simultaneously,
+and public attention was soon wholly concentrated on the three cases.
+Curiously enough, the groom and the peer both died, though in neither
+case were any pains or expense spared. Doubtless King Edward’s youth
+and excellent constitution stood him in good stead, but for many days
+the issue was considered exceedingly doubtful.
+
+The patient was nursed entirely by his wife and his sister, Princess
+Alice, his medical attendants being Doctors Jenner, Gull, Clayton, and
+Lowe. On the last day of November came an official notification:--
+
+“The Princess of Wales has borne her great trial in the most admirable
+manner and with singular equanimity. While fully aware of the gravity
+of the Prince’s serious illness, Her Royal Highness has throughout been
+calm and collected.”
+
+But the patient’s state was known to be critical, and soon it was
+announced that Queen Victoria was going to Sandringham, which she did
+on 29th November.
+
+The anxiety, succeeded by the most heart-breaking suspense, which
+prevailed in the Royal family is well reflected in the following
+extracts from the diary of the late Duchess of Teck, who was then at
+Strelitz:--
+
+“_November 25._--Read Gussy Alix’s letter to Mama about our poor, dear
+Wales, who was attacked with the fever about the 19th or so, and is
+under Dr. Gull’s charge, who says it must have its twenty-four days’
+course, and that so far all is going on as well as can be expected.
+
+“_December 1._--… When I finished my packet for the messenger, I
+telegraphed to darling Alix, and flew up to Mama to consult her about
+it.… From Alix somewhat better news reached us, after a bad telegram at
+three from dear Alice.
+
+“_December 2._--A rather better account of Wales.
+
+“_December 3._--Wales improving.…
+
+“_December 5._--… Better accounts from Sandringham, but poor Lord
+Chesterfield dead.
+
+“_December 6._--… Reassuring message from Alice.
+
+“_December 8._--… Opened a telegram with anxious and distressing
+news from Sandringham; poor dear Wales has had a relapse; his state
+evidently very critical. _Gott helfe weiter._ We were much upset, and
+with a heavy heart I closed my packet for the messenger and wrote
+till dressing-time, though I had much difficulty in settling down to
+anything.… Mama was very silent all dinner-time, but we never for a
+moment suspected, what we afterwards learnt had been the case, that
+she had received a worse telegram at five o’clock, and had in kindness
+kept it from us.… I wrote _chez moi_ till a most alarming telegram from
+Alice to Mama was brought me, with which I hastened to Gussy.… We cried
+over the almost hopeless accounts together, which spoke of the end as
+not far distant, provided dear Wales did not at once rally, and with
+despairing hearts we joined the others in the blue drawing-room. Fritz
+came in presently, and I read him the three telegrams received that
+day, and a letter from Lady Macclesfield. Later Mama sent for Gussy and
+me to wish us a sorrowful good night. I then went to my room and wrote
+till nearly four, feeling sleep out of the question.
+
+“_December 9._--Gussy rushed in with a rather more hopeful telegram:
+‘Night quiet, exhaustion not increased, breathing clearer.’ God grant
+he may yet rally and pull through! It was a relief after all we had
+undergone, and thank God for it; the agony of suspense was hard to
+bear.…
+
+“_December 10._--On our return from church we found a telegram from
+Sandringham, which Gussy tremblingly opened. _Es lautete, ‘a shade
+better.’_ Thank God! I ran with it to Tante.…
+
+“_December 11._--About noon Geraldo rushed in with two telegrams, one
+sent off last night, the other this morning; both _heartrendingly sad_,
+and giving next to no hope, but for the words, ‘Yet we hope.’ They were
+a _cruel_ check to our faint hopes. We could think and talk of nothing
+else.…
+
+“_December 12._--Dolphus brought us a very hopeless telegram from
+Alice: ‘Night restless, very delirious, no signs of improvement.’
+After a while I went to my room and read the papers with accounts from
+Sandringham and Windsor.…
+
+“_December 13._--… To Mama’s _entrée_, where I found her, Gussy, and
+Tante much upset over a very disquieting message from Alice, which
+said, ‘Night without rest. No important change in the general state.
+Breathing is weak. Anxiety increased.’ One can only look to God’s great
+mercy for further hope!
+
+“_December 14._--… Bülow congratulated me on the better accounts which
+had just been received from Sandringham! It was the first I had heard
+of it; just at that moment Wenckstern appeared with the telegram:
+‘Quiet sleep at intervals, gravity of symptoms diminished, state more
+hopeful.--Alice.’ God be thanked for this blessed change!… I read
+aloud in Mama’s room, amid tears and sobs, the touching account in the
+_Daily Telegraph_ of our dear Wales’s illness, of all that goes on at
+Sandringham, of the prayers for him and the sermons preached about him.
+
+“_December 15._--A much more hopeful telegram from Alice, as follows:
+‘Bertie has passed a quiet night. The debility is great, but the
+conditions are much more favourable.’ Thank God for this great mercy.”
+
+The feeling aroused through the United Kingdom was far greater than
+any public expression of emotion since the death of Princess Charlotte
+in 1817. In every town, crowds waited anxiously for the issue of
+newspapers containing the latest news of the Royal patient’s condition,
+and the Government found it expedient to forward the medical bulletins
+to every telegraph office in the United Kingdom. In the churches of
+every religious communion, prayers were offered, though almost without
+hope, for the recovery of King Edward.
+
+At length, on 1st December, the King recovered consciousness, and his
+first remark to those about him was, “This is the Princess’s birthday.”
+The next coherent utterance came when he heard that Queen Victoria had
+been at Sandringham. “Has the Queen come from Scotland? Does she know
+I am ill?” he asked; but this slight rally did not continue, and soon
+all the Royal family were summoned to Sandringham. On 9th December the
+fever had spent itself, but the patient’s strength was considered to be
+exhausted. Special prayers were offered up in all churches; and shortly
+before the service in St. Mary Magdalene’s, Sandringham, the Vicar
+received the following note from Queen Alexandra:--
+
+“My husband being, thank God, somewhat better, I am coming to church. I
+must leave, I fear, before the service is concluded, that I may watch
+by his bedside. Can you not say a few words in prayer in the early
+part of the service, that I may join with you in prayer for my husband
+before I return to him?”
+
+The Vicar, before reading the Collect, in a voice trembling with
+emotion, which he vainly strove to suppress, said: “The prayers of the
+congregation are earnestly sought for His Royal Highness the Prince of
+Wales, who is now most seriously ill.”
+
+The day following, an article in the _Times_ began: “The Prince still
+lives, and we may still therefore hope”; and so the weary days dragged
+on. On the 16th it was recorded that the patient had enjoyed a quiet
+and refreshing sleep, and on the 17th, a Sunday, those of the Royal
+family who were then at Sandringham were present at church, when, by
+special request, the Prince and Blegge were recommended to the mercy of
+God in the same prayer. That same day Queen Alexandra visited the poor
+dying groom, and after his death, which occurred within the next few
+hours, both she and Queen Victoria found time, in the midst of their
+terrible anxiety, to visit and comfort his relations.
+
+By Christmas Day the danger may be said to have been over, and on 26th
+December Queen Victoria wrote the following letter to the nation:--
+
+“The Queen is very anxious to express her deep sense of the touching
+sympathy of the whole nation on the occasion of the alarming illness of
+her dear son, the Prince of Wales. The universal feeling shown by her
+people during those painful, terrible days, and the sympathy evinced
+by them with herself and her beloved daughter, the Princess of Wales,
+as well as the general joy at the improvement of the Prince of Wales’s
+state, have made a deep and lasting impression on her heart, which can
+never be effaced.…”
+
+Queen Alexandra and Princess Alice now felt that their patient was well
+enough for them to leave him for an hour or two in order to assist at
+the distribution of Christmas gifts to the labourers on the estate. In
+the ceiling of the room afterwards occupied by Queen Alexandra as a
+bed-chamber, the mark of an orifice might be seen from which projected
+a hook supporting a trapeze, by the aid of which the patient, when on
+the slow and weary road to convalescence, could change his position and
+pull himself up into a sitting posture.
+
+Another memento of the King’s terrible illness is the brass lectern in
+the parish church. On it runs an inscription:--
+
+                         TO THE GLORY OF GOD.
+                    A THANK-OFFERING FOR HIS MERCY.
+                          14TH DECEMBER 1871.
+                              ALEXANDRA.
+
+   “When I was in trouble I called upon the Lord, and He heard me.”
+
+The last bulletin was issued on 14th January, and nine days later Sir
+William Jenner was gazetted a K.C.B. and Dr. W. Gull was created a
+Baronet--rewards which gave particular satisfaction to the nation.
+
+It was whispered at the time that King Edward, under Providence,
+really owed his recovery to one of those sudden inspirations of genius
+of which the history of medicine is full. He seemed to be actually
+_in extremis_, when one of his medical attendants sent in haste for
+two bottles of old champagne brandy and rubbed the patient with it
+vigorously all over till returning animation rewarded the doctor’s
+efforts.
+
+King Edward’s recovery was hailed with feelings of deep thankfulness by
+the whole nation, and it was universally deemed appropriate that public
+thanks should be returned to Almighty God for His great mercy. The
+utmost interest was taken by all classes of society in the preparations
+for the proposed National Thanksgiving. Mr. William Longman wrote to
+the _Times_ urging that, as in 1664 and 1678, subscriptions should
+be invited for the completion of the Cathedral Church of St. Paul in
+London as a perpetual memorial of the event.
+
+During the interval before the day fixed for the National Thanksgiving,
+King Edward and Queen Alexandra paid visits to Windsor and Osborne.
+When they returned to London one of the first visitors they received
+was Dr. Stanley, who had now become Dean of Westminster. It was
+resolved that they should attend a private service of thanksgiving in
+the Abbey, which the Dean thus describes in a letter to an intimate
+correspondent:--
+
+“I went to Marlborough House to suggest, through Fisher and Keppel,
+that the Prince of Wales should come. He consented at once, and it was
+agreed that he, the Princess, and the Crown Prince of Denmark, and if
+in town, Prince Alfred, should come. I kept it a secret except from the
+Canons. We met them at the great Western door; the nave (as usual) was
+quite clear. They walked in with me, and took their places on my right.
+I preached on Psalm cxxii. 1. The Prince of Wales heard every word, and
+has decided that it shall be published, which it will be, and you shall
+have a copy. It was one of those rare occasions on which I was able to
+say all that I wished to say. They were conducted again to the West
+door, and departed.”
+
+The day fixed for the public National Thanksgiving in St. Paul’s was
+27th February, and never, save perhaps on 22nd June 1897, did Queen
+Victoria and her eldest son and daughter-in-law receive a more splendid
+and heartfelt welcome. Thirteen thousand people were admitted to the
+Cathedral, among them being most of the notable personages of the day,
+including all the great officers of State.
+
+[Illustration: THANKSGIVING DAY, 1872: THE SCENE AT TEMPLE BAR
+
+_From the “Illustrated London News”_]
+
+The procession set out from Buckingham Palace at twelve o’clock. First
+came the Speaker, the Lord Chancellor, and the Commander-in-Chief, in
+their carriages, followed by nine Royal equipages, in the last of which
+sat Queen Victoria, dressed in black velvet trimmed with broad bands
+of white ermine, Queen Alexandra in blue silk covered with black lace,
+King Edward in the uniform of a British general and wearing the Collars
+of the Orders of the Garter and the Bath, Prince Albert Victor then a
+boy of eight, and Princess Beatrice. The late Duchess of Teck, to her
+great grief, could not be present, as her eldest son had sickened with
+scarlet fever.
+
+In the Green Park the procession was greeted by an army of 30,000
+children, who sang the National Anthem as the Royal carriages drove by.
+
+St. Paul’s was reached at one o’clock, and the Royal party were
+received at the great West door by the Dean and Chapter. Queen Victoria
+passed up the nave leaning on the arm of her son, who conducted Her
+Majesty to a pew which had been specially prepared for the occasion.
+
+The service began with the “Te Deum,” and after some prayers a special
+form of thanksgiving which had been officially drawn up was said. Then
+the Archbishop of Canterbury preached a short sermon from the text,
+Romans xii. 5, “Members one of another.” The service concluded with a
+thanksgiving hymn which had been specially written for the occasion.
+The proceedings were over by two o’clock, and the procession returned
+by a different route, along Holborn and Oxford Street, in the presence
+of an enthusiastic crowd said to be the largest ever collected in
+London. As the poet sings:--
+
+        Bear witness, thou memorable day,
+    When, pale as yet, and fever-worn, the Prince,
+    Who scarce had plucked his flickering life again
+    From halfway down the shadow of the grave,
+        Past through the people and their love;
+    And London roll’d one tide of joy thro’ all
+        Her trebled millions and loud leagues of men.
+
+Two days later Queen Victoria wrote from Buckingham Palace to Mr.
+Gladstone, who was then Prime Minister, one of those touching letters
+which on many occasions drew still more closely together the ties of
+loyalty and affection between Her Majesty and her people. The Queen
+wrote that she was anxious “to express publicly her own personal
+very deep sense of the reception she and her dear children met with
+on Tuesday, the 27th of February, from millions of her subjects on
+her way to and from St. Paul’s. Words are too weak for the Queen to
+say how very deeply touched and gratified she has been by the immense
+enthusiasm and affection exhibited towards her dear son and herself,
+from the highest down to the lowest, in the long progress through the
+capital, and she would earnestly wish to convey her warmest and most
+heartfelt thanks to the whole nation for this great demonstration of
+loyalty. The Queen, as well as her son and dear daughter-in-law, felt
+that the whole nation joined with them in thanking God for sparing the
+beloved Prince of Wales’s life.…”
+
+[Illustration: THANKSGIVING DAY, 1872: THE PROCESSION UP LUDGATE HILL
+
+_From the “Illustrated London News”_]
+
+Although the Duchess of Teck had not been able to attend the
+Thanksgiving Service at St. Paul’s, she returned to England in time to
+take part in a great ceremony which took place on the 1st of May at the
+Crystal Palace. Referring to this occasion, she writes:--“We drove
+down to Sydenham with Louise as Alfred’s guests to attend the _fête_
+in celebration of Wales’s recovery. Concert: Sullivan’s _Te Deum_,
+Miscellanies with Titiens.”
+
+The impression made by King Edward’s illness and marvellous recovery
+upon the Royal family in general is well illustrated by the following
+passage from a letter written by Princess Alice to her mother in
+December 1872:--
+
+“That our good, sweet Alix should have been spared this terrible grief,
+when this time last year it seemed so imminent, fills my heart with
+gratitude for her dear sake, as for yours, his children and ours.… The
+14th will now be a day of mixed recollections and feelings to us, a day
+hallowed in our family, when one great spirit ended his work on earth
+… and when another was left to fulfil his duty and mission, God grant,
+for the welfare of his own family and of thousands.”
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XI
+
+1873-1875
+
+
+The year 1873 was spent on the whole very quietly by the King and
+Queen. His Majesty took up once more the thread of his public life
+which had been interrupted for a considerable time by his illness and
+convalescence.
+
+A pleasant glimpse of the home life at Sandringham about this time is
+given in the following letters from the witty and eloquent Archbishop
+Magee (then Bishop of Peterborough), written to his wife:--
+
+“SANDRINGHAM, _6th December 1873_.
+
+“… I arrived just as they were all at tea in the entrance hall, and had
+to walk in, all seedy and dishevelled from my day’s journey, and sit
+down beside the Princess of Wales, with Disraeli on the other side of
+me, and sundry lords and ladies round the table. The Prince received me
+very kindly, and certainly has most winning and gracious manners. The
+Princess seems smaller and thinner than I remember her at Dublin. They
+seem to be pleasant and domesticated, with little state and very simple
+ways.”
+
+“_7th December 1873._
+
+“Just returned from church, where I preached for twenty-six minutes
+(Romans viii. 28). The church is a very small country one close to the
+grounds. The house, as I saw it by daylight, is a handsome country
+house of red stone with white facings, standing well and looking
+quietly comfortable and suitable. I find the company pleasant and
+civil, but we are a curious mixture. Two Jews, Sir A. Rothschild
+and his daughter; an ex-Jew, Disraeli; a Roman Catholic, Colonel
+Higgins; an Italian duchess who is an Englishwoman, and her daughter
+brought up as a Roman Catholic and now turning Protestant; a set of
+young lords, and a bishop. The Jewess came to church; so did the
+half-Protestant young lady. Dizzy did the same, and was profuse in his
+praises of my sermon. We are all to lunch together in a few minutes,
+the children dining with us. They seem, the two I saw in church, nice,
+clever-looking little bodies, and very like their mother.”
+
+[Illustration: QUEEN ALEXANDRA AND HER SISTER THE EMPRESS ALEXANDER OF
+RUSSIA, IN 1873
+
+_From a Photograph by Maull and Fox_]
+
+King Edward and Queen Alexandra represented Queen Victoria at the
+marriage of the Duke of Edinburgh and the Grand Duchess Marie of
+Russia in January 1874. The English marriage service was performed
+by Dean Stanley, who wrote to Queen Victoria an interesting letter
+describing the Imperial wedding, in which he mentioned how much he
+had been struck, both in the chapel and at the subsequent banquet,
+by the singular difference in character and expression of the four
+future kings, the Prince of Wales, the Crown Prince of Prussia, the
+Cesarewitch, and the Crown Prince of Denmark, who were all present.
+
+On the Sunday following the wedding King Edward and Queen Alexandra
+attended the service at the English Church in St. Petersburg, and the
+Dean preached on the marriage feast at Cana in Galilee, much the same
+sermon which he had preached in the Chapel-Royal at Whitehall on the
+Sunday following the marriage of their Majesties. All through this
+visit to Russia their Majesties were received with unusual distinction,
+and a grand parade of troops was held in honour of King Edward.
+
+King Edward dined in the Middle Temple Hall on Grand Night of Trinity
+term in 1874. On this occasion His Majesty humorously expressed the
+opinion that it was a good thing for the profession at large, and for
+the public in general, that he had never practised at the Bar, for he
+could never have been an ornament to it. In saying this his modesty
+probably led him astray, for he is a thoughtful and lucid speaker, and
+his habits of method and order would certainly have stood him in good
+stead if he had been compelled to apply his mind to any profession. His
+Majesty was elected a Bencher of the Middle Temple in 1861, and served
+the office of Treasurer in the Jubilee year of 1887.
+
+[Illustration: QUEEN VICTORIA, WITH THE PRINCES ALBERT VICTOR AND
+GEORGE, AND THEIR SISTER, PRINCESS VICTORIA
+
+_From the Painting by James Sant, R.A._]
+
+When King Edward and Queen Alexandra were first married they always
+gave two great balls at Marlborough House each year--one on the
+anniversary of their wedding day, and one at the close of the London
+season. But the most splendid entertainment ever given by their
+Majesties was the great fancy dress ball in July 1874. Over fourteen
+hundred invitations were sent out, and the Royal host and hostess made
+no stipulations as to the choice of costume, leaving it to individual
+taste. The Queen wore a Venetian dress, and was attended by her two
+young sons as pages. The King appeared as Charles I., wearing a costume
+exactly copied from the famous Vandyke picture, that is, a maroon satin
+and velvet suit, partly covered with a short black velvet cloak, while
+the black hat, trimmed with one long white feather, was looped up with
+an aigrette of brilliants. He also wore high buff boots, long spurs and
+sword, while round his neck hung the Collar of the Garter.
+
+Many of the costumes worn were very interesting and curious. In the
+Fairy Tale Quadrille, the Earl of Rosebery, then quite a youth, was
+Blue Beard; Mr. Albert (now Earl) Grey, Puss in Boots; and the Duke of
+Connaught, the Beast. Lord Charles and Lord Marcus Beresford were a
+couple of Court jesters. The only person present who was not in fancy
+dress was Benjamin Disraeli, then Prime Minister. He wore the official
+dress of a Privy Councillor.
+
+That same year the King and Queen visited Birmingham for the first
+time, being received by the then mayor, Mr. Joseph Chamberlain, who
+was at the time credited with being so advanced a Republican that many
+fears were expressed that he might behave with scant courtesy to his
+Royal guests, and bets were even taken as to whether he would consent
+to shake hands with them! However, these prognostications proved
+groundless, and it is particularly interesting to recall the comment
+which the _Times_ made on the following day:--
+
+“Whatever Mr. Chamberlain’s views may be, his speeches of yesterday
+appear to us to have been admirably worthy of the occasion, and to
+have done the highest credit to himself. We have heard and chronicled
+a great many mayors’ speeches, but we do not know that we ever heard
+or chronicled speeches made before Royal personages by mayors, whether
+they were Tories or Whigs, or Liberals or Radicals, which were couched
+in such a tone at once of courteous homage, manly independence, and
+gentlemanly feeling, which were so perfectly becoming and so much the
+right thing in every way as those of Mr. Chamberlain.”
+
+On the same day that this appeared in the leading journal, Sir Francis
+Knollys wrote to Mr. Chamberlain a most cordial letter, in which he
+said:--
+
+“I have received the commands of the Prince and Princess of Wales
+to make known through you to the inhabitants of the borough of
+Birmingham the satisfaction they derived from their visit to that
+town yesterday. They can never forget the reception they met with,
+nor the welcome given to them by all classes of the community.… I
+may further congratulate you and the other members of the reception
+committee on the happy result of their labours. Nothing could have been
+more successful, and their Royal Highnesses will ever entertain most
+agreeable recollections of their visit to Birmingham.”
+
+In conclusion, Mr. Chamberlain was informed that the King wished to
+give £100 to a Birmingham charity, and was asked to state which he
+considered to be the most deserving, and at the same time the most in
+need of support.
+
+The festivities of the following Christmas were overshadowed by the
+death at Sandringham from inflammation of the lungs of Colonel Grey,
+who had been for some time a valued member of the Household. It was
+with reference to this sad loss that Princess Alice wrote to Queen
+Victoria:--“Dear Bertie’s true and constant heart suffers on such
+occasions, for he can be constant in friendship, and all who serve him,
+serve him with warm attachment.”
+
+In 1875 the death of Canon Kingsley came as a great blow to their
+Majesties, who were both fondly attached to the famous writer.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XII
+
+THE KING’S TOUR IN INDIA
+
+
+[Illustration: THE KING’S INDIAN TOUR, 1875]
+
+Lord Canning, the great Viceroy of India, once told the Prince Consort
+how desirable he thought it that the Prince of Wales should, when grown
+up, visit Queen Victoria’s Eastern Empire, and later on, those who had
+the privilege of the young Prince’s friendship were well aware that an
+Indian tour had become one of his most ardent wishes.
+
+But the project of the Heir-Apparent’s visit to India only really took
+shape early in 1875, and on 20th March it was publicly announced that
+the Prince contemplated this journey, the Marquis of Salisbury, who
+was then Secretary of State for India, making an official announcement
+to the Council of India of the intended event. The Council passed a
+resolution that the expenditure actually incurred in India should be
+charged on the revenues of that country.
+
+Curiously enough, a great deal of hostile feeling was aroused by the
+announcement of this Royal tour. On 17th July a great meeting was held
+in Hyde Park to protest against the grant of money which was then being
+sanctioned by Parliament to defray the expenses of the journey. Many
+people went so far as to declare that they would have acquiesced in
+the passing of the vote had the Heir-Apparent’s visit to his mother’s
+Eastern dominions been a “State visit” instead of a mere “pleasure
+trip.” And yet it need hardly be pointed out that, greatly as King
+Edward looked forward to his tour, the journey was likely to prove
+anything but a mere “pleasure trip” to India’s Royal visitor. He and
+those about him well knew that from the moment he landed at Bombay
+till the day he left India he would not only constantly remain _en
+évidence_, but he also expected to conciliate the many different races
+with which he was going to be brought in contact when passing through
+the various Indian States.
+
+There were many points to be considered about the tour. The rules
+and regulations which had sufficed for the Prince in Canada and the
+Colonies were inapplicable to India. One notable feature of Oriental
+manners is the exchange of presents between visitors and hosts, and it
+was early arranged that King Edward’s luggage should contain £40,000
+worth of presents to be distributed among the great feudatory and other
+potentates who would have the honour of entertaining or at any rate of
+meeting him.
+
+It was also arranged that he was to be the guest of the Viceroy, Lord
+Northbrook, from the moment he landed on Indian soil; and, roughly
+speaking, it was estimated that the expenses of the reception alone
+would probably come to about £30,000. The estimate made by the
+Admiralty for the expenses of the voyage to and from India, and the
+movements of the fleet in connection with the Royal visit, came to
+£52,000; while for the personal expenses of the visit a vote of £60,000
+was included in the estimate submitted to the House of Commons when
+in Committee of Supply. However, here again this suggestion did not
+meet with universal approval when the necessary resolution was brought
+forward in the House. Mr. Fawcett, afterwards Postmaster-General,
+raised a discussion, basing his objections to the vote partly on
+sentimental and partly on economic grounds. However, he only found
+thirty-three members to agree with him, and the vote was passed. During
+the debate, Mr. Disraeli, who was then Prime Minister, drew a very
+remarkable picture of the extraordinary pomp and circumstance with
+which King Edward was about to be surrounded.
+
+It was felt better that he should go as Heir-Apparent of the Crown,
+and not as the representative of Her Majesty, but, as might have been
+expected, these fine distinctions were not understood in India, and
+he was expected to do just as much as he would have done in a more
+directly official capacity.
+
+Before starting on his tour he thoroughly studied the subject of
+India and her peoples, and he even made himself acquainted with the
+peculiarities of every one of the large Indian cities where he would be
+expected to receive and answer addresses.
+
+The question of the suite was, as may be imagined, very important. It
+was early decided that Sir Bartle Frere, whose name was familiar to
+millions of the inhabitants of India, should accompany King Edward,
+and the Duke of Sutherland was also asked to join the party. Of his
+private friends, the Earl of Aylesford, Lord (now Earl) Carrington,
+Colonel (now General) Owen Williams, and Lieutenant (now Admiral) Lord
+Charles Beresford, also accepted an invitation to be of the party.
+Then came the official Household, consisting of Lord Suffield; Colonel
+Ellis, the Prince’s equerry, to whom was confided the delicate question
+of the giving and receiving of presents; General (now Sir Dighton)
+Probyn, to whom were left the arrangements for horses, travelling,
+and shooting parties; and Mr. (now Sir Francis) Knollys, the Prince’s
+private secretary. Canon Duckworth went as chaplain, and Dr. (now Sir
+Joseph) Fayrer as medical man. Mr. Albert Grey (now Earl Grey) went as
+private secretary to Sir Bartle Frere, Mr. S. P. Hall accompanied the
+party in order to sketch the incidents of the tour, while Lord Alfred
+Paget was specially commissioned by Queen Victoria to join the suite.
+Dr. W. H. (now Sir William) Russell, the famous war correspondent, who
+was temporarily attached to the suite as honorary private secretary,
+wrote on his return a very interesting account of the tour, entitled
+“The Prince of Wales’s Tour in India,” which has remained the standard
+authority on the subject.
+
+On the day that King Edward left Sandringham, amid many demonstrations
+of goodwill and wishings of God-speed from his country neighbours, he
+presented his Consort with a team of Corsican ponies and a miniature
+drag. He spent the last few days of his stay in England with Queen
+Alexandra and their children at Marlborough House. On the Sunday before
+his departure they were all present at divine service in Westminster
+Abbey, and the next day the King went to say good-bye to his old friend
+Dean Stanley, who, in a letter to an intimate correspondent, gave the
+following vivid description of the visit:--
+
+“On the Sunday night we had a message to say that the Prince and
+Princess of Wales would come to take leave of us at 3.30 P.M. the next
+day. They came about 4 P.M., having been detained by the members of the
+family coming to Marlborough House.
+
+“They brought all the five children, wishing, the Prince said, to have
+them all with him as long as possible.
+
+“They all came up, and remained about twenty minutes. Fanny was in the
+back library, and the children, after being for a few minutes with
+Augusta, who was delighted to see them, went to her.
+
+“The Prince and Princess remained with Augusta and me. A. talked with
+all her usual animation. They were both extremely kind. The Princess
+looked inexpressibly sad. There was nothing much said of interest,
+chiefly talking of the voyage, etc. As I took him downstairs, he spoke
+of the dangers--but calmly and rationally, saying that, of course the
+precautions must be left to those about him. I said to him, ‘I gave you
+my parting benediction in the Abbey yesterday.’ ‘Yes,’ he replied, ‘I
+saw it. Thank you.’
+
+“Later on in the evening Augusta wished me to telegraph our renewed
+thanks and renewed good wishes to the _Castalia_ at Dover. I did so,
+and at 11 P.M. there came back a telegram from him: ‘Many thanks for
+your kind message. God bless both of you! Just off for Calais!’”
+
+King Edward started from London on 11th October, immense popular
+interest being taken in the event. Huge crowds assembled long before
+the departure of the special train from Charing Cross, and the King
+and Queen Alexandra were wildly cheered. The Queen accompanied her
+husband as far as Calais, and then the King travelled across the
+Continent _incognito_, meeting his suite, who had started a few days
+previously, at Brindisi.
+
+[Illustration: EMBARKATION ON BOARD THE “SERAPIS” AT BRINDISI]
+
+The eventful journey was made in the _Serapis_, one of the old large
+Indian troopships, and the voyage was very successful from every point
+of view. The Royal party spent a few days at Athens, where the King was
+entertained by his brother-in-law, the King of Greece, to whom he had
+brought a number of gifts from Sandringham, including an Alderney bull
+and cow, a ram and sheep, several British pigs, and a number of horses.
+
+From the Piræus the _Serapis_ proceeded to Egypt, and King Edward
+invested Prince Tewfik, the Khedive’s eldest son, with the Order of the
+Star of India.
+
+As the _Serapis_ steamed onwards the various programmes of the Royal
+progress through India were submitted to the King, and even the
+addresses which were to be presented to him were shown and his answers
+were carefully prepared; in fact, before he left Aden, His Majesty knew
+with what words the Corporation of Bombay, for instance, would receive
+him.
+
+As may be easily imagined, all India was by now in a ferment of
+excitement, and the official world were very much concerned at the
+immense responsibility placed upon them by the mother-country. Four
+officers, of whom two had obtained the Victoria Cross, were carefully
+selected and commissioned to look after the comfort and the safety
+of the King and of his suite, Major Bradford (afterwards Sir E. R.
+C. Bradford, Chief Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police) being
+entrusted with the responsible task of attending to the safety of the
+Royal visitor’s own person.
+
+The question as to how King Edward was to make his first appearance
+in Bombay was keenly discussed, and at one time it was thought that
+splendidly caparisoned elephants would form the most fitting mode of
+transport from the landing-stage to Government House, but finally the
+party went in carriages. Among the cargo of the _Serapis_ were three
+valuable horses, specially chosen from the Marlborough House stables,
+which had been regularly taken to the Zoo, in order to be accustomed
+to the sight of the wild beasts and reptiles which they were likely to
+meet with in India.
+
+At last it was noised abroad that the _Serapis_ had been sighted, and
+the Viceroy, Lord Northbrook (afterwards Earl of Northbrook), went
+out to meet King Edward, returning to Bombay in order to receive him
+on landing. There was a good deal of discreet curiosity as to which
+of them would give precedence to the other, for of course the Viceroy
+represents Her Majesty, and so was entitled to take precedence, but
+Lord Northbrook, with considerable tact, unobtrusively gave his Royal
+guest the first place.
+
+The moment the King emerged from the dockyard a salute was fired, and
+at every station in India, whether important or obscure, the signal was
+given by telegraph for a Royal salute wherever there were guns to fire
+it.
+
+While actually in Bombay King Edward and his suite became the guests
+of the Governor, Sir Philip Woodhouse, and it was there that two days
+after his arrival in India the King celebrated his thirty-fourth
+birthday, the first object which met his eyes in the morning being a
+charming portrait of Queen Alexandra, who had specially entrusted it to
+Sir Bartle Frere. On this eventful day the glories and the fatigues of
+the King’s Indian tour may be said to have begun.
+
+The Royal birthday was duly honoured all over Hindustan at noon, and
+although the heat, even at 8 A.M., had been very considerable, the King
+was compelled to hold a great reception in full dress, that is to say,
+in a uniform of English cloth loaded with lace and buttoned up to the
+throat. The scene was very impressive. The King during the reception
+was seated on a silver throne, and everything was done to invest the
+affair with the greatest pomp and circumstance. His suite all stood
+round him in full uniform; behind the throne was a portrait of Queen
+Victoria; and although the King was not supposed to hold durbars, the
+ceremony being simply styled a private visit or reception, it was
+in every way as impressive and remarkable as if it had carried full
+official significance.
+
+An immense number of native Princes and Rajahs paid their respects in
+person to their future Sovereign. The first potentate to be presented
+was the Rajah of Kholapur, a child of twelve years old, the ruler of
+nearly a million people. The little Rajah was attired in purple velvet
+and white muslin encrusted with gems, his turban containing a King’s
+ransom of pearls and rubies. In spite of his extreme youth the Indian
+Prince remained perfectly serious, and went through the somewhat
+complicated ceremonies with absolute self-possession.
+
+After the last Rajah had departed, King Edward had a long talk with
+the Viceroy, and then made his way to the _Serapis_, where he had the
+pleasure of seeing the crew enjoying the birthday dinner provided by
+himself. He also cut a birthday cake, and looked over the telegrams
+just received from Sandringham. That same evening was held a great
+reception, to which naturally the British officials and residents came
+in great force.
+
+The next few days were also equally well filled. King Edward had to
+pay elaborate return visits to the chiefs and Rajahs who had attended
+his reception, and it was then that he was enabled to show his tact
+and the extraordinary knowledge he had acquired of their complicated
+ranks and genealogies; indeed, he greatly pleased several important
+Rajahs by showing that he had heard of the antiquity of their families,
+and by graciously alluding to the gallant deeds of their ancestors.
+The British people of Bombay had organised a great dinner for the
+sailors of the fleet, and, much to their gratification, the King
+consented to attend the banquet. Not content with a mere formal glance
+at the proceedings, he mounted a plank, and with a glass in his hand,
+exclaimed to the delighted men, of whom there were over two thousand
+present, “My lads, I am glad to meet you all. I drink your good health,
+and a happy voyage home.”
+
+King Edward took the opportunity of laying the foundation-stone of the
+Elphinstone Docks, the ceremony being carried out with Masonic honours,
+and it was considered very interesting and significant that among
+members of the craft present were Parsees, Mahomedans, and Hindus.
+
+During the month of November the King visited Poona, where he held a
+review, and visited the Court of the Gaikwar of Baroda. There a fine
+elephant was prepared for his use. The animal was of extraordinary
+size, and the howdah on which the King rode was said to have cost four
+lakhs of rupees. He held a reception at the Residency, and had his
+first sight of Indian sport, for he attended a cheetah hunt, himself
+killing a fine buck, and much enjoying his day’s sport. About the same
+time he also joined a pig-sticking expedition, a very popular Indian
+sport, and at last, to his great satisfaction, had the opportunity of
+“getting his spear,” in other words, of killing a wild boar.
+
+Then, returning to Bombay, the Royal party once more took up their
+quarters on the _Serapis_, where the King spent Queen Alexandra’s
+birthday. From Bombay he found time to visit the Portuguese settlement
+of Goa, and thence went on to Ceylon, where he inspected a tea
+plantation, and where the peepul planted by him in commemoration of his
+visit is still proudly shown to the ubiquitous globe-trotter.
+
+At Madras the King had a splendid reception, spending, however, 14th
+December, the anniversary of his father’s death, in retirement at
+Guindy Park, the country seat of the Governor, eight miles from the
+city.
+
+Christmas Day was spent in Calcutta, where an immense programme was
+gone through, including a considerable number of public ceremonies,
+the holding of audiences, and last, but not least, a _levée_, at which
+both natives and Europeans were present. After the King and the Viceroy
+had attended divine service in the Cathedral, His Majesty entertained
+a large party at lunch in the _Serapis_. His health was drunk with
+Highland honours, and many messages were exchanged between himself and
+“home.” On the afternoon of the same day the Royal party drove out to
+the Viceregal Lodge at Barrackpur.
+
+The most important ceremony attended by King Edward in India, namely,
+a Chapter of the Order of the Star of India, at which he acted as High
+Commissioner for his Royal mother, was held on New Year’s Day 1876.
+His Majesty wore a field-marshal’s uniform, almost concealed beneath
+the folds of his sky-blue satin mantle, the train of which was carried
+by two naval cadets, who wore cocked hats over their powdered wigs,
+blue satin cloaks, trunk hose, and shoes with rosettes. The Chapter
+tent was carpeted with cloth of gold with the Royal Arms emblazoned in
+the centre. An immense number of the Companions of the Order attended,
+forming a most impressive procession, walking two and two, one half
+native and the other European. The Begum of Bhopal, the first Knight
+Grand Commander, had a procession all to herself. She was veiled and
+swathed in brocades and silks, over which was folded the light blue
+satin robe of the Order.
+
+The King took his seat on the daïs, and after the roll of the Order
+had been read, each member standing up as his name was called, the
+Chapter was declared open, and His Majesty directed the investiture
+to proceed. Never had such a gathering been seen in India. Among
+those present were Lord Napier of Magdala, “Political” Maitland, the
+Maharajah of Kashmir, and the Rajah of Patiala, who wore the great
+Sancy diamond in his turban.
+
+As each investiture took place, seventeen guns were fired, and the
+secretary proclaimed aloud the titles of the newly-made Knight
+Grand Commander or Companion as the case might be. The pageant was
+incomparably splendid, the close of the ceremony being quite as fine
+as the beginning, for the Knights Grand Cross, the Knights Grand
+Commanders, and the Companions all formed once more in a procession in
+the reverse order of their entry.
+
+At the close of the King’s visit to Calcutta he began his journeys by
+rail. At Benares he visited the famous Temples, and the Golden Pool,
+going from thence by steamer to the old port of Rammagar, where he and
+his suite were splendidly received by the Maharajah, who presented him
+with some very costly shawls and brocades, together with what is to an
+Indian the very highest proof of regard, namely his own walking-stick,
+a thick staff mounted with gold.
+
+At Lucknow the King laid the foundation-stone of a memorial to the
+natives who fell in the defence of the Residency. On this occasion he
+took the opportunity of paying a well-deserved tribute to the faithful
+soldiers of the native army. Some of the veterans were presented to
+him, and they were not allowed to be hurried by, ragged, squalid, or
+unclean; indeed, His Majesty insisted on exchanging a few words with
+several of them.
+
+While at Lucknow he took part in a pig-sticking expedition, at which
+Lord Carrington’s left collar-bone was broken, and curiously enough,
+Lord Napier of Magdala met with a precisely similar accident on the
+same day.
+
+[Illustration: THE KING’S VISIT TO THE CAWNPORE MEMORIAL]
+
+From Delhi the King proceeded to Cawnpore, a spot he had been extremely
+anxious to visit, in common with many less illustrious tourists. His
+Majesty, after a drive to the site of the old cantonments, where the
+heroic defence took place, made his way to the Memorial Church, where
+he stopped close to the gateway which no native may pass through. There
+he alighted, and, with signs of deep emotion, walked to the spot which
+marks the place of the fatal well. There was deep silence as he read
+aloud in a low voice the touching words, “To the memory of a great
+company of Christian people, principally women and children, who were
+cruelly slaughtered here.”
+
+On returning to Delhi the King held a _levée_, attended by hundreds of
+British officers, at the close of which several notabilities of the
+native army were presented. The next day a great review was held, Lord
+Napier of Magdala entertaining His Majesty at his own camp. Delhi was
+illuminated, and no trouble was spared in showing what was once the
+capital city of India to the Royal visitor.
+
+Some interesting hours were spent at Agra, where the King went to see
+the Taj illuminated, the beautiful marble “Queen of Sorrow” erected by
+the Shah Jehan in memory of his much-loved wife, Moomtaz i Mahul, who
+died at the birth of her eighth child. The King was so greatly charmed
+with the beauty of the Taj, lit up by myriad lights, that he would not
+return to the city till nearly midnight. All through the journeys and
+expeditions which immediately followed, His Majesty could not forget
+what he had seen, and before finally leaving the district he paid one
+more visit to the famous tomb, seeing it this time not illuminated, but
+by the beautiful full Indian moonlight.
+
+The King shot his first tiger on 5th February in the neighbourhood
+of Jeypur, but it was by no means the last, for it is recorded that
+he shot six tigers in one day when hunting in Nepaul with Sir Jung
+Bahadur. Then he returned through Lucknow, Cawnpore, and Allahabad.
+At Jubbulpur His Majesty went through the prison, and had some talk
+with seven Thugs who had been thirty-five years in confinement, and
+whose life in the first instance had only been spared because they had
+turned Queen’s evidence. The King questioned them as to their hideous
+trade, and one man, a villainous-looking individual, answered proudly,
+in reply to the question as to how many people he had murdered,
+“Sixty-seven.”
+
+King Edward and his suite left Bombay for home on 13th March, just
+seventeen weeks after the _Serapis_ had first dropped anchor in Bombay
+harbour. During those four months he had travelled close on 8000 miles
+by land and 2500 miles by sea, and during that time he had become
+acquainted with more Rajahs than had all the Viceroys who had ever
+reigned over India, and he had seen more of the country than had any
+living Englishman.
+
+The intelligence that Queen Victoria was about to assume the title of
+Empress of India had become known before the _Serapis_ left Bombay, and
+caused her son great gratification. Curiously enough, the King met Lord
+Lytton, who was on his way out to Hindustan to succeed Lord Northbrook
+as Viceroy, when the _Serapis_ was going through the Suez Canal.
+
+The Royal party spent five days in Egypt. By 6th April Malta was in
+sight, and the King was received there with great enthusiasm, as was
+also the case at Gibraltar, where he had the pleasure of meeting his
+brother, the Duke of Connaught. From there the _Serapis_ proceeded by
+easy stages round Spain, the King taking the opportunity of visiting
+Seville, Cordova, Madrid, the Escurial, Lisbon, and Cintra. At Madrid
+King Alfonso came to meet the King at the station, and they drove
+together to the Palace, going from there to Toledo in order that the
+Royal visitor might inspect the famous manufactory of Toledo blades.
+
+As the _Serapis_ anchored near Yarmouth the King was informed that
+Queen Alexandra and the Royal children had come to meet him on board
+the _Enchantress_. He immediately went on board their ship, bringing
+Her Majesty and their children back with him a little later on board
+the _Serapis_.
+
+It need hardly be pointed out that King Edward received a very
+remarkable number of gifts during his tour in India. The cost of a gift
+made to him by a native Prince was supposed to be strictly limited to
+£2000 in value, but in many cases this restriction was evaded by the
+present being priced at a nominal sum, the real value being anything
+from £5000 to £30,000. As an actual fact the splendid collection
+brought home by His Majesty, which is his own personal property, is
+said to be worth half a million sterling.
+
+Some time after his return home the King kindly allowed his Indian
+gifts to be exhibited to the public. They were afterwards distributed
+between Marlborough House and Sandringham, a considerable portion of
+them finding a resting-place in the Indian room of Marlborough House.
+There also were carefully stored away in solid silver cylinders all the
+addresses received by the King during his eventful Indian tour.
+
+King Edward, who takes the very keenest interest in live animals,
+brought back quite a menagerie with him from India, and the quarters in
+the _Serapis_ assigned to his pets was for the time being a veritable
+Zoo, for there were tigers, elephants, ostriches, leopards, birds,
+ponies, cattle, monkeys, dogs and horses, some of which spent a
+peaceful old age at Sandringham.
+
+There can be no doubt that from a political point of view the tour was
+a great success, doing much indirectly to consolidate the British power
+in India. It is also a curious commentary on the objections raised by
+the economy party to the visit that no less a sum than £250,000 was
+spent in London alone by native Princes in buying presents for His
+Majesty.
+
+The principal incident of the voyage home had been a farewell dinner
+given by the officers of the _Serapis_ to the King and his suite when
+the vessel was nearing harbour.
+
+The table was laid for forty on the main deck (called the Windsor Long
+Walk), which was decorated with flags, trophies of arms, and ornaments.
+After Queen Victoria had been duly honoured, Captain Glyn proposed King
+Edward’s health, and begged him to accept an album as a keepsake from
+himself and his officers. It contained, besides a large photograph
+of every officer, photographed groups of the men and the Guard of
+Honour, views of different parts of the ship, and photographs of a few
+favourite animals.
+
+The real popularity of the King’s visit to India was significantly
+proved by the popular demonstrations which awaited him on his return.
+Enthusiastic greetings of welcome hailed him in the evening both
+at Victoria Station and in his drive round by Grosvenor Place,
+Piccadilly, and St. James’s Street to meet the Queen at Buckingham
+Palace. The appearance of the King and Queen at the Royal Italian
+Opera in the evening, within two hours of their reaching home, was a
+particularly graceful act of consideration. Nothing could surpass the
+enthusiasm with which they were greeted when they were seen in the
+Royal box.
+
+[Illustration: THE KING IN 1876
+
+_From a Drawing by Sargent_]
+
+During the days that followed, their Majesties received congratulatory
+visits from all the members of the Royal Family then in England, and
+from many distinguished personages. On the Sunday after his return,
+King Edward, accompanied by his Consort, the Duke of Edinburgh, and the
+Duke of Connaught, attended divine service at Westminster Abbey in the
+afternoon, when special thanksgivings were offered up for His Majesty’s
+safe return from India.
+
+Soon afterwards the King was entertained at a banquet and ball given
+by the Corporation of the City of London at the Guildhall. The
+temporary building erected for this brilliant assembly, to which over
+five thousand were invited, occupied the whole of Guildhall Yard. The
+reception hall was on the basement floor, the ballroom being built
+above it, and was beautifully decorated and draped with Oriental
+hangings. A daïs had been erected for their Majesties; and the scene
+is described as a combination of quaintly mediæval magnificence with
+modern luxury and elegance. The reception ceremony took place in the
+new library of the Guildhall, where an address of welcome, in a golden
+casket of Indian design, was presented to the King by the Lord Mayor.
+His Majesty, in a brief reply, said that it was his highest reward and
+his greatest pride to have received from the citizens of London and his
+countrymen such a welcome at the termination of a visit which had been
+undertaken with the view to strengthening the ties that bound India to
+our common country. The invitation tickets for this brilliant function
+were both beautiful and appropriate, the Star of India and the Taj
+Mahal at Agra figuring prominently in the design.
+
+Among the other entertainments given in honour of the King’s return
+may be mentioned a concert at the Albert Hall. King Edward and Queen
+Alexandra on their arrival were received by a Guard of Honour of 120
+bluejackets from the _Serapis_, the _Raleigh_, and the _Osborne_, under
+the command of Captain Carr Glyn, and in the vestibule were all the
+Council of the Albert Hall, wearing the Windsor uniform. At their head
+was the Duke of Edinburgh in naval uniform. The vast hall was crowded
+with a distinguished audience.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIII
+
+QUIET YEARS OF PUBLIC WORK, 1876-1887--VISIT TO IRELAND--QUEEN
+VICTORIA’S GOLDEN JUBILEE
+
+
+The year 1876 was marked, in addition to King Edward’s return from
+India, by a curious example of His Majesty’s tact and courage. He
+consented to preside at the special Jubilee Festival of the Licensed
+Victuallers’ Asylum, and this action aroused an extraordinary amount of
+feeling in temperance circles. Before the day of the festival he had
+received more than 200 petitions from all over the kingdom begging him
+to withdraw his consent. His Majesty, however, attended the festival,
+and in his speech pointedly referred to his critics, observing that he
+was there, not to encourage the consumption of alcoholic liquors, but
+to support an excellent charity, which had enjoyed the patronage of his
+honoured father.
+
+It is interesting to note the manner in which King Edward always
+refers to his father, with whom he undoubtedly has far more in common
+than is generally supposed. Perhaps the most conspicuous taste shared
+by the father and the son is a really keen and personal interest
+in exhibitions of all kinds. This was probably first realised by
+those about him twenty years ago, when the King accepted the onerous
+duties of Executive President of the British Commission of the Paris
+Exhibition of 1878. He threw himself with ardour into this work almost
+immediately after his return from India, and during a short visit which
+he paid to France in that spring he received a considerable number of
+official personages connected with the approaching exhibition.
+
+The King, accompanied by Queen Alexandra, unveiled in the following
+July a statue of Alfred the Great at Wantage, the birthplace of
+the famous King. The statue was the gift of Colonel Lloyd-Lindsay
+(afterwards Lord Wantage), the sculptor being Count Gleichen (Prince
+Victor of Hohenlohe-Langenburg). King Edward is a lineal descendant of
+King Alfred by the intermarriage of the Saxon with the Norman reigning
+houses in the eleventh century, and it was most appropriate that he
+should have been invited to perform the ceremony.
+
+In January 1878 King Edward, accompanied by Prince Louis Napoleon,
+visited the late Duke of Hamilton at Hamilton Palace, in Lanarkshire.
+The Crown Prince of Austria was also a guest of the Duke at the time.
+The King greatly enjoyed this visit to the premier Peer of Scotland,
+who is of the ancient lineage of Scottish Royalty. The Royal visitors
+enjoyed some excellent sport in the historic Cadzow Forest--_Cadyow_
+having been granted by King Robert the Bruce after the battle of
+Bannockburn to Sir Gilbert Hamilton, the ancestor of the present Duke.
+Here still remain the few old oaks of the once great Caledonian Forest,
+immortalised by Sir Walter Scott in his ballad of “Cadyow Castle”; and
+here are also the wild white bulls of the same breed as preserved at
+Chillingham, and the famous Cadzow herd of wild cattle.
+
+This year of 1878, so brilliant in Paris, brought to the British Royal
+family a bereavement which can only be compared for its suddenness and
+bitterness with the death of the Prince Consort. The Grand Duchess of
+Hesse (Princess Alice), after nursing her children through a malignant
+diphtheria, herself fell a victim to the same dread disease on the
+very anniversary of her father’s death. The blow fell with peculiar
+severity on the King and Queen Alexandra, with whom Princess Alice had
+been united in the bonds of the closest affection, especially since the
+King’s illness, in which she had proved herself so devoted a nurse. The
+link between the Royal brother and sister is significantly shown by
+the fact that Princess Alice never visited England without paying long
+visits at Sandringham or at Marlborough House. The King was one of the
+chief mourners at the funeral in Darmstadt.
+
+[Illustration: THE KING IN 1879
+
+_From a Portrait by Angeli, published by Henry Graves and Co._]
+
+After this blow the King and Queen naturally remained for some
+months in the deepest retirement. A new grief was, however, in store
+for them--the tragic death in the following June of the young Prince
+Imperial, in whose career the King had always taken a warm and almost
+paternal interest. His Majesty was among the very first in this country
+to be informed of the terrible news, and he was of the greatest
+assistance to the stricken Empress Eugénie in making the complicated
+arrangements for the funeral. His active sympathy, and the announcement
+that the heir to the British Crown intended to be the principal
+pall-bearer of Napoleon III.’s ill-fated son, aroused much comment on
+the Continent, and gave great satisfaction to Frenchmen of all shades
+of political opinion. On a beautiful wreath of violets which was sent
+from Marlborough House for the funeral at Chislehurst were the words,
+written in Queen Alexandra’s own hand:--
+
+    “A token of affection and regard for him who lived the most
+    spotless of lives and died a soldier’s death fighting for our
+    cause in Zululand.
+
+                  “From ALBERT EDWARD and ALEXANDRA,
+                            July 12, 1879.”
+
+The King strongly supported the movement for erecting a memorial to
+the Prince Imperial in Westminster Abbey, and subscribed £130 to the
+fund which was raised for that object. The opposition to the scheme
+was, however, so strong that it fell to the ground. That the King’s
+feelings were not modified in any way is shown by the fact that early
+in January 1883, His Majesty, accompanied by his two sons, Prince
+Albert Victor and Prince George, with the Duke of Edinburgh and the
+Duke of Cambridge, unveiled a monument to the Prince Imperial at
+Woolwich. This “United Service Memorial” was erected by a subscription
+raised throughout all ranks of the Army, Navy, Royal Marines, Militia,
+Yeomanry, and Volunteers, and Count Gleichen was the sculptor. The
+King, in a speech at the unveiling, commended the virtues, the
+blameless life, the courage, and obedience to orders manifested by
+the young Prince, as a bright example to the young men entering the
+Military Academy, and remarked that it was only a natural impulse which
+prompted his desire to join his English comrades in the war in South
+Africa, in which he fell fighting for the Queen of England.
+
+In view of Princess Louise’s subsequent marriage it is interesting
+to record that in the autumn of 1880 the King, accompanied by Prince
+Leopold and Prince John of Glucksburg, visited the Earl of Fife at Mar
+Lodge. On the evening of their arrival Lord Fife gave a grand ball,
+at which his distinguished visitors were present. The entertainment
+included a torchlight procession and dance by the Duff Highlanders. The
+party also enjoyed some deer-stalking in the Forest of Mar.
+
+An incident worth recording occurred in January 1881, during a visit of
+the King and Queen to Normanton Park. Queen Alexandra drove with Lady
+Aveland to Oakham, and paid a visit to the ancient castle, on the inner
+walls of which are nailed numerous horse-shoes, the gift, or rather
+the toll, of various Royal and noble personages. A large horse-shoe of
+steel, perfect in shape and of elegant workmanship, had been made for
+the Queen to offer. Her Majesty examined the other horse-shoes in the
+Castle hall, and chose the position in which she desired her toll to
+be affixed, namely, over a large one supposed to have been the gift
+of Queen Elizabeth. The Queen greatly enjoyed following this ancient
+custom, a mark of territorial power possessed for many centuries by the
+Ferrers family, a shoe from the horse of every princely traveller who
+passed that way being a tax due to the Ferrers or Farriers. Among the
+horse-shoes specially noticed by Queen Alexandra were one contributed
+by Queen Victoria before her accession, on 2nd September 1833; another
+by the Duchess of Kent on the same date; also one offered by the Prince
+Regent, afterwards George IV., on 7th January 1814.
+
+It was in this year that the King had an opportunity of exhibiting in a
+public manner his strong interest in the British Colonies, the welfare
+of which was not then so much a matter of concern in the eyes of our
+statesmen as it is now. The occasion was a dinner given to the members
+of the Colonial Institute by the then Lord Mayor, Sir George MacArthur,
+himself an old colonist. An extraordinary number of distinguished
+men connected in various ways, official and other, with our colonies
+were present. In his speech the King pointed out that no function of
+the kind had ever taken place before--a statement which seems hardly
+credible nowadays, thanks in a great measure to His Majesty’s own
+unwearied exertions in the interests of our colonial empire. The King
+also alluded to his Canadian tour, and took the opportunity of paying
+a graceful compliment to his friend Sir John Macdonald, the Canadian
+statesman, who was present.
+
+[Illustration: THE KING IN 1882
+
+_From the Painting by H. J. Brooks, published by Henry Graves and Co._]
+
+Very shortly after this dinner the King attended as patron the first
+meeting ever held in this country of the International Medical Congress.
+
+King Edward was deeply grieved at the death of Dean Stanley, with whom,
+as we have seen, he had been on terms of close intimacy. At a meeting
+held in the Chapter-House of Westminster Abbey, His Majesty paid a
+touching and eloquent tribute to his dead friend’s rare qualities, both
+of heart and intellect.
+
+Generally speaking, this period of the King’s life was not very
+eventful. His children were still quite young, and his public
+appearances, though tolerably frequent, did not usually possess
+more than a local importance. There were, however, some conspicuous
+exceptions, which broke the even current of his life. For example,
+it would be difficult to overestimate the value of the work which
+His Majesty did in promoting the International Fisheries Exhibition
+in 1883, which was visited by nearly three million people, and may
+be said to have been the first introduction into London of open-air
+entertainment on a large scale. Moreover, it resulted in a clear profit
+of £15,000, of which two-thirds was devoted to the relief of the orphan
+families of fishermen.
+
+The success of the Fisheries suggested to the King the idea of another
+exhibition concerned with health and hygiene, which was held in 1884,
+and was nicknamed the “Healtheries.” Not long before it was opened the
+King and Queen Alexandra suffered a great bereavement in the death
+of the Duke of Albany, to whom their Majesties had always been very
+much attached. He died quite suddenly in the south of France on 28th
+March, and the King instantly started for the Riviera and brought his
+brother’s remains back to Windsor. In the following July His Majesty,
+presiding at the festival of the Railway Guards’ Friendly Society, took
+the opportunity of his first appearance at a public dinner to express
+in the name of Queen Victoria and the Royal Family their thanks for the
+public sympathy shown on the death of the Duke of Albany.
+
+In August of this year was celebrated the jubilee of the abolition
+of slavery throughout the British dominions. The King attended a
+meeting at the Mansion-House and delivered a long and elaborate speech,
+evidently the result of much painstaking study, in which he reviewed
+the whole history of the anti-slavery movement.
+
+The news of the fall of Khartoum came as a terrible shock to the King,
+who had long watched with increasing interest the career of General
+Gordon. Indeed, General Gordon had always been one of His Majesty’s
+great heroes, and it was chiefly owing to His Majesty’s initiative that
+a fund was established for providing a national memorial to the hero
+of Khartoum. At the first meeting of the committee the King made a
+touching speech, in which he said of Gordon--
+
+“His career as a soldier, as a philanthropist, and as a Christian is
+a matter of history.… Many would wish for some fine statue, some fine
+monument, but we who know what Gordon was feel convinced that were
+he living nothing would be more distasteful personally than that any
+memorial should be erected in the shape of a statue or of any great
+monument. His tastes were so simple and we all know he was anxious that
+his name should not be brought prominently before the public, though in
+every act of his life that name was brought, I am inclined to think,
+as prominently before the nation as that of any soldier or any great
+Englishman whom we know of at the present time.”
+
+It is well known that it was His Majesty’s suggestion that a hospital
+and sanatorium should be founded in Egypt open to persons of all
+nationalities. Queen Alexandra was present at the special service held
+in St. Paul’s on 13th March, the day of public mourning for the loss of
+General Gordon.
+
+Three days later the King, accompanied by his eldest son, presided at a
+meeting of the Royal Colonial Institute, and spoke of the personal as
+well as of the political interest he took in everything that concerned
+the colonies. On the next day Prince Albert Victor was initiated as a
+Freemason in the presence of a large and most distinguished company,
+his father receiving the Royal apprentice in his quality of Worshipful
+Master of the Royal Alpha Lodge. On the following day the King, Prince
+Albert Victor, and the Duke of Edinburgh went to Berlin to congratulate
+the aged Emperor William on his eighty-eighth birthday.
+
+It had been decided, not without the most anxious consideration, that
+the King and Queen, accompanied by their elder son, should pay a visit
+to Ireland. The announcement was received with the greatest excitement
+both in Ireland and in America.
+
+_United Ireland_, the chief organ of the Nationalist party, then edited
+by Mr. William O’Brien, and said to be largely written by Mr. T. M.
+Healy, brought out a special number devoted entirely to expressions of
+opinion from eminent Irishmen of all kinds on the Royal visit. Every
+Nationalist Member of Parliament, every prominent ecclesiastic, in a
+word, every Irishman of conspicuous Nationalist views, was invited to
+say what he thought of the forthcoming visit. The answers filled a
+copious supplement, and their tenour was one of unanimous disapproval,
+expressed in some cases strongly, and in others in terms of studied
+moderation. Almost all the letters agreed in counselling an attitude
+of absolute indifference to the visit, but abstention from any kind of
+display of hostility to the King himself was insisted on; and it was
+openly said that the part which he was playing in this pageant was a
+more or less passive one. This, perhaps, showed more than anything else
+that has occurred during His Majesty’s life the personal liking and
+respect in which he is held.
+
+It may be added that when the King and Queen arrived early in April
+1885, the Nationalist party made no sign, but, as there was naturally
+a great display of rejoicing on the part of the Anti-nationalist
+citizens, the Press, perhaps unfortunately, chose to regard this
+reception as a proof that the Home Rulers were wholly discredited. The
+Nationalist leaders therefore made up their minds that it was necessary
+to make some protest against the Royal progress as an answer to these
+taunts, and accordingly, from Mallow till the Royal party left Ireland,
+they were the victims of some very unpleasing demonstrations, and at
+Cork collisions occurred between the police and the mob, though no
+serious injuries were reported on either side.
+
+Perhaps the most interesting event of the tour was when, after laying
+the foundation-stone of the New Science and Art Museum and National
+Library of Ireland in Dublin on 10th April, their Majesties attended
+the Royal University of Ireland, and the degree of Doctor of Laws was
+conferred on the King, and that of Doctor of Music on Queen Alexandra.
+Her Majesty has always been passionately fond of music, and the
+distinction gave her special gratification.
+
+The Colonial and Indian Exhibition, called for short the “Colinderies,”
+may be said to have been the most successful of all those with which
+the King was intimately associated. It was opened by Queen Victoria
+on 4th May 1886, and Her Majesty was received by the King, and Queen
+Alexandra, His Majesty conducting his mother to the daïs. In the Royal
+Albert Hall, where the opening ceremony took place, everything was
+done to make the scene as impressive and interesting as possible; and
+at the special desire of the King, Lord Tennyson wrote an Ode for the
+occasion, which was set to music by Sir Arthur Sullivan and sung by
+Madame Albani in the choir. This exhibition resulted in a net surplus
+of £35,000.
+
+In September some correspondence between King Edward and the Lord
+Mayor, suggesting the establishment of a Colonial and Indian Institute
+to commemorate the Queen’s Jubilee, was published, and excited a
+great deal of interest both at home and in the Colonies. A public
+subscription was opened at the Mansion-House; and later in the same
+month His Majesty, having been informed that a movement was on foot
+to present him with a testimonial in recognition of his services in
+connection with the Colonial and Indian Exhibition, wrote to request
+that any fund subscribed might be devoted to the furtherance of the
+Imperial Institute, and a great deal of his time that autumn was
+dedicated to this scheme.
+
+[Illustration: QUEEN ALEXANDRA IN HER ROBES AS DOCTOR OF MUSIC
+
+_From a Photograph by Chancellor, Dublin_]
+
+The King in 1886 also gave his patronage to two great engineering
+achievements, by opening the Mersey Tunnel and by laying the first
+stone of the Tower Bridge. It is interesting to note in this connection
+that His Majesty has long been an honorary member of the Institution of
+Civil Engineers, and when he attended their annual dinner in the same
+year, he made an amusing speech, in which he attempted to picture what
+sort of a world ours would be without engineers.
+
+One of the busiest years ever spent by the King and Queen Alexandra
+was 1887, when Queen Victoria’s Golden Jubilee was celebrated. To
+His Majesty was left the responsibility of a great number of the
+arrangements, and on him fell almost entirely the reception and
+entertainment of the foreign Royal personages who attended the splendid
+ceremony in the Abbey as Queen Victoria’s guests. In many cases the
+King was obliged to welcome in person the Royal visitor to London,
+and he was indefatigable in his efforts to make everything go off as
+smoothly and successfully as possible, while it need hardly be said
+that he took a very prominent part next to Queen Victoria in all the
+Jubilee functions.
+
+It was in this year that His Majesty was appointed Honorary Admiral
+of the Fleet, a distinction which gave him much gratification, for it
+was his first definite official link with the sea service which he had
+selected as the profession of his younger son, and in which his elder
+son had received an early training--a link which was destined to be
+still further strengthened after His Majesty’s accession, as will be
+related hereafter.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIV
+
+SILVER WEDDING OF KING EDWARD AND QUEEN ALEXANDRA--ENGAGEMENT AND
+MARRIAGE OF PRINCESS LOUISE
+
+
+Considerable preparations were made early in 1888 for the Silver
+Wedding of King Edward and Queen Alexandra, but it was well known that
+the Royal family were expecting daily to hear of the death of the old
+German Emperor, William I., which actually occurred just before the
+Silver Wedding Day, and everything in the way of public rejoicing
+was countermanded. Still, the 10th of March was not allowed to pass
+entirely unobserved. The whole of the Royal family then in England,
+preceded by Queen Victoria, called at Marlborough House to offer their
+congratulations in person, and for that one day the Court mourning
+was abandoned. The King and Queen Alexandra with their family lunched
+at Buckingham Palace with Queen Victoria, while in the evening the
+Sovereign attended a family dinner-party at Marlborough House, this
+being the first time she had ever been to dinner with her son and
+daughter-in-law in London. Queen Victoria, after leaving Marlborough
+House, drove through some of the principal West End streets in order to
+see the illuminations. Her Majesty also gave a State ball at Buckingham
+Palace in honour of the event, and the King and Queen of Denmark gave a
+grand ball at the Amalienborg Palace at Copenhagen.
+
+Archbishop Magee (then Bishop of Peterborough) writes in a letter to
+his intimate friend and biographer, Canon MacDonnell, the following
+amusing account of his share in the rejoicings:--
+
+                                 “ATHENÆUM CLUB, _11th March 1888_.
+
+    “Did you ever in your eminently respectable life dance on the
+    tight rope? And did you ever do so in the presence of Royalty?
+    No? Then I have beaten you.
+
+    “For I have this day performed that exceedingly difficult feat,
+    and dead beat do I feel after it. I suppose you saw (for it
+    was announced in all the papers) that H.R.H. was to worship
+    at Whitehall with all his family, to keep his silver wedding,
+    and that the Bishop of Peterborough was to preach. Not an easy
+    thing to do, under any circumstances, to preach to Royalty in a
+    pew opposite you, and also to a large middle-class congregation
+    on a special occasion. But only think of having to add to this
+    a special allusion to the late Emperor of Germany’s death,
+    and the present Emperor’s condition, and all this within the
+    space of forty minutes, the utmost length that it is considered
+    good taste to inflict on H.R.H. Add to this that he specially
+    requested an offertory for the Gordon Boys’ Home, and of
+    course implied some reference in the sermon to this. So that
+    I had, within forty minutes, to preach a charity sermon, a
+    wedding sermon, and a funeral one. Match me that if you can for
+    difficulty.…”
+
+In the unavoidable absence of the Bishop of London, Dean of the
+Chapels-Royal, the Archbishop of Canterbury was present, His Grace
+finally receiving the alms and giving the benediction. On the desk in
+the Royal Closet, in front of Queen Alexandra, was placed a beautiful
+bouquet of lilies of the valley, the emblem of the See and Province of
+Canterbury. Her Majesty quitted the chapel carrying the bouquet.
+
+An enormous number of presents testified to the wide affection and
+respect in which the Royal couple were held. King Edward gave his
+wife a cross of diamonds and rubies, her favourite jewels; and from
+St. Petersburg, as a joint gift of the Emperor and Empress of Russia,
+came a superb necklace of the same gems composed of carefully selected
+stones. The five children of Queen Alexandra gave her a silver model
+of “Viva,” her favourite mare. Her Majesty’s eight bridesmaids, who
+were all alive and all married, gave the Royal bride of 1863 their
+autographs bound up in a silver book enshrined in a silver casket of
+Danish work.
+
+The Freemasons of Great Britain presented Queen Alexandra with a
+very splendid diamond butterfly. The members of the Body-Guard were
+represented by a silver statue of a member of the corps, arrayed in
+the uniform originally designed by the Prince Consort. The Comte de
+Paris sent a large agate punch-bowl, studded with precious stones.
+Among the public gifts which afforded the King and Queen most pleasure
+was the Colonial Silver Wedding gift--a silver candelabrum adapted for
+electric light, and a fine twenty-one day movement clock to match. The
+Colonies became very enthusiastic over this gift, and more than £2000
+was subscribed in small sums.
+
+The King and Queen of Denmark gave a silver-gilt tea and coffee
+service; the Crown Prince and Princess of Denmark, a valuable vase
+of Danish china; the Empress Eugénie, a silver model of a two-masted
+ship of the time of Henry VIII.; and the King of the Belgians, a
+large silver tankard and a collection of the choicest exotics from
+the gardens at Laeken. The Austrian Ambassador presented an autograph
+letter from the Emperor Francis Joseph announcing that King Edward had
+been appointed to the Honorary Colonelcy of the 12th Hussar Regiment in
+the Austro-Hungarian Army. The French Ambassador was also received in
+audience, and offered an expression of good wishes on the part of the
+President of the French Republic and the French Government.
+
+The presents received by the King and Queen were arranged in the Indian
+Room at Marlborough House. A prominent position was accorded to the
+gift from Queen Victoria--a massive silver flagon of goodly height and
+proportions, the counterpart of one in the Kremlin. One corner of the
+Indian Room was filled with floral gifts, bouquets, wreaths, pyramids
+of lilies of the valley, and rich and rare exotics, sent by all classes
+of the community from all parts of the country and from the Continent.
+
+In strong contrast to these rejoicings was the deep shadow thrown
+over King Edward and his family by the serious illness of the Emperor
+Frederick. All the arrangements of their Majesties were naturally
+dependent on the news received almost hourly from the sick-chamber at
+Potsdam, but even in the midst of his terrible anxieties the King did
+not disappoint the loyal citizens of Glasgow, whose Exhibition he had
+promised to open, and who gave him a right Royal welcome. At length the
+long-dreaded blow fell. On 14th June the Emperor Frederick breathed his
+last after a reign of ninety-nine days.
+
+The following year was notable for the first break in the King’s own
+family circle caused by marriage. But before the engagement of Princess
+Louise to the Earl of Fife was publicly announced, Queen Victoria paid
+one of her necessarily rare visits to Sandringham, spending altogether
+four days there. While there Her Majesty witnessed a performance of
+_The Bells_ and of _The Merchant of Venice_, given by Sir Henry Irving
+and the members of the Lyceum Company. The King’s tenants presented an
+address of welcome to his Royal mother, to which Queen Victoria gave
+the following gracious reply:--
+
+“It has given me great pleasure to receive your loyal address, and
+I thank you sincerely for the terms in which you welcome me to
+Sandringham, and for the kind expressions which you have used towards
+the Prince and Princess of Wales. After the anxious time I spent here
+seventeen years ago, when, by the blessing of God, my dear son was
+spared to me and to the nation, it is indeed a pleasure to find myself
+here again, among cheerful homes and cheerful faces, and to see the
+kind feeling which exists between a good landlord and a good tenant;
+and I trust that this mutual attachment and esteem may long continue
+to make you happy and prosperous, and to strengthen, if possible,
+the affection of the Prince and Princess of Wales for the tenants of
+Sandringham.”
+
+Although Great Britain was not officially represented at the Paris
+Centennial Exhibition of this year, the King once more showed
+his friendship with France by going over with his Consort in
+semi-_incognito_. Their Majesties carefully inspected the whole
+Exhibition, paying special attention to the British section, and
+finished by ascending the Eiffel Tower.
+
+[Illustration: THE DUCHESS OF FIFE, PRINCESS VICTORIA, AND PRINCESS
+CHARLES OF DENMARK
+
+_From a Photograph by Lafayette_]
+
+Princess Louise’s engagement was made public in the spring, and though
+it aroused almost as much surprise as satisfaction among the general
+public, yet those who were really in a position to know regarded
+it as the most natural thing in the world. Lord Fife had for years
+been admitted to the close intimacy of the King’s family circle.
+His was the only bachelor’s house at which Queen Alexandra had ever
+been entertained, he had long been a frequent and welcome guest at
+Sandringham, and when he took the oath and his seat in the House of
+Lords, the King had paid him the rare honour of appearing as one of his
+introducers. Although rumours of the betrothal of the King’s eldest
+daughter to various foreign Princes had for some time been rife, His
+Majesty had made no secret of the special importance which he attached
+to her marriage, for at that time it appeared by no means impossible
+that the Princess herself or her children might one day sit on the
+British throne. In these circumstances a foreign marriage of the
+particular kind which then seemed intrinsically probable would have
+been frankly unpopular with the British people, who would have pictured
+themselves as being perhaps one day reduced to bringing back their
+Queen, now wholly Germanised, from some obscure Grand Duchy.
+
+King Edward on this occasion showed once more his intuitive sympathy
+with the feelings of his future subjects, for the news of the Royal
+engagement was received with an absolutely unforced outburst of popular
+enthusiasm, the more so when it became known that it was entirely a
+love match.
+
+The King and Queen Alexandra with their three daughters went to Windsor
+on 27th June and visited Queen Victoria, who formally gave her consent
+to the engagement. On the receipt of the news at Marlborough House the
+fact was at once communicated to the Household, and the Marquis of
+Salisbury, the Prime Minister, was also officially informed. The Earl
+of Fife was received by Queen Victoria the same evening at Windsor
+Castle. In the House of Commons a Message from the Queen formally
+announced the intended marriage, and the First Lord of the Treasury
+gave notice of a motion to grant a suitable provision for the Royal
+bride, though owing to the great wealth of the bridegroom this was
+perhaps less necessary than it had been on the occasion of other Royal
+marriages.
+
+The Earl of Fife (Alexander William George Duff), Baron Skene of Skene,
+Viscount Macduff, and Baron Braco of Kilbryde, County Cavan, was the
+only son of James, fifth Earl of Fife, and of the Countess of Fife,
+who was Lady Agnes Georgiana Elizabeth Hay, daughter of the Earl of
+Erroll. He was born on 10th November 1849, and was educated at Eton.
+He succeeded his father in the Scotch and Irish honours on 7th August
+1879, and was created an Earl of the United Kingdom in 1885. He sat as
+Viscount Macduff in the House of Commons from 1874 to 1879 as Liberal
+member for Elgin and Nairn. Lord Fife, who is one of the largest landed
+proprietors in Scotland, owning extensive estates in Elgin, Banff,
+and Aberdeen, was created Duke of Fife and Marquis of Macduff in the
+peerage of the United Kingdom, on his wedding day, 27th July, having
+declined to take the title of Duke of Inverness.
+
+[Illustration: THE DUKE OF FIFE
+
+_From a Photograph by the London Stereoscopic Co._]
+
+The wedding was celebrated in the Chapel at Buckingham Palace, in the
+presence of Queen Victoria, King Edward, and Queen Alexandra, with
+their sons and two younger daughters, the King of the Hellenes, the
+Crown Prince of Denmark, and the Grand Duke of Hesse.
+
+The King of the Hellenes has always been one of the favourite
+brothers-in-law of the King, who, with Queen Alexandra, went to Athens
+in the autumn to attend the wedding of the Duke of Sparta and Princess
+Sophie of Germany.
+
+The following year was not very eventful. In March the King performed
+the ceremonies of finishing and opening the Forth Bridge in the
+presence of an illustrious assembly, including his son Prince George,
+the Duke of Edinburgh, who had travelled from Russia on purpose, the
+Duke of Fife, and the Earl of Rosebery, who entertained the Royal party
+at Dalmeny. The last rivet, which the King fixed, is on the outside of
+the railway, and holds together three plates. Around its gilded top
+there runs a commemorative inscription. At the hour appointed for the
+formal declaration of the opening of the bridge, the wind was blowing
+so violently that it was impossible for His Majesty to make a speech.
+He simply said, “Ladies and Gentlemen, I now declare the Forth Bridge
+open.”
+
+It was in March, also, that the King and Prince George attended a
+Chapter of the Order of the Black Eagle in Berlin, at which Prince
+George was invested with the insignia of the Order. Subsequently the
+Royal visitors took part in the Ordensfest.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XV
+
+THE BACCARAT CASE--BIRTH OF LADY ALEXANDRA DUFF--THE KING’S FIFTIETH
+BIRTHDAY--ILLNESS OF PRINCE GEORGE
+
+
+During the winter of 1890 various rumours had been rife as to a _cause
+célèbre_ in which King Edward was to be called as a witness. These
+reports proved to have had substantial foundation in the following
+spring, when Sir William Gordon-Cumming, a cavalry officer of good
+family, who had distinguished himself in the Egyptian campaign, and was
+understood to enjoy the personal friendship of the King, brought an
+action for slander against five defendants--Mrs. Arthur Wilson, Mrs. A.
+S. Wilson, Mr. and Mrs. Lycett Green, and Mr. Berkeley Levett--who had
+accused him of cheating at baccarat at Tranby Croft, the Wilsons’ place
+near Hull.
+
+The trial opened early in June before Lord Chief-Justice Coleridge,
+and the King was accommodated with a seat on the bench. The Court
+throughout wore the air of a theatre rather than of a Court of Justice,
+the bench and both the galleries being filled with ladies, who used
+their opera-glasses with freedom to discover the notable personages
+in Court, and to watch Sir William Gordon-Cumming under examination.
+The great counsel of the day were engaged. Sir Edward Clarke
+(Solicitor-General), with Mr. C. F. Gill as his junior, conducted
+the case for Sir William Gordon-Cumming; and Sir Charles Russell
+(afterwards Lord Chief-Justice), with Mr. Asquith, appeared for the
+defendants, the Attorney-General having withdrawn from the case.
+
+The Solicitor-General made a speech of singular power and skill on
+behalf of his client. The point of the defence was that Sir William
+Gordon-Cumming--who was accused of the trick known as _la poussette_,
+by which a player at baccarat increases his stake after he sees that
+the cards are in his favour or the _coup_ has been declared--had simply
+been playing on a system. This theory Sir William supported in the
+witness-box with great steadiness, and though his cross-examination
+was most severe, he maintained that on no occasion had he wrongfully
+increased the stake. When the cross-examiner came to a document which
+the plaintiff had signed, practically admitting his guilt, and which
+had been witnessed by the King, Sir William’s explanation was, in
+effect, that he was hopeless of convincing those round him of his
+innocence, and that he desired for his own sake and that of others to
+avoid a scandal.
+
+King Edward entered the witness-box and was sworn in the ordinary
+way on the second day. Sir Edward Clarke addressed him as “Sir” and
+“Your Royal Highness,” and Sir Charles Russell did the same. His
+Majesty gave his evidence with much frankness, but it was largely of
+a formal character. He did, however, say that at the time when, as
+banker, he questioned Sir William Gordon-Cumming on the largeness of
+his winnings, he did not think he had been cheating; but he added, in
+cross-examination by Sir Charles Russell, that in advising Sir William
+Gordon-Cumming to sign the document, he considered he had been acting
+most leniently.
+
+As the King was leaving the witness-box an amusing incident occurred. A
+juryman rose from the back of the jury-box, and with _naïf_ frankness
+put two important questions--whether the King had ever seen Sir William
+Gordon-Cumming cheating, and whether he believed him to be guilty. In
+reply to the first question the King answered that the banker would not
+be in a position to see foul play, and that among friends it would not
+be expected; and to the second he replied that, Sir William’s accusers
+being so numerous, he could not but believe them. Having elicited these
+very important facts, the little juryman sat down, and the King left
+the box with a smile and a bow.
+
+The King’s evidence was followed by that of General Owen Williams,
+who, with Lord Coventry, drew up the document signed by the plaintiff.
+General Williams made two important statements--that he believed Sir
+William guilty, and that the King had objected to his placing his hands
+on the table in such a way that the counters could not properly be
+seen. In the course of the evidence it came out that the stakes played
+for on the two evenings were not large, but that Sir William won in all
+£225, which was paid him by cheque and which he retained.
+
+The trial lasted seven days, and on 9th June the jury, after ten
+minutes’ deliberation, returned a verdict for the defendants.
+
+The most extraordinary interest was taken in the case, both in this
+country and on the Continent and in America, no doubt chiefly owing to
+the Heir-Apparent’s connection with it. A Prince of Wales has rarely
+been called as a witness in a case, although, of course, in the theory
+of English law, all men are equal, and the privileges, if any, which
+would attach to him would not attach to him in his capacity as Prince
+of Wales or Heir-Apparent to the Throne, but simply in his capacity as
+a peer of the United Kingdom.
+
+It was pointed out by many that the conduct attributed to Sir William
+Gordon-Cumming was obviously not that of an officer and a gentleman,
+and in the House of Commons a week after the trial the Secretary of
+State for War expressed the regret of the King that he had not required
+Sir William to submit his case to the Commander-in-Chief.
+
+The criticism which was directed against the King’s connection with
+this lamentable business was largely based on ignorance of all the
+circumstances. His Majesty’s own view is clearly stated in a private
+letter which he wrote about two months afterwards to his old friend
+Dr. Benson, who was then Archbishop of Canterbury, and which was
+first published in that prelate’s life, some years later. King Edward
+wrote:--
+
+                    “R. YACHT ‘OSBORNE,’ COWES, _13th August 1891_.
+
+    “MY DEAR ARCHBISHOP--Your kind letter of the 10th instant
+    has touched me very much, as I know the kind feelings which
+    prompted you to write to me on a subject which we have
+    discussed together, and which you are aware has caused me deep
+    pain and annoyance.
+
+    “A recent trial, which no one deplores more than I do, and
+    which I was powerless to prevent, gave occasion for the Press
+    to make most bitter and unjust attacks on me, knowing that
+    I was defenceless, and I am not sure that politics were not
+    mixed up in it! The whole matter has now died out, and I think
+    therefore it would be inopportune for me in any public manner
+    to allude again to the painful subject which brought such a
+    torrent of abuse upon me not only by the Press but by the Low
+    Church, and especially the Nonconformists.
+
+    “They have a perfect right, I am well aware, in a free country
+    like our own, to express their opinions, but I do not consider
+    that they have a just right to jump at conclusions regarding
+    myself without knowing the facts.
+
+    “I have a horror of gambling, and should always do my utmost to
+    discourage others who have an inclination for it, as I consider
+    that gambling, like intemperance, is one of the greatest curses
+    which a country could be afflicted with.
+
+    “Horse-racing may produce gambling or it may not, but I have
+    always looked upon it as a manly sport which is popular with
+    Englishmen of all classes, and there is no reason why it should
+    be looked upon as a gambling transaction. Alas! those who
+    gamble will gamble at anything. I have written quite openly
+    to you, my dear Archbishop, whom I have had the advantage of
+    knowing for so many years.
+
+    “Thanking you again for your kind letter, and trusting that you
+    will benefit by your holiday, believe me, sincerely yours,
+
+                                                   “ALBERT EDWARD.”
+
+The King became a grandfather for the first time this spring, for on
+17th May the Duchess of Fife gave birth to a daughter at East Sheen
+Lodge. The question was immediately raised whether the infant should
+take Royal rank as a Princess of the Blood. When Sir William Beechey
+painted his portrait of Princess Victoria, the distance between the
+Duke of Kent’s little daughter and the throne was as great as, or even
+greater than, that of the little daughter of Princess Louise at her
+birth. It was ultimately settled, in accordance with the wishes, it was
+understood, of both King Edward and the Duke of Fife, that the infant
+should simply take the rank and precedence of a Duke’s daughter, and be
+called Lady Alexandra Duff.
+
+The child was christened on 29th June in the Chapel-Royal, St.
+James’s. Queen Victoria came to London to act as sponsor to her
+great-granddaughter, and King Edward and Queen Alexandra were
+joint sponsors for their grandchild. The Archbishop of Canterbury
+administered the rite of baptism. Queen Alexandra took the child from
+the nurse and placed her in the arms of Queen Victoria, who gave the
+names of Alexandra Victoria Alberta Edwina Louise.
+
+This autumn the King celebrated his fiftieth birthday, and it was
+computed that in his half-century of existence His Majesty must have
+been prayed for aloud in Anglican churches alone at least a hundred
+million times. On this occasion the theatrical managers of London
+presented a magnificent gold cigar-box, weighing 100 ounces, to His
+Majesty.
+
+The month of December has been one of peculiar ill-omen to the Royal
+Family, and it seemed as if December 1891 was to prove no exception.
+For Queen Alexandra and her daughters, who had been to Livadia on a
+visit to the Tsar, were recalled by the illness of Prince George, and
+the King and Queen went through some days of terrible anxiety. As soon
+as Prince George was declared to be suffering from enteric fever he
+was removed from Sandringham to London, and it was there that he was
+nursed. The illness evoked a remarkable degree of public sympathy,
+though perhaps the serious nature of the Prince’s condition was hardly
+realised till all danger was practically over.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVI
+
+THE DUKE OF CLARENCE AND AVONDALE
+
+
+The year 1892 opened auspiciously both for the Royal family and the
+nation, inasmuch as, immediately on the convalescence of Prince George,
+the engagement of his elder brother, the Duke of Clarence and Avondale,
+to Princess Victoria Mary of Teck was announced. The projected alliance
+was received with every possible expression of popular approval. The
+public career of the Duke of Clarence, short as it had been, had
+already confirmed him in the public estimation as a worthy son of
+his father, who was known to have actively superintended the whole
+course of his education. A significant proof of the young Prince’s
+amiability and unpretending modesty was to be found in the large number
+of personal friends whom he attached to himself, both at Cambridge and
+among his comrades of the 10th Hussars, by ties of sincere esteem.
+Moreover, it was generally known that between the Duke of Clarence
+and his mother there existed the strongest possible link of filial
+and maternal love, and so the Prince came to share in a measure the
+high place which Queen Alexandra has always held in the hearts of the
+British people.
+
+The circumstances of the mournful event which threw a gloom over
+the whole winter of 1892 are still fresh in the memory of the
+nation. On 9th January the Duke of Clarence, who was spending the
+Christmas holidays with his parents at Sandringham, was attacked with
+influenza, having caught cold at the funeral of Prince Victor of
+Hohenlohe-Langenburg.
+
+[Illustration: THE DUKE OF CLARENCE AND AVONDALE
+
+_From a Photograph by Chancellor, Dublin_]
+
+Two days later the late Duchess of Teck wrote to Lady Salisbury
+a letter which pathetically reflects the anxiety prevailing at
+Sandringham:--
+
+                                  “SANDRINGHAM, _January 11, 1892_.
+
+    “… After Sir Francis Knollys’s letter and the anxious tidings
+    in this morning’s papers you will not be surprised to hear from
+    me that we feel we must ask you and dear Lord Salisbury to let
+    us postpone the so-looked-forward-to visit until we can really
+    enjoy it; for although I hope and believe dear Eddy is doing as
+    well as can be expected at this stage of this fearful illness,
+    I cannot conceal from you that we are very anxious, and must
+    continue so until the crisis is over and the inflammation has
+    begun to subside. His strength is very fairly maintained; the
+    night was a tolerable one; he has two admirable nurses, and
+    both Doctors Broadbent and Laking [now Sir William Broadbent
+    and Sir Francis Laking] are attending him; so that Eddy has
+    every care, and with youth on his side and God’s blessing, I
+    trust we may soon see him on the road to recovery, and who
+    knows?--perhaps even our visit to Hatfield may yet come off
+    before you move to London. As at present arranged we stay on
+    here until Wednesday or so; but, of course, everything depends
+    on the progress the dear patient (a _most exemplary one_, the
+    Doctors say) makes. May is wonderfully good and calm, but it is
+    terribly trying for her.…”
+
+Notwithstanding the most devoted care and the most skilful nursing, the
+Prince passed away on the 14th, within a week of the day on which the
+tidings of his illness had first gone forth. Then, if ever, King Edward
+and Queen Alexandra must have realised the respect and affection with
+which they are regarded by the British people. Their Majesties received
+the most touching letters from all over the world. One of those they
+most valued was from the Zulu chiefs at St. Helena. This was conveyed
+to the Prince through Miss Colenso, and ran as follows:--
+
+“We have heard of the death of Prince Edward, the son of the Prince of
+Wales. We lament sincerely. Pray you present our lamentation to them
+all--to his grandmother, to his father and his mother, and his brother.”
+
+Their Majesties showed how deeply they appreciated the sympathy so
+spontaneously offered to them on every side by publishing the following
+Message:--
+
+                              “WINDSOR CASTLE, _20th January 1892_.
+
+    “The Prince and Princess of Wales are anxious to express to
+    Her Majesty’s subjects, whether in the United Kingdom, in the
+    Colonies, or in India, the sense of their deep gratitude for
+    the universal feeling of sympathy manifested towards them at a
+    time when they are overwhelmed by the terrible calamity which
+    they have sustained in the loss of their beloved eldest son. If
+    sympathy at such a moment is of any avail, the remembrance that
+    their grief has been shared by all classes will be a lasting
+    consolation to their sorrowing hearts, and if possible will
+    make them more than ever attached to their dear country.”
+
+The Archbishop of Canterbury (Dr. Benson) was at Biskra when he heard
+of the lamentable death of the Duke of Clarence. The Archbishop wished
+to return home at once, and in sending a telegram of condolence to the
+bereaved father he stated his intention of so doing, but King Edward,
+with his usual kindly consideration, telegraphed to him that he was on
+no account to curtail his holiday. The telegram was followed by this
+letter, which is given in the Archbishop’s Life:--
+
+                        “SANDRINGHAM, NORFOLK, _27th January 1892_.
+
+    “MY DEAR ARCHBISHOP--Only a short time ago I received such
+    a kind letter from you, in which you agreed to perform the
+    marriage ceremony at St. George’s for our eldest son. Since
+    then I have received another letter from you containing such
+    kind and sympathetic words, in which you expressed a desire to
+    return home to take part in his Funeral Service.
+
+    “It was like yourself, kind and thoughtful as you always are,
+    but I could not allow you to undertake that long journey
+    and return to our cold climate and to an atmosphere still
+    impregnated with that dire disease when your absence abroad in
+    a warmer climate is so essential for your health and strength.
+
+    “It has pleased God to inflict a heavy, crushing blow upon
+    us--that we can hardly realise the terrible loss we have
+    sustained. We have had the good fortune of receiving you here
+    in our country home on more than one occasion, and you know
+    what a happy family party we have always been, so that the
+    wrenching away of our first-born son under such peculiarly sad
+    circumstances is a sorrow, the shadow of which can never leave
+    us during the rest of our lives.
+
+    “He was just twenty-eight; on this day month he was to have
+    married a charming and gifted young lady, so that the prospect
+    of a life of happiness and usefulness lay before him. Alas!
+    that is all over. His bride has become his widow without ever
+    having been his wife.
+
+    “The ways of the Almighty are inscrutable, and it is not for
+    us to murmur, as He does all for the best, and our beloved son
+    is happier now than if he were exposed to the miseries and
+    temptations of this world. We have also a consolation in the
+    sympathy not only of our kind friends but of all classes.
+
+    “_God’s will be done!_
+
+    “Again thanking you, my dear and kind Archbishop, for your
+    soothing letter, which has been such a solace to us in our
+    grief, I remain, yours very sincerely,         ALBERT EDWARD.”
+
+On the Sunday following the death of the Duke a private service
+was held in Sandringham Church, attended by King Edward and Queen
+Alexandra, their daughters, Princess Victoria Mary of Teck, and Prince
+George. By the King’s special wish his elder son was given the simplest
+of military funerals, and the coffin was removed from Sandringham to
+Windsor on a gun-carriage, escorted by a number of the Prince’s old
+comrades in arms. On the coffin lay the Prince’s busby and a silken
+Union Jack, and even at Windsor, where among the impressive mass of
+mourners every Royal House was represented, everything was severely
+simple, and the pall-bearers were officers of the 10th Hussars.
+
+The career of the Prince, so suddenly cut off ere he had well
+reached his prime, in addition to its historical interest, throws an
+instructive light on the pains which King Edward has always expended on
+the education and training of his children. On none of his children did
+the King bestow more loving thought and care than on his eldest son,
+who was destined, as it then seemed, one day to bear all the anxieties
+and responsibilities of the British Crown.
+
+Prince Albert Victor was popularly, but quite erroneously, supposed
+to be a weakly, delicate child. The two nurses who successively had
+the principal charge of him--Mrs. Clark and Mrs. Blackburn--agreed
+in repudiating this idea, and their testimony is certainly supported
+by the photographs which were taken of the Prince in babyhood. His
+early death is to be attributed, not to any original delicacy of
+constitution, but to the weakness following a severe attack of typhoid,
+which delayed by two months his joining the _Britannia_.
+
+Once out of the nursery, the brothers were committed to the charge
+of a tutor selected for them by Queen Victoria--the Rev. John Neale
+Dalton--an admirable choice as events proved. From childhood Prince
+Albert Victor was devotedly attached to his younger brother, Prince
+George, who warmly reciprocated his affection, and their father wisely
+determined that the two boys should not be separated, but should
+enter the Royal Navy together as cadets. This was done in June 1877,
+Prince Albert Victor being then thirteen and a half and Prince George
+being some seventeen months younger. From the very first King Edward
+caused it to be understood that his sons were to enjoy no privileges
+on account of their rank, but were to be treated exactly like their
+fellow-cadets on board the _Britannia_, and made to learn their
+profession just as if they had been the sons of an ordinary private
+gentleman. The only exceptions were that Mr. Dalton attended the
+Princes as governor, and that, by special request of the Admiralty,
+their hammocks were slung behind a separate bulkhead in a space about
+12 feet square. The young Princes spent two years in the _Britannia_,
+and both obtained a first-class in seamanship, entitling them to three
+months’ sea-time, and for general good conduct they obtained another
+three months.
+
+The King thoroughly realised the benefit he had himself derived from
+the travels which he had undertaken as a youth, and therefore he
+arranged that his sons should spend three years in making a tour round
+the world, that their minds might be equipped by experience of men and
+cities, and that they might acquire an abiding impression of the extent
+and resources of the British Empire. Accordingly, the young Princes
+started in the _Bacchante_ cruiser, Captain Lord Charles Scott, being
+again entrusted to the care of Mr. Dalton, who was afterwards made a
+Canon of Windsor. Canon Dalton, it is interesting to note, attended
+Prince George when, as Duke of Cornwall and York, and accompanied by
+the Duchess of Cornwall and York, he visited Australia to inaugurate
+the Federal Parliament, coming home by New Zealand and Canada.
+
+The Princes kept careful diaries, and on their return they published
+a detailed account of their experiences. In the _Bacchante_, just as
+in the _Britannia_, they were treated exactly like other officers of
+their age and standing, except that they had a private cabin under the
+poop. They joined the gun-room mess, the members of which were granted
+a special allowance--an arrangement which had before been made when the
+Duke of Edinburgh began his naval career.
+
+The _Bacchante_ cruised to Gibraltar, Messina, Gibraltar again,
+Madeira, the West Indies, and home to Spithead on 3rd May. Then, on
+19th July, the Princes rejoined the _Bacchante_ for another cruise,
+first with the combined Channel and Reserve Squadrons to Bantry Bay
+and Vigo, and afterwards to Monte Video. The ship arrived off the
+Falkland Islands, but the Princes never landed, as had been arranged,
+for the troubles in South Africa had come to a head and the squadron
+was suddenly ordered to the Cape. The _Bacchante_ reached Simons Bay on
+16th February, and not many days later came the news of Majuba Hill and
+Laing’s Nek.
+
+Early in April the Princes left for Australia, a voyage which was
+destined to be not without danger, for the _Bacchante_ broke a portion
+of her steering-gear in a heavy gale. Temporary repairs were effected,
+and the vessel’s course was altered for Albany, in Western Australia.
+While the _Bacchante_ was refitting, their Royal Highnesses visited
+the chief Australian ports in a passenger steamer called the _Cathay_,
+being everywhere received with enthusiastic loyalty. At last, rejoining
+the _Bacchante_, they said good-bye with regret to Australia, and on
+the voyage home they visited Fiji, Japan (where they were received with
+great ceremony by the Mikado), Shanghai, Hong-Kong, Singapore, and
+Colombo. Thence they proceeded to Suez, where they had the pleasure of
+meeting the great de Lesseps, and went in the Khedive’s yacht on a trip
+up to the First Cataract, as their parents had done in 1869.
+
+A somewhat prolonged tour in the Holy Land followed, their Royal
+Highnesses visiting those sacred scenes which their father had visited
+before they were born. The Princes left Beirut for Athens on 7th May,
+and there they had the pleasure of meeting their uncle, the King of
+the Hellenes, and thence they went to Suda Bay to take part in a
+naval regatta, in which the _Bacchante’s_ boats covered themselves
+with glory. By way of Sicily and Sardinia, the Princes passed on to
+Gibraltar, there renewing their old acquaintance with the famous Lord
+Napier of Magdala. It is a pathetic circumstance that both Lord Napier
+and, but two years afterwards, the Duke of Clarence and Avondale, were
+borne to the grave on the same gun-carriage.
+
+At length the long voyage came to an end. Off Swanage the _Osborne_,
+with King Edward, Queen Alexandra, and the three young Princesses,
+met the _Bacchante_ early in August. A visit to Queen Victoria at
+Osborne followed, and the two Princes were shortly afterwards confirmed
+in Whippingham Church by Archbishop Tait, who said to them in his
+address:--
+
+“From this time forward your course of life, which has been hitherto
+unusually alike, must, in many respects, diverge. You will have
+different occupations and different training for an expected difference
+of position.”
+
+[Illustration: QUEEN ALEXANDRA
+
+_From a Photograph by Gunn and Stuart_]
+
+The Archbishop was a true prophet. It was indeed necessary now to
+separate the brothers. Prince George, as the younger son, might be left
+to continue his career in the noble service to which he had become
+devoted, but his elder brother, being in the immediate succession to
+the Throne, must, it was felt, be associated, as his father had been
+before him, with other walks of national life as well. First of all,
+it was decided, must come some terms at Cambridge University, and
+to prepare Prince Albert Victor in the particular kind of knowledge
+required Mr. J. K. Stephen was associated with Mr. Dalton in the summer
+of 1883. Mr. Stephen, the son of one of the greatest Judges who ever
+adorned the English Bench--Sir James Fitz-James Stephen--was not merely
+a most lovable man, possessed of extraordinary intellectual powers,
+but his total personality was of so rare a kind as to be indescribable
+to those who never came under its conquering influence. Probably from
+no human being were all things mean and paltry so utterly alien. Large
+in heart and mind as he was large in bodily frame, he left, when an
+untimely death snatched him away, not only a bitter personal grief
+among his friends, but a conviction that the nation’s loss was even
+greater than theirs.
+
+Prince Albert Victor became warmly attached to Mr. Stephen, who gives
+in some private letters, quoted in Mr. J. E. Vincent’s memoir of the
+Duke of Clarence and Avondale, a characteristic picture of the life
+led by the Royal pupil and his tutors in a little house in the park at
+Sandringham.
+
+“He is a good-natured, unaffected youth,” writes Mr. Stephen, “and
+disposed to exert himself to learn some history.… We are six in this
+little house, a sort of adjunct to the big one in whose grounds it
+stands, and we lead a quiet and happy reading-party sort of life with
+all the ordinary rustic pursuits.” The other four members of the party
+were Mr. Dalton, “a lively little Frenchman,” “a young aristocrat,
+whose father is the Earl of Strathmore, and a naval lieutenant, kept
+on shore by a bad knee, both of whom are very pleasant, and have more
+brains than they take credit for.”
+
+In October 1883 the King accompanied Prince Albert Victor to Cambridge,
+and saw him matriculated as an undergraduate member of Trinity
+College, that ancient and splendid foundation to which he himself
+belonged. Two sets of rooms, one for the Prince and one for Mr. Dalton,
+were prepared on the top floor of a staircase in Nevile’s Court, the
+quietest court in Trinity.
+
+It was at Cambridge that certain sterling qualities possessed by Prince
+Albert Victor first became manifest to any considerable circle, and
+through them to the public at large. His life at the University was
+simple and well ordered. He had not--nor was it desirable that he
+should have--the specialised intellect which wins University prizes
+and scholarships, but he displayed in a marked degree that peculiarly
+Royal quality of recognising intellect in others. Of those whom he
+admitted to his friendship while at Cambridge nearly all have become,
+or are becoming, distinguished in various walks of life. He was not
+distinguished from his undergraduate contemporaries except by the silk
+gown of the fellow-commoner--the Prince never wore the gold tassel to
+which he was entitled--and by immunity from University examinations.
+
+It must not, however, be supposed that the Prince was idle at the
+University. On the contrary, he read for six or seven hours a day
+regularly--a good deal more than the average undergraduate can be
+persuaded to do; and he was in another respect intellectually ahead of
+most of his contemporaries, namely, in his familiar knowledge of modern
+languages. He had read German at Heidelberg with Professor Ihne, and
+he kept it up while at Cambridge with a German tutor. He spoke French
+easily and well, and he had also a literary knowledge of that language,
+having spent some time in Switzerland with a French tutor. His college
+tutor was Mr. Joseph Prior. Mr. Stephen exercised a general supervision
+over his reading, and he attended the late Professor Seeley’s History
+Lectures and Mr. Gosse’s Lectures on English Literature.
+
+Prince Albert Victor strongly resembled his father in many respects,
+notably in his habits of order and method, and in his complete freedom
+from affectation or assumption. He was, indeed, if anything, almost
+too modest and retiring, but those who knew him bore witness to his
+real geniality and thoughtful consideration for others. At Cambridge he
+attended his College chapel twice on Sundays, and once or twice during
+the week. He generally dined in the College hall, when he would be
+assigned a place at the Fellows’ table. He was fond, however, of giving
+little dinner-parties of six or eight in his own rooms in College,
+usually on Thursdays, his guests on these occasions often including
+some of the senior members of the University.
+
+After dinner, the Royal host would generally arrange a rubber or two of
+whist. He did not play cricket or football, but was fond of polo and
+hockey, and he occasionally hunted. He might often have been met in
+the neighbourhood of Cambridge riding in the company of a few of his
+undergraduate friends, to whom he liked to offer a mount, especially in
+cases where he knew it was needed. The Prince had an inherited love of
+music, and he attended pretty regularly some weekly concerts of chamber
+music given at the Cambridge Town Hall. He was also a member of the
+Cambridge A.D.C., and patronised its performances, and he occasionally
+attended the debates at the Union, though he did not speak himself.
+He joined the University Volunteer Corps, and was photographed in his
+uniform.
+
+One traditionally Royal quality the Prince possessed in an
+extraordinary degree, namely, a perfectly marvellous memory for names
+and faces. Indeed, his memory in general was singularly tenacious, and
+in his historical studies he exhibited a wonderful power of quickly
+mastering the most intricate genealogical tables.
+
+The Prince went for the Long Vacation on a reading party to Heidelberg,
+and while there he received an amusing poem from Mr. H. F. Wilson, one
+of his Cambridge friends, which is printed in Mr. Vincent’s memoir. The
+following may be quoted as perhaps the most characteristic lines:--
+
+    Your kitten broadens to a cat,
+    And wonders what her master’s at;
+    Is she to wait your Highness’ will,
+    And stay with Mrs. Jiggins still?
+    Or shall we pack her in a box,
+    And send her off from London Docks?
+    Meanwhile she slays the casual mouse,
+    And dreams at night of Marlborough House.
+    …
+    And finally a word we send
+    To our Philosopher and Friend;
+    They say he’s coming in July--
+    We hope ’tis true, for, verily,
+    We miss our mine of curious knowledge,
+    And, when we get him back in College,
+    We mean to drop a pinch of salt on
+    The tail of Mr. J. N. Dalton.
+
+The Prince came of age in 1885, and the house-party at Sandringham
+given to celebrate the occasion was one of the largest gatherings ever
+held there. The company included a considerable number of Prince Albert
+Victor’s Cambridge friends.
+
+On the conclusion of Prince Albert Victor’s residence at Cambridge,
+the honorary degree of LL.D. was conferred upon him, and then his
+father decided that it was time for him to enter the army. He was
+gazetted a lieutenant in the 10th Hussars, of which the King is now
+colonel-in-chief, and while he was quartered at Aldershot the father
+and son saw a great deal of each other. In the army, as in the navy,
+Prince Albert Victor was treated as far as possible exactly like his
+brother officers; and indeed it is highly probable that, had he been
+offered any exceptional privileges, he would have steadily refused to
+take advantage of them. The Prince became a captain in the 9th Lancers
+and in the 3rd King’s Royal Rifles and aide-de-camp to the Queen in
+1887, and two years later attained the rank of major, returning to his
+old regiment, the 10th Hussars.
+
+Prince Albert Victor’s training as a soldier was real and thorough.
+He was not spared the drudgery of drill and the riding school through
+which the ordinary subaltern has to pass, and yet at the same time
+his work was frequently interrupted by the duty of attending various
+ceremonial functions. This life was but sparingly varied with days
+with the hounds and shooting, to which the Prince eagerly looked
+forward. It is generally agreed by his contemporaries that he became
+an excellent officer, and his private letters to his friends prove how
+absorbed he was in his military career.
+
+King Edward had retained such pleasant recollections of his own visit
+to India, that he determined that his elder son should at an early date
+make a tour in the great Eastern dependency. The tour was arranged,
+and proved extremely successful from every point of view, the Prince
+particularly enjoying the excellent and varied sport shown him by his
+keen Indian hosts. His Royal Highness was gazetted honorary colonel of
+the 4th Bengal Infantry, the 1st Punjab Cavalry (Prince Albert Victor’s
+Own), and the 4th Bombay Cavalry.
+
+Soon after his return from India, Prince Albert Victor was created Duke
+of Clarence and Avondale, and Earl of Athlone, in the peerage of the
+United Kingdom. He was formally introduced to the House of Lords by
+his father on 23rd January 1890, the ceremony being watched by Queen
+Alexandra from a gallery. This was an event unique in English history.
+The Duke of Clarence was the only eldest son of a Prince of Wales who
+attained his majority, to say nothing of taking his seat in the House
+of Lords, while his father was still Heir-Apparent to the Crown.
+
+During the year which followed, the King gave up regularly a certain
+portion of his time to initiating his elder son in all the varied, if
+monotonous, duties which were likely to fall to his lot, a task which
+was really in no wise irksome, for those who knew the Duke of Clarence
+best were well aware that his father had ever been his best friend, and
+that he himself was never so happy as when he was allowed to share in
+any sense his father’s life and interests.
+
+After the death of the Duke of Clarence, the King and his family
+naturally retired into the deepest privacy, and it was many months
+before His Majesty had sufficiently recovered from the blow to be able
+to take up again the thread of his public duties.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVII
+
+THE HOUSING OF THE WORKING CLASSES--MARRIAGE OF PRINCE GEORGE--THE
+DIAMOND JUBILEE--DEATH OF THE DUCHESS OF TECK
+
+
+The year 1893 brought to the King a very fortunate distraction,
+which prevented his mind from dwelling too much on his still recent
+bereavement in a way that could not have been accomplished by the
+customary round of ceremonial visits and functions. This distraction
+was his appointment as a member of the Royal Commission on the Housing
+of the Poor. The King was genuinely delighted with this opportunity.
+He threw himself with the greatest zeal into the work, and not only
+attended all the sittings, which took place in one of the House of
+Lords’ Committee Rooms, but visited, _incognito_, some of the very
+poorest quarters of London. It is well known that he was exceedingly
+anxious to serve on the Labour Commission, but Ministers have always
+been unwilling that the Heir-Apparent should take an active part in
+matters connected, even indirectly, with politics, and he has had,
+therefore, constantly to play the part of the Sovereign’s deputy
+without the responsibilities and interests naturally attaching to the
+position.
+
+It is no exaggeration to say that there are few men now living who
+possess better general qualifications for the difficult work of serving
+on Royal Commissions than the King. He is familiar with an almost
+bewildering variety of subjects, and possesses a wonderful faculty for
+almost instinctively grasping the important features and the really
+essential points of any matter under discussion. He is a model chairman
+of a committee, and, though he cannot ever display the slightest
+trace of personal or party feeling, it is well known that he follows
+with intense interest all the political and social movements of the
+day, and it is no secret that he is thoroughly an Imperialist.
+
+[Illustration: KING EDWARD AND QUEEN ALEXANDRA, WITH THE DUCHESS OF
+FIFE AND LADY ALEXANDRA DUFF
+
+_From a Photograph by Gunn and Stuart_]
+
+The King’s work on the Housing of the Poor Commission was particularly
+congenial to him, for he has always shown an unaffected interest in the
+working classes. He has long been an annual subscriber to the Working
+Men’s Club and Institute Union, and is a generous donor to the Working
+Men’s College. Still more recently, in his reply to the loyal address
+of condolence presented to him by the London County Council on the
+death of Queen Victoria, His Majesty made a significant allusion to his
+interest in the problem of the housing of the working classes. In 1889,
+some years before the King joined the Housing of the Poor Commission,
+he took the trouble to go to Lambeth on business seemingly of nothing
+but local interest--namely, to receive a deputation of working men on
+the subject of providing a park for the district. His host was the late
+Primate, Dr. Benson, who thus describes the scene in his diary:--
+
+“Went up to receive Prince of Wales and twelve Representative Working
+Men at Lambeth. The latter to read him an address on the purchase of
+‘The Lawn,’ South Lambeth, for a Public Park, and its great importance
+to them and their children. Their chairman read a natural, honest
+speech; nothing could be better than the tone and line of the Prince’s
+answer. They were delighted by his strong shake of the hand. ‘Not the
+tips of his fingers,’ they said; ‘working men have feelings, and they
+would not like that.’ And, ‘It isn’t everybody that education refines
+as it has him,’ said a blacksmith. ‘When he’s king I shall be able
+to say that I’ve shook hands with the Crown,’ said an engine-driver.
+Octavia Hill, and James Knowles, and my wife were the only people
+admitted besides his Equerry, and Donaldson, and Phillips. It will do
+good, and he spoke so well.”
+
+This incident is only mentioned as one out of many that could be
+cited in proof, if proof were needed, of His Majesty’s keen interest
+in everything that concerns the welfare of the working classes. On
+another occasion the King was accidentally informed that an exhibition,
+promoted by the working men in South London, was somewhat languishing
+for lack of sufficient notice, and unofficially His Majesty arranged to
+visit the exhibition. He went through it carefully, buying and paying
+for such articles as took his fancy, and the moment the fact became
+known, the promoters had no reason to complain of neglect on the part
+of the general public, who were eager to see what had interested so
+good a judge of exhibitions as King Edward.
+
+Throughout the year 1893 the King was busily employed in other ways
+also. In March he paid a formal visit to the Public Record Office to
+inspect some of the priceless national manuscripts deposited there, and
+in May he had the satisfaction of seeing that great enterprise which he
+had himself originated, the Imperial Institute, inaugurated in State by
+his Royal Mother. It was at the Institute that Mr. Gladstone was hissed
+by some unmannerly persons, to the great annoyance of the King, who
+never concealed the strong respect and esteem in which he held both Mr.
+and Mrs. Gladstone.
+
+It is interesting also to record that in March of this year the Queen,
+who was accompanied by her son, was received by the Pope in private
+audience. The interview lasted about an hour.
+
+The official announcement was made, appropriately enough in May, of
+the betrothal of the King’s son, then Duke of York, to Princess May of
+Teck. It is recorded in the late Duchess of Teck’s _Life_ that Prince
+George proposed to Princess May on 3rd May 1893, at Sheen Lodge, which
+for some time had been occupied by the Duke and Duchess of Fife. Both
+the bride and her mother agreed that the trousseau should be entirely
+of home workmanship. “I am determined,” said the Duchess of Teck, “that
+all the silk shall come from England, all the flannel from Wales,
+all the tweeds from Scotland, and every yard of lace and poplin from
+Ireland.” The wedding gown was woven at Spitalfields, and was of silver
+and white brocade, the design being of roses, shamrock, and thistles.
+The bridal veil--the same which had been worn by the bride’s mother on
+her wedding day in 1866--was of the finest Honiton lace, designed in a
+sequence of cornucopiæ filled with roses, thistles, and shamrock.
+
+[Illustration: QUEEN VICTORIA AND THE DUKE AND DUCHESS OF CORNWALL AND
+YORK
+
+_From a Photograph by Hughes and Mullins, Ryde_]
+
+The time of the short engagement was filled with preparations of all
+kinds, and from a letter written by Mrs. Dalrymple, and quoted in the
+Duchess of Teck’s _Life_, we obtain a good idea of how the days passed
+by at White Lodge:--
+
+“I remember the happy afternoon I spent at White Lodge a few days
+before the marriage. We were a large and merry party, including the
+Grand Duchess of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, and some time was spent in
+looking at the numerous presents. Tea was served on the lawn under the
+copper beech, and the dear Princess sat at the head of the table making
+tea for all; on one side of her was a pile of telegrams received,
+while on the other, scattered about amongst the cups, were packets
+of telegraph forms. Messages were constantly being delivered, and
+the Princess and the Duke as quickly wrote out the replies; no word
+of complaint was uttered at these incessant interruptions. Her Royal
+Highness’s amiable readiness to accede to the many appeals for a place
+from which to see the bridal procession was wonderful. Princess Mary
+begged me to visit her the day after the marriage, and her eyes filled
+with tears as she spoke of parting from ‘her precious child.’ Much,
+however, as I wished to accept the suggestion, I did not do so, but
+implored the Princess to take the rest that I knew she so urgently
+needed.”
+
+The qualities both of head and of heart possessed by Prince George’s
+bride were, at any rate partially, realised by the nation. An incident
+that occurred at St. Moritz in 1894 is not so well known. The Duchess
+of Teck and her daughter were on a visit there when a fire broke out
+which entirely destroyed several shops and houses, and threatened
+destruction to the lower village. Both the Princess and her mother took
+active steps to rescue the goods from burning, carrying out the things
+in their arms. They were the first to go among the sufferers by the
+fire offering words of consolation, and started a subscription in their
+aid.
+
+After a very short engagement, the marriage took place in the
+Chapel-Royal, St. James’s, on 6th July, in the presence of all the
+Royal family, as well as the present Emperor of Russia and the King
+and Queen of Denmark. King Edward naturally took a prominent part
+in supervising all the arrangements, and was much gratified by the
+outburst of popular enthusiasm which greeted his son’s union with the
+daughter of the universally-beloved Duchess of Teck.
+
+It is interesting to note how frequently, ever since the marriage, the
+King has associated his heir with himself in the performance of his
+public duties, while the constant companionship of father and son is a
+striking testimony to their complete sympathy with one another.
+
+The following year was notable for two Royal marriages in the King’s
+immediate circle, and for a bereavement which touched both His Majesty
+and the Queen in their closest family affections. The King went to
+Coburg in April to be present at the wedding of his niece, Princess
+Victoria Melita of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, and his nephew, the Grand
+Duke of Hesse, the only son of the lamented Princess Alice. The
+occasion brought together a remarkable number of prominent members of
+Royal Houses, including Queen Victoria and the German Emperor, and was
+rendered additionally memorable by the fact that the engagement of the
+present Tsar of Russia to the bridegroom’s sister was then publicly
+announced.
+
+The King, who was on this occasion accompanied by Queen Alexandra, went
+to St. Petersburg in August for the wedding of the Grand Duchess Xenia,
+which was celebrated with all the lavish magnificence of Russian Court
+ceremonies.
+
+Although the Tsar was not then in his usual robust health, there was
+nothing to indicate how soon the King and Queen were to be recalled
+to Russia on a far different mission. To their lasting sorrow, the
+summons to the Tsar’s death-bed at Livadia arrived too late for them to
+be present at the last. Their Majesties left London on 31st October,
+immediately on receipt of an urgent message from the Tsaritsa, and had
+proceeded as far as Vienna when the news was broken to them that all
+was over. They, however, continued their melancholy journey, which
+was much delayed by bad weather, in order that they might be with the
+widowed Empress and her son through the terrible strain of the return
+to St. Petersburg, and the ordeal of the funeral ceremonies.
+
+The King’s fifty-third birthday was spent at Livadia, and for the first
+time since his birth the anniversary celebrations in London and at
+Sandringham did not take place.
+
+When the funeral _cortège_ reached St. Petersburg, Prince George joined
+his parents, and together they attended the elaborate obsequies of the
+Emperor, and the very quiet wedding of the young Tsar and Princess
+Alix of Hesse, which followed a few days later. The King remained in
+Russia for the Queen’s birthday, and left with his son the following
+day, while Her Majesty stayed behind to support her sister, the Empress
+Alexander.
+
+The relations between England and Russia after the King’s return became
+noticeably more cordial, and there is no doubt that this was owing in
+a large measure to His Majesty’s personal exertions, and the sympathy
+which he and his son displayed with the Russian people in their great
+sorrow.
+
+During this year of 1894 the King exhibited his usual complaisance
+in attending various local ceremonies. Among these may be mentioned
+the opening of the Tower Bridge by the King and Queen, on behalf of
+Queen Victoria, in June; while in July their Majesties attended the
+Welsh Eisteddfod at Carnarvon, where they were received with great
+enthusiasm. A special session was held, at which the King was initiated
+as “Iorweth Dywysog” (Edward the Prince), Queen Alexandra as “Hoffder
+Prydain” (Britain’s Delight), and the Princess Victoria as “Buddug”
+(the modern Welsh form of Boadicea).
+
+The King was always willing to emphasise his connection with the
+Principality from which he then took his title, and when the
+long-desired University of Wales became an accomplished fact, he
+readily consented to be its first Chancellor. His Majesty was installed
+in this office at Aberystwyth in June 1896, and his first act as
+Chancellor was to confer an honorary degree on Queen Alexandra. At
+the luncheon which followed, the King’s health was proposed by Mr.
+Gladstone.
+
+In the following month, the marriage of Princess Maud to Prince
+Charles of Denmark took place in the chapel of Buckingham Palace in the
+presence of Queen Victoria and the Royal families of the two countries.
+
+Archbishop Benson officiated at the wedding, and he gives the following
+charming description of the ceremony in his diary:--
+
+“Married the Princess Maud to Prince Charles of Denmark. The brightest
+of the Princesses, and almost as young as when I confirmed her. He is a
+tall, gallant-looking sailor. Hope he will make her happy. The Chapel
+and old conservatory ineffectually disguised by church furniture--all
+well arranged, and the banquet also. The whole very royally done. The
+group of great peers of the Queen’s Household afterwards was striking,
+as were the greater peers also in Chapel, and Mr. Gladstone decidedly
+ageing and paling, though they say he is well. The Queen was the
+wonderful sight--so vigorous. In the Bow Room afterwards, where fifty
+Royalties signed the book, she called me to her, and I knelt and kissed
+her hand, and she talked very spiritedly a few minutes. As soon as it
+was over an Indian servant wheeled in her chair to take her out; she
+instantly waved it back. ‘Behind the door,’ she said, and walked all
+across the room with her stick most gallantly.”
+
+The month of May was naturally a very busy one for the King and Queen.
+On the 22nd their Majesties, representing Queen Victoria, opened the
+new Blackwall tunnel in State, the East End of London giving them a
+right Royal reception. On this occasion His Majesty was presented with
+one of the heaviest gold medals ever struck in England, weighing 12
+ounces, and bearing on the reverse a representation of the tunnel in
+perspective. On the 26th His Majesty opened the new Medical School of
+Guy’s Hospital; on the 27th the King and Queen, with their son and two
+of their daughters, opened the Royal Military Tournament; on the 28th,
+at the request of Queen Victoria, the King and Queen, accompanied by
+Princess Victoria, laid the first stone of the Royal London Ophthalmic
+Hospital in the City Road; on the 29th the King and Queen, with their
+son and two of their daughters, went down to Canterbury to open the
+restored Chapter-house of the Cathedral, and in the evening the King
+dined with the past and present officers of the Norfolk Artillery
+Militia, of which he is honorary colonel. On the 31st the King held a
+_levée_ at St. James’s Palace, and in the evening dined with the 1st
+Guards Club.
+
+[Illustration: THE KING IN THE UNDRESS UNIFORM OF AN ADMIRAL OF THE
+FLEET
+
+_From a Photograph taken in 1897 by Mullins, Ryde_]
+
+This is a short summary, which does not pretend to be by any means
+exhaustive of His Majesty’s engagements for a very few days, but it
+brings out perhaps more vividly than a detailed list could possibly do
+the whole-hearted manner in which the King threw himself into the great
+tide of national rejoicing which reached its flood in that memorable
+June of 1897.
+
+King Edward, for a variety of reasons, took a much greater part in
+the Diamond Jubilee festivities of 1897 than he did in those of ten
+years before. All the arrangements were submitted for his approval as
+well as Queen Victoria’s, and it was largely owing to his conspicuous
+organising ability that everything went off with such triumphant
+success. Both the King and Queen Alexandra associated themselves in a
+special manner with the occasion, the former by his Hospital Fund for
+London, and the latter by her thoughtful scheme of providing one good
+dinner for the very poorest. The Hospital Fund greatly benefited by the
+sale of a special stamp, the design of which was selected by the King
+himself.
+
+King Edward, who had been made an honorary Admiral of the Fleet at
+the Golden Jubilee of 1887, represented his mother at the magnificent
+naval review at Spithead, which was generally agreed to be, in its way,
+the finest spectacle of all that the Jubilee festivities afforded.
+Many foreign warships were sent by other countries as tokens of
+international courtesy. Towards the officers of these vessels the King
+displayed all his wonted cordiality; and in the arrangements for their
+entertainment his efforts were heartily seconded by Viscount Goschen,
+then First Lord of the Admiralty, and the other naval authorities.
+The spectacle of so vast a concourse of British vessels was rendered
+doubly impressive by the knowledge that it had been assembled without
+weakening in the slightest degree the squadrons on the numerous British
+naval stations all over the world. There was much point in the remark
+said to have been made by the United States Special Ambassador to the
+First Lord: “I guess, sir, this makes for peace!”
+
+On the eventful morning of the 22nd June, when the Jubilee honours
+were announced, it was found that Queen Victoria, while conferring
+some mark of her favour on each of her sons, had created a new and
+special dignity for the Heir-Apparent. The announcement was made in the
+following terms:--
+
+“The Queen has been graciously pleased, on the occasion of Her
+Majesty’s Diamond Jubilee, to appoint Field-Marshal His Royal Highness
+the Prince of Wales, K.G., G.C.B., to be Great Master and Principal
+Knight Grand Cross of the Most Honourable Order of the Bath.”
+
+That this distinction was very gratifying to the King was significantly
+shown in the following month, when he gave a great banquet at St.
+James’s Palace to the Knights Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath in
+celebration of his appointment. It was an absolutely unique gathering
+of men who had rendered distinguished service to the State, in
+statesmanship, in diplomacy, in the profession of arms, in the navy,
+and in the departments of civil administration.
+
+Since his accession, His Majesty has appointed his brother, the Duke of
+Connaught, to succeed him as Great Master of the Order of the Bath.
+
+By command of Queen Victoria, the King held a State reception and
+investiture at St. James’s Palace on 21st July, when he received on
+behalf of Her Majesty a large number of Diamond Jubilee addresses and
+invested the newly-created Companions of the Orders of the Bath, the
+Star of India, St. Michael and St. George, and the Indian Empire,
+and on the same day His Majesty also opened the new Tate Gallery at
+Millbank.
+
+It was in this month that His Majesty was elected to the fellowship
+of the Royal College of Physicians of London at a comitia of the
+College--an honour which he valued highly. As a non-medical fellow the
+King had had only three predecessors, the Marquis of Dorchester in
+1658, the Duke of Manchester in 1717, and the Duke of Richmond in 1729.
+The Royal diploma was, it is understood, specially composed for the
+occasion, and did not give the new fellow complete freedom to practise
+in his new profession! Later on, His Majesty was destined to experience
+in his own person the marvellous benefits which modern surgery has
+placed at the service of suffering humanity.
+
+[Illustration: THE KING AS GRAND MASTER OF THE KNIGHTS-HOSPITALLERS OF
+MALTA, AT THE DUCHESS OF DEVONSHIRE’S BALL
+
+_From a Photograph by Lafayette_]
+
+The rest of the Diamond Jubilee year was spent in comparative quietude
+by the King and Queen Alexandra, although His Majesty took an active
+part in the exceptionally brilliant season. He attended, among other
+great functions, the Fancy Dress Ball given by the Duchess of
+Devonshire, wearing on this occasion the splendid costume of the Grand
+Master of the Knights-Hospitallers of Malta.
+
+King Edward and Queen Alexandra left Marlborough House on 10th August
+for Bayreuth, and His Majesty arrived at Marienbad on the 18th,
+travelling _incognito_ as Lord Renfrew. Her Majesty went to Bernstorff
+to visit her parents, and was joined there early in September by the
+King. His Majesty afterwards visited the Empress Frederick at Cronberg,
+and returned to Marlborough House on 25th September, while Her Majesty
+prolonged her stay in Denmark till October.
+
+On 16th October the King stood as sponsor at the christening of
+the infant son and heir of the Duke and Duchess of Marlborough--an
+interesting occasion, for His Majesty had been godfather to the Duke
+himself some twenty-five years before.
+
+This summer was also rendered memorable for the visit paid by the Duke
+and Duchess of Cornwall and York to Ireland. Their Royal Highnesses
+spent a fortnight there, stopping with the Lord-Lieutenant, Earl
+Cadogan, in Dublin; afterwards visiting some of the great houses of the
+Irish nobility, and seeing a great deal of the lovely scenery for which
+Ireland is famous, including Killarney, from which the Duke takes the
+title of Baron.
+
+In Dublin the Duke of Cornwall and York and the ever-popular Lord
+Roberts were installed with great pomp and ceremony as Knights of the
+Order of St. Patrick. The Duke wore the same sword which his father had
+used when he was installed some three-and-twenty years before.
+
+[Illustration: THE DUKE OF CORNWALL AND YORK IN HIS ROBES AS A KNIGHT
+OF ST. PATRICK
+
+_From a Photograph by Lafayette_]
+
+His Royal Highness on the termination of the visit wrote the following
+letter to Lord Cadogan, the Lord-Lieutenant:--
+
+        “MOUNT STEWART, NEWTOWNARDS, CO. DOWN, _8th September 1897_.
+
+    “DEAR LORD CADOGAN--I cannot leave Ireland without expressing
+    to you, on behalf of the Duchess of York and myself, our very
+    sincere appreciation of the warm and enthusiastic welcome which
+    has been accorded to us during our visit by all classes and in
+    all parts of the country.
+
+    “Nothing could have exceeded the kindness and hospitality which
+    have been shown to us, and the agreeable impressions which we
+    have derived from our visit can never be effaced from our
+    memory. I regret that the limited time at our disposal rendered
+    it impossible for us to see many districts in a country which
+    contains so much that is beautiful and interesting. I hope,
+    however, that we may have further opportunities of improving
+    our acquaintance with the people of Ireland and with the
+    country of which they are so justly proud.--Believe me, very
+    sincerely yours,
+
+                                                          “GEORGE.”
+
+Their Royal Highnesses came home by way of Scotland, visiting Glasgow,
+where they performed several ceremonial functions, and staying with
+Lord Rosebery at Dalmeny for two nights. They then went to Ness Castle
+and on to Guisachan for fishing and deer-stalking as the guests of Lord
+and Lady Tweedmouth, and ultimately visited Queen Victoria at Balmoral.
+
+This Royal visit to Ireland exhibited in a striking manner the extent
+to which party passions had been allayed in the distressful country.
+The Duke and Duchess had everywhere a respectful and frequently an
+enthusiastic reception; and in almost every address received by their
+Royal Highnesses the desirability of establishing a Royal residence in
+Ireland was pointedly referred to. The profound effect of the visit was
+seen a month or two later, when, on the death of the lamented Duchess
+of Teck, the Lord Mayor and Lady Mayoress of Dublin telegraphed their
+condolences, both officially and privately, not to the Duke of Teck, as
+might have been expected, but to the Duke and Duchess of Cornwall and
+York. On this mournful occasion, also, the Corporation of “rebel” Cork
+passed a resolution of sympathy.
+
+[Illustration: THE DUCHESS OF CORNWALL AND YORK
+
+_From a Photograph by Chancellor, Dublin_]
+
+The death of the Duchess of Teck on 27th October was a terrible
+blow to the King and Queen Alexandra. In the previous April the
+Duchess had undergone a severe operation with the magnificent courage
+characteristic of her, and as soon as she was able to receive visitors
+the very first who came was King Edward. Her Royal Highness seemed
+quite to have conquered her malady. She went up to London from White
+Lodge in June, and bore her part in many of the Diamond Jubilee
+rejoicings. No one who saw the Jubilee procession will ever forget the
+people’s welcome to the Duchess of Teck--great in the West End, but
+greatest of all in the poorer parts of London, and second only to the
+reception accorded to Queen Victoria herself. The Duchess attended the
+Garden Party at Buckingham Palace, and at the Duchess of Devonshire’s
+ball she appeared as the Electress Sophia. Visits to Northumberland
+and Westmoreland followed, but towards the end of October, when Her
+Royal Highness had returned to White Lodge, the illness returned. The
+surgeons again operated successfully, but the patient could not rally
+from the shock.
+
+There had been practically no warning, so that the news came with
+equal suddenness both to the Royal Family and the nation. King Edward
+and Queen Alexandra immediately hurried up from Sandringham, and
+afterwards, at the deeply impressive funeral in St. George’s Chapel,
+Windsor, His Majesty represented his Royal mother.
+
+This bereavement was the more terrible from its utter unexpectedness,
+and, as has been so singularly often the case in our Royal Family,
+it happened in the autumn. Princess Mary, who stood in the relation
+of second cousin to King Edward, was, although belonging technically
+to the same generation as Queen Victoria, but a few years older than
+His Majesty, and the most affectionate and close relations had always
+existed between them, a fact shown on many occasions throughout their
+joint lives, and nowhere more strikingly than in the great satisfaction
+expressed by both the King and Queen Alexandra at the marriage of their
+only surviving son to the daughter of the Duke and Duchess of Teck.
+
+Earlier in the autumn an attempt was made to use the King’s great
+personal prestige and popularity in order to bring to a close the
+struggle between masters and men in the engineering trade. The writer
+received the following reply:--
+
+           “MARLBOROUGH HOUSE, PALL MALL, S.W., _8th October 1897_.
+
+    “DEAR SIR--I am directed by the Prince of Wales to acknowledge
+    the receipt of your letter of the 4th inst., and to inform
+    you, in reply, that, while he deeply deplores the disastrous
+    state of affairs in the engineering industry, he feels that it
+    would not be right or proper for him to attempt in any way to
+    interfere or to mix himself up in them. His Royal Highness
+    regrets that he is unable to act on your suggestion.--I am,
+    Sir, your obedient servant,
+
+                                                 “FRANCIS KNOLLYS.”
+
+Towards the end of November the King visited Durham, and in his reply
+to the inevitable address gave some interesting reminiscences of the
+late Bishop of the diocese. He said:--
+
+“Dr. Lightfoot, who was transferred from his theological studies in
+the University of Cambridge to undertake the administration of a large
+and important diocese, evinced a powerful personality of character
+through the brilliancy of his intellect, his profound learning, his
+earnest piety, and a capacity for organisation so remarkable as almost
+to appear intuitive.… I may mention that I myself was personally
+acquainted with Bishop Lightfoot when I was an undergraduate at
+Cambridge, and I wish to add my own testimony to the admiration and
+regard with which he inspired all who, like myself, had the advantage
+of knowing him.”
+
+On 21st December Queen Alexandra received a grateful address from the
+chairmen of the sixty local committees who were entrusted with the
+management of Her Majesty’s Diamond Jubilee dinner fund for the poor of
+London, and so ended this eventful year.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVIII
+
+LATER YEARS--A SERIOUS ACCIDENT TO THE KING--GRADUAL RECOVERY--THE
+ATTEMPT ON THE KING’S LIFE
+
+
+The year 1898, destined to bring His Majesty a serious accident and a
+tedious convalescence, opened uneventfully. On New Year’s Day the King
+accepted the post of Patron of the Fourth International Congress of
+Zoology, which had arranged to meet at Cambridge in August. In January,
+too, the Brixton branch of the Social Democratic Federation sent to the
+King a proposal that the Government should organise a system of State
+maintenance of the underfed London school children. In reply, Sir F.
+Knollys wrote:--
+
+“His Royal Highness directs me to assure you that he feels the greatest
+sympathy for the large number of underfed and half-starved children
+living in London, and although he is afraid he does not feel himself
+at liberty to support your particular proposal, it will give him much
+pleasure to send a donation to the London Schools Dinner Association,
+which he understands is doing very good work in the required direction.”
+
+In March the King went to Cannes, and saw President Faure in Paris on
+his way thither. On 10th March His Majesty laid the first stone of a
+new jetty at Cannes in the midst of a brilliant assemblage. He said,
+speaking to the Mayor:--
+
+“You know what pleasure it gives me to spend a few weeks in your
+beautiful country, where I always meet with a hospitable reception.… In
+laying the first stone of the new jetty, in accordance with your kind
+wish, I desire to tell you especially how touched I was at your having
+thought of giving it my name. I trust that the very wise and unanimous
+impulse given by you to yachting at Cannes will not fail of its effect.
+You can safely rely upon my support, for I am sincerely glad to see
+this friendly competition between our two countries developed, and,
+as you have so well said, I hope with you that this ceremony may be a
+fresh pledge of cordial relations between France and Great Britain.”
+
+To M. Leroux, Prefect of the Alpes Maritimes, His Majesty said:--
+
+“I am touched by the sentiments which, in the name of the Government of
+the Republic, you have just expressed. I sincerely hope that France may
+long enjoy the benefits of the Government which you represent, and that
+the cordial relations between France and Great Britain may continue
+for the good of humanity. I am, indeed, happy to be able to lend my
+co-operation to this hospitable country, for which I wish the greatest
+prosperity.”
+
+On 25th April His Majesty opened the Royal Photographic Society’s
+International Exhibition at the Crystal Palace. The Society was
+founded in 1853 under the auspices of Queen Victoria and the Prince
+Consort. The King naturally took special interest in the exhibit of
+his Hospital Fund for London, which included photographs of the “Roll
+of Ministering Children.” This roll comprised so many portraits of the
+King’s descendants that His Majesty drily observed that he seemed to be
+surrounded by grandchildren.
+
+This spring His Majesty was much occupied with the preparations for the
+Paris Exhibition of 1900. He was Chairman of both the executive and the
+finance committee of the Royal Commission which was appointed to see
+that Great Britain was adequately represented.
+
+On 18th May the King reviewed the Lancashire Hussars at Birkdale, it
+being the jubilee of this yeomanry regiment, and also visited Southport
+and Wigan. On 20th May he reviewed the Royal Bucks Hussars in Howe Park.
+
+The death of Mr. Gladstone caused much sorrow both to His Majesty and
+to Queen Alexandra, who had frequently demonstrated the regard in which
+they held the veteran statesman and his devoted wife. At the funeral
+of Mr. Gladstone in the Abbey on 28th May 1898 the King was the chief
+pall-bearer with his son, the Duke of Cornwall and York, and at the
+close of the service, with the other pall-bearers, they kissed the hand
+of Mrs. Gladstone. Queen Alexandra and the Duchess of Cornwall and York
+were present at the service.
+
+Soon afterwards their Majesties lost another old friend, and curiously
+enough a devoted follower of Mr. Gladstone, namely, the first Lord
+Playfair, so long known as Sir Lyon Playfair, who had taught the King
+science in His Majesty’s student days at Edinburgh.
+
+On 31st May the _London Gazette_ published the following, which was
+naturally of much interest to the King:--
+
+“The Queen has been pleased, by Letters Patent under the Great Seal,
+to declare that the children of the eldest son of any Prince of Wales
+shall have, and at all times hold and enjoy, the style, title, and
+attribute of ‘Royal Highness.’”
+
+On 8th June Queen Alexandra presented prizes in the Albert Hall to the
+boys of the Royal Masonic Institution at Woodgreen. His Majesty, in
+acknowledging a vote of thanks to her, said:--
+
+“Though the Princess has set a good example, as the wife of a
+Freemason, in not attempting to discover the secrets of our craft, I
+think she has taken a philanthropic interest in all that concerns our
+works.”
+
+Three days later the King opened the Reading University Extension
+Hospital and inspected the Royal Berkshire Hospital, afterwards going
+on a visit to his old friends Lord and Lady Wantage at Lockinge. On
+18th June the King distributed the prizes at Wellington College, and on
+21st June, accompanied by the Queen, he laid the foundation stone of
+the new buildings of the North London or University College Hospital.
+
+A week later the King paid a visit to Lord and Lady Warwick, and much
+enjoyed driving in motor cars, then a comparatively novel form of
+conveyance. During the visit Lady Warwick drove the King to Barford to
+call upon Mr. Joseph Arch, M.P., in his cottage. His Majesty had a high
+opinion of Mr. Arch, who had risen by his own exertions from a very
+humble origin, and at that time represented the electoral division of
+Norfolk in which Sandringham is situated.
+
+[Illustration: THE DUKE OF CONNAUGHT
+
+THE LATE DUKE OF SAXE-COBURG
+
+QUEEN VICTORIA
+
+THE GERMAN EMPEROR
+
+THE EMPRESS FREDERICK
+
+KING EDWARD VII.
+
+_From a Photograph by J. Russell and Sons_]
+
+On 7th July the King, with the Duke of Sparta, who was on a visit to
+this country, attended the presentation of colours by Queen Victoria to
+the 3rd Coldstream Guards at Aldershot.
+
+The King met with a serious accident on 18th July while at Waddesdon
+Manor, Bucks, on a visit to Baron Ferdinand de Rothschild. His
+Majesty slipped in descending a staircase and sustained a fracture
+of the knee-cap, but was able to travel to Marlborough House the
+same afternoon. Not much progress was made, however, and on the 19th
+Sir William MacCormac and Sir Francis Laking decided to call in the
+famous surgeon, Sir Thomas Smith, who had undoubtedly prolonged the
+Duchess of Teck’s life. It is interesting to note that the Röntgen
+rays were employed to ascertain the extent of the injury, probably
+the first occasion of their being used for a Royal patient. Rest was
+compulsory, and though it must have been irksome in the extreme to one
+of the King’s active habits, yet nothing could exceed the cheerfulness
+displayed by the patient.
+
+On the 21st Lord Lister, the “father” of antiseptic surgery, was called
+in, and with characteristic consideration, in view of the anxiety
+exhibited by the whole Empire, the King authorised the publication of a
+detailed statement regarding the accident.
+
+From this it appeared that he missed his footing while coming down the
+spiral staircase at Waddesdon Manor, and in the sudden severe effort
+made to save himself from falling sustained a fracture of the left
+patella. “About one-fifth of the bone, somewhat crescentic in shape,
+was torn away, along with the tendinous insertion of the quadriceps
+extensor, and the gap between the fragments amounted to a little more
+than two inches.” Sir W. MacCormac and Sir Francis Laking concluded
+their statement by the remark that the illustrious patient “is bearing
+the enforced restraint with exemplary patience and good temper.” Of
+course what every one feared was some permanent lameness or weakness of
+the limb, but this, as will be seen from what follows, was fortunately
+averted.
+
+Queen Alexandra was unremitting in her attentions to the invalid, and
+was with difficulty prevailed upon to leave his room for necessary air
+and exercise. On the 23rd Mr. Alfred Fripp, Surgeon-in-ordinary, who
+was away on his honeymoon at the time the accident occurred, joined the
+other medical attendants, who in consultation decided that the patient
+might attend the Cowes Regatta on board the Royal yacht _Osborne_. It
+was hoped that the change of scene would facilitate recovery, and the
+decision was also naturally gratifying to Queen Victoria, who was then
+in residence at Osborne, and wished to be near her son.
+
+On Sunday, the 24th, the patient was connected by electrophone with
+St. Michael’s, Chester Square, and heard his honorary chaplain, Canon
+Fleming, refer to the accident and the national anxiety it had caused.
+In the evening the invalid heard a sacred concert, also through the
+electrophone.
+
+The Sultan was greatly concerned at the news of the accident, and even
+offered to send the well-known Turkish surgeon, Djemal Pasha, to attend
+on the patient.
+
+It was characteristic of the King’s kindly consideration that before
+leaving London for Cowes he sent a gold scarf-pin, set with emeralds,
+and a letter of thanks to Dr. Shaw, the local practitioner who had
+attended him at Waddesdon immediately after the accident.
+
+On 30th July the King, accompanied by the Queen, Princess Victoria,
+and Prince Nicholas and Princess Marie of Greece, left London for
+Cowes. Sir F. Laking and Mr. Fripp were in medical attendance, and
+the transport to Paddington, and thence by the Queen’s train to
+Portsmouth Jetty, was accomplished with complete comfort and safety.
+The patient was carried by bluejackets in his invalid’s chair on board
+the _Osborne_, and it is needless to say that the “handy men” did
+their work to perfection, with masculine strength allied to womanly
+tenderness. On the 31st Queen Victoria visited the patient and found
+him in excellent spirits and making good progress.
+
+The Queen of Denmark fell seriously ill at this time, and as King
+Edward was going on so well, Queen Alexandra left on 3rd August for
+Copenhagen, attended by Miss Knollys and Sir Francis Laking. Princess
+Victoria remained with her father.
+
+On the 6th it was announced that no further bulletins would be
+issued, as the King’s progress was so satisfactory. Queen Victoria
+paid him frequent visits, and on the 12th Lord Rosebery was his
+guest. The _Osborne_ often went for short cruises, sometimes as far
+as the Needles, and the King was much gratified to have his son and
+daughter-in-law with him, as well as his grandchildren, the little
+Princes Edward and Albert.
+
+At length on the 23rd the _Osborne_ left for a longer cruise in the
+Channel, the programme including visits to Plymouth and Torquay.
+Mr. Fripp was in medical charge. This did the patient great good,
+and at some of the places at which the yacht touched he was able to
+obtain carriage exercise, four of the _Osborne’s_ bluejackets having
+been drilled as a carrying party. His Majesty thoroughly realised
+that complete recovery must not only be a matter of time, but must
+also depend on strict obedience to the doctors’ orders, and, as the
+event proved, he showed himself a model patient in every way. Queen
+Victoria’s anxiety about her son abated, and she was able to leave
+for Balmoral on 31st August. The patient particularly enjoyed the
+opportunity of entertaining his friends on board the yacht, including
+the Portuguese Minister and Mr. Christopher Sykes. He paid a long visit
+to Mount Edgcumbe, landing and driving in the park.
+
+On 2nd September the _Osborne_ returned to Cowes, and on the following
+day the patient was allowed to stand up for the first time and to walk
+very carefully a distance of three feet.
+
+The health of the Queen of Denmark continued to give great anxiety
+to His Majesty, and the Duke and Duchess of Cornwall and York, with
+little Prince Edward, left England for Copenhagen to be present at the
+celebration of the aged Queen’s birthday, which seemed only too likely
+to be the last that she would ever spend on earth.
+
+On the 8th the King was able to visit Osborne--of course in an invalid
+chair. On the 12th it was announced that a considerable degree of
+mobility had been obtained in the knee joint, and on the 14th the
+patient, accompanied by Princess Victoria, left for Balmoral.
+
+At this time, in spite of the tiresome restraints imposed on him by
+his accident, the King did another of those graceful little actions
+which have helped so much to strengthen his hold over the affections
+of his subjects all over the world. Some time before this His Majesty
+had assisted Sir James Woodhead, then Mayor of Cape Town, to procure a
+mace for the city, made of oak from the timbers of Nelson’s flagship,
+the _Victory_. Unfortunately, the piece of wood sent out proved to be
+so much decayed as to be practically useless. Another application was
+made to the King, who again interested himself in the kindest manner
+in the matter, with the result that a fairly sound piece of wood was
+despatched, and the grateful council of Cape Town passed a unanimous
+resolution of thanks to their Royal benefactor. It is not a very
+important incident, but it illustrates His Majesty’s willingness not
+only to take trouble, but to go on taking trouble.
+
+The King derived the greatest benefit from the splendid air of Deeside,
+and about the middle of September Mr. Fripp, his Surgeon-in-ordinary,
+was able to return to London. While His Majesty was in Scotland Lord
+Crawford celebrated the quincentenary of his earldom, and the King sent
+him the following kindly telegram:--
+
+“Allow me to offer you my sincerest congratulations on the 500th
+anniversary of the creating of your title.--ALBERT EDWARD.”
+
+On 23rd September the King left Balmoral to stay with the Duke and
+Duchess of Fife at Mar Lodge, and on the 27th the recovery of His
+Majesty was, so to speak, officially marked by the announcement in
+the _London Gazette_ that Queen Victoria had appointed Sir William
+MacCormac and Sir Francis Laking to be Knight-Commanders, and Mr.
+Fripp and Fleet-Surgeon Delmege to be Members of the Royal Victorian
+Order, “in recognition of their services in connection with the recent
+accident met with by His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales.”
+
+All this time the condition of the venerable Queen of Denmark had been
+fluctuating, now an improvement and now a relapse being reported. At
+last the end came on 29th September, and the Balmoral _Court Circular_,
+in recording the mournful event, announced:--
+
+“The Queen’s beloved daughter-in-law, the Princess of Wales, was in
+constant attendance on her mother, to whom she was devotedly attached.”
+
+The utmost sympathy was shown by all classes with King Edward and Queen
+Alexandra in this terrible bereavement. The King was represented at
+the funeral by his son, and the Duke of Cambridge represented Queen
+Victoria. Queen Alexandra of course remained at Copenhagen for the last
+sad rites.
+
+On 16th October the King returned to London, the only trace of his
+accident being a very slight limp, which was soon got rid of, and on
+the 28th His Majesty received Lord Kitchener, who had come home with
+all the laurels of Omdurman. On 1st November Queen Alexandra and her
+son returned from Copenhagen, and their Majesties soon afterwards paid
+a short visit to Sandringham. Before the end of November the _Lancet_
+was able to assure the public that the King’s recovery was complete,
+and His Majesty showed his gratitude to Sir William MacCormac by his
+presence when, in the following February, the eminent surgeon delivered
+the Hunterian Oration at the Royal College of Surgeons of England.
+
+On 6th February 1899 another sad bereavement befell the King in the
+death of Prince Alfred, the only son of his brother, the Duke of
+Saxe-Coburg and Gotha.
+
+The King soon returned to his active public life. On 2nd March His
+Majesty presided at a meeting held at Marlborough House to establish
+the League of Mercy, the purpose of which was to promote more
+systematic contributions to his Hospital Fund for London. On 8th July
+the King reviewed some 26,000 Metropolitan Volunteers on the Horse
+Guards Parade. Queen Alexandra watched the review, and her son and the
+Duke of Connaught marched past at the head of the corps of which they
+are honorary colonels. On 20th July the King and Queen opened the new
+buildings of the Alexandra Hospital for Children with Hip Disease in
+Bloomsbury, and on the following day their Majesties entertained 1200
+hospital nurses at Marlborough House at a garden party in connection
+with the Royal National Pension Fund for Nurses. On 22nd July the
+King, who was accompanied by his son and daughter-in-law, was an
+interested spectator of the International University Sports, when the
+representatives of Oxford and Cambridge beat the champions of Harvard
+and Yale by five events to four. In September His Majesty presented new
+colours to the 1st Gordon Highlanders at Ballater.
+
+[Illustration: THE KING WITH THE LADIES DUFF
+
+_From a Photograph by Messrs. Downey_]
+
+The autumn of 1899 was signalised by the visit which was paid to this
+country by the German Emperor and Empress, who were accompanied by two
+of their sons, Prince Augustus William and Prince Oscar. Their Imperial
+Majesties were royally entertained at Windsor by Queen Victoria, to
+whom they had come to pay their respects, a great State banquet being
+the chief among the festivities. King Edward naturally took a prominent
+part in the reception of the German Emperor, who particularly enjoyed
+some capital shooting on his uncle’s estate at Sandringham. At the time
+of His Imperial Majesty’s visit, the British arms in South Africa were
+not meeting with conspicuous success, and various political motives
+were freely attributed to the Kaiser, but the mass of the British
+people were content to take the event for what it seemed to be--namely,
+a tribute of respect to the venerated British Sovereign on the part
+of her grandson. Queen Victoria took the opportunity to appoint the
+Kaiser an honorary G.C.V.O., and to confer various grades of the same
+decoration on the members of His Imperial Majesty’s suite, which
+included more than one eminent German statesman.
+
+The year 1900 was perhaps the most eventful in King Edward’s life, for
+it saw the first attempt that had ever been made to kill him. Queen
+Victoria’s memorable visit to Ireland began on the very same day on
+which this dastardly attempt was perpetrated. Her Majesty landed at
+Kingstown on the morning of Wednesday, 4th April, and made her State
+entry into Dublin. Meanwhile King Edward and Queen Alexandra left
+England for Copenhagen. As the train by which they were travelling
+to Denmark was leaving the Nord Station at Brussels in the evening,
+a youth named Sipido jumped on the footboard of the Royal carriage
+and fired two shots from a revolver into the saloon. Fortunately they
+completely missed the King, who behaved with the utmost coolness, and
+as quickly as possible telegraphed a reassuring message to his Royal
+mother.
+
+Sipido, who was of course instantly arrested, declared that he had
+intended “to kill the Prince because His Royal Highness had caused
+thousands of men to be slaughtered in South Africa.” There is no doubt
+that the youth’s mind had become infuriated, partly by Anarchist
+doctrines, partly by reading the abominable libels which for some
+time had been circulated in the disreputable Continental journals
+regarding the conduct of the war in South Africa. Unfortunately it
+has to be recorded that not disreputable journals alone were guilty.
+For instance, the issue of the _Kladderadatsch_, the German _Punch_,
+published just before the attack on the King, contained a paragraph
+of the grossest and most insulting character, completing a series of
+abominably scurrilous attacks on His Majesty.
+
+Widespread indignation was aroused, not only in the British Empire,
+but also throughout the Continent, and the King and Queen were
+the recipients of many thousands of telegrams of sympathy and
+congratulation on His Majesty’s happy escape. The King expressed a
+wish to have the bullet, and after the trial it was sent to him. It
+is significant of His Majesty’s kindly thought that he sent to M.
+Crocius, the stationmaster who seized Sipido, a valuable scarf-pin as
+an acknowledgment. M. Crocius also received the Royal Victorian Order
+and a letter of thanks from Queen Victoria.
+
+The King and Queen returned to London from Denmark on 20th April, and
+their arrival was made the occasion of a really remarkable popular
+demonstration. A few days later the Press was requested to publish the
+following graceful acknowledgment from His Majesty:--
+
+                                “MARLBOROUGH HOUSE, PALL MALL, S.W.
+
+    “I have been deeply touched by the numerous expressions of
+    sympathy and goodwill addressed to me on the occasion of the
+    providential escape of the Princess of Wales and myself from
+    the danger we have lately passed through.
+
+    “From every quarter of the globe, from the Queen’s subjects
+    throughout the world, as well as from the representatives and
+    inhabitants of foreign countries, have these manifestations of
+    sympathy proceeded, and on my return to this country I received
+    a welcome so spontaneous and hearty that I felt I was the
+    recipient of a most gratifying tribute of genuine goodwill.
+
+    “Such proofs of kind and generous feeling are naturally most
+    highly prized by me, and will for ever be cherished in my
+    memory.
+
+                                                   “ALBERT EDWARD.”
+
+The subsequent history of Sipido throws a curious light on Belgian
+notions of justice. He was placed on trial before the Brabant Assize
+Court on 2nd July, and admitted his guilt, acknowledging that the
+attempt was not meant as a joke. Although the jury on the 5th brought
+in a verdict of “guilty,” the Court acquitted the prisoner on the
+ground that he was “irresponsible,” but ordered him to be placed at
+the disposal of the Government till he attained the age of twenty-one.
+The Belgian Government, however, did not prevent him from fleeing to
+Paris, where he had relatives. Mr. Balfour stated in the House of
+Commons that the British Government had informed the Belgian Government
+that they considered the result of the proceedings to be a grave and
+most unfortunate miscarriage of justice. In excuse for not detaining
+Sipido, the Belgian Government pleaded that the youth could not be
+arrested during the three days’ interval to which he was entitled for
+deciding whether he should lodge an appeal. But this deceived no one,
+for it was not an illegal arrest which was desired, but ordinary police
+surveillance.
+
+Sipido did appeal against the sentence of the Assize Court, but the
+Brussels Court of Cassation rejected the appeal towards the end of
+September. The Belgian Government ultimately obtained the extradition
+of the youth from the French Government, and he arrived in Brussels in
+charge of the police on 27th October.
+
+The death of his brother, the Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (Duke of
+Edinburgh), in the summer of 1900, was a bitter grief to the King, who
+was present with the German Emperor at the funeral. The succession to
+the principality had been the subject of a family arrangement on the
+death of the heir, Prince Alfred, in 1899. The King himself had of
+course long ago renounced his rights, and the next heir, the Duke of
+Connaught, on behalf of himself and his son, Prince Arthur, did the
+same, with certain reservations. The duchy therefore passed to the
+young Duke of Albany, only son of the late Prince Leopold, who was then
+a boy in Mr. Benson’s house at Eton.
+
+On New Year’s Day 1901 the King was much gratified by the promotion
+of his son and heir to be Rear-Admiral, the more so as the Duke had
+fairly earned this advancement as judged by the ordinary standards
+of promotion in the Navy. The position to which His Royal Highness
+was raised by the death of his elder brother of course rendered it
+impossible for him thenceforward to be so closely associated with the
+sea service as, for example, his uncle, the Duke of Edinburgh, had
+been, and the step in rank was no doubt conferred in anticipation of
+the Duke’s approaching visit to Australia to inaugurate the Federal
+Parliament. The promotion was followed, a day or two afterwards, by
+the appointment of the Duke to be Colonel-in-Chief of the Royal Marine
+Forces.
+
+Dr. Creighton, Bishop of London, died on 14th January, and the King,
+who was so soon to need the deepest sympathy himself, wrote a long and
+touching letter of sympathy to the bereaved widow.
+
+[Illustration: SANDRINGHAM FROM THE GROUNDS
+
+_Photograph by Ralph, Dersingham_]
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIX
+
+THE KING AS A COUNTRY SQUIRE
+
+
+Sandringham is so closely associated in the public mind with King
+Edward and Queen Alexandra, whose country home it was for so many
+years, and is still to be from time to time, that no apology is needed
+for devoting to it a special chapter.
+
+When King Edward was about to set up a separate establishment,
+Queen Victoria and the Prince Consort instructed some of their most
+trusted friends to look out for a suitable country estate for the
+Heir-Apparent. At one moment it was proposed to buy Newstead Abbey, but
+its Byronic associations caused it to be purchased as soon as it came
+into the market. Eynsham, in Oxfordshire, an estate belonging to Lord
+Macclesfield, also came under consideration, as well as Elveden, in
+Suffolk, and Hatherop, in Gloucestershire. Lord Palmerston seems to
+have suggested Sandringham, which at that time belonged to his stepson,
+Mr. Spencer Cowper, and accordingly the Norfolk estate was bought for
+£220,000.
+
+The estate consisted of eight thousand acres, the nominal rental
+being about £7000 a year, but everything about Sandringham was at
+that time in very bad order. The house was small and dilapidated, and
+the shooting and outlying portions of the estate had been utterly
+neglected. It is said that the whole rental has been expended on
+the property during the last thirty-five or forty years, and a very
+considerable sum has also been spent on the new house, the new gardens,
+the park, and the home farms. Every kind of improvement has been
+carried out, gradually but steadily, and now it may be considered a
+model estate from every point of view. One of the first institutions
+set up by the King was an admirable village club, entirely built at His
+Majesty’s own expense. The regulations enforced are based on what is
+called Dr. Arnold’s system, and give the _maximum_ of freedom to the
+members.
+
+The old mansion, which was small and inconvenient, was pulled down,
+and the present house was erected on a more suitable site, from the
+designs of Mr. Humbert. The work was not completed till 1871. The new
+mansion is a very pretty gabled building, and though commodious enough,
+it will not compare in point of size with many of the “stately homes of
+England.” On the inner wall of the vestibule, above the hall door, is
+set a tablet bearing, in Old English characters, the inscription: “This
+house was built by Albert Edward, Prince of Wales, and Alexandra, his
+wife, in the year of Our Lord, 1870.”
+
+The Royal host and hostess, as well as their family and their guests,
+are wont to spend much of their time in the great hall, a really
+beautiful apartment, with a lofty ceiling of open oak work. Many
+family souvenirs are gathered here, including a fine painting of Queen
+Alexandra’s birthplace, portraits of the King and Queen of Denmark, two
+miniature cannon, which were given by Napoleon III. to the King and to
+his sister, the Empress Frederick, and a number of family portraits
+and photographs. Facing the main entrance is the head of a wild bull,
+belonging to the famous Chillingham herd, which was shot by the King in
+1872. Underneath are Sir Walter Scott’s lines:--
+
+    Fierce on the hunter’s quiver’d band
+      He rolls his eyes of swarthy glow,
+    Spurns with black hoof and horn the sand,
+      And tosses high his mane of snow.
+
+Though Sandringham can boast of no wild cattle, yet the King has been
+for many years a breeder of shorthorns and Southdown sheep on a large
+scale, and it is difficult to estimate the benefits which his example
+in this respect has conferred on the great agricultural industry. His
+Majesty has always been a very keen competitor at the various national
+and local shows, and he took his duties as President of the Royal
+Agricultural Society very seriously. All the Norfolk shows, from the
+flower show to the poultry show, are patronised by their Majesties;
+and in this, as in so many other matters, the Squire of Sandringham
+sets an excellent example to those round him. The Allotments Act was
+practically anticipated at Sandringham, and the tenants of His Majesty
+know that he interprets very generously any Act telling in their favour.
+
+The Royal Agricultural Society held its annual meeting in Dublin in
+1871, when the King, who was accompanied by the Duke of Connaught and
+Princess Louise (Duchess of Argyll), and the Duke of Argyll, paid one
+of his visits to Ireland. At the annual banquet of the Society His
+Majesty spoke in terms which demonstrate in the clearest manner his
+interest in agriculture and his sense of its importance in promoting
+the prosperity of the nation at large. He said, in the course of an
+unusually long speech:--
+
+“The theme before me--prosperity to Ireland--is one that might
+be enlarged upon greatly. No one wishes more sincerely than I do
+prosperity to this country. No one in the large assemblage which
+crowds this hall, and no one outside this hall, could more largely
+wish for the prosperity of Ireland which is so dear to them.… I may
+say that what will do more than anything else towards making a
+country prosperous is the extension of its agriculture. It was with
+great pleasure that I accepted the position of President of the Royal
+Agricultural Society, and it afforded me great pleasure to be present
+at the Show to-day. My brother has already alluded in his speech to the
+fine animals we saw, and I may add that I feel sure that in no other
+part of the United Kingdom could a more creditable Show be held than
+that which was opened near Dublin this morning. During the last four
+years there has been a great improvement in every respect in the shows
+of the Royal Agricultural Societies.…
+
+[Illustration: THE NORWICH GATE AT SANDRINGHAM
+
+_Photograph by Ralph, Dersingham_]
+
+“I am assured that if the many gentlemen and landlords who very often
+find some difficulty in leaving England, but who have large interests
+and large estates in this country, could contrive to come over here
+more frequently, it would do more good than anything else I could
+imagine. I am certain that they are anxious to come over, and that
+their relations with their tenantry and those around them should be
+in every respect good. I may also here refer to the great improvement
+made in the erection of farm buildings and cottages. Beyond doubt there
+has been progress in the direction of improvement there; but still
+I believe much yet remains to be done. Everything depends upon the
+well-being of the people, and if they are properly lodged it tends to
+cleanliness, and very possibly to moral advantage.
+
+[Illustration: THE EAST FRONT, SANDRINGHAM
+
+_Photograph by Ralph, Dersingham_]
+
+“Perhaps I may be allowed to speak of a slight personal experience in
+that matter. I have a small estate in Norfolk, and observed myself
+the great importance of providing suitable small cottages for those
+resident there, and, having done so, now reap immense advantage.”
+
+In the following year (19th June 1872) the King and Queen visited
+King’s Lynn to see the Annual Exhibition of the Norfolk Agricultural
+Society. At the entrance to the Show His Majesty said, in reply to the
+usual address presented on these occasions:--
+
+“It has been a source of the greatest gratification to have had
+it in my power to contribute in any degree to the success of your
+Association, and to promote the interests of agriculture in Norfolk.
+It is with these feelings that I have endeavoured to make myself
+acquainted with some of the operations of farming, and to acquire
+some knowledge of stock, and if I have not always been successful in
+the path of competition, I have at least obtained prizes sufficient
+to encourage me to persevere, and to indulge in the hope that I shall
+obtain more.”
+
+This hope of His Majesty’s was certainly justified, for he not only
+carried off six prizes at this Norfolk show, but he has ever since been
+a pretty regular prize-winner at the shows of the Royal Agricultural
+Society, the Bath and West of England, and other important exhibitions.
+
+In other speeches on the same occasion at King’s Lynn His Majesty said
+that during the ten years in which he had lived in Norfolk he had
+endeavoured not to lag behind those other county landlords who so ably
+fulfilled their duties. It would always be his earnest endeavour to
+promote the welfare of the county, in which he was much interested.
+He had to thank them for the kind reception which the Princess of
+Wales always experienced whenever she appeared in public. It was most
+desirable that ladies should associate themselves in their husbands’
+pursuits, and when the Princess did not accompany him he always felt
+that there was something wanting. His Majesty went on to express
+his own great personal interest in the Society and in the cause of
+agriculture generally. His late father, the Prince Consort, always felt
+the greatest interest in agriculture, and used to take his children to
+inspect his prize animals.
+
+The King also referred to the housing of the agricultural labourer,
+and said that a landlord ought to feel a pride in having the working
+classes properly housed on his estate. Those who worked from morning
+to night should find on their return a comfortable dwelling, which
+would promote their moral and social well-being. He had endeavoured
+to improve the cottages on his own estate, and he felt pride and
+satisfaction in having his workmen properly housed.
+
+Only about a fortnight later the King again demonstrated his interest
+in the county in which he had become a squire by visiting Great
+Yarmouth to inspect the Norfolk Artillery Militia. On that occasion he
+said:--
+
+“This is the first occasion since my return from abroad that I have
+met with an official reception, and my pleasure is increased from the
+fact that I regard myself as a Norfolk man. I have also to acknowledge
+the very high honour conferred upon me last year in my having been
+appointed Honorary Colonel of the Norfolk Militia Artillery.”
+
+[Illustration: QUEEN ALEXANDRA’S DAIRY AT SANDRINGHAM
+
+_Photograph by Ralph, Dersingham_]
+
+Of the Royal Agricultural Benevolent Institution the King has always
+been a generous friend and supporter, and the spread of agricultural
+depression has naturally made his Majesty’s support of exceptional
+value. The King spoke, for example, at the fifteenth anniversary
+festival of the Institution, held on 5th June 1875:--
+
+“I sincerely say that I do take a great interest in all that is
+connected with agriculture. I may call myself a colleague of many
+of you present as a farmer on a small scale, and I only hope that I
+may never have occasion to be a pensioner of this institution. It
+is impossible, I think, for any British gentleman to live at his
+country place without taking an interest in agriculture, and in all
+those things which concern the farmers of this great country. The
+very backbone of the country, the best recruits of the Army and Navy,
+come from the agricultural districts. We know that our commercial and
+agricultural interests depend upon the valour and efficiency of our
+land and sea forces.”
+
+On this occasion the King added a toast which had been most ungallantly
+omitted from the list--that of “The Ladies,” and in proposing it he
+said:--
+
+“We have been honoured on this occasion by fair ladies, and I think it
+would be very wrong if we were to separate without cordially drinking
+their health. We see especially how much the comfort, well-being,
+prosperity, and happiness of farmers and agriculturists depend upon a
+kind wife to cheer them by the fireside at the end of their day’s work,
+and to lighten by female influence the load of difficulties.”
+
+Though naturally His Majesty will now be unable to devote so much
+time to the interests of agriculture as he did when Prince of Wales,
+yet he has no intention of giving up the breeding of stock. It is
+understood that Her late Majesty bequeathed to him the magnificent
+herds of shorthorns, Jerseys, Devons, and Herefords established by the
+late Prince Consort at Windsor on the Shaw and Flemish farms which he
+started there. Prince Albert, indeed, revived the interest of the Royal
+Family in agriculture, which had lapsed since the death of “Farmer
+George.” Queen Victoria also had some very good stock on the home farm
+at Osborne, while at Abergeldie Mains Her Majesty kept a magnificent
+herd of pure-bred Aberdeen-Angus cattle. These, without doubt, her
+successor will keep up.
+
+To those who study the King’s personal nature and character, no
+apartment at Sandringham can be more interesting than the library,
+or rather that section of the libraries, for there are three, which
+is specially appropriated to His Majesty. The fittings are those of
+the cabins used by the King on board the _Serapis_ during his voyage
+to and from India. The blotting-books and the tables and chairs are
+all covered in dark blue or green leather, and on each the Prince of
+Wales’s feathers and monogram are stamped in gold. A glance at the
+shelves shows what are the King’s literary tastes and preferences. He
+is evidently intensely interested in the history of his own country,
+especially what may be called the history of our own time. Several
+shelves are entirely devoted to works dealing with the Indian Mutiny,
+including the official reports, memoirs, histories, and even novels.
+The King always buys every new work connected with the public or
+private administration of his Eastern Empire. Special attention has
+also evidently been paid to the Crimean War, and there is a rich
+collection of Colonial histories and documents. But most of the
+standard works of reference are to be found in the first library,
+a fine apartment, often used as a writing-room and reading-room by
+visitors.
+
+The second library is really the Equerries’ room. It is there the
+Gentlemen of the Household are often to be found. Here are gathered
+together French and English works of reference and classics, and
+a splendid collection of county histories. Novels and memoirs are
+not neglected, and no week passes, when the King and Queen are in
+residence, without a large consignment of British and foreign books
+finding its way to Sandringham.
+
+The King transacts much of the business connected with the Sandringham
+estate in a pleasant morning-room. There he receives at stated times
+the bailiffs and others concerned in the management of the estate, and,
+as he farms himself over 1000 acres, he has much to do in the way of
+supervision.
+
+Sandringham can boast of one of the finest private billiard-rooms in
+England, and it is one of the very few country-houses where there
+are bowling alleys. The King and his children are very fond of the
+old-fashioned English game of bowls.
+
+In 1891 the entire roofing of the main building of Sandringham House,
+together with all the rooms and their contents on the two upper
+floors, was destroyed by fire. The bells of the various churches in
+the district clashed out the alarm. Gangs of men and women speedily
+set to work to clear the principal lower rooms of their furniture
+and rare, valuable, and interesting contents. Queen Alexandra was
+staying with the Empress of Russia, and the King was also away at the
+time. The amount of damage done was about £15,000. That portion of the
+house which was destroyed has been rebuilt in a thoroughly fire-proof
+fashion, with iron and concrete floors and roofs; and the opportunity
+was taken of making many additions to various portions of the house,
+in fact about eighteen rooms were added. It is very characteristic of
+the King that, by his orders, the general works were all carried out by
+local tradesmen.
+
+One of the most interesting departments of Sandringham Hall is the
+stables, which contain a great number of carriages. There are Russian
+sledges, only used in the coldest weather; a Hungarian snow-carriage,
+lined with rose colour; Norwegian carioles; a smart American buggy,
+painted bright yellow; a truly beautiful gold inlaid jinricksha, sent
+to the King from Japan, which is for show rather than for use; a
+char-à-banc, presented by the late Duke of Sutherland; and, it need
+hardly be said, every kind of ordinary two- and four-wheeled vehicle
+now in general use, from the modest Norfolk cart to the stately
+landau; while by the big coach is to be seen the charming miniature
+four-in-hand presented by His Majesty to Queen Alexandra just before
+his departure for India.
+
+Both the King and Queen are passionately fond of horses, and Her
+Majesty pays a daily visit when at Sandringham to her pony-stable,
+which was built in 1874 for her four French ponies, who were afterwards
+succeeded by equally valuable animals of British extraction. Bina,
+Merry-Antics, Bow, and Bell were the fortunate occupants of this model
+pony-stable, which is considered the prettiest building of the kind in
+the world, the walls being lined with white tiles, picked out in green
+glazed bricks, finished at the top by a green-tiled frieze and an open
+wooden roof. Above each manger was recorded in gold letters the name of
+the pony occupying the stall. Queen Alexandra at one time was very fond
+of driving tandem, and she has one of the best tandem teams in Great
+Britain. She is very fond of bay horses, and possesses also a pair of
+the famous greys bred in the Imperial stables at Leipzig. For many
+years Her Majesty always rode Kinsky, a Hungarian horse; and she was
+said to be one of the best horsewomen in Norfolk.
+
+[Illustration: QUEEN ALEXANDRA AT SANDRINGHAM
+
+_From a Photograph by Thomas Fall_]
+
+The saddle-room is not the least fascinating portion of the
+stable-yard. Much of the harness is silver and gold-plated. Queen
+Alexandra has always preferred brown harness to black, and all that
+used by her is made in tan leather, with brass mounts.
+
+There are a number of interesting photographs and paintings, including
+a picture in oils of a very beautiful chestnut mare, Victoria, long
+ridden by the Queen, and given to her when she was a bride by Queen
+Victoria. Below this portrait of a departed favourite is one of her
+hoofs mounted in silver, with the name of the owner written across.
+There are some valuable prints of celebrated trainers and jockeys, with
+some of the latter’s whips, spurs, and caps. A “Vanity Fair” cartoon of
+the King, surrounded by a number of his friends at Newmarket, is also
+given a prominent place in the Sandringham saddle-room; and not the
+least interesting memento now there is Mr. John Porter’s silver-wedding
+gift to his Royal patrons. In a silver frame, surmounted by the Prince
+of Wales’s feathers, is a white velvet tablet with the name “Ormonde”
+woven from the famous race-horse’s hair. The border contains pieces
+of the hair of thirty-three famous winners, the name of each being
+in silver letters beneath. Close by is to be seen the racing-saddle
+generally used by Fred Archer.
+
+Parallel with the stables runs the building known as the kennels. At
+one time, in the paddock between the stables and the kennels, there
+was a bear-pit, but the occupant thereof was sent to the Zoo after the
+King’s valued head-keeper, Mr. Jackson, had been hunted by Bruin just
+when he was about to feed him with some peculiarly bearish delicacy.
+This corner of Sandringham is by no means confined to horses and dogs.
+Here also were kept some of Queen Alexandra’s pet cats; a number of
+doves descended from the single pair presented to Her Majesty during
+her first visit to Ireland; her Australian pigeons, quite unlike the
+more humble home variety; a Barbary dove belonging to the Duchess of
+Cornwall and York; and some very fine water-fowl, to say nothing of
+“Cockie,” the Princess of Wales’s cockatoo, who was said to be over a
+hundred years old.
+
+The kennels are, in their way, quite as fine as the stables. They are
+very cleverly arranged, all fitted with hot-water pipes, and admirably
+ventilated. The dogs are exercised in the park, in three paddocks in
+front of the kennels, or in a large yard paved with red, blue, and
+brick tiles. All the food consumed in the kennels comes from special
+kitchens attached to the building. There is also a dog hospital and a
+nursery, always occupied by one or more litters.
+
+[Illustration: THE KENNELS, SANDRINGHAM
+
+_Photograph by T. Fall, Baker Street, W._]
+
+The King and Queen are both keen dog-fanciers, and they possess some of
+the very finest animals in the world. They both exhibit at the leading
+shows, and Her Majesty is the Patron of the Ladies’ Kennel Association.
+
+This chapter must not be concluded without reference to a curious
+little book, published some years ago by one who must be regarded as
+absolutely unique--namely, an aggrieved tenant at Sandringham. This
+lady had differences with the agent of the estate, and to revenge
+herself for her supposed grievances she wrote this obviously prejudiced
+account of her late landlord at his country home.
+
+The following extracts from the book written by this hostile witness
+are therefore significant indeed of the tenour of our King’s life in
+Norfolk:--
+
+“Whenever I went (to Sandringham) I never failed to spend a pleasant
+evening, and received more courtesy from my illustrious host and
+hostess than from any house I ever was in. The Prince is noted for
+his powers of entertainment and exertion to make every one enjoy
+themselves. When a ‘house-party’ is expected he superintends the
+arrangements and remembers their particular tastes and pursuits.
+A gouty squire who once grumbled at having to go, was completely
+mollified at finding a room prepared for him on the ground floor,
+the Prince thinking he would prefer it. The effect of a visit to
+Sandringham upon a certain order of Radicals, who are treated with
+the greatest deference, is perfectly astounding. It acts as a patent
+conjuring machine--a Republican stuffed in at one end, a Courtier
+squeezed out at the other.
+
+“The Sandringham festivities were so arranged that all classes could
+share in them; and what with County, farmers’, and servants’ balls,
+labourers’ dinners, visits to country houses, meets of the hounds, and
+other sociabilities, everybody from far and near had the opportunity of
+making acquaintance with their Royal Highnesses.”
+
+Of the servants’ parties at Sandringham she says:--
+
+“The house party, equerries, ladies-in-waiting, and all invited from
+the neighbourhood, were ordered to join in, no shirking or sitting out
+allowed, and when the sides had been made up, the Prince and Princess
+set off with their partners, round and round, down the middle and up
+again, and so on to the end, the Prince the jolliest of the jolly and
+the life of the party, as he is wherever he goes. I never saw such
+amazing vitality. His own Master of the Ceremonies, signalling and
+sending messages to the band, arranging every dance, and when to begin
+and when to leave off, noticing the smallest mistake in the figures,
+and putting the people in their places. In the ‘Triumph,’ which is
+such an exhausting dance, he looked as if he could have gone on all
+night and into the middle of next week without stopping, and I really
+believe he could.… Almost before one dance was ended the Prince started
+another, and suddenly the Scotch Pipers would screech out and the
+Prince would fold his arms and fling himself into a Highland fling, and
+so on fast and furious until far into the small hours of the morning.”
+
+[Illustration: QUEEN ALEXANDRA WITH HER FAVOURITE DOGS
+
+_Photograph by T. Fall, Baker Street, W._]
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XX
+
+THE KING IN LONDON
+
+
+Not long after the King’s accession, extensive alterations were
+ordered to fit Buckingham Palace, which had been for a long time only
+occupied occasionally, to be the town house of His Majesty and Queen
+Alexandra. It is probable that their Majesties would have preferred
+to remain at Marlborough House, which is endeared to them by the most
+intimate associations, both of joy and of sorrow; but in this, as in
+so many other instances, the King divined by quick intuition that his
+loyal subjects would wish that their Sovereign and his Consort should
+reside in the palace which is not less closely linked in the popular
+imagination with the British monarchy than Windsor Castle itself.
+
+It is evident that in all that concerns State ceremonial and the
+_décor_ of a magnificent Court, King Edward is resolved to abate not a
+jot of his regal dignity. But so much of His Majesty’s life was passed
+at Marlborough House, and the beautiful old Georgian mansion was for so
+long the centre of his social, philanthropic, and official activities,
+that no biographical sketch of the King would be complete without some
+account of what went on there.
+
+There is scarcely an object in the house which does not remind the
+King and Queen of some happy incident of their joint lives. The very
+carpet in the drawing-room was presented to them on the occasion of
+their wedding; and His Majesty’s great interest in everything that
+concerns the history of the country and of the Empire is strikingly
+shown in each of his homes, for the rooms of both Marlborough House
+and Sandringham are lined with fine paintings and engravings recalling
+great events of the Victorian era.
+
+Although Marlborough House is the official residence of the
+Heir-Apparent, it is considered a private house for taxation purposes,
+and is rated at over £1000 a year.
+
+[Illustration: MARLBOROUGH HOUSE FROM THE SOUTH-WEST
+
+_Photograph by Ralph, Dersingham_]
+
+The King’s study at Marlborough House, where none but his intimates
+are admitted, looks like the room of a hard-working man of business.
+He works at an old-fashioned pedestal desk-table, exactly resembling
+the one used by his father. The desk portion of the table shuts with a
+spring, and can only be opened with a golden key, which the King always
+wears on his watch chain.
+
+When he was Prince of Wales the King only accomplished the immense
+amount of work he did by the most methodical organisation. Almost
+every hour of his day was mapped out for him. First came his private
+correspondence, which was very considerable. Then from ten to
+half-past ten was spent in talking over and dictating replies to the
+letters already sorted by Sir Francis Knollys. Immediately after, the
+Comptroller of the Household discussed with him the arrangements for
+the day. Often before lunch he had to receive a deputation, or to act
+as chairman of some committee, frequently held in Marlborough House.
+Luncheon was served at 2.30, and the King and Queen often entertained
+parties of their relations who were up in town for the day. Except when
+he was travelling, the King rarely had a free afternoon, for even on
+the rare occasions when he had not to visit some public institution, to
+lay a foundation-stone, or to declare a building open, and so on, there
+were endless social duties to which no one could attend but himself,
+such as weddings, race meetings, reviews, and receptions. Certain
+public functions were almost always attended by both the King and the
+Queen--for example, the Horse Show at Islington, the Royal Military
+Tournament, and the trooping of the colour.
+
+No one can realise how much his merely social duties cost the King
+while he was Heir-Apparent. The invariable cheerfulness and courage
+with which he went through what must have soon become a terribly
+monotonous round, year after year, are the more admirable when it is
+remembered that it was actually made the basis for the assertion that
+he was excessively devoted to mere amusement. An American writer who
+had brought the charge but, having discovered his error, had had the
+honesty and manliness to admit it, was rewarded by receiving a letter
+from the Prince’s Secretary in which occurred the following:--
+
+“The Prince cannot help feeling that you are a little hard and unjust
+upon him in your book; he says unjust because you evidently wrote
+about him without knowing his real character. There are many things
+which he is obliged to do which the outside world would call pleasures
+and amusements; they are, however, often anything but a source of
+amusement to him, though his position demands that he should every year
+go through a certain round of social duties which bore him to death.
+But, while duly regretting those social pleasures, you pass over very
+lightly all the more serious occupations of his life.”
+
+[Illustration: MARLBOROUGH HOUSE: THE DRAWING-ROOM
+
+_Photograph by Ralph, Dersingham_]
+
+As Heir-Apparent, the King gave each season a certain number of dinners
+which, though in no sense official functions, took the place of those
+which would in other circumstances be given at Court. Thus he very
+often entertained various members of the Opposition as well as of the
+Government. He also occasionally gave what might be called a diplomatic
+dinner, to which a number of the Foreign Ambassadors and Ministers were
+invited. On many occasions dinner-parties in honour of a foreign guest
+or Royal relation passing through town in semi-_incognito_ have given
+members of London society an opportunity of making the acquaintance of
+a great foreign personage. When the Shahzada was in England the Prince
+and Princess of Wales gave a banquet in his honour, at which covers
+were laid for forty. On this occasion the principal guest was not able
+to take any dish in the _menu_ save _riz à l’Impératrice_. Fortunately,
+however, he had brought with him his own provisions.
+
+The dining-room in which these important dinners were served at
+Marlborough House is a very fine room containing a considerable number
+of their Majesties’ wedding presents. It is a curious fact that in no
+circumstances were two knives together given to any guest. A great many
+reasons have been assigned for this rule, but apparently no one ever
+adopted the simple plan of asking the Royal host or hostess. It has
+been asserted that the King has the old-fashioned dislike to seeing
+knives inadvertently crossed.
+
+Here is a lively description of a dinner at Marlborough House on 6th
+May 1896, recorded by the late Archbishop Benson in his diary:--
+
+“Dined with the Prince of Wales. The most splendid company. All the
+Ambassadors but Russia, who is gone to the Coronation of the Czar. Duke
+of Connaught, Lord Wolseley, near whom I sat, with the Lord Chancellor
+between, two delightful, interesting talkers, and on my other side one
+still better, de Courcel, French Ambassador. Lucklessly after dinner
+the Turkish Ambassador asked to be presented, and he held me talking
+innocently about the Greek Bishops whom I knew, but for his red-handed
+tyrant’s sake he was the last person I wished for, and Harcourt came up
+and said, ‘What a picture we have been enjoying--you and the Turk in
+close alliance!’ Then Harcourt went on about our old Cambridge days,
+and in heart he is the greatest Conservative. At the Prince of Wales’s
+instigation I did my best to make Duke of Connaught see it was good
+for Church and State that Bishop of Peterborough should go for us, and
+perhaps I succeeded a little; he promised to do his best to make him
+welcome there. Chamberlain, Morley, Balfour, two Directors of British
+Museum, Asquith, very pleasant after his dangerous but not damaging
+assault on the Education Bill, Rosebery, Herschell, Salisbury of
+course, looking a very great man, among the Ambassadors.”
+
+The journey of the Bishop of Peterborough (Dr. Creighton, afterwards
+Bishop of London), to which the Archbishop refers, was to Russia to
+represent the Church of England at the Tsar’s Coronation.
+
+The King has never concealed his dislike of the immensely long,
+fatiguing banquets which were in his youth the rule rather than the
+exception; indeed, he may be said to have revolutionised the British
+dinner-party. At Marlborough House dinner was never allowed to last
+much over an hour. Occasionally during dinner soft music was played.
+Every course served was prepared under the direct supervision of the
+_chef_ (the famous Ménager).
+
+Some years ago the King was rarely seen, even at dinner at a private
+house, without his favourite valet Macdonald, the son of the Prince
+Consort’s _jager_; and later, whenever the King dined out, one of his
+own servants invariably accompanied him and attended to him through
+the dinner, whether it was a public banquet or a private dinner-party.
+Indeed, the King very rarely enjoyed the luxury of being alone; even
+when walking up St. James’s Street, or turning into the Marlborough
+Club, he was almost invariably accompanied by one of his equerries;
+and it need hardly be said that the most trustworthy detectives in the
+London police force were charged with the task of watching over his
+personal safety, for the appearance of no public personage was better
+known to the man in the street than that of the Prince of Wales.
+
+The King has always been an enthusiastic admirer of the stage, and his
+tastes are so catholic that they range from melodrama at the Adelphi
+to grand opera at Covent Garden. When His Majesty had made up his mind
+that he would like to go to the theatre, the Royal box was booked in
+the ordinary way of business, and charged to the Marlborough House
+account, the price not being increased from the ordinary library
+tariff. The only difference made in honour of the Royal family is
+that, if any other patron of the theatre has already engaged the Royal
+box, he is requested to waive his right. The King, however, is always
+reluctant that this should be done, and he generally requests his
+secretary to send a special note of thanks in his name.
+
+[Illustration: GARDEN PARTY AT MARLBOROUGH HOUSE, JULY 1881
+
+_From the “Illustrated London News”_]
+
+Both the King and the Queen always desired to be treated exactly as
+if they belonged to the ordinary audience, and nothing annoyed them
+more than that attention should be drawn to them by the playing of the
+National Anthem or “God bless the Prince of Wales.” At one time the
+managers used to keep the curtain down till the Royal party arrived.
+The King heard of this, and was so greatly troubled at the thought of
+the inconvenience thus caused to the public that he gave strict orders
+that the curtain was never to be kept down beyond the advertised time
+on his account. On the other hand, he always makes a point of waiting
+till the final curtain has come down before rising to leave. The only
+occasions on which he ever breaks this courteous rule is when he goes
+to a theatre which has no private entrance. Then the King and Queen
+always anticipate the final curtain by two or three minutes, so that
+their departure may not disturb the carriage arrangements of the rest
+of the audience.
+
+London managers have reason to be grateful to the King, for whenever he
+has visited a theatre the booking sensibly increases, the more so that
+when he likes a play he goes again and again, and recommends it to all
+his friends. Even when he finds it impossible himself to attend the
+benefit of some well-known actor or actress, he always puts his name
+down for stalls or boxes to a substantial amount.
+
+At the opera the King occupied an “omnibus,” a double box on the
+ground tier, the Royal box itself being on the tier above; while Queen
+Alexandra had a box all to herself, where she was usually accompanied
+by one of her daughters. The King is a great music-lover, and, unlike
+many _habitués_, attends appreciatively throughout the performance.
+He was often attended at the opera by his old friend, the late Earl
+of Lathom, but he never had ladies in his box, although during the
+_entr’actes_ he would often visit the Princess and his daughters in
+their box.
+
+The King’s interest in the dramatic profession is unaffected and
+sincere. Some years ago a very interesting theatrical dinner took place
+at Marlborough House, Sir Henry Irving, Sir Squire Bancroft, Mr. Hare,
+Mr. Kendal, Mr. Toole, Mr. Wyndham, Mr. Beerbohm Tree, Mr. Alexander,
+Mr. David James, Mr. Arthur Cecil, and Mr. William Farren being asked
+to meet the Duke of Fife, Sir Christopher Teesdale, Mr. Sala, Mr.
+Burnand, and Mr. Pinero.
+
+His Majesty has always patronised the French plays when performed in
+London, and he is as popular with the French theatrical world as he is
+with the dramatic profession in London.
+
+[Illustration: MARLBOROUGH HOUSE: THE SALON
+
+_Photograph by Ralph, Dersingham_]
+
+A separate chapter might almost be written about the King as a
+smoker. At Sandringham he has a large number of cigar-cases and
+tobacco-boxes, presented to him at various times by relatives and
+friends, and at Marlborough House he has an immense collection of
+silver cigar-lighters. His Majesty is as generous in the matter of
+cigars as he is in the more important affairs of life, and in this
+connection a story is told which, if it is not true, certainly ought
+to be. It is said that on one occasion, before his accession, when
+attending a big fire, His Majesty asked a reporter for some details,
+which were instantly given. At the conclusion of the conversation,
+the King offered his informant a cigar, which the latter immediately
+wrapped up in a page of his note-book and placed in his pocket. “Don’t
+you smoke?” asked the King. “Oh yes,” said the reporter; “but I am not
+likely ever to get another cigar from the Prince of Wales.” His Majesty
+laughed, and once more producing his cigar-case said, “You had better
+have another one, this time to smoke.”
+
+The King was at one time very fond of taking a hansom in the streets
+of London, just like an ordinary person, and it is said that he always
+paid the driver half a sovereign whether the distance was long or
+short. His Majesty is patron of the Cabdrivers’ Benevolent Association,
+and he takes a marked interest in these hard-worked and deserving
+servants of the public, seldom missing the annual meeting, at which,
+indeed, some of his best speeches have been delivered.
+
+It is hardly necessary to say that the King need never take a hansom
+except for his own amusement. The stables of Marlborough House are,
+from every point of view, models of what town stables ought to be. In
+the coach-houses are some interesting carriages. The State Coach, which
+was practically never used, is almost exactly like that which is kept
+at Buckingham Palace. A Russian sociable, lined with dark-blue morocco,
+was a gift from the late Tsar of Russia to Queen Alexandra, but it was
+considered too showy for the London streets, and Her Majesty preferred
+a light victoria, which was generally drawn by her two greys, Chelsea
+and Brief.
+
+The greatest care had to be taken both by the King and by the Queen in
+selecting the tradesmen upon whom to confer the undoubted advantage of
+their custom. Sir Dighton Probyn, who was Comptroller of the Prince
+of Wales’s Household, and has since been appointed Extra Equerry to
+His Majesty, was entrusted with the duty of seeing that the Warrants
+were only given to those who were worthy of them. A Royal Warrant is
+naturally considered a great honour by the recipient, and any firm
+aspiring to be a Warrant-Holder must supply the Household for one year
+in a satisfactory manner before becoming eligible; and should the firm
+become bankrupt, or even change its name, the Warrant must be returned
+to the Comptroller of the Household.
+
+On the King’s birthday the Warrant-Holders were wont to dine together,
+and on the _menu_ always figured some venison contributed both by Queen
+Victoria and by King Edward, who each sent a fine buck. On all Royal
+occasions of rejoicing the Warrant-Holders are considered to have a
+special right to present a gift accompanied by their congratulations.
+
+Every monetary transaction was not only recorded, but indexed at
+Marlborough House, and any tradesman who sent in an account twice over
+was never again patronised.
+
+The King does not confine his custom to any one London tailor; on
+the contrary, he is careful to distribute his patronage, and it is a
+mistake to fancy that His Majesty pays very much more for his clothes
+than do other people. His wardrobe is necessarily larger and more
+varied than that of a private individual. It need hardly be said that
+he dresses in perfect taste, and it is well known that he has no
+sympathy with the revolutionists who would abolish the frock-coat.
+He is, however, also understood to have a special fondness for the
+old-fashioned “bowler” hat. It would be difficult to overestimate the
+King’s influence as an arbiter of fashion, especially in America,
+where every trifling change in his costume is faithfully reported
+and imitated, and also on the Continent. On the whole, his influence
+in matters of dress is strongly conservative. He has none of the
+Continental love of displaying uniforms, and his dress is always the
+acme of good taste, because it is always absolutely suitable to the
+occasion on which it is worn.
+
+The King has an ever-increasing number of uniforms, military and other,
+which are worth quite £15,000, and are, of course, fully insured. It
+need hardly be said that the King has almost every Order in existence.
+The mere enumeration of them fills up a large space in Debrett.
+
+The King’s own favourite among his Orders used to be that of Malta, the
+Sovereign Order of St. John of Jerusalem, of which the badge is the
+well-known Maltese cross suspended from a black ribbon.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXI
+
+THE KING AND STATE POLICY
+
+
+The King has on several occasions, notably in his Message to his
+People, published on his accession, expressed his resolve to follow
+in the footsteps of his late deeply-lamented mother in fulfilling the
+great and sacred responsibilities which at her death he was summoned to
+undertake. The chief of these responsibilities is that which relates
+to high State policy, and especially to the intricate and delicate
+problems arising out of our relations with foreign Powers.
+
+Now, not the least service which Queen Victoria rendered to her people,
+as Lord Salisbury said in the eloquent tribute which he paid to her
+memory in the House of Lords, was her constant and rigorous supervision
+over public affairs. The people saw only the result, the finished
+policy, associated in their minds with the personality of some popular
+Minister. What they did not know was how far that policy had been
+modified, perhaps even completely recast, by the sagacious counsels of
+their Sovereign, or what pitfalls had been avoided by her warnings,
+frankly offered, yet never obstinately pressed upon the chosen
+representatives of her beloved subjects. “Let us have the Queen’s
+opinion,” said Lord Clarendon, one of the shrewdest of her Foreign
+Ministers. “It is always worth hearing, even if you do not agree with
+it.” And Lord Kimberley confessed that when he was at the Foreign
+Office he had a difference of opinion with Queen Victoria in regard to
+an important matter. After discussion Her Majesty, though unconvinced,
+yielded to her Minister; but the event proved that she was right and
+the Minister wrong.
+
+Such glimpses of the inner working of the great machine of Government
+illustrate for us the path which King Edward has marked out for
+himself. Our polity has been called a crowned Republic--a phrase
+which, in spite of its exaggeration, expresses tersely the fact that
+the constitutional Sovereign of this realm has constantly to reconcile
+duties which seem far apart, and even sometimes inconsistent. King
+Edward succeeds to a Monarchy possessing great theoretical powers,
+which, however, have been by the slow growth of custom practically
+restricted to the exercise of an indirect, advisory influence on State
+affairs, though, as Mr. Balfour said in the House of Commons, this
+influence shows a tendency to increase rather than to diminish. Queen
+Victoria was once compared to a Permanent Under-Secretary of State,
+who sees Ministers come and go, succeed and fail, but himself remains.
+The comparison is not a bad one, except that the work of a permanent
+Under-Secretary is confined to one department, whereas the Sovereign is
+concerned, not only with every branch of the public service, but also
+with many matters of importance which cannot pass through the hands of
+any State department.
+
+It is easy to see the great responsibilities, as well as the great
+opportunities, which are inseparable from the British Crown, and
+perhaps it is not impertinent to point out how well King Edward VII.
+is fitted to meet them. The extraordinary tact which characterises His
+Majesty is most clearly illustrated when we consider his relations
+towards the policy of the State. There was a time in the history
+of England when the Prince of Wales allied himself with one of the
+political parties in the country, and that not the one in which his
+father had confidence. The tradition of constitutional monarchy
+established by our late beloved Queen necessarily inaugurated a
+different _régime_. No political party was ever able honestly to claim
+the Prince of Wales as an adherent, or even as a platonic sympathiser.
+On the other hand, not his severest critics ever accused him of apathy
+to British interests. In that higher sphere of patriotism which rises
+superior to the din of party politics he thoroughly earned the title of
+the typical Englishman.
+
+All through the years which succeeded the death of the Prince Consort
+the Prince of Wales discharged the duties of his position in such a way
+as to win the confidence of every section of the nation. He included
+among his friends the principal men of both the great political
+parties, and with such delicacy of feeling was this done that no
+one could justly say which he really preferred. Indeed, so nice was
+his feeling that he was accustomed to distinguish--if he made any
+distinction at all--those statesmen who happened to be in Opposition at
+the moment, rather than those who were enjoying the sweets of office.
+
+The King did not escape the penalty of irresponsible gossip. He
+undoubtedly displayed a great liking for Ireland, and for the Irish
+people, but it would be absurd to call him on that account a Home
+Ruler. Similarly, it is an interesting fact that both His Majesty and
+Queen Alexandra distinguished Mr. and Mrs. Gladstone by some special
+tokens of friendship, but it is not justifiable on that account to
+assert that their Majesties are Liberals. The truth is that throughout
+his career His Majesty has succeeded, while deeply interesting himself
+in politics, in steering steadily clear of party politics.
+
+It would be wearisome to enumerate all the statesmen and politicians
+on whom His Majesty has conferred various marks of his favour. Mention
+may, however, be made of Mr. Cecil Rhodes, for whom he entertains a
+strong admiration which he has never cared to conceal. Indeed, he
+removed his own name from the Travellers’ Club when Mr. Rhodes was
+blackballed--a course which he has never seen fit to take in any other
+instance.
+
+The political emancipation of the Jews in England evidently had the
+King’s warm sympathy. It now seems a long time ago since his presence
+at the marriage of Mr. Leopold de Rothschild caused much satisfaction
+and some sensation in Jewish circles, for no British prince had visited
+a synagogue since 1809, when three of the Royal dukes were present
+at a Jewish service. The Rothschild family have long been among His
+Majesty’s personal friends, both in England and on the Continent, and
+among his intimates was the late Baron Hirsch, with whom he stayed in
+Austria, notwithstanding the intense anti-Semitic prejudices of the
+Austrian Court. The King has thoroughly studied the question of the
+Russian Jews, and has interested himself on their behalf in such a
+way as should earn for him the gratitude of every Jew in Europe and
+America. Nevertheless His Majesty’s liking for the Chosen People has
+been sometimes misinterpreted, and ascribed to not very creditable
+motives. People were at one time fond of saying that the King was up
+to the neck in debt, but, when the question was directly asked, Sir
+Francis Knollys replied that the King had no debts worth speaking of,
+and that he could pay any moment every farthing he owed; also, that
+there was not a word of truth in the oft-repeated tales of the mortgage
+on Sandringham, and that the whole story was a fabrication and was on
+a par with similar tales representing the King as being assisted by
+financiers of more or less doubtful honesty.
+
+In the sphere of foreign relations His Majesty’s indirect influence has
+undoubtedly been considerable, though, of course, the time has gone by
+when dynastic considerations used to dictate the policy of empires. It
+is well known that his nephew, the Tsar, entertains for him a strong
+personal regard; while of the feelings which subsist between His
+Majesty and the Kaiser, the son of his favourite sister, the country
+has had the most significant illustrations. There can be no doubt, too,
+about the feelings of esteem which are entertained for His Majesty by
+the French nation as a whole. Furthermore, the King has always shown
+his desire to become personally acquainted with the principal statesmen
+of Europe; and it is probable that few of the men who now control
+international relations have not at one time or another fallen under
+the influence of His Majesty’s gracious and winning personality. The
+sum of all this must count for a good deal in facilitating the conduct
+of our foreign relations.
+
+For Americans the King has shown a strong liking, but it is absurd
+to assert that his favour has been confined to those American men
+and women whose social position has been entirely purchased by their
+wealth. He has frequently gone out of his way to show special courtesy
+to distinguished American visitors, whether rich or poor; and the
+diplomatic representative of the United States in London has always
+found a specially cordial welcome at Marlborough House. This was
+particularly the case with James Russell Lowell and with T. F. Bayard.
+Indeed, it will be remembered that on Mr. Bayard’s giving up the post
+of American Ambassador, the King broke his rule and accepted Mr.
+Bayard’s invitation to dinner, thereby paying a signal compliment to
+the whole American people. The King’s telegram to the _New York World_,
+during the war-scare which followed President Cleveland’s Venezuelan
+Message, will be remembered as having done much to calm the public
+anxiety in both countries.
+
+American women who have married Englishmen can rely on receiving
+from the King and Queen Alexandra the most tactful consideration and
+courtesy. This was conspicuously shown in the cases of Lady Harcourt,
+the daughter of Motley, the great American historian; of Mrs. Joseph
+Chamberlain; and of the young Duchess of Marlborough.
+
+It is no slight testimony to His Majesty’s political insight that at
+a time when the Colonies were not fashionable, and when they were
+actually regarded as a source of weakness rather than of strength to
+the Mother Country, he did all that he could--so far as the traditional
+restrictions of his position would allow--to foster a different view
+of Britain’s relations with her daughter-States. Since those days he
+exerted himself to promote the success of the Colonial and Indian
+Exhibition; and his interest in the Empire was yet more strikingly
+demonstrated in the foundation of the Imperial Institute. His Majesty’s
+gracious Message to his People Beyond the Seas further illustrates
+his interest in his Colonial dominions, but assuredly the crowning
+testimony is his consent to part with his son and his daughter-in-law
+for many months that they might inaugurate the Australian Federal
+Parliament and visit the other important States of the Empire.
+
+His Majesty’s interest in India, too, is strong, and his knowledge of
+Indian affairs is very wide. Every new book of any importance which
+is published on any Indian subject is added to His Majesty’s library,
+which is by this time extremely rich in works relating to the vast
+Eastern territories over which he is now Emperor. His Majesty’s visit
+to these great kingdoms and provinces, to which he made graceful
+allusion in his Message “to the Princes and Peoples of India,” was
+paid at the express wish of his mother, who saw with characteristic
+foresight how valuable it would be in promoting peace and conciliation
+among the various creeds and races of Hindustan.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXII
+
+THE KING AND THE SERVICES
+
+
+Only three days after the irreparable loss of his much-loved mother,
+King Edward wrote Messages to the Navy and the Army, which demonstrated
+how great is his pride in both the services, and how deeply he has
+their interests at heart. The Message to the Navy, which was ordered by
+the Lords of the Admiralty to be read on the quarter-deck of every ship
+in commission, in the presence of the ship’s company, was as follows:--
+
+                                     “OSBORNE, _25th January 1901_.
+
+    “I am desirous of expressing to the Navy my heartfelt thanks
+    for its distinguished and renowned services during the long and
+    glorious reign of my beloved mother the Queen, to whose Throne
+    I now succeed.
+
+    “Her Majesty, ever proud of the great deeds of her Navy, the
+    protector of our shores and commerce, watched with the keenest
+    solicitude its vast progress during her reign, and made it the
+    profession of my late lamented brother, as I also chose it for
+    the early education of both my sons.
+
+    “Watching over your interests and well-being, I confidently
+    rely upon that unfailing loyalty which is the proud inheritance
+    of your noble service.
+
+                                                 “EDWARD, R. ET I.”
+
+[Illustration: THE KING AS ADMIRAL OF THE FLEET
+
+_From a Photograph by Russell_]
+
+On the publication of the official March Navy List--there was no issue
+for February 1901--it was seen that the words “The King” appeared at
+the head of the Service. This had been done before in lists published
+by private enterprise, but never before in the list published
+“by authority.” The circumstance that, while in the Army List Queen
+Victoria appeared as the head of the land forces, a similar course
+was not taken in the Navy List had always been regarded as curious,
+especially considering that the sea service is designated the “Royal”
+Navy, while the Army is not so described. When an official Navy List
+was first issued in January 1814 there was no indication in it of
+the monarch’s existence. The Duke of Clarence appeared as the only
+Admiral of the Fleet with a commission dated 27th December 1811, and he
+continued to appear in each list as it was issued quarterly up to March
+1830. In the next list, dated in June of the same year, by which time
+he had succeeded as William IV., his name had disappeared, and for all
+the lists tell us he might have entirely severed his connection from
+the Navy.
+
+The introduction of the King’s name into the official Navy List did
+not of course mean any diminution of the power and authority conferred
+on the Lords Commissioners for executing the office of the Lord High
+Admiral, but merely that His Majesty desired to associate himself
+personally with the Navy, of which he had become the head. The change
+simply emphasised the fact that the Royal Navy and the Royal Marines
+are the loyal and devoted servants of the King, and it is another
+instance of that gracious tact for which Edward VII. is renowned.
+
+Debarred by the tradition of his House from himself entering our
+first line of defence, the King nevertheless--as indeed he says in
+his gracious Message--chose the Navy for the early education of both
+his sons. In other ways he has never failed to demonstrate in every
+possible way his love of the sea, of which indeed he has had a pretty
+wide experience. We have seen how often he took passage in various
+warships on his travels, and it will be remembered that the _Hero_,
+in which he returned from visiting Canada and the United States, was
+driven by a storm out of her course and the Royal party were reduced to
+salt fare. His Majesty thus early made acquaintance with the hardships
+as well as with the pleasant side of a sailor’s life.
+
+King William IV. once said: “There is no place in the world for making
+an English gentleman like the quarter-deck of an English man-of-war,”
+and his great-nephew, King Edward, evidently took the same view. It was
+in 1877 that an important step was taken in regard to the education
+of the King’s two sons, which had long been the subject of anxious
+thought and care to both their parents. It had not hitherto been the
+custom to send Princes in the direct line of succession into the Navy,
+that service being no doubt considered too hazardous. But the strong
+affection subsisting between Prince Albert Victor and Prince George
+made their father unwilling to separate them, and so in June 1877
+they entered the _Britannia_ together as naval cadets. The decision
+significantly showed how highly His Majesty appreciated the naval
+service as a mental and moral training school.
+
+It will be remembered that in that eventful year, 1887, His Majesty was
+appointed an Honorary Admiral of the Fleet; and later on, the marriage
+of his daughter, Princess Maud, to Prince Charles of Denmark, who was a
+Lieutenant in the Danish Navy, gave His Majesty peculiar gratification.
+
+The King’s Message to the Army, contained in a special Army order, was
+as follows:--
+
+                                     “OSBORNE, _25th January 1901_.
+
+    “On my accession to the Throne of my ancestors I am desirous
+    of thanking the Army for the splendid services which it has
+    rendered to my beloved mother the Queen during her glorious
+    reign of upwards of sixty-three years.
+
+    “Her Majesty invariably evinced the warmest interest in her
+    troops, especially when on active service, both as a Sovereign
+    and as the head of her Army, and she was proud of the fact of
+    being a soldier’s daughter.
+
+    “To secure your best interests will be one of the dearest
+    objects of my heart, and I know I can count upon that loyal
+    devotion which you ever evinced towards your late Sovereign.
+
+                                                      “EDWARD R.I.”
+
+[Illustration: THE KING AS COLONEL OF THE 10TH HUSSARS
+
+_From a Photograph by F.G.O.S., published by Gregory_]
+
+A further honour was in store for the Army, for the _London Gazette_
+announced:--
+
+                      “WAR OFFICE, PALL MALL, _26th February 1901_.
+
+    “The King has been pleased to confer upon the undermentioned
+    Regiments the honour of becoming their Colonel-in-Chief on his
+    accession to the Throne:--
+
+    “10th (Prince of Wales’s Own Royal) Hussars, of which Regiment
+    he has been the Regimental Colonel since the year 1863.
+
+    “Grenadier Guards.
+
+    “Coldstream Guards.
+
+    “Scots Guards.
+
+    “Irish Guards.”
+
+This was felt by the whole Army to be a special honour, for the four
+regiments of Foot Guards had previously had only Colonels commanding,
+not Colonels-in-Chief. It will be remembered that the 10th Hussars was
+the regiment in which the late Duke of Clarence and Avondale served.
+
+The connection of His Majesty with the Army has, in accordance with
+precedent, been extremely close and long continued. Among the earliest
+recollections of his childhood is the Crimean War, which undoubtedly
+made a deep and lasting impression on his mind. On attaining the age
+of eighteen His Majesty was gazetted a Colonel in the Army. Four years
+later he was promoted to be a General; and in 1875 he was created a
+Field-Marshal. The mere catalogue of his Colonelcies and Honorary
+Colonelcies would be tedious; but it may be mentioned that he is
+Colonel-in-Chief of the 1st and 2nd Life Guards, the Royal Horse
+Guards, and the Gordon Highlanders. His Majesty is also Colonel of a
+large number of distinguished foreign regiments. These latter, however,
+are naturally formal distinctions, which, in these days, are not of
+military so much as diplomatic significance. The interest which the
+King takes in military matters is undoubtedly chiefly centred in the
+British Army.
+
+The King’s military service at the Curragh has been described in an
+earlier chapter. His mind was also undoubtedly influenced by the
+companions whom his parents selected to be with him when he set up
+a separate establishment. Of these, two were soldiers of conspicuous
+bravery--Major Teesdale, afterwards Sir Christopher Teesdale, who
+had greatly distinguished himself at Kars; and Major Lindsay, V.C.,
+afterwards Lord Wantage. King Edward’s keen interest in all that
+concerns the art of war is well exemplified by his careful survey of
+the battlefields of the Crimea, and by his visiting, during his tour in
+India, the places rendered for ever memorable by the Mutiny.
+
+The deep interest which His Majesty took in the Boer War will be fresh
+in the recollection of everybody. Accompanied by the Duke of Cambridge,
+he said good-bye, on 14th October 1899, to Sir Redvers Buller,
+departing to take up the command in South Africa. Later on, accompanied
+by his brother, the Duke of Connaught, he saw Lord Roberts off on
+that cold winter morning when the Commander-in-Chief, in the midst of
+his own bitter private grief, left for South Africa, sped by the deep
+sympathy and encouragement of His Majesty. It will be remembered, too,
+how frequently the King inspected battalions ordered to the front,
+encouraging them with his outspoken interest and admiration; and it
+will be remembered not less vividly how his gracious Consort cared for
+the wounded and invalided soldiers, whose sufferings are the inevitable
+price of victory. The _Princess of Wales_ Hospital Ship will never be
+forgotten by a grateful nation.
+
+The King and Queen Alexandra were among the earliest subscribers to
+the Mansion-House funds for the relief of the Transvaal refugees and
+of the sufferers from the war. The death of their nephew, Major Prince
+Christian Victor, who was stricken down by disease in October 1900
+while on active service in South Africa, was a deep grief to their
+Majesties. The beginning of the year 1901 was signalised by the return
+of Lord Roberts and by Queen Alexandra’s special appeal on behalf of
+the Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Families Association, which brought relief
+to many a stricken family whose head had fallen at the front.
+
+[Illustration: THE KING AND THE DUKE OF CONNAUGHT
+
+_From a Photograph by F.G.O.S., published by Gregory_]
+
+In the reception of Lord Roberts the King took a prominent part.
+Accompanied by Queen Alexandra, and their son and daughter-in-law and
+Princess Victoria, His Majesty, as representing his Royal Mother,
+presided at the State luncheon at Buckingham Palace in honour of the
+Commander-in-Chief, while only a few days before Queen Victoria’s
+death the King took the chair at the great banquet at which the United
+Service Club entertained Lord Roberts.
+
+The services of the Colonial contingents in South Africa made a
+profound impression on the King’s mind. He showed this in the most
+significant manner when, brushing aside all antiquated War Office
+precedents, he not only inspected Strathcona’s Horse in the garden of
+Buckingham Palace and gave them the South African Medal in advance
+before its general issue, but actually presented the regiment with a
+colour. That such honour should be conferred on a corps of irregulars
+doubtless shocked military pedants, but it caused intense pride and
+gratification to the gallant Canadians, who in their modesty refused to
+believe that their services had been anything out of the common.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXIII
+
+THE KING AND FREEMASONRY
+
+    _For the information contained in this chapter the author is
+    indebted to an authority on the subject._
+
+
+After the King’s accession His Majesty reluctantly decided that he
+could not hope to find time to fulfil the duties of the high offices in
+Masonry to which he had been called as Prince of Wales, namely Grand
+Master of English Freemasons and Grand Master of the Mark Degree. At
+the same time King Edward was unwilling to cut short his long official
+connection with Masonry. Accordingly, His Majesty graciously intimated,
+in a letter read at Grand Lodge on 15th February 1901, that, following
+the precedent of King George IV., he would, on his retirement from
+the office of Grand Master, take the title of “Protector of English
+Freemasons.” Similarly, at a Grand Lodge of Mark Master Masons held
+four days later, it was announced that His Majesty would assume the
+title of “Patron of Freemasons of the Mark Degree.”
+
+The King was succeeded in both his Grand Masterships by his brother,
+the Duke of Connaught, whose consent to serve gave great satisfaction
+to the brethren of the craft.
+
+Undoubtedly Freemasonry has been one of the most absorbing interests
+of the King’s life. Yet very few foreign princes are Masons; and
+though the Duke of Kent was one, the Prince Consort always refused
+to associate himself with the craft. Of course it must be remembered
+that British Freemasonry is a very different thing from what the term
+is supposed to imply on the Continent, where it is associated in the
+public mind with atheism and even anarchism.
+
+As far back as March 1870 the King presided at the anniversary festival
+of the Royal Masonic Institution for Boys. This was not very long
+after his initiation, and in his speech he expressed his pride at
+being so heartily received by the company as a brother Mason, and his
+determination to follow in the footsteps of his grand-uncles, who were
+so long connected with the craft. The King continued:--
+
+“Much has been said against Freemasonry by those who do not know what
+it is. People naturally say they do not approve of secret societies;
+but I maintain that the craft is free from the reproach of being either
+disloyal or irreligious.… I desire to remind you that when, about
+seventy years ago, it became necessary for the Government of that day
+to put down secret societies, my relative, the late Duke of Sussex,
+urged in his place in Parliament that Freemasons’ lodges ought to be
+exempt from such a law, and the force of his appeal was acknowledged.
+From that time Freemasonry has been devoid of politics, its only object
+being the pure and Christian one of charity.”
+
+In May of the following year the King presided at the annual festival
+of the Royal Masonic Institution for Girls, and announced that Queen
+Alexandra had consented to become the Patroness of the institution. His
+Majesty also expressed his thanks to the brethren for their sympathy
+with him on the death of his infant son in the preceding month.
+
+It is interesting to record, in view of the King’s present title of
+Patron of Freemasons of the Mark Degree, that His Majesty, who was
+already Patron of the Order in Scotland, was installed as Patron of
+Free and Accepted Masons in Ireland on the occasion of his visit to
+that country in August 1871. The installation was attended with great
+ceremony, and in the course of his reply to the address of welcome
+presented to him the King said:--
+
+“It was a source of considerable satisfaction to me when I was elected
+a member of the craft, and I think I may, without presumption, point
+to the different Masonic meetings which, since my initiation, I have
+fraternally attended. As a proof of the interest I take in all that
+relates to Freemasonry, I can assure you that it has afforded me great
+gratification to become the Patron of the Most Ancient and Honourable
+Society of Free and Accepted Masons in Ireland, and that an opportunity
+has been given to me by my visit to Ireland of being installed here
+to-day.”
+
+The Grand Master then clothed the King with the collar, apron, and
+jewel as Patron. The brethren, according to ancient custom, saluted him
+as Patron of the Order in Ireland, the Grand Master himself giving the
+word, and His Majesty then said:--
+
+“I have now to thank you heartily and cordially for your fraternal
+reception, and for the honour you have done me, and I beg to assure
+you of the pleasure I feel on having been invited to become the
+Patron of the Order of Freemasons in Ireland. It is a source of
+considerable satisfaction to me to know that my visit to this country
+has afforded this opportunity of meeting you, brethren, in Lodge, and
+so interchanging these frank and hearty greetings. It is true I have
+not been a Mason very long. I was initiated, as you perhaps know, in
+London, a few years ago, after which I visited the Grand Original Lodge
+of Denmark, and a short time afterwards I had the signal satisfaction
+of being elected a Past Grand Master of the United Grand Lodge of
+England. Last year I had the honour of being elected Patron of the
+Order in Scotland; and, brethren, though last, not least, comes the
+special honour you have conferred on me. I thank you for it from the
+bottom of my heart. I may, I think, refer with some pride to the number
+of Masonic meetings I have attended in England since my initiation as a
+proof of my deep attachment to your Order.
+
+“I know--we all know--how good and holy a thing Freemasonry is, how
+excellent are its principles, and how perfect the doctrine it sets
+forth; but forgive me if I remind you that some of our friends outside
+are not as well acquainted with its merits as we are ourselves, and
+that a most mistaken idea prevails in some minds that, because we are
+a secret society, we meet for political purposes, or have a political
+bias in what we do. I am delighted, brethren, to have this opportunity
+of proclaiming what I am satisfied you will agree with me in--that we
+have, as Masons, no politics; that the great object of our Order is
+to strengthen the bonds of fraternal affection, and to make us live
+in pure and Christian love with all men; that though a secret, we are
+not a political body; and that our Masonic principles and hopes are
+essential parts of our attachment to the Constitution and loyalty to
+the Crown.”
+
+No doubt the most impressive Masonic ceremony ever attended by the
+King was his installation as Grand Master of English Freemasons in the
+Royal Albert Hall on 28th April 1875, to which office he was elected
+on the resignation of the Marquis of Ripon. The scene was striking in
+the extreme. The platform usually occupied by the choir was transformed
+into a daïs, on which the throne was placed, the space around being
+large enough for four or five hundred Provincial Grand Masters, Past
+Grand Officers, and visitors of distinction. The throne was the one
+in which King George IV. was installed when he was Prince of Wales.
+It was covered with rich purple velvet, and the floor was laid with a
+magnificent Oriental carpet, a century old, lent for the occasion by
+a member of the Westminster and Keystone Lodge. Behind the throne the
+banner of Grand Lodge and other flags were placed; in front a wide
+aisle was formed right across the area to the Royal entrance. This
+was laid with a rich carpet of velvet pile, woven expressly for the
+occasion. The ground was blue, enriched alternately with the arms of
+Grand Lodge and Prince of Wales’s feathers.
+
+It is recorded that when the King entered the hall the enthusiasm of
+the brethren was so great that the proper order of the ceremonial was
+forgotten, and the Grand Master Elect was greeted with extraordinarily
+vehement, but quite irregular plaudits.
+
+In returning thanks after his installation, His Majesty delivered an
+appropriate speech, in the course of which he said:--
+
+“It is difficult for me to find words adequate to express my deep
+thanks for the honour which has already been bestowed upon me--an
+honour which has, as history bears testimony, been bestowed upon
+several members of my family, my predecessors; and, brethren, it will
+always be my most sincere and ardent wish to walk in the footsteps of
+good men who have preceded me, and, with God’s help, to fulfil the
+duties which I have been called upon to occupy to-day. The various
+duties which I have to perform will frequently, I am afraid, not
+permit me to attend so much to the duties of the craft as I should
+desire; but you may be assured that when I have the time I shall do
+the utmost to maintain this high position, and do my duty by the craft
+and by you on every possible occasion. Every Englishman knows that the
+two great watchwords of the craft are Loyalty and Charity. These are
+their watchwords, and as long as Freemasons do not, as Freemasons, mix
+themselves up in politics, so long I am sure this high and noble Order
+will flourish, and will maintain the integrity of our great Empire. I
+thank you once more, brethren, for your cordial reception of me to-day,
+and I thank you for having come such immense distances to welcome me on
+this occasion. I assure you I shall never forget to-day--never!”
+
+The last sentence, obviously an impromptu, was uttered with much
+emphasis and evidently deep feeling.
+
+At the banquet which followed in the evening the King, in proposing the
+health of the King of Sweden and Norway, said:--
+
+“It affords me especial pleasure to propose this toast, as seven years
+ago I became a member of this craft, initiated by the late King, the
+brother of the present one. Thereby I consider I have a more special
+interest in Sweden.”
+
+As a matter of fact, in spite of his numerous other duties, the new
+Grand Master did find time to attend a considerable number of Masonic
+functions. Not the least interesting of these was his laying the
+foundation stone of Truro Cathedral on 20th May 1880, of which the late
+Archbishop Benson, then Bishop of Truro, wrote the following vivid
+description, quoted in that prelate’s _Life_:--
+
+“The ceremonial of the Freemasons, which some regarded with suspicion
+and dislike, was satisfactory and refreshing from its simple exposition
+of symbolism as an element in life, quite apart from ecclesiasticism.
+I had, upon the first mooting of the question by the Prince, taken the
+opinion of the Rural Deans as representative of the clergy, and their
+unanimous opinion was that it was even desirable to use an old guild
+in this way, provided that the Church Service and order were in no way
+interfered with. And the Prince, both through Lord Mount Edgcumbe,
+and at Marlborough House himself, said that nothing should be done
+except in full accord with my own arrangements as Bishop and the usual
+forms.… The dignity and the simplicity and naturalness with which the
+Prince poured the corn and wine and oil over the stone added much to
+the ceremony, and the force and clearness with which he delivered the
+impressive little sermon, ending with an excellent passage of Ezra,
+chosen by Lord Mount Edgcumbe, rang out of a really serious spirit.…
+The colours of the Masons, which look quaint on the individual, looked
+very soft in the mass.
+
+“The most striking moment was when the procession of military and
+naval authorities and deputy lieutenants came sweeping in with a
+great curve, leading the Princess and her boys. She was received by
+our tall Mayor in his stately new furred gown and me, and taken up to
+her throne. At the end she was led to the newly-laid stone and seated
+by it, while a long train of girls brought their purses and laid
+them before her, after the little Princes had each presented £250 in
+behalf of Miss Goldsworthy Gurney, who wished thus to memorialise her
+father’s invention of the steam jet. The Prince of Wales was timidly
+asked whether he would approve of this, and said, ‘Oh, why not? The
+boys would stand on their heads if she wished!’ The younger of the boys
+is a bright-coloured, cheery lad, but the elder, on whom so much may
+depend, is pale, long-faced, and I can’t help thinking, _for a child_,
+like Charles the First--it is a very feeling face. At night when they
+were sent to bed between 12 and 1, having been allowed to sit up as a
+special privilege to the ball, the Princess said to me as they pleaded
+for a little longer, ‘I do wish to keep them children as long as I can,
+and they do want so to be men all at once.’ May she prevail!”
+
+The mallet which was used by His Majesty on this occasion was the one
+with which King Charles II. laid the foundation-stone of St. Paul’s
+Cathedral. It was presented to the old lodge of St. Paul by Sir
+Christopher Wren, who was a member.
+
+The King, who was of course then Duke of Cornwall, was also present
+at the consecration of Truro Cathedral on 3rd November 1887, and
+Archbishop Benson records an instance of His Majesty’s religious
+feeling:--
+
+“There was a nice incident in the consecration. Just as the Bishop was
+signing the sentence of consecration, Bishop of Salisbury whispered
+to me, ‘Shouldn’t the Prince of Wales be asked to sign it?’ I sent
+him to Bishop of Truro to suggest it, who sent him on to the Prince’s
+daïs. The Prince assented, but instead of waiting for the parchment
+to be brought up, instantly came down from his place and went up the
+altar steps and signed it there on the little table set in front of the
+altar--a real little bit of reverence.”
+
+Another interesting ceremony was His Majesty’s consecration, in his
+official capacity as Grand Master of England, of the Chancery Bar
+Lodge of Freemasons in Lincoln’s Inn Hall. The King sat in the Grand
+Master’s chair, wearing the full regalia of his office; at his left sat
+the Earl of Lathom, Pro-Grand Master, and at his right, the Earl of
+Mount-Edgcumbe, Deputy Grand Master.
+
+Many curious incidents have occurred in connection with the King’s
+interest in Freemasonry. At one dinner at which the King of Sweden was
+present, the list of subscriptions announced amounted to the enormous
+sum of £51,000, probably the largest amount ever raised at a festival
+dinner in the history of the world.
+
+On two occasions the King has presided as Grand Master of English
+Freemasons over remarkable assemblies in the Royal Albert Hall. The
+first was in celebration of Queen Victoria’s Golden Jubilee in 1887,
+when the tickets for admission produced £6000, a sum which was divided
+among the three great Masonic charities. Very similar was the Diamond
+Jubilee assembly of Freemasons, at which eight thousand members
+were present. The King spoke admirably, the Duke of Connaught moved
+the adoption of the address to Queen Victoria, while Earl Amherst
+aroused unbounded enthusiasm when he alluded to Her Majesty as “the
+daughter of a Freemason, the mother of Freemasons, and the patron and
+benefactress of our Order.”
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXIV
+
+THE KING AS A PHILANTHROPIST
+
+
+One of the first occasions on which King Edward and Queen Alexandra
+appeared in support of a charitable institution was on 24th June 1863,
+when their Majesties opened the new buildings of the British Orphan
+Asylum at Slough. From that day forward both the King and Queen have
+unceasingly demonstrated their keen personal interest in every genuine
+form of charitable endeavour. It would be impossible to estimate the
+total sum of human misery and suffering which has been relieved as the
+direct result, not only of their Majesties’ own exertions, but also
+of the powerful example which they have consistently set before the
+wealthy and leisured classes. The mere catalogue of the charitable
+meetings and dinners at which the King has presided would occupy many
+pages of this book.
+
+But His Majesty has never contented himself, as he might so easily have
+done, with allowing his own subscription and the fact of his patronage
+to open the purse-strings of the charitable public. The word “genuine”
+has been used above advisedly. The King has no sort of admiration for
+careless, slovenly charity, which often does more harm than good. Long
+ago he realised that to give money is not enough, but that it is a
+sacred duty to see that the money is expended to the best advantage
+and really reaches the persons for whom it is intended. Hence it is
+not surprising to find that His Majesty was from the first a strong
+supporter of the old Mendicity Society, and has continued to give his
+countenance to the Charity Organisation Society, which, in return, has
+been of the greatest service to him.
+
+It will readily be understood that it is not so much the actual sums
+subscribed by His Majesty and his gracious Consort to a particular
+charity which are valued--though the aggregate amount which they have
+given away since their marriage represents a very large sum--but it
+is the guarantee afforded by the mere fact that their Majesties have
+subscribed at all. Great precautions are taken to prevent a Royal
+subscription from being given to a fraudulent or unworthy object, and
+that is no doubt why a comparatively small sum, perhaps only £50 or
+£100 from the King or Queen Alexandra, stimulates the generosity of the
+public to the extent of many thousands.
+
+Charitable work, however, as those who have engaged in it know only
+too well, is only a palliative. By his active interest in the problem
+of the housing of the poor, which has been described in a previous
+chapter, the King has endeavoured to strike at one of the chief causes
+of vice and crime. We have seen that on various occasions His Majesty
+has made pointed observations regarding the provision of decent
+cottages for agricultural labourers, and there can be no doubt that the
+example he has set on his Sandringham estate has been of the greatest
+value. The King took the earliest opportunity after his accession, in
+his reply to the address presented by the London County Council, of
+emphasising his interest in the housing of urban populations also. It
+must not be forgotten that the question is, at any rate in some of its
+aspects, a political one, and the King has therefore been obliged to
+exercise all his well-known tact and discretion in dealing with it.
+
+With regard to medical charities, the precise value of which is
+fortunately not a subject of political difference, the King has enjoyed
+practically a free hand. Twice in his life His Majesty has realised
+in his own person the incalculable benefits of skilled medical and
+surgical treatment and trained nursing, being indeed on the first
+occasion literally snatched from the jaws of death. Though the King’s
+active support of hospitals dates from an earlier time in his life,
+these experiences doubtless strengthened his keen desire to render the
+benefits which he had himself enjoyed available for the poorest classes
+of the community. Perhaps His Majesty’s interest in medical science
+dates from a visit which he paid when quite a boy to the great school,
+mainly for doctors’ sons, at Epsom. At any rate there can be no doubt
+about the steady development of that interest, which may be said to
+have culminated in “The Prince of Wales’s Hospital Fund for London,”
+established as a memorial of Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee.
+
+Probably only those who are concerned in the practical working of this
+fund have an adequate idea of the good which it has already done and
+will do in the future. It is not merely, as was erroneously supposed
+at first, a machine for collecting money which might as well be sent
+direct to individual hospitals. No one who appreciates the practical
+bent of the King’s mind could ever have believed that he would give his
+name to such a scheme as that.
+
+The fundamental idea of the fund is the giving of personal service,
+the money collected being used as a means of raising the standard of
+work done in the various hospitals. Before the fund existed there
+was no regular systematic inspection of the London hospitals, which
+in consequence presented very varying degrees of efficiency, some
+institutions being admirably conducted, while in others the funds
+were to a greater or less extent frittered away owing to the lack of
+good business management. It never occurred to the great majority
+of business men to associate themselves in the practical work of
+hospital administration, though they subscribed most generously to the
+hospital funds. The King’s plan was to enlist the personal service of
+the most competent and representative business men, who should form,
+in conjunction with certain eminent physicians and surgeons, and a
+number of peers and members of Parliament of tried ability, a visiting
+committee to inspect thoroughly every London hospital. On the reports
+of this committee, grants from the fund were to be made immediately,
+or promised subject to conditions, or in extreme cases altogether
+withheld.
+
+The moral effect of this ingenious scheme has been extraordinary. Not
+only have weak hospitals been brought into line, but the better-managed
+institutions have been improved, while as regards individuals the
+effect has been to encourage every competent hospital official and to
+minimise as far as possible the harm done by the incompetent. At first
+it was thought that the investigations of the visiting committee, which
+are necessarily extremely thorough, might be resented as inquisitorial
+and un-English, but the visiting committee found that the authorities
+of almost every institution were eager to afford all possible
+information. The income of the fund and the amount annually distributed
+show a steady increase, which has been greatly fostered by the Order of
+the League of Mercy instituted by the King in 1899. This decoration is
+bestowed only as a reward for special personal service in the cause of
+the hospitals. The hospital stamp, too, which brought in so much money
+to the fund, was, if not actually designed, at any rate suggested by
+His Majesty, the central figure being Sir Joshua Reynolds’s “Charity,”
+which is to be seen in the famous Reynolds window at New College,
+Oxford.
+
+Perhaps the most often quoted observation ever uttered by the King is
+his famous saying about preventible diseases--“If preventible, why
+not prevented?” His Majesty is an eager supporter of every properly
+authorised medical discovery which promises to be of value to humanity
+in the alleviation of disease. For example, both the King and Queen
+Alexandra have taken the greatest interest in the “light treatment”
+for lupus introduced by Dr. Finsen, a Danish _savant_, which Her
+Majesty had installed at the London Hospital, and as we have seen His
+Majesty experienced in his own person the value of the Röntgen rays for
+purposes of diagnosis.
+
+The King has long been deeply impressed with the ravages of consumption
+and other forms of tuberculosis, and when, comparatively recently,
+an association for the prevention of this terrible scourge was
+established, he not only became its president, but took an active
+part in its deliberations. Moreover, not long before the death of
+Queen Victoria he consented to preside at a great National Congress
+on Tuberculosis to be held in London in the course of 1901, and to be
+attended by delegates from all parts of the British Empire.
+
+As far back as 1863 the King became a patron of the Brompton Hospital
+for Consumption, and in 1879 he laid the foundation-stone of the new
+wing by which its accommodation was largely increased. A few years
+afterwards he showed his continued interest in the same subject by
+presiding at a festival dinner in aid of the Royal Hospital for
+Diseases of the Chest, in the City Road, which brought in nearly £5000
+to the funds of the hospital. Until comparatively lately, consumption
+was regarded as practically incurable, and it says much for the King’s
+clearheadedness and insight that he unhesitatingly placed himself
+at the head of the crusade against the disease. The historian of
+the future will reckon this as not the least of the services he has
+rendered to his people.
+
+As may be imagined from the diversity of his interests, the King’s
+correspondence of late years rivalled that of Queen Victoria, and His
+Majesty is always eager to acknowledge the debt he owes to his private
+secretary, Sir Francis Knollys. The correspondence is reduced by the
+private secretary to three distinct sections--the private letters,
+the business letters, and the miscellaneous letters. Among the latter
+are those written by lunatics, begging-letter writers, and so on. The
+private letters are sent up to the King unopened, the others are all
+read through by Sir Francis and again subdivided, the larger section to
+be replied to in a formal and official way, the others to be submitted
+to the King before they are dealt with.
+
+Some of His Majesty’s correspondents evidently have a touching belief
+in his power of righting wrong. They implore him to take up their cause
+when they are injured, and it may be stated that no _bona fida_ epistle
+was ever sent to the King without being answered, often with marvellous
+celerity, and ever with the greatest courtesy and kindness.
+
+At Sandringham there is a post office inside the house for the use of
+the Royal Household, but at Marlborough House the huge letter-bags are
+sent over to the St. James’s Street post office at regular intervals
+throughout the day.
+
+The King has long been a subscriber to the National Telephone Company,
+and he is said to spend over £1000 a year in telegrams alone, for the
+popular idea that Royalty’s letters are franked, and that parcels sent
+by them are forwarded free of cost, is a delusion.
+
+[Illustration: SIR FRANCIS KNOLLYS
+
+_From a Photograph by Russell_]
+
+Sir Francis Knollys’s duties as secretary are not confined to what
+are generally called secretarial duties. He has to act as his Royal
+master’s supplementary memory. He keeps the list of all the King’s
+engagements, and, what is a more arduous task, arranges every item of
+the Royal journeys. Princess Charles of Denmark is said to have once
+observed that she felt sure that if Sir Francis were suddenly awakened
+in the middle of the night and asked what were the King’s engagements
+eight days forward, he would immediately begin to recite the entire
+list.
+
+Be that as it may, the position of Sir Francis Knollys is a very
+responsible one, and even his most intimate friends marvel how he can
+get through the enormous amount of work he has to do. Occasionally
+his labours are enormously increased, especially at times of
+public calamity or Royal mourning. During the Tranby Croft case
+well-intentioned folk all over the British Empire sent books and
+pamphlets pointing out the evils of gambling, and in most cases these
+were courteously and kindly acknowledged.
+
+Sir Francis writes every important letter with his own hand, for
+typewriters have, so far, never been used in Royal correspondence. He
+has two assistant secretaries, who attend to the routine work, but even
+then many of the letters written by them are signed by him, and in all
+cases he looks them over and sees that they are as he would wish them
+to be. There is also a staff of clerks.
+
+In 1865 His Majesty attended his first public dinner in his capacity as
+president of the Royal Literary Fund, and ever since he has taken the
+greatest interest in the unobtrusive work done by this institution in
+relieving distressing cases among those men and women of letters who
+have fallen on evil days.
+
+The King is a warm friend of the coffee palace movement; in this
+connection it is interesting to recall the Alexandra Trust, founded
+by Sir Thomas Lipton at the instance of Queen Alexandra, for the
+purpose of supplying well-cooked and nourishing food to the populace
+at an inclusive charge of 4½d. It will be remembered that the King and
+Queen paid a surprise visit to the Alexandra Trust Restaurant in St.
+Luke’s, in the East End of London, on which occasion the various London
+papers circulated the most amusingly inconsistent stories of what
+their Majesties really ate. As a matter of fact they were satisfied
+with the ordinary poor man’s dinner, and were not entertained--as
+was alleged--by Sir Thomas Lipton with “chicken and champagne.” It
+was their Majesties’ great desire to be treated exactly as ordinary
+diners. But the Queen did break one rule--that which ordains that the
+metal check, received on payment of the 4½d., should be given up on
+leaving. The Queen insisted on keeping the disc, as she said to Sir
+Thomas Lipton, “as a memento of a delightful visit and a most enjoyable
+lunch.” Their Majesties remained for nearly two hours; they spoke to
+large numbers of working men and girls, and carefully inspected all the
+cooking arrangements, and it is recorded that the King chatted with the
+men’s bootblack in the basement. Sir Thomas Lipton’s comment was: “It
+was deeply touching to see the men’s devotion to the Princess; they
+almost worshipped her.”
+
+The public are aware that, like his father, the late Prince Consort,
+the King takes a keen personal interest in exhibitions of all kinds,
+but it is not generally known that he himself suggested the Fisheries
+Exhibition, which was visited by 2,750,000 people, and which brought in
+£10,000 for the families of drowned or disabled fishermen. Altogether
+16,000,000 people visited the four exhibitions over which His Majesty
+presided--the Fisheries, the Healtheries, the Inventories, and the
+Colinderies.
+
+His Majesty has always been a great ally of the London cabby. Although
+the stables at Marlborough House are magnificently appointed, he
+frequently takes a hansom for his own amusement, always over-paying
+the driver. For years he has been patron of the Cabdrivers’ Benevolent
+Association, the funds of which he has done much to increase.
+
+The King’s exertions in the cause of public philanthropy are so great
+and widespread that it might be supposed that he would have no time
+for private acts of benevolence. But this is by no means the case, and
+an example which is not generally known may be given here. An officer
+of the Grenadier Guards, a regiment in which the King is particularly
+interested, fell into serious money troubles and had to leave the
+service, ultimately becoming almost destitute. The Prince, as he then
+was, heard of the case, and soon the poor ex-officer received a letter
+from a firm of solicitors asking him to call on them. He did so, and
+was given, to his amazement, a considerable sum of money, together
+with the offer of a good appointment abroad. The Prince’s name was not
+disclosed, by His Royal Highness’s express command, but a plausible
+story was told of an old comrade who wished thus anonymously to
+recompense former acts of kindness.
+
+Better known, perhaps, is the story of a large silver inkstand which
+Queen Alexandra particularly values, though it does not belong to
+her, but to the King. It bears the inscription: “To the Prince of
+Wales. From one who saw him conduct a blind beggar across the street.
+In memory of a kind and Christian action.” The incident occurred in
+Pall Mall at a busy time of the day, and the beggar, with his dog,
+was vainly trying to cross in safety when the King, who chanced to
+be passing at the moment, took the poor fellow by the arm and guided
+him to the other side. A few days afterwards the inkstand arrived at
+Marlborough House, with no card or letter or other clue to the donor’s
+identity, which, indeed, has never been revealed to this day.
+
+In conclusion it may be mentioned that His Majesty’s large-hearted
+philanthropy includes even those often unfortunate people who are
+expiating in prison the crimes they have committed against society.
+On one occasion His Majesty visited Portland, spent a long time in
+inspecting the infirmary, and tasted the food supplied to the convicts.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXV
+
+THE KING AS A SPORTSMAN
+
+    _The author is indebted to an authority on sport for kindly
+    revising this chapter._
+
+
+[Illustration: MR. JOHN PORTER AND MR. RICHARD MARSH, THE KING’S PAST
+AND PRESENT TRAINERS, AND JOHN WATTS, HIS JOCKEY
+
+_From Photographs by Elliott and Fry, and Clarence Hailey_]
+
+An account of the King as a sportsman begins, appropriately enough,
+with the sport of kings, though this is by no means the only pastime
+with which His Majesty has identified himself. Still, at any rate
+during his later years as Prince of Wales, he was chiefly associated
+in the public mind with racing, and his colours--purple, gold band,
+scarlet sleeves, and black velvet cap with gold fringe--were familiar
+at all the principal meetings. After his accession His Majesty leased
+his horses to the Duke of Devonshire for the season of 1901, but it was
+understood that, following the example of several of his predecessors,
+the King intended to resume his active connection with the Turf later
+on. Although His Majesty has been a member of the Jockey Club for over
+thirty years, his personal interest in racing is a matter of later
+growth, for it was not till July 1877 that Queen Alexandra honoured
+Newmarket with her presence to see her husband’s colours carried for
+the first time. On that occasion the King had no luck, his horse
+Alep, a pure-bred Arab, which started favourite, being beaten by Lord
+Strathnairn’s Arab Avowal by twenty or thirty lengths. Five years later
+the King won the Household Brigade Cup at Sandown with Fairplay.
+
+[Illustration: THE EGERTON HOUSE TRAINING STABLES, NEWMARKET
+
+_From a Photograph by Clarence Hailey_]
+
+The King is generally agreed to be a very good judge of a horse. When
+at Newmarket he makes it a point to watch the early morning gallops,
+and at one time he was very fond of attending sales. His Majesty has
+also given a great impetus to horse-breeding in the United Kingdom.
+Many years ago he started a thorough-bred stud, a half-bred stud, and
+a shire-horse stud--works of real public utility, which can only be
+undertaken, be it remembered, by those who have wealth and leisure,
+combined with intelligence and a real desire to forward the interests
+of the British farmer.
+
+The King’s great successes on the Turf during recent years, including
+two famous Derbys, have been due to the introduction to the Sandringham
+stables of Perdita II., bought by Mr. John Porter for £900. The union
+of this mare with St. Simon produced Florizel II., and from that time
+the King’s fame as an owner and breeder increased until it became
+second to none.
+
+It was in 1890 that His Majesty put his racers under John Porter, but
+his total winnings were only £624. The next year, however, the King
+won £4148; in 1892, £190; in 1893, £372; in 1894, £3499; and in 1895,
+£8281; and in the last-named year His Majesty’s name stood tenth in
+the list of winning owners. This satisfactory result was undoubtedly
+greatly owing to Lord Marcus Beresford, who was entrusted with the
+management of the King’s racing stable in 1890. The King’s horses were
+removed from Kingsclere to Egerton House, Newmarket, in 1892, and since
+then they have been under Marsh’s care. Persimmon was sent there as a
+yearling from Sandringham in 1894.
+
+The King’s most memorable triumph was his first Derby in 1896, when
+Persimmon won. This fine horse is a bay by St. Simon, and own brother
+to Florizel II., who was, by the way, the first really good horse
+that ever carried the Royal colours, and is the sire of several very
+promising animals. Persimmon was never beaten by any horse except
+his own half-brother, St. Frusquin, who twice defeated him, and
+Omladina, who finished in front of him in the Middle Park Plate. He
+was bred by the King and trained by Marsh at Newmarket. He made his
+first appearance in the Coventry Stakes at Ascot as a two-year-old,
+and, starting favourite, won the race. On the occasion of his next
+appearance, in the Richmond Stakes at Goodwood, he was again favourite,
+and again won by a length. In the Middle Park Plate, though favourite,
+he was beaten by St. Frusquin, but in the Derby of 1896 he beat his
+half-brother by a neck. At the Newmarket First July Meeting he gave 3
+lb. to St. Frusquin, and was beaten in the Princess of Wales’s Stakes.
+He won the St. Leger by a length and a half; and in the Jockey Club
+Stakes at Newmarket on the 1st October he won by two lengths from Sir
+Visto, the Derby winner of 1897.
+
+[Illustration: THE KING’S DERBY, 1896
+
+_Reproduced by permission from the copyright Painting by G. D. Giles_]
+
+Persimmon was ridden to victory in the Derby of 1896 by John Watts.
+The race was witnessed by an extraordinarily large concourse of all
+classes, including a considerable number of distinguished foreigners.
+Never was there a more popular victory, and the enthusiasm all over the
+country was almost as great as at Epsom. It was the fourth time in the
+history of the Turf that the race had been won by a Royal owner. In
+1788, eight years after its foundation, the Prince Regent won with Sir
+Thomas; and the Duke of York won with Prince Leopold in 1816, and with
+Moses in 1822.
+
+Altogether, in 1896, nearly £27,000 in stake money was won by horses
+from the Royal stables at Newmarket. Among the King’s notable successes
+in that year may be mentioned the One Thousand Guineas, won by Thais,
+by St. Serf out of Poetry, which also ran second to Canterbury Pilgrim
+in the Oaks.
+
+The King won the Derby again in 1900 with Diamond Jubilee, which, like
+Persimmon, is by St. Simon--Perdita II. It is an extraordinary thing
+for a mare to produce two Derby winners, but that they should be by
+the same sire is believed to be a record in the annals of the Turf.
+Perdita II. died soon after her very promising filly Nadejda--also by
+St. Simon--was foaled.
+
+The Derby-Day dinner is certainly one of the most important functions
+held at Marlborough House during the year, and it is now difficult
+to believe that it was only inaugurated comparatively few years ago.
+Something like fifty invitations are sent out, and the guests, who
+are all men, are expected to wear evening dress, not uniform. The
+great silver dinner-service ordered by the King on his marriage, which
+cost some £20,000, is always used on this occasion, and on the side
+buffet are to be seen His Majesty’s racing cups, hunting trophies, and
+gold and silver salvers, for everything in the strong rooms which is
+associated with sport is brought out.
+
+In addition to the Derby, Diamond Jubilee also won in 1900 the Two
+Thousand Guineas, the Newmarket Stakes, the Eclipse Stakes, and the
+St. Leger, and was second in the Princess of Wales’s Stakes. Giving
+12 lb. to Disguise II., Diamond Jubilee was unplaced in the Jockey
+Club Stakes. In his five great victories Diamond Jubilee won £27,985
+in stakes, and so placed the King at the head of the list of winning
+owners.
+
+In 1900 also the King won the Grand National with Ambush II., and so
+carried off the biggest flat-race and the biggest steeplechase--double
+honours which no other owner had ever before gained, much less in the
+same year.
+
+From the sport of kings we pass by a natural transition to the Royal
+and ancient game of golf. It is well known that golf was the favourite
+pastime of some of the Stuart kings of Scotland, and Mary Queen of
+Scots, her son, James I. of England, Charles I., and James II. all
+played. But from the death of James II. to the accession of Edward VII.
+none of our sovereigns were themselves golfers, though William IV. and
+the lamented Queen Victoria gave their patronage to the game.
+
+The King learnt to play on the Musselburgh Links years ago when he
+was pursuing his scientific studies at Edinburgh, and Tom Brown, who
+had the honour of being His Majesty’s caddie, still lives in hale old
+age. In 1863 the King became Patron and then Captain of the Royal and
+Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews, and in 1882 he accepted the office
+of President of the Royal Wimbledon Golf Club, to which the late Queen
+had granted the title “Royal.” His Majesty has played several times at
+Cannes and on the private links of the Grand Duke Michael, and his love
+of the game is notably shared by the Duke of Cornwall and York, the
+Duchess of Fife, and the Duke of Connaught.
+
+The King has lived to see the extraordinary development of cricket,
+and its promotion to the rank of the typically national game which
+Englishmen take with them to the ends of the earth. We may be sure that
+the indirect political influence of the great contests between England
+and Australia, for example, and of the tours of Indian, South African,
+and West Indian teams, did not escape his quick intelligence. Certainly
+His Majesty has always supported cricket, though he never became so
+keen a player as the late Prince Christian Victor, for instance.
+
+The King played at Oxford, and occasionally for I. Zingari. In 1866, at
+the Park House, Sandringham, His Majesty played against the Gentlemen
+of Norfolk for the Sandringham Household. He has frequently visited
+Lord’s to see the Eton and Harrow matches, and in 1899 he went there
+with the Duke of Cornwall and York when the M.C.C., of which club
+His Majesty is patron, played the Australians. He has also seen the
+Australians play at Sheffield Park. Kennington Oval being on the London
+estate of the Duchy of Cornwall, the King, when he was Prince of Wales,
+was ground landlord, and allowed the Surrey Club the use of the ground
+at a nominal rental. The Surrey Club has benefited greatly through the
+King’s generosity in this matter, and recently the Duchy of Cornwall
+granted the club a thirty years’ lease at a very low rent, considering
+the value of the property.
+
+The King was for many years patron of both the Rugby Union and the
+Football Association, and after his Accession he was approached by
+both bodies with a view to his graciously continuing to grant them his
+patronage. The game under neither code was played much until the King
+had reached middle life, but he showed his interest in the popular
+winter pastime by visiting the Oval in March 1886 on the first occasion
+of a charity festival organised by the Rugby Union and Football
+Association.
+
+There can be no doubt that the King owes his remarkable bodily vigour
+and healthy appearance to his love of all outdoor sports, for he was
+never so content as when enjoying a long day’s tramp over the stubble
+at Sandringham, or when deer-stalking in a soft Highland mist. His
+Majesty’s life as a sportsman began early. When he was quite a child
+he used to accompany Prince Albert on deer-stalking expeditions round
+Balmoral; somewhat later he hunted with the harriers, and when he was
+fifteen he could claim to be the best shot in his family.
+
+Although the King has been a plucky and fearless rider from early
+childhood, he has not been so fond of hunting as of some other sports,
+and during the last few years he has seldom been seen following the
+hounds. When an undergraduate at Christ Church, he constantly hunted
+with Lord Macclesfield’s pack, and was then considered a very hard
+rider; and it need scarcely be said that the meets which take place at
+Sandringham are the most popular in Norfolk, and give both the King and
+Queen many opportunities of showing gracious and kindly hospitality,
+both to their wealthy and to their humble neighbours. The King is a
+firm friend to the hunting of the fox, and it is understood that a pack
+of fox-hounds is to be established in place of the Royal Buckhounds.
+In 1888 the members of the West Norfolk Hunt presented to the King and
+Queen Alexandra a beautiful silver model of a fox in full gallop as a
+memorial of their Majesties’ silver wedding, and in returning thanks
+the King said:--
+
+“I can assure you that no present which has been offered for our
+acceptance has been received by us with more pleasure than the one
+which you have given us to-day--a model of the wily animal that we are
+all so fond of following. Norfolk has always been considered to be a
+shooting county; that may be so to a great extent, but I feel convinced
+that the hunting is quite as popular, and I sincerely hope that it will
+long remain so. There may be difficulties in preserving foxes, but I
+feel sure that where there’s a will there’s a way. For twenty-five
+years we have enjoyed hunting with the West Norfolk Hunt, both the
+Princess and myself; and our children have been brought up to follow
+that Hunt. I sincerely hope that for many long years we may be able to
+continue to do so.”
+
+Before the King had been at Sandringham six months he made it quite
+clear that his country home should be in every sense a good sporting
+estate, and it has been one of his chief pleasures to entertain parties
+of keen sportsmen each autumn in Norfolk. Perhaps the best shooting
+season Sandringham has ever seen was that of 1885-86. The total bag
+was 16,131 head, including 7252 pheasants. The best day of that season
+was the last day of the year 1885, when ten guns killed 2835 head,
+including 1275 pheasants. The rabbit-shooting at Sandringham is also
+first-rate, and it need hardly be said that the foxes are watched over
+with the most tender anxiety.
+
+[Illustration: THE KING AS A SPORTSMAN IN 1876
+
+_From an Engraving published by Henry Graves and Co._]
+
+Over ten thousand pheasants are annually reared at Sandringham, partly
+by incubators and partly by the assistance of a thousand ordinary
+hens. The lake near Sandringham affords wild duck, teal, and widgeon
+shooting. The King has the largest game-room in the United Kingdom.
+It holds between six and seven thousand head, and was built not very
+long after the King bought the estate. After each day’s sport the game
+is spread for inspection, and a careful record is made of the numbers
+that have fallen to each gun. It is in the game-room that the game is
+packed after a big _battue_ to be sent off in hampers to hospitals and
+to friends. It need hardly be said that none of the King’s game is ever
+sold. A good deal is kept for the use of the house, and a share is also
+given to the tenants, to the _employés_ on the estate, and to London
+tradesmen connected with the Royal Household.
+
+The King’s shooting-parties rarely number more than ten guns, each of
+whom is assigned his place in the shoot by his Royal host himself. All
+the beaters at Sandringham wear a very becoming uniform composed of a
+Royal blue blouse, low crowned hat, and long brown gaiters. Each bears
+on his left arm a number by which he may readily be identified, and
+after each day’s shooting every one of the beaters is allowed to take
+home a hare and a pheasant.
+
+The King is not often seen going north for the opening weeks of the
+grouse-shooting season. Still, in the early years of his married life,
+he and Queen Alexandra often entertained shooting-parties at Birkhall.
+The King generally puts in a certain number of days pheasant-shooting
+in Windsor Great Park. The preserves swarm with ground game. His
+Majesty is also fond of shooting with the Duke of Devonshire at
+Chatsworth, and at Wynyard, Lord Londonderry’s seat in Durham. The King
+has, however, shot more or less all over England. He was frequently the
+guest of Lord James of Hereford when the latter had Shoreham Place,
+where one valley on the farther side of the park is locally known as
+“The Valley of the Shadow of Death,” from the tremendous slaughter of
+game that annually takes place there.
+
+Like his father, the late Prince Consort, the King has always been a
+keen deer-stalker, and when he is staying at Balmoral most of his time
+is entirely devoted to this sport--in fact, deer-stalking is what first
+brought him into close connection with his present son-in-law, then
+the Earl of Fife, who possesses Mar, which is one of the two largest
+forests in Great Britain, being over 80,000 acres of cleared ground.
+Balmoral is situated in the heart of the deer country, being within
+reach of a good number of forests adjoining each other, and extending
+without a break into five counties. The King is well known to prefer
+“stalking” to driving, but of late years he has taken an active part in
+the drives organised at Mar. His marksmanship is universally agreed to
+be excellent. At one time he was owner of Birkhall, in Glenmuick, but
+it was purchased for him by Prince Albert, and he had no voice in its
+selection. Still the King kept it till 1885, when he sold the property,
+which was very extensive, to Queen Victoria.
+
+[Illustration: THE “BRITANNIA”
+
+_From a Photograph by Adamson, Rothesay_]
+
+King Edward has been extremely fortunate as a yachtsman, and probably
+one of the events to which he most looks forward each year is the
+Regatta at Cowes. The King first won the Queen’s Cup, annually
+presented to the Royal Yacht Squadron at Cowes, in 1877, with his
+schooner _Hildegarde_ of 198 tons. He won the Cup again in 1880 with
+the _Formosa_, cutter, of 103 tons, and again in 1895 and 1897 with the
+famous cutter _Britannia_ of 151 tons.
+
+[Illustration: THE KING AS A YACHTSMAN
+
+_Photograph by Debenham, Cowes_]
+
+The Royal Yacht Squadron, as is well known, was founded as “The Yacht
+Club” so far back as 1815. It early enjoyed the patronage of Royalty,
+among the past and present members being numbered the Prince Regent
+(afterwards George IV.), the Duke of Clarence (afterwards William IV.),
+Queen Victoria, the Prince Consort, the Tsar Nicholas I., Napoleon
+III., the German Emperor, and Prince Henry of Prussia. The King became
+Commodore in 1882 on the death of Lord Wilton, and he is Commodore of
+nine other Royal yacht clubs, as well as President of the Yacht Racing
+Association.
+
+The King generally takes the chair at the annual dinner of the Squadron
+held at the old castle at West Cowes, built as a fort by Henry VIII.,
+which became the headquarters of the club in 1858. This festivity is
+the great event of the year for all well-known yachtsmen. There is an
+interesting display of plate, including the Queen’s Cup, the Nelson
+Vase, and the beautiful model of the _Speranza_, which once belonged
+to Lord Conyngham. His Majesty presented a few years ago twenty-one
+cannon to the club-house at Cowes. They were taken by him from the
+_Royal Adelaide_, the toy warship placed by William IV. to guard the
+artificial ocean of Virginia Water. Now they are used for firing
+salutes.
+
+It need hardly be said that the King is the owner of many splendid
+prizes won at Cowes and elsewhere. Both His Majesty and Queen Alexandra
+are extremely fond of the sea, and he early made himself acquainted
+with the less technical side of navigation. The King is very fond of
+spending a certain number of days each year at Cannes, and when he
+is there in April he generally takes an active part in the Battle of
+Flowers, and he entertains large parties of his English and foreign
+friends on board the _Britannia_.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXVI
+
+DEATH OF QUEEN VICTORIA--THE KING’S ACCESSION
+
+
+On 19th January 1901 it was officially announced that Queen Victoria
+had not been lately in her usual health, and on the same day King
+Edward and Queen Alexandra arrived at Osborne. His Majesty returned to
+London with his son to meet the German Emperor, whose instant departure
+in the midst of the bi-centenary celebrations of the Prussian monarchy
+to the sick-bed of his venerated grandmother deeply touched the
+feelings of the British people.
+
+The mournful story of the days which followed is well known. Queen
+Victoria passed peacefully away, at half-past six in the evening of
+22nd January, surrounded by her children and grandchildren.
+
+Then every one turned in their grief to His Majesty King Edward VII.
+Hardly for a moment could he be simply the devoted son weeping by the
+death-bed of his beloved and venerated mother. He was now the ruler
+of a great Empire, and bravely did His Majesty meet what must have
+seemed the almost impertinent intrusion of State business and State
+ceremonial. Yet it had to be done, and it may even be that, as has
+been the experience of humbler mortals, the anguish of the King’s
+great personal bereavement was to some extent mitigated by the urgent
+necessities of action that were laid upon him. On the following day the
+King held his first Council at St. James’s Palace, when His Majesty
+made a declaration which is thus described in the quaint official
+language of the _London Gazette_:--
+
+                    “AT THE COURT AT SAINT JAMES’S,
+                     THE 23RD DAY OF JANUARY 1901
+
+                              _Present_
+
+    “The King’s Most Excellent Majesty in Council.
+
+    “His Majesty being this day present in Council was pleased to
+    make the following Declaration:--
+
+    “‘Your Royal Highnesses, My Lords, and Gentlemen, This is the
+    most painful occasion on which I shall ever be called upon to
+    address you.
+
+    “‘My first and melancholy duty is to announce to you the death
+    of My beloved Mother the Queen, and I know how deeply you, the
+    whole Nation, and I think I may say the whole world, sympathise
+    with Me in the irreparable loss we have all sustained.
+
+    “‘I need hardly say that My constant endeavour will be always
+    to walk in Her footsteps. In undertaking the heavy load
+    which now devolves upon Me, I am fully determined to be a
+    Constitutional Sovereign in the strictest sense of the word,
+    and as long as there is breath in My body to work for the good
+    and amelioration of My people.
+
+    “‘I have resolved to be known by the name of Edward, which
+    has been borne by six of My ancestors. In doing so I do not
+    undervalue the name of Albert, which I inherit from My ever to
+    be lamented, great and wise Father, who by universal consent is
+    I think deservedly known by the name of Albert the Good, and I
+    desire that his name should stand alone.
+
+    “‘In conclusion, I trust to Parliament and the Nation to
+    support Me in the arduous duties which now devolve upon Me by
+    inheritance, and to which I am determined to devote My whole
+    strength during the remainder of My life.’
+
+    “Whereupon the Lords of the Council made it their humble
+    request to His Majesty that His Majesty’s Most Gracious
+    Declaration to their Lordships might be made public, which His
+    Majesty was pleased to Order accordingly.
+
+                                                   “A. W. FITZROY.”
+
+His Majesty’s selection of King Edward VII. as his “style and title”
+proved extremely popular, for it is an essentially English name, and
+is bound up with so many historical associations, especially with the
+glorious memory of King Edward I. At the same time the King’s tribute
+of filial piety to his much-loved father deeply touched the hearts of
+his subjects. All over the British Empire King Edward was proclaimed
+amid rejoicings which were tempered only by a vivid sense of the
+common bereavement under which His Majesty and his subjects were alike
+suffering.
+
+The marvellous and unprecedented outburst of sorrow for her late
+Majesty, which showed that not only the British Empire but the whole of
+the civilised world shared in King Edward’s grief, undoubtedly brought
+His Majesty some consolation, which was increased by the decision of
+the German Emperor, who had been joined by his eldest son, the Crown
+Prince, to remain for the funeral.
+
+This magnificent ceremonial, in which was exemplified the lamentation
+of an Empire, lasted from Friday, 1st February, to Monday, 4th
+February. It was both naval and military in character, as befitted
+the funeral of the Sovereign who set so much store by her position as
+head of the services. The Royal Yacht _Alberta_, bearing her precious
+burden, passed from Cowes to Portsmouth along a line of warships which,
+reinforced as they were by foreign vessels sent by friendly Powers,
+seemed typical of the firm yet peaceful policy of the great ruler who
+was being borne to her last resting-place. The pageant through London,
+distinguished as it was by the presence of four reigning Sovereigns,
+the German Emperor, the King of the Belgians, the King of the Hellenes,
+and the King of Portugal, as well as numerous other representatives
+of foreign States, will never be forgotten by the vast crowds who
+saw it pass along its appointed way. It is perhaps worthy of mention
+that the Countess of Ranfurly represented New Zealand, her husband
+being Governor of that Colony, and thus the funeral of the great woman
+Sovereign is believed to have been the first public occasion on which
+a State of the Empire has been represented by a woman.
+
+The stately and yet simple dignity of the whole ceremonial was
+marred by only one mishap, which is recorded here because a number
+of incorrect versions of what happened were current at the time. The
+funeral _cortège_ did not arrive at the Great Western Railway Station
+at Windsor till some time after it was expected, the result being that
+the artillery horses, which were in waiting to draw the gun-carriage
+bearing the coffin to St. George’s Chapel, became chilled. Just as the
+procession was about to start one of the horses on the off-side--that
+is, one of those that had no rider--reared and plunged, and eventually
+stood up on its hind legs. This started the next pair, and they also
+began to kick, and the situation became both dangerous and painful.
+So restive, in fact, were the horses that an officer on the Staff
+approached the King and received permission to remove them from the
+gun-carriage. It was at this juncture that Prince Louis of Battenberg
+respectfully called the attention of His Majesty to the naval guard of
+honour drawn up close by, and suggested that the seamen should draw
+the coffin to the chapel. The King at once ordered that this should be
+done, and Prince Louis, sending for Lieutenant Boyle, who commanded the
+guard of honour, gave instructions to that effect. The traces, made of
+chain covered with leather with a hook at each end, were taken from
+the horses and were easily connected up by the seamen into two long
+drag ropes. There was a brake on the gun-carriage, but in descending
+the hill this was found to be insufficient for the weight--upwards of
+two tons--and a party of selected petty officers manned the wheels and
+eased the carriage down the declivity spoke by spoke.
+
+His Majesty was afterwards pleased to express his gracious approbation
+of the conduct of the naval guard of honour and their promptitude in
+executing his orders. Later on the King conferred the Victorian Order
+on the officers, and the Victorian medal on the men. The incident
+seized the imagination of the British people, who were quick to recall
+other occasions on which the sea service had similarly risen to a
+great emergency.
+
+Few besides the members of the Royal Family were present at the actual
+depositing of the remains of Queen Victoria in the sarcophagus at
+Frogmore, there to sleep by the side of her tenderly-loved husband,
+to whom she had addressed the infinitely touching inscription, “Vale
+desideratissime! Hic tecum requiescam, tecum demum in Christo resurgam!”
+
+It was on that most solemn day that King Edward wrote those admirable
+Messages to his People, to the Colonies, and to India, which revealed
+to all his subjects how completely he possesses his lamented mother’s
+marvellous gift of human sympathy, combined with a full realisation
+of his kingly dignity. The Messages, which are all dated from Windsor
+Castle, 4th February 1901, are as follows:--
+
+                             “TO MY PEOPLE
+
+    “Now that the last Scene has closed in the noble and ever
+    glorious life of My beloved Mother, The Queen, I am anxious
+    to endeavour to convey to the whole Empire the extent of the
+    deep gratitude I feel for the heart-stirring and affectionate
+    tributes which are everywhere borne to Her Memory. I wish also
+    to express My warm recognition of those universal expressions
+    of what I know to be genuine and loyal sympathy with Me
+    and with the Royal Family in our overwhelming sorrow. Such
+    expressions have reached Me from all parts of My vast Empire,
+    while at home the sorrowful, reverent, and sincere enthusiasm
+    manifested in the magnificent display by sea and land has
+    deeply touched Me.
+
+    “The consciousness of this generous spirit of devotion and
+    loyalty among the millions of My Subjects, and of the feeling
+    that we are all sharing a common sorrow, has inspired Me with
+    courage and hope during the past most trying and momentous days.
+
+    “Encouraged by the confidence of that love and trust which the
+    nation ever reposed in its late and fondly mourned Sovereign,
+    I shall earnestly strive to walk in Her Footsteps, devoting
+    Myself to the utmost of My powers to maintaining and promoting
+    the highest interests of My People, and to the diligent and
+    zealous fulfilment of the great and sacred responsibilities
+    which, through the Will of God, I am now called to undertake.
+
+                                                     “EDWARD, R.I.”
+
+                     “TO MY PEOPLE BEYOND THE SEAS
+
+    “The countless messages of loyal sympathy which I have received
+    from every part of My Dominions over the Seas testify to the
+    universal grief in which the whole Empire now mourns the loss
+    of My Beloved Mother.
+
+    “In the welfare and prosperity of Her subjects throughout
+    Greater Britain the Queen ever evinced a heartfelt interest.
+
+    “She saw with thankfulness the steady progress which, under a
+    wide extension of Self-Government, they had made during Her
+    Reign. She warmly appreciated their unfailing loyalty to Her
+    Throne and Person, and was proud to think of those who had so
+    nobly fought and died for the Empire’s cause in South Africa.
+
+    “I have already declared that it will be My constant endeavour
+    to follow the great example which has been bequeathed to Me.
+
+    “In these endeavours I shall have a confident trust in the
+    devotion and sympathy of the People and of their several
+    Representative Assemblies throughout My vast Colonial Dominions.
+
+    “With such loyal support I will, with God’s blessing, solemnly
+    work for the promotion of the common welfare and security of
+    the great Empire over which I have now been called to reign.
+
+                                                     “EDWARD, R.I.”
+
+                  “TO THE PRINCES AND PEOPLE OF INDIA
+
+    “Through the lamented death of My beloved and dearly mourned
+    Mother, I have inherited the Throne, which has descended to Me
+    through a long and ancient lineage.
+
+    “I now desire to send My greeting to the Ruling Chiefs of the
+    Native States, and to the Inhabitants of My Indian Dominions,
+    to assure them of My sincere goodwill and affection, and of My
+    heartfelt wishes for their welfare.
+
+    “My illustrious and lamented Predecessor was the first
+    Sovereign of this Country who took upon Herself the direct
+    Administration of the Affairs of India, and assumed the
+    title of Empress in token of Her closer association with the
+    Government of that vast country.
+
+    “In all matters connected with India, the Queen Empress
+    displayed an unvarying deep personal interest, and I am well
+    aware of the feeling of loyalty and affection evinced by the
+    millions of its people towards Her Throne and Person. This
+    feeling was conspicuously shown during the last year of Her
+    long and glorious reign by the noble and patriotic assistance
+    offered by the Ruling Princes in the South African War, and by
+    the gallant services rendered by the Native Army beyond the
+    limits of their own Country.
+
+    “It was by Her wish and with Her sanction that I visited India
+    and made Myself personally acquainted with the Ruling Chiefs,
+    the people, and the cities of that ancient and famous Empire.
+
+    “I shall never forget the deep impressions which I then
+    received, and I shall endeavour to follow the great example
+    of the first Queen Empress to work for the general well-being
+    of my Indian subjects of all ranks, and to merit, as She did,
+    their unfailing loyalty and affection.
+
+                                                 “EDWARD, R. ET I.”
+
+The King’s anxieties during the trying period which followed the death
+of his beloved mother were much increased by the state of health of his
+only surviving son. The Duke of Cornwall and York fell ill with German
+measles, and, to his lasting regret, it was absolutely impossible for
+him to attend the funeral of his venerated grandmother. His Royal
+Highness, however, thanks to the devoted nursing of his wife, made
+steady progress towards convalescence.
+
+In the midst of his own bitter grief the King displayed all his
+customary consideration and desire to gratify others. Even before the
+funeral His Majesty found time to bestow the Victorian Order on some
+officers of the late Queen’s Guard at Osborne. To the Imperial and
+Royal personages who attended the late Queen’s funeral His Majesty
+showed significant marks of his gratitude. Queen Victoria had intended
+some time before her death to invest the German Crown Prince with
+the Order of the Garter with her own hands, and King Edward hastened
+to carry out his beloved mother’s design. The ceremony took place at
+Osborne, and after the investiture the King addressed his great-nephew
+in the following terms:--
+
+    “SIR--In conferring on your Imperial and Royal Highness the
+    ancient and Most Noble Order of the Garter, which was founded
+    by my ancestor many centuries ago, I invest you with the order
+    of knighthood, not only as the heir to the Throne of a mighty
+    empire, but also as a near relation. It was the wish of my
+    beloved mother the Queen to bestow it upon you as a mark of
+    her favour, and I am only carrying out her wishes, and am glad
+    to do so to the son of my illustrious relation, the German
+    Emperor, to whom I wish to express my sincere thanks for
+    having come at a moment’s notice to this country and assisted
+    in tending and watching over the Queen, and remaining with
+    her until her last moments. I desire to express a hope that
+    my action in conferring upon you this ancient Order may yet
+    further cement and strengthen the good feeling which exists
+    between the two great countries, and that we may go forward
+    hand in hand with the high object of ensuring peace and
+    promoting the advance of the civilisation of the world.”
+
+The King also paid a high compliment to his nephew, Prince Henry of
+Prussia, which was thus announced in the _London Gazette_:--
+
+                                  “ADMIRALTY, _5th February 1901_.
+
+    “His Royal Highness Prince Albert William Henry of Prussia,
+    K.G., G.C.B., Vice-Admiral in the Imperial German Navy, has
+    been appointed Honorary Vice-Admiral in His Majesty’s Fleet.”
+
+For the German Emperor himself, who was already a Knight of the Garter,
+the King had reserved a special sign of his affection, which the
+_London Gazette_ announced in the following terms:--
+
+                       “WAR OFFICE, PALL MALL, _27th January 1901_.
+
+    “The King has been pleased to appoint His Majesty William
+    II., German Emperor, King of Prussia, K.G., G.C.V.O.,
+    Colonel-in-Chief 1st (Royal) Dragoons, Honorary Admiral of the
+    Fleet, to be a Field-Marshal in the Army, on the occasion of
+    the Anniversary of His Majesty’s Birthday.
+
+    “The Commission dated 27th January 1901.”
+
+In telegrams to Lord Salisbury and Lord Roberts, announcing that this
+honour had been conferred on him, His Imperial Majesty demonstrated
+the great gratification which it afforded him. Not long afterwards the
+German Emperor conferred on Lord Roberts the Order of the Black Eagle,
+the highest decoration in his power to bestow.
+
+The honour bestowed on the King of Portugal is particularly
+interesting, as it is believed to be the first instance in which a
+foreign Royal personage has been appointed Colonel-in-Chief of a line
+regiment. It was thus officially announced:--
+
+                      “WAR OFFICE, PALL MALL, _19th February 1901_.
+
+                   “The Oxfordshire Light Infantry.
+
+    “His Majesty Charles I., King of Portugal and Algarves, K.G.,
+    to be Colonel-in-Chief. Dated 20th February 1901.”
+
+Of the other Royal personages who attended the funeral of Queen
+Victoria, the Grand Duke Michael Alexandrovitch of Russia, the Archduke
+Franz Ferdinand of Austria, and the Crown Prince of Sweden and Norway
+were appointed Honorary Knights Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath,
+and Prince Charles of Denmark was made an Honorary Knight Grand Cross
+of the Royal Victorian Order and an Honorary Lieutenant in the British
+Navy. Prince Christian, the Duke of Teck, Prince Louis of Battenberg,
+the Duke of Argyll, and the Duke of Fife became Knights Grand Cross,
+and the youthful Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, better known as the
+Duke of Albany, became an Honorary Knight Grand Cross, of the Royal
+Victorian Order.
+
+On his accession the King became _ipso facto_ head and Sovereign of all
+the great orders of Knighthood, and the position of Great Master of the
+Order of the Bath, to which His Majesty had been appointed in 1897, was
+therefore vacated. The King was unwilling that this interesting office,
+which had been specially created by his lamented mother, should lapse,
+and so he appointed his brother, the Duke of Connaught, to succeed him
+in it. His Majesty also appointed Rear-Admiral the Duke of Cornwall and
+York and Captain Prince Louis of Battenberg to be his personal Naval
+Aides-de-Camp.
+
+But unquestionably the most interesting of all the appointments made by
+the King was his creation of Queen Alexandra a Lady of the Garter. The
+announcement was made by the _London Gazette_ in the following form:--
+
+                          “MARLBOROUGH HOUSE, _12th February 1901_.
+
+    “The King, as Sovereign of the Most Noble Order of the Garter,
+    has been graciously pleased to command that a Special Statute
+    under the Seal of the Order shall be issued for conferring upon
+    Her Majesty The Queen the title and dignity of a Lady of that
+    Most Noble Order, and fully authorising Her Majesty to wear the
+    Insignia thereof.”
+
+The wording of this intimation shows how exceptional was the honour
+conferred on the gracious Queen who has long possessed the hearts of
+the British people. As a matter of fact, the distinction was without
+precedent for 400 years. Queen Victoria, even, was never a Lady of the
+Garter; she was Sovereign of the Order in her capacity as Queen regnant.
+
+The State opening of Parliament by their Majesties followed on 14th
+February, the national mourning being partially laid aside for that
+day. The reception of the King and Queen by the loyal crowds which
+lined the route to St. Stephen’s was enthusiastic in the extreme. In
+the House of Lords His Majesty delivered the Speech from the Throne in
+a firm, clear voice, which only faltered a little when he came to the
+passage referring to the Duke of Cornwall and York’s Colonial tour.
+It was undoubtedly hard for the King to part from his much-loved son,
+the only son now left to him, for so many months, but it is not by any
+means the first occasion in which His Majesty has put aside his private
+feelings in order to gratify and benefit his loyal subjects.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+
+
+
+
+End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of His Most Gracious Majesty King Edward
+VII, by Marie Belloc Lowndes
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+<pre>
+
+The Project Gutenberg EBook of His Most Gracious Majesty King Edward VII, by 
+Marie Belloc Lowndes
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org/license
+
+
+Title: His Most Gracious Majesty King Edward VII
+
+Author: Marie Belloc Lowndes
+
+Release Date: June 4, 2016 [EBook #52237]
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: UTF-8
+
+*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK HIS MOST GRACIOUS MAJESTY ***
+
+
+
+
+Produced by Suzanne Shell and the Online Distributed
+Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was
+produced from images generously made available by The
+Internet Archive/American Libraries.)
+
+
+
+
+
+
+</pre>
+
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_i" id="Page_i">[i]</a></span></p>
+
+<h1>HIS MOST GRACIOUS MAJESTY
+KING EDWARD VII.</h1>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_ii" id="Page_ii">[ii]</a><br />
+<a name="Page_iii" id="Page_iii">[iii]</a></span></p>
+
+<hr class="chap" />
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_iv" id="Page_iv">[iv]</a></span></p>
+
+<div id="illus1" class="figcenter" style="width: 400px;">
+
+<img src="images/ill001.jpg" width="400" height="650" alt="" />
+
+<p><span class="smcap">The King</span></p>
+
+<p><i>From the Painting by Archibald Stuart Wortley, published by Henry Graves and Co.</i></p>
+
+</div>
+
+<hr class="chap" />
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_v" id="Page_v">[v]</a></span></p>
+
+<p class="titlepage">HIS MOST GRACIOUS MAJESTY<br />
+<span class="larger">KING EDWARD VII.</span></p>
+
+<p class="titlepage smaller">BY<br />
+<span class="larger">MRS. BELLOC-LOWNDES</span><br />
+AUTHOR OF<br />
+‘THE PHILOSOPHY OF THE MARQUISE’</p>
+
+<p class="titlepage smaller">ILLUSTRATED</p>
+
+<p class="titlepage">London<br />
+GRANT RICHARDS<br />
+9 HENRIETTA STREET, COVENT GARDEN, W.C.<br />
+1901</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_vi" id="Page_vi">[vi]</a></span></p>
+
+<hr class="chap" />
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_vii" id="Page_vii">[vii]</a></span></p>
+
+<h2>PREFACE</h2>
+
+<p><i>This book, originally published as a Life of the Prince of Wales,
+has now been much enlarged and brought up to the latest date,
+including His Majesty’s Accession and the events which followed.
+Fresh illustrations have also been added. It is believed that
+no previous attempt has been made to present a connected
+account of the Kings life, although isolated portions of His
+Majesty’s manifold activities have been treated of by various
+writers. Thus the author of the present work acknowledges
+considerable indebtedness to the Honble. Mrs. Grey’s “Journal of
+a Visit to Egypt, Constantinople, the Crimea, Greece, etc., in the
+Suite of the Prince and Princess of Wales”; to Sir W. H.
+Russell’s delightful volumes on their Majesties’ tour in the East
+and the King’s tour in India (from which two illustrations are
+reproduced); and to Sir H. C. Burdett’s “Prince, Princess, and
+People,” which deals mainly with the philanthropic work of the
+King and Queen. A large number of memoirs have also been
+consulted, including those of the Prince Consort, the Duchess of
+Teck, Baron Stockmar, Archbishop Magee, Archbishop Benson,
+Dean Stanley, and Canon Kingsley.</i></p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_viii" id="Page_viii">[viii]</a></span></p>
+
+<hr class="chap" />
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_ix" id="Page_ix">[ix]</a></span></p>
+
+<h2>CONTENTS</h2>
+
+<table class="contents" summary="Contents">
+  <tr>
+    <td></td><td class="tdr smaller">PAGE</td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="tdc" colspan="2"><a href="#CHAPTER_I">CHAPTER I</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td><span class="smcap">An Appreciation</span></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_1">1</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="tdc" colspan="2"><a href="#CHAPTER_II">CHAPTER II</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td><span class="smcap">Birth and Early Years</span></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_5">5</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="tdc" colspan="2"><a href="#CHAPTER_III">CHAPTER III</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td><span class="smcap">The King’s Boyhood</span></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_22">22</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="tdc" colspan="2"><a href="#CHAPTER_IV">CHAPTER IV</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td><span class="smcap">Oxford, Cambridge, and the Curragh</span></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_34">34</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="tdc" colspan="2"><a href="#CHAPTER_V">CHAPTER V</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td><span class="smcap">The King’s Visit to Canada and the United States</span></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_43">43</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="tdc" colspan="2"><a href="#CHAPTER_VI">CHAPTER VI</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td><span class="smcap">Death of the Prince Consort&mdash;Tour in the East</span></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_55">55</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="tdc" colspan="2"><a href="#CHAPTER_VII">CHAPTER VII</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_x" id="Page_x">[x]</a></span><span class="smcap">The Wedding of King Edward and Queen Alexandra</span></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_63">63</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="tdc" colspan="2"><a href="#CHAPTER_VIII">CHAPTER VIII</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td><span class="smcap">Early Married Life</span></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_83">83</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="tdc" colspan="2"><a href="#CHAPTER_IX">CHAPTER IX</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td><span class="smcap">Their Majesties’ Tour in Egypt and the Mediterranean</span></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_103">103</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="tdc" colspan="2"><a href="#CHAPTER_X">CHAPTER X</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td><span class="smcap">The Franco-Prussian War&mdash;The King’s Illness</span></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_125">125</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="tdc" colspan="2"><a href="#CHAPTER_XI">CHAPTER XI</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td>1873-1875</td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_136">136</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="tdc" colspan="2"><a href="#CHAPTER_XII">CHAPTER XII</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td><span class="smcap">The King’s Tour in India</span></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_143">143</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="tdc" colspan="2"><a href="#CHAPTER_XIII">CHAPTER XIII</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td><span class="smcap">Quiet Years of Public Work, 1876-1887&mdash;Visit to Ireland&mdash;Queen
+Victoria’s Golden Jubilee</span></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_159">159</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="tdc" colspan="2"><a href="#CHAPTER_XIV">CHAPTER XIV</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td><span class="smcap">Silver Wedding of King Edward and Queen Alexandra&mdash;Engagement
+and Marriage of Princess Louise</span></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_171">171</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="tdc" colspan="2"><a href="#CHAPTER_XV">CHAPTER XV</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td><span class="smcap">The Baccarat Case&mdash;Birth of Lady Alexandra Duff&mdash;The King’s
+Fiftieth Birthday&mdash;Illness of Prince George</span></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_179">179</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="tdc" colspan="2"><a href="#CHAPTER_XVI">CHAPTER XVI</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_xi" id="Page_xi">[xi]</a></span><span class="smcap">The Duke of Clarence and Avondale</span></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_184">184</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="tdc" colspan="2"><a href="#CHAPTER_XVII">CHAPTER XVII</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td><span class="smcap">The Housing of the Working Classes&mdash;Marriage of Prince George&mdash;The
+Diamond Jubilee&mdash;Death of the Duchess of Teck</span></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_200">200</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="tdc" colspan="2"><a href="#CHAPTER_XVIII">CHAPTER XVIII</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td><span class="smcap">Later Years&mdash;A Serious Accident to the King&mdash;Gradual Recovery&mdash;The
+Attempt on the King’s Life</span></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_220">220</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="tdc" colspan="2"><a href="#CHAPTER_XIX">CHAPTER XIX</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td><span class="smcap">The King as a Country Squire</span></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_235">235</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="tdc" colspan="2"><a href="#CHAPTER_XX">CHAPTER XX</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td><span class="smcap">The King in London</span></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_251">251</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="tdc" colspan="2"><a href="#CHAPTER_XXI">CHAPTER XXI</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td><span class="smcap">The King and State Policy</span></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_262">262</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="tdc" colspan="2"><a href="#CHAPTER_XXII">CHAPTER XXII</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td><span class="smcap">The King and the Services</span></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_268">268</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="tdc" colspan="2"><a href="#CHAPTER_XXIII">CHAPTER XXIII</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td><span class="smcap">The King and Freemasonry</span></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_279">279</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="tdc" colspan="2"><a href="#CHAPTER_XXIV">CHAPTER XXIV</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td><span class="smcap">The King as a Philanthropist</span></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_287">287</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="tdc" colspan="2"><a href="#CHAPTER_XXV">CHAPTER XXV</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td><span class="smcap">The King as a Sportsman</span></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_296">296</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="tdc" colspan="2"><a href="#CHAPTER_XXVI">CHAPTER XXVI</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td><span class="smcap">The Death of Queen Victoria&mdash;The King’s Accession</span></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_310">310</a></td>
+  </tr>
+</table>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_xii" id="Page_xii">[xii]</a></span></p>
+
+<hr class="chap" />
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_xiii" id="Page_xiii">[xiii]</a></span></p>
+
+<h2>LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS</h2>
+
+<table class="contents" summary="List of illustrations">
+  <tr>
+    <td></td><td class="tdr smaller">PAGE</td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td>The King. From the Painting by Mr. A. Stuart Wortley</td><td class="tdr"><a href="#illus1"><i>Frontispiece</i></a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td>The King at Homburg</td><td class="tdr"><a href="#illus2">xvi</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td>The Christening of King Edward VII.</td><td class="tdr"><a href="#illus3">9</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td>Queen Victoria, the Empress Frederick, and King Edward VII.</td><td class="tdr"><a href="#illus4">11</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td>King Edward VII.</td><td class="tdr"><a href="#illus5">13</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td>King Edward VII. at the Age of Three</td><td class="tdr"><a href="#illus6">15</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td>The King in 1847</td><td class="tdr"><a href="#illus7">17</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td>The Landing of Queen Victoria, Prince Albert, and their Children at Aberdeen</td><td class="tdr"><a href="#illus8">19</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td>The King and the Empress Frederick as Children</td><td class="tdr"><a href="#illus9">21</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td>The Rev. Henry Mildred Birch, the King’s First Tutor</td><td class="tdr"><a href="#illus10">25</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td>Queen Victoria, Prince Albert, and their Children</td><td class="tdr"><a href="#illus11">27</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td>The King at the Age of Eight, and the Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha at
+the Age of Five</td><td class="tdr"><a href="#illus12">29</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td>Sketching at Loch Laggan&mdash;Queen Victoria with King Edward and the
+Empress Frederick</td><td class="tdr"><a href="#illus13">31</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td>Queen Victoria and King Edward VII.</td><td class="tdr"><a href="#illus14">32</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td>The King in 1859</td><td class="tdr"><a href="#illus15">35</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td>Christ Church, Oxford</td><td class="tdr"><a href="#illus16">38</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td>Trinity College, Cambridge</td><td class="tdr"><a href="#illus17">39</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td>The King in 1861</td><td class="tdr"><a href="#illus18">41</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td>The Tour in Canada and the United States, 1860</td><td class="tdr"><a href="#illus19">43</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td>The Fifth Duke of Newcastle, K.G.</td><td class="tdr"><a href="#illus20">44</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td>The King’s Landing at Montreal</td><td class="tdr"><a href="#illus21">46</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td>The King laying the Last Stone of the Victoria Bridge over the St. Lawrence</td><td class="tdr"><a href="#illus22">47</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td>The Grand Ball given at the Academy of Music, New York</td><td class="tdr"><a href="#illus23">52</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td>Dean Stanley</td><td class="tdr"><a href="#illus24">58</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td>The King’s Reception by Said Pacha, Viceroy of Egypt, at Cairo</td><td class="tdr"><a href="#illus25">59</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_xiv" id="Page_xiv">[xiv]</a></span>The King about the Time of his Marriage</td><td class="tdr"><a href="#illus26">62</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td>Queen Alexandra</td><td class="tdr"><a href="#illus27">65</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td>The King on Coming of Age</td><td class="tdr"><a href="#illus28">67</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td>Queen Alexandra in 1863</td><td class="tdr"><a href="#illus29">69</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td>Queen Alexandra</td><td class="tdr"><a href="#illus30">71</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td>The Marriage of the King and Queen</td><td class="tdr"><a href="#illus31">75</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td>A Contemporary Design for the Royal Wedding</td><td class="tdr"><a href="#illus32">78</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td>On the Wedding Day</td><td class="tdr"><a href="#illus33">81</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td>Queen Alexandra at the Time of her Marriage</td><td class="tdr"><a href="#illus34">82</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td>Queen Alexandra in 1863</td><td class="tdr"><a href="#illus35">86</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td>Queen Alexandra in 1864</td><td class="tdr"><a href="#illus36">89</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td>Queen Alexandra with the Baby Prince Albert Victor</td><td class="tdr"><a href="#illus37">91</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td>King Edward, Queen Alexandra, and Prince Albert Victor</td><td class="tdr"><a href="#illus38">93</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td>Queen Victoria with Prince Albert Victor</td><td class="tdr"><a href="#illus39">95</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td>King Edward at the Age of Twenty-Three</td><td class="tdr"><a href="#illus40">99</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td>Queen Victoria, Queen Alexandra, and Princess Christian</td><td class="tdr"><a href="#illus41">101</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td>Queen Alexandra about the Year 1865</td><td class="tdr"><a href="#illus42">102</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td>Thanksgiving Day, 1872: The Scene at Temple Bar</td><td class="tdr"><a href="#illus43">132</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td>Thanksgiving Day, 1872: The Procession up Ludgate Hill</td><td class="tdr"><a href="#illus44">134</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td>Queen Alexandra and her Sister, the Empress Alexander of Russia, in 1873</td><td class="tdr"><a href="#illus45">137</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td>Queen Victoria, with the Princes Albert Victor and George, and their sister,
+Princess Victoria</td><td class="tdr"><a href="#illus46">139</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td>The King’s Indian Tour, 1875</td><td class="tdr"><a href="#illus47">143</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td>Embarkation on Board the <i>Serapis</i> at Brindisi</td><td class="tdr"><a href="#illus48">147</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td>The King’s Visit to the Cawnpore Memorial</td><td class="tdr"><a href="#illus49">153</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td>The King in 1876</td><td class="tdr"><a href="#illus50">157</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td>The King in 1879</td><td class="tdr"><a href="#illus51">161</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td>The King in 1882</td><td class="tdr"><a href="#illus52">164</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td>Queen Alexandra in her Robes as Doctor of Music</td><td class="tdr"><a href="#illus53">169</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td>The Duchess of Fife, Princess Victoria, and Princess Charles of Denmark</td><td class="tdr"><a href="#illus54">175</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td>The Duke of Fife</td><td class="tdr"><a href="#illus55">177</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td>The Duke of Clarence and Avondale</td><td class="tdr"><a href="#illus56">185</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td>Queen Alexandra</td><td class="tdr"><a href="#illus57">193</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td>King Edward and Queen Alexandra, with the Duchess of Fife and Lady
+Alexandra Duff</td><td class="tdr"><a href="#illus58">201</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td>Queen Victoria and the Duke and Duchess of Cornwall and York</td><td class="tdr"><a href="#illus59">205</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td>The King in the Undress Uniform of an Admiral of the Fleet</td><td class="tdr"><a href="#illus60">210</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td>The King as Grand Master of the Knights-Hospitallers of Malta, at the
+Duchess of Devonshire’s Ball</td><td class="tdr"><a href="#illus61">213</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_xv" id="Page_xv">[xv]</a></span>The Duke of Cornwall and York in his Robes as a Knight of St. Patrick</td><td class="tdr"><a href="#illus62">215</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td>The Duchess of Cornwall and York</td><td class="tdr"><a href="#illus63">217</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td>The Duke of Connaught, the late Duke of Saxe-Coburg, the German
+Emperor, King Edward VII., Queen Victoria, and the Empress
+Frederick</td><td class="tdr"><a href="#illus64">223</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td>The King with the Ladies Duff</td><td class="tdr"><a href="#illus65">229</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td>Sandringham from the Grounds</td><td class="tdr"><a href="#illus66">235</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td>The Norwich Gate at Sandringham</td><td class="tdr"><a href="#illus67">238</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td>The East Front, Sandringham</td><td class="tdr"><a href="#illus68">239</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td>Queen Alexandra’s Dairy at Sandringham</td><td class="tdr"><a href="#illus69">241</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td>Queen Alexandra at Sandringham</td><td class="tdr"><a href="#illus70">245</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td>The Kennels, Sandringham</td><td class="tdr"><a href="#illus71">248</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td>Queen Alexandra with her Favourite Dogs</td><td class="tdr"><a href="#illus72">250</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td>Marlborough House from the South-West</td><td class="tdr"><a href="#illus73">252</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td>Marlborough House: the Drawing-Room</td><td class="tdr"><a href="#illus74">254</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td>Garden Party at Marlborough House, July 1881</td><td class="tdr"><a href="#illus75">257</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td>Marlborough House: the Salon</td><td class="tdr"><a href="#illus76">259</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td>The King as Admiral of the Fleet</td><td class="tdr"><a href="#illus77">269</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td>The King as Colonel of the 10th Hussars</td><td class="tdr"><a href="#illus78">273</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td>The King and the Duke of Connaught</td><td class="tdr"><a href="#illus79">277</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td>Sir Francis Knollys</td><td class="tdr"><a href="#illus80">292</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td>Mr. John Porter and Mr. Richard Marsh, the King’s Past and Present
+Trainers, and John Watts, his Jockey</td><td class="tdr"><a href="#illus81">296</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td>The Egerton House Training Stables, Newmarket</td><td class="tdr"><a href="#illus82">297</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td>The King’s Derby, 1896</td><td class="tdr"><a href="#illus83">299</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td>The King as a Sportsman in 1876</td><td class="tdr"><a href="#illus84">305</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td>The <i>Britannia</i></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#illus85">307</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td>The King as a Yachtsman</td><td class="tdr"><a href="#illus86">308</a></td>
+  </tr>
+</table>
+
+<hr class="chap" />
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_xvi" id="Page_xvi">[xvi]</a></span></p>
+
+<div id="illus2" class="figcenter" style="width: 450px;">
+
+<img src="images/ill002.jpg" width="450" height="650" alt="" />
+
+<p><span class="smcap">The King</span></p>
+
+<p><i>From a Photograph by T. H. Voigt, Hamburg v.d.H.</i></p>
+
+</div>
+
+<hr class="chap" />
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_1" id="Page_1">[1]</a></span></p>
+
+<h2 id="CHAPTER_I">CHAPTER I<br />
+<span class="smaller">AN APPRECIATION</span></h2>
+
+<p>On the Sunday following that eventful 9th of November on
+which His Most Gracious Majesty King Edward VII. first
+saw the light, the Rev. Sydney Smith preached at St. Paul’s,
+and made the following interesting addition to the Bidding
+Prayer:&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>“We pray also for that infant of the Royal race whom in
+Thy good providence Thou hast given us for our future King.
+We beseech Thee so to mould his heart and fashion his spirit
+that he may be a blessing and not an evil to the land of his
+birth. May he grow in favour with man by leaving to its
+own force and direction the energy of a free people. May he
+grow in favour with God by holding the faith in Christ
+fervently and feelingly, without feebleness, without fanaticism,
+without folly. As he will be the first man in these realms,
+so may he be the best, disdaining to hide bad actions by high
+station, and endeavouring always by the example of a strict
+and moral life to repay those gifts which a loyal people are so
+willing to spare from their own necessities to a good King.”</p>
+
+<p>It must be remembered that this prayer was uttered in
+1841, and some of the phrases which the great wit used
+reflect rather the Holland House view of the monarchy
+entertained at that time. Nevertheless, the prayer is noteworthy
+because in spirit, if not in the letter, it has been so
+completely answered. The manner of King Edward’s
+accession exhibits to a contemplative mind the eternal<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2" id="Page_2">[2]</a></span>
+contrast between East and West. In an Oriental State a
+new Sovereign is as a rule unknown even in his outward
+appearance to his subjects, and is generally tossed up on to
+the throne by the angry waves of some palace intrigue of
+which he himself knows nothing. But it is the peculiar
+happiness of the British people that, in the midst of their
+bitter grief at the loss of Queen Victoria, there came to them
+the swift thought that one whom they had known and approved
+from his youth up was her successor, and would assuredly
+walk in her footsteps.</p>
+
+<p>The accession of a Prince so universally beloved to the
+throne of his ancestors amid the deeply-felt joy of a great and
+free people is an inspiring spectacle. Perhaps, however, it is
+not fully realised how much King Edward, in the years of his
+public life as Prince of Wales, shared in the duties of the
+British Crown. The following pages will, it is hoped, show
+how completely His Majesty and his lamented mother agreed
+in their conception of the position of ruler of the British
+Empire. It is known that the death of the Prince Consort
+drew even closer the ties of affection which subsisted between
+the late Sovereign and her eldest son, and it would seem as
+if King Edward from that day forward had set both his
+parents before himself as exemplars, and had endeavoured to
+approve himself to his future subjects as a worthy son, not
+only of Victoria the Wise but also of Albert the Good. It is
+certainly significant how many of the qualities of both his
+parents His Majesty possesses.</p>
+
+<p>In those admirable messages to his people, and to India
+and the Colonies, as well as to his Navy and Army, the King
+wrote absolutely as his mother would have wished him to
+write. There is in these documents the same keen personal
+sympathy, the same human touch, so notable in all Her late
+Majesty’s letters to her people, the same unerring perception,
+the same insight which demonstrated how completely the heart
+of the monarch was beating in unison with that of his people.</p>
+
+<p>Although the British people realised and appreciated the
+Prince Consort’s great qualities some time before his death,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_3" id="Page_3">[3]</a></span>
+it is, nevertheless, true to say that they never came to regard
+him with quite the same feeling of affection as that in which
+other members of the Royal Family were held. This was in
+no sense the fault of Prince Albert, but is rather attributable
+to that national prejudice against everything and everybody
+not originally and completely British which was especially
+strong in the middle years of the nineteenth century. Certainly
+we have become more cosmopolitan since those days; we
+have come to see that the manners and customs of foreign
+nations are not perhaps always so absurd as our forefathers,
+at any rate, supposed, and may even in some few respects be
+worthy of adoption and imitation.</p>
+
+<p>In this salutary process of national illumination King
+Edward VII. undoubtedly played a considerable part. From
+the beginning of his public career he endeared himself to his
+future subjects by his natural <i>bonhomie</i>, his tact, and a certain
+indefinable touch of human sympathy which characterised all
+his actions and speeches. He was therefore able to carry on
+and to develop with extraordinary success his father’s work
+in promoting, not only the higher pursuits of science and art,
+but also the more immediately practical application of scientific
+principles to industries and manufactures. Few people realise
+how much England’s industrial prosperity was advanced both
+by the father and the son, and how much greater that prosperity
+would have been if Prince Albert’s foresight had been better
+understood and appreciated by his contemporaries.</p>
+
+<p>Prince Albert will also ever be remembered with gratitude
+by the British people for the unremitting care which he devoted
+to the education of all his children, and especially to that of
+his eldest son. Of course the seed must be sown in good
+ground, and we know that the ground was good; the effect
+of that early education is seen in the admirable tact with
+which King Edward filled a most difficult and delicate position
+for many years. This position was rendered additionally
+onerous by the sometimes ridiculous, sometimes malevolent,
+stories which used to be circulated about his private affairs.
+It is one of the great penalties of Royalty that practically no<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_4" id="Page_4">[4]</a></span>
+reply can be made to the voice of calumny and detraction.
+The increase of the means of communication, and the growth
+of the newspaper press, have tended to heighten the glare of
+publicity in which Royalty is compelled to live. But this
+bright light of publicity does not at all resemble that dry
+light of reason which Bacon regarded as so essential to the
+investigations of science; its rays are refracted and distorted
+by ignorance and clumsiness, if not by actual malevolence.
+Mr. Balfour’s quiet announcement in the House of Commons
+soon after the King’s Accession, that on the resettlement of the
+Civil List no question of debts will arise for consideration&mdash;as
+was the case, for instance, on the Accession of George IV.&mdash;is
+an impressive reply to rumours regrettably current of late years.</p>
+
+<p>It must have required no common discipline and self-control
+to bear such penalties as those, inflicted by the
+tongue of scandal, and at the same time to exercise that
+invariable discretion in reference to the great interests of
+State which we all admired so much in His Majesty when
+he was Prince of Wales. We should all regard as extraordinary,
+were it not that we have become so used to it, the
+way in which His Majesty contrived over so many years to
+be in politics and yet not of them; to educate himself in State
+affairs, while preserving that rigorous impartiality which our
+constitutional monarchy demands from the Heir to the throne.
+The sentiments with which he takes up his great task as King,
+not only of the United Kingdom but also of our vast Colonial
+Empire beyond the seas, added to the great dependency of
+India, is significantly shown in a sentence which His Majesty
+uttered in a speech long ago&mdash;that his great wish was that
+every man born in the Colonies should feel himself as English
+as if he had been born in Kent or Sussex.</p>
+
+<hr class="chap" />
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_5" id="Page_5">[5]</a></span></p>
+
+<h2 id="CHAPTER_II">CHAPTER II<br />
+<span class="smaller">BIRTH AND EARLY YEARS</span></h2>
+
+<p>King Edward VII. was born on 9th November 1841, at Buckingham
+Palace. The Duke of Wellington, who was in the
+Palace at the time, is said to have asked the nurse, Mrs. Lily,
+“Is it a boy?” “It’s a <i>Prince</i>, your Grace,” answered the
+justly offended woman.</p>
+
+<p>The news was received with great enthusiasm throughout
+the country, and Queen Victoria and Prince Albert had
+thousands of letters and telegrams of congratulation not only
+through official sources at home and abroad but from many of
+Her Majesty’s humblest subjects all over the world. <i>Punch</i>
+celebrated the event in some verses beginning&mdash;</p>
+
+<div class="poetry-container">
+<div class="poetry">
+<div class="stanza">
+<div class="verse">Huzza! we’ve a little Prince at last,</div>
+<div class="verse indent2">A roaring Royal boy;</div>
+<div class="verse">And all day long the booming bells</div>
+<div class="verse indent2">Have rung their peals of joy.</div>
+</div>
+<div class="stanza">
+<div class="verse">And the little park guns have blazed away,</div>
+<div class="verse indent2">And made a tremendous noise,</div>
+<div class="verse">Whilst the air has been filled since eleven o’clock</div>
+<div class="verse indent2">With the shouts of little boys.</div>
+</div>
+</div>
+</div>
+
+<p>At the moment of his birth the eldest son of the Sovereign
+became Duke of Cornwall. This dukedom was the first created
+in England. It was created by King Edward III. by charter,
+wherein his son, Edward the Black Prince, was declared Duke
+of Cornwall, to hold to himself and his heirs, Kings of England,
+and to their first-born sons; and it is in virtue of that charter<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_6" id="Page_6">[6]</a></span>
+that the eldest son of the Sovereign is by law acknowledged
+Duke of Cornwall the instant he is born.</p>
+
+<p>At the same time King Edward III. granted by patent
+certain provision for the support of the dukedom, including the
+Stannaries, in Cornwall, together with the coinage of tin, and
+various lands, manors, and tenements, some of which lay outside
+the county of Cornwall, but were nevertheless deemed to be
+part of the duchy. From these rents and royalties King
+Edward VII. derived, when he was Duke of Cornwall, a revenue
+of about £60,000 a year.</p>
+
+<p>The little prince also became at his birth Duke of Rothesay,
+Earl of Carrick, Baron of Renfrew, Lord of the Isles, and Great
+Steward of Scotland (by act of the Scottish Parliament in 1469),
+but he was not born Prince of Wales. King George IV. was
+only a week old when he was created Prince of Wales and Earl
+of Chester by letters patent, but King Edward VII. had to
+wait nearly a month&mdash;till 4th December 1841&mdash;for these
+dignities.</p>
+
+<p>The picturesque origin of the title of Prince of Wales is
+well known&mdash;how King Edward I. promised the turbulent
+Welsh barons to appoint them a prince of their own, one who
+was born in Wales and could not speak a word of English,
+and on whose life and conversation there was no stain at all.
+Having engaged the consent of the barons beforehand, he
+showed them his infant son, Prince Edward, who had been
+born in Carnarvon Castle but a few days before, and who was
+thereupon acclaimed as the first Prince of Wales. The dignity
+thus became established as personal, not hereditary, which
+could be granted or withheld at the pleasure of the Sovereign.</p>
+
+<p>The Earldom of Chester was an early creation which was
+annexed to the Crown for ever by letters patent in the thirty-first
+year of King Henry III., when Prince Edward, his eldest
+son, was immediately granted the dignity. Edward the Black
+Prince received the Earldom of Chester when he was only
+three years old, before he was created Duke of Cornwall.</p>
+
+<p>Queen Victoria’s recovery was rapid, as will be seen from
+the following entry in Her Majesty’s <i>Journal</i> on 21st November,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_7" id="Page_7">[7]</a></span>
+the birthday of the Empress Frederick (Princess Royal of
+England):&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>“Albert brought in dearest little Pussy [the Princess
+Royal] in such a smart white merino dress trimmed with
+blue, which Mama [the Duchess of Kent] had given her,
+and a pretty cap, and placed her on my bed, seating himself
+next to her, and she was very dear and good. And as my
+precious, invaluable Albert sat there, and our little Love
+between us, I felt quite moved with happiness and gratitude
+to God.”</p>
+
+<p>A little less than a month after the birth of her eldest son,
+Queen Victoria wrote to her uncle, Leopold I., King of the
+Belgians:&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>“I wonder very much who my little boy will be like. You
+will understand <i>how</i> fervent are my prayers, and I am sure
+everybody’s must be, to see him resemble his Father in <i>every,
+every</i> respect, both in body and mind.”</p>
+
+<p>Christmas with its Christmas tree brought a new fund of
+delight to the Royal parents. “To think,” wrote the Queen
+in her <i>Journal</i>, “that we have two children now, and one who
+enjoys the sight already, is like a dream!” Prince Albert also
+wrote to his father:&mdash;“To-day I have two children of my own
+to give presents to, who, they know not why, are full of happy
+wonder at the German Christmas tree and its radiant candles.”</p>
+
+<p>The christening of the Prince of Wales took place on 25th
+January 1842, in St. George’s Chapel, Windsor, for although
+Royal baptisms had hitherto been celebrated within the Palace,
+both the Queen and Prince Albert felt it to be more in
+harmony with the religious sentiments of the country that the
+future King should be christened within a consecrated building.</p>
+
+<p>As can be easily understood, the choice of sponsors for the
+Prince of Wales was a matter of considerable delicacy. Finally
+the King of Prussia was asked to undertake the office, and Baron
+Stockmar gives the following interesting account of how His
+Majesty brushed aside the intrigues which were immediately
+set on foot:&mdash;</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_8" id="Page_8">[8]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>“Politicians, as their habit is, attached an exaggerated
+political importance to the affair. The King, who foresaw
+this, wrote to Metternich, and in a manner asked for his
+advice. The answer was evasive; and on this the King determined
+not to give himself any concern about the political
+intrigues which were set on foot against the journey. Certain
+it is, that the Russians, Austrians, and even the French, in the
+person of Bresson (their Ambassador at Berlin) manœuvred
+against it. They were backed up by a Court party, who were
+persuaded that the King would avail himself of the opportunity
+to promote, along with Bunsen and the Archbishop of Canterbury,
+his pet idea of Anglicanizing the Prussian Church.
+When the King’s decision to go became known, Bresson
+begged that he would at least go through France, and give
+the Royal Family a meeting; but this was declined.”</p>
+
+<p>The King of Prussia arrived on the 22nd, and was met by
+Prince Albert at Greenwich and conducted to Windsor.</p>
+
+<p>King Edward’s other sponsors were his step-grandmother, the
+Duchess of Saxe-Coburg, represented by the Duchess of Kent;
+the Duke of Cambridge; the young Duchess of Saxe-Coburg
+(Queen Victoria’s sister-in-law), represented by the Duchess
+of Cambridge; Princess Sophia, represented by the Princess
+Augusta of Cambridge; and Prince Ferdinand of Saxe-Coburg.</p>
+
+<p>Nothing was omitted to make the Prince of Wales’s christening
+a magnificent and impressive ceremony. There was a full
+choral service, and a special anthem had been composed by Mr.
+(afterwards Sir) George Elvey for the occasion. When Prince
+Albert was told of this, and asked when it should be sung, he
+answered, “Not at all. No anthem. If the service ends by
+an anthem, we shall all go out criticising the music. We will
+have something we all know&mdash;something in which we can all
+join&mdash;something devotional. The Hallelujah Chorus; we
+shall all join in that, with our hearts.” The Hallelujah Chorus
+ended the ceremony accordingly.</p>
+
+<div id="illus3" class="figcenter" style="width: 650px;">
+
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_9" id="Page_9">[9]</a></span>
+
+<img src="images/ill003.jpg" width="650" height="450" alt="" />
+
+<p><span class="smcap">The Christening of King Edward VII.</span></p>
+
+<p><i>From the Painting by Sir George Hayter</i></p>
+
+</div>
+
+<p>“It is impossible,” wrote Queen Victoria in her <i>Journal</i>,
+“to describe how beautiful and imposing the effect of the whole
+scene was in the fine old chapel, with the banners, the music,
+and the light shining on the altar.” It was significant of the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_10" id="Page_10">[10]</a></span>
+young Queen’s native simplicity that the Prince was only
+christened Albert, after his father, and Edward, after his
+grandfather, the Duke of Kent.</p>
+
+<p>Both Queen Victoria and Prince Albert soon showed that
+they were determined to allow nothing like publicity to come
+near their nurseries, and the public obtained but few glimpses
+of the Prince of Wales as a child. Prince Albert’s intimate
+friend and adviser, Baron Stockmar, wrote a year after his
+birth to one of his friends:&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>“The Prince, although a little plagued with his teeth, is
+strong upon his legs, with a calm, clear, bright expression of
+face.” Before he was eighteen months old His Royal Highness
+had already sat for his portrait several times.</p>
+
+<p>King Edward VII. was barely four months old when Baron
+Stockmar drew up a very long memorandum on the education
+of the Royal children. In this document he laid down that
+the beginning of education must be directed to the regulation
+of the child’s natural instincts, to give them the right direction,
+and above all to keep the mind pure. “This,” he went on,
+“is only to be effected by placing about children only those
+who are good and pure, who will teach not only by precept
+but by living example, for children are close observers, and
+prone to imitate whatever they see or hear, whether good
+or evil.” In the frankest manner the shrewd old German
+physician proceeded to point out that the irregularities of
+three of George III.’s sons&mdash;George IV., the Duke of York,
+and William IV.&mdash;had weakened the respect and influence of
+Royalty in this country, although the nation ultimately forgave
+them, because, “whatever the faults of those Princes were,
+<i>they were considered by the public as true English faults</i>”;
+whereas the faults of some of their brothers, who had been
+brought up on the Continent, though not at all worse, were
+not condoned, owing to the power of national prejudice.</p>
+
+<div id="illus4" class="figcenter" style="width: 500px;">
+
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_11" id="Page_11">[11]</a></span>
+
+<img src="images/ill004.jpg" width="500" height="500" alt="" />
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Queen Victoria, the Empress Frederick, and King Edward VII.</span></p>
+
+<p><i>From the Painting by S. Cousins, A.R.A.</i></p>
+
+</div>
+
+<p>The conclusion at which Baron Stockmar consequently
+arrived was, “that the education of the Royal infants ought
+to be from its earliest beginning <i>a truly moral and a truly
+English one</i>.” It ought therefore to be entrusted from the
+beginning only to persons who were themselves morally good,
+intelligent, well informed, and experienced, who should enjoy
+the full and implicit confidence of the Royal parents. The
+Baron did not mince matters with regard to<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_12" id="Page_12">[12]</a></span> “the malignant
+insinuations, cavillings, and calumnies of ignorant or intriguing
+people, who are more or less to be found at every Court, and who
+invariably try to destroy the parents’ confidence in the tutor.”</p>
+
+<p>These principles commended themselves to Queen Victoria
+and Prince Albert, and Her Majesty wrote the following
+interesting letter to Lord Melbourne on the subject:&mdash;</p>
+
+<div class="blockquote">
+
+<p class="right">“<span class="smcap">Windsor Castle</span>, <i>24th March 1842</i>.</p>
+
+<p>“We are much occupied in considering the future management
+of our nursery establishment, and naturally find considerable
+difficulties in it. As one of the Queen’s kindest
+and most impartial friends, the Queen wishes to have Lord
+Melbourne’s opinion upon it. The present system will not do,
+and must be changed; and now how it is to be arranged is
+the great question and difficulty.… Stockmar says, and
+very justly, that our occupations prevent us from managing
+these affairs as much our own selves as other parents can,
+and therefore that we must have some one in whom to place
+<i>implicit confidence</i>. He says, a lady of rank and title with a
+sub-governess would be the best. But where to find a person
+so situated, fit for the place, and, if fit, one who will consent
+to shut herself up in the nursery, and entirely from society, as
+she must, if she is <i>really</i> to superintend the whole, and not
+accept the office, as in my case, Princess Charlotte’s, and my
+aunts’, merely for title, which would be only a source of annoyance
+and dispute?</p>
+
+<p>“My fear is, that even if such a woman were to be found,
+she would consider herself not as only responsible to the
+Prince and Queen, but more to the country, and nation, and
+public, and I feel she ought to be responsible only to <i>us</i>,
+and <i>we</i> to the country and nation. A person of less high
+rank, the Queen thinks, would be less likely to do that, but
+would wish to be responsible only to the parents. Naturally,
+too, we are anxious to have the education as simple and
+domestic as possible. Then again, a person of lower rank is
+less likely to be looked up to and obeyed, than one of some
+name and rank. What does Lord Melbourne think?”</p>
+
+</div>
+
+<div id="illus5" class="figcenter" style="width: 450px;">
+
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_13" id="Page_13">[13]</a></span>
+
+<img src="images/ill005.jpg" width="450" height="500" alt="" />
+
+<p><span class="smcap">King Edward VII.</span></p>
+
+<p><i>From an old Print published in 1843</i></p>
+
+</div>
+
+<p>In his reply Lord Melbourne fully concurred in Baron
+Stockmar’s suggestion that a lady of rank should be appointed,
+and the choice of the Royal parents fell upon Lady Lyttelton,
+who had been a lady-in-waiting from 1838, and who appeared
+to possess the precise qualifications which the post demanded.
+The daughter of George John, second Earl Spencer, and his
+wife Lavinia, daughter of the first Earl of Lucan, she was born
+in 1787, married, in 1813, William Henry, afterwards third
+Lord Lyttelton, and died in 1870. Lady Lyttelton was
+installed as governess to the Royal children in April 1842,
+and discharged her duties with equal ability and devotion.
+Early in 1851 she laid down her office. Her young charges<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_14" id="Page_14">[14]</a></span>
+parted from her with sad hearts and tearful eyes, as Sir
+Theodore Martin records in the <i>Life of the Prince Consort</i>,
+while from the Queen and Prince Albert she received marked
+proofs of the deep gratitude which they felt for all that she had
+done.</p>
+
+<p>In 1846 King Edward accompanied his parents on two
+yachting excursions, in August and September, on board the
+Royal yacht <i>Victoria and Albert</i>. Writing in her <i>Journal</i>
+on 2nd September, Queen Victoria says, with a pretty touch
+of maternal pride:&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>“After passing the Alderney Race it became quite smooth;
+and then Bertie put on his sailor’s dress, which was beautifully
+made by the man on board who makes for our sailors. When
+he appeared, the officers and sailors, who were all assembled
+on deck to see him, cheered, and seemed delighted with him.”</p>
+
+<p>Then, when the yacht arrived at Mounts Bay, Cornwall,
+Her Majesty records on 5th September that “when Bertie
+showed himself the people shouted ‘Three cheers for the
+Duke of Cornwall.’”</p>
+
+<p>Again, at Falmouth, on 7th September, the Queen says:&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>“The Corporation of Penryn were on board, and very
+anxious to see ‘The Duke of Cornwall,’ so I stepped out of
+the pavilion on deck with Bertie, and Lord Palmerston told
+them that that was ‘The Duke of Cornwall’; and the old
+Mayor of Penryn said that ‘he hoped he would grow up a
+blessing to his parents and to his country.’”</p>
+
+<p>At Sunny Corner, just below Truro, the whole population
+“cheered, and were enchanted when Bertie was held up for
+them to see. It was a very pretty, gratifying sight.”</p>
+
+<p>Princess Mary of Cambridge, afterwards the much-loved
+and lamented Duchess of Teck, gives a delightful picture of
+the Royal children in a letter written in 1847 to Miss Draper,
+her governess. Princess Mary was then about fourteen, and
+King Edward was rather more than five years old:&mdash;</p>
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_15" id="Page_15">[15]</a></span></p>
+<p>“We paid a visit to the Queen at Windsor on New Year’s
+Eve, and left there on the 2nd. The Queen gave me a bracelet
+with her hair, and was very kind to me. The little Royal
+children are sweet darlings; the Princess Royal is my pet,
+because she is remarkably clever. The Prince of Wales is a
+very pretty boy, but he does not talk as much as his sister.
+Little Alfred, the fourth child, is a beautiful fatty, with lovely
+hair. Alice is rather older than him; she is very modest and
+quiet, but very good-natured. Helena, the baby, is a very fine
+child, and very healthy, which, however, they all are.”</p>
+
+<div id="illus6" class="figcenter" style="width: 335px;">
+
+<img src="images/ill006.jpg" width="335" height="400" alt="" />
+
+<p><span class="smcap">King Edward VII. at the Age of Three</span></p>
+
+<p><i>From the Painting by W. Hensel, in the possession of the German Emperor</i></p>
+
+</div>
+
+<p>In August 1847, Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, with
+the Queen’s half-brother, the Prince of Leiningen, went for
+a tour round the west coast of Scotland, taking with them
+their two eldest children, the Prince of Wales and the Princess
+Royal. This is notable as King Edward’s first visit to Scotland,
+for he was too young to accompany his parents on their
+first tour in Scotland in 1842; while when the Queen and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_16" id="Page_16">[16]</a></span>
+Prince Albert visited Blair-Atholl in 1844 they only took with
+them the little Princess Royal.</p>
+
+<p>Of this tour round the west coast of Scotland we obtain
+some delightful details in the late Queen’s <i>Leaves from the
+Journal of Our Life in the Highlands</i>. The Royal party started
+from Osborne in the Royal yacht <i>Victoria and Albert</i>, and they
+took the opportunity, after leaving Dartmouth, of visiting the
+Scilly Islands. The Queen writes:&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>“Albert (who, as well as Charles, has not been unwell, while
+I suffered very much) went with Charles and Bertie to see one
+of the islands. The children recover from their sea-sickness
+directly.” By “Charles,” it should be explained, is meant the
+Prince of Leiningen. Naturally, when the Royal yacht arrived
+in Welsh waters, there was the greatest enthusiasm among
+the inhabitants at the sight of their little Prince. It must be
+remembered that at that time practically nothing was known
+by the general public about the Royal children, for their parents
+had very wisely resolved that they should as far as possible
+enjoy a natural, happy childhood, that being the best possible
+preparation for the public life that awaited them. However,
+evidently no harm was done by the notice which was taken
+of the Royal children on this tour. At Milford Haven their
+loving mother writes:&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>“Numbers of boats came out, with Welshwomen in their
+curious high-crowned men’s hats, and Bertie was much cheered,
+for the people seemed greatly pleased to see the ‘Prince of
+Wales.’” Then again at Rothesay, when the yacht had passed
+up the Clyde:&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>“The children enjoy everything extremely, and bear the
+novelty and excitement wonderfully. The people cheered the
+‘Duke of Rothesay’ very much, and also called for a cheer for
+the ‘Princess of Great Britain.’ Everywhere the good Highlanders
+are very enthusiastic.”</p>
+
+<p>With regard to her son’s title of Duke of Rothesay, Queen
+Victoria appends the following interesting note:&mdash;</p>
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_17" id="Page_17">[17]</a></span></p>
+<p>“A title belonging to the eldest son of the Sovereign of
+Scotland, and therefore held by the Prince of Wales as eldest
+son of the Queen, the representative of the ancient Kings of
+Scotland.”</p>
+
+<div id="illus7" class="figcenter" style="width: 350px;">
+
+<img src="images/ill007.jpg" width="350" height="500" alt="" />
+
+<p><span class="smcap">The King in 1847</span></p>
+
+<p><i>From the Painting by Winterhalter</i></p>
+
+</div>
+
+<p>At Inveraray, which was next visited, the little Prince first
+met his future brother-in-law, the Marquis of Lorne, whom the
+Queen describes, in words which have often been quoted but
+will bear repetition, as<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_18" id="Page_18">[18]</a></span> “just two years old, a dear, white, fat,
+fair little fellow with reddish hair, but very delicate features,
+like both his father and mother: he is such a merry, independent
+little child. He had a black velvet dress and
+jacket, with a ‘sporran,’ scarf, and Highland bonnet.”</p>
+
+<p>Naturally a good deal of interest was taken in the little
+Prince of Wales by those who had an opportunity of seeing
+him. When the great geologist, Sir Charles Lyell, went to
+Balmoral, the Queen’s eldest son, “a pleasing, lively boy,”
+gave him an account of the conjuring of Anderson, the
+“Wizard of the North,” who had just then shown the Court
+some marvellous tricks. Said the Prince in an awestruck
+tone:&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>“He cut to pieces Mamma’s pocket-handkerchief, then
+darned it and ironed it so that it was as entire as ever; he then
+fired a pistol, and caused five or six watches to go through
+Gibbs’s head; but Papa knows how all these things are done,
+and had the watches really gone through Gibbs’s head he
+could hardly have looked so well, though he was confounded.”</p>
+
+<p>Gibbs, it should be mentioned, was a footman.</p>
+
+<p>The late Archbishop Benson, before he went up to Cambridge,
+was tutor to the sons of Mr. Wicksted, then tenant of
+Abergeldie Castle. Writing to his mother on 15th September
+1848, young Mr. Benson gives the following interesting description
+of a glimpse which he had of the King as a little boy:&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>“The Prince of Wales is a fair little lad, rather of slender
+make, with a good head and a remarkably quiet and thinking
+face, above his years in intelligence I should think. The
+sailor portrait of him is a good one, but does not express the
+thought that there is on his little brow. Prince Alfred is a fair,
+chubby little lad, with a quiet look, but quite the Guelph face,
+which does not appear in the Prince of Wales.”</p>
+
+<div id="illus8" class="figcenter" style="width: 400px;">
+
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_19" id="Page_19">[19]</a></span>
+
+<img src="images/ill008.jpg" width="400" height="500" alt="" />
+
+<p><span class="smcap">The Landing of Queen Victoria, Prince Albert, and their Children
+at Aberdeen</span></p>
+
+<p><i>From a Painting by Cleland</i></p>
+
+</div>
+
+<p>In September 1848 Queen Victoria and Prince Albert
+established themselves with their six children at Balmoral,
+and Her Majesty records her first impressions of the place
+which was to be for so many years her much-loved Northern
+home. After describing her own and Prince Albert’s rooms,
+she says, “Opposite, down a few steps, are the children’s and
+Miss Hildyard’s three rooms.” Only a few days later we hear
+of the little Prince of Wales going out with his parents for a
+“drive” in the Balloch Buie.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_20" id="Page_20">[20]</a></span> “We then mounted our ponies,
+Bertie riding Grant’s pony on the deer-saddle, and being led
+by a gillie, Grant walking by his side.” Grant, it should be
+explained, was head keeper, and much trusted by the Queen
+and Prince Albert, and for him was built a pretty lodge called
+Croft, a mile from Balmoral. “We scrambled up an almost
+perpendicular place to where there was a little <i>box</i>, made of
+hurdles and interwoven with branches of fir and heather, about
+five feet in height. There we seated ourselves with Bertie.”
+It can readily be imagined with what excitement the little
+Prince waited for nearly an hour till his father obtained a shot.
+The Queen records how her son helped her over the rough
+ground until they all gathered round the magnificent “Royal”
+which had fallen to Prince Albert’s gun.</p>
+
+<p>The life at Balmoral was as far as possible shorn of Royal
+state, and was much the same, no doubt, as that which was
+led under many another hospitable roof-tree in the country
+round about. Queen Victoria devoted herself to her husband
+and children. Thus she records, on 11th September 1849,
+“The morning was very fine. I heard the children repeat
+some poetry in German.”</p>
+
+<p>The life at Windsor Castle was scarcely less simple.
+Writing to an intimate friend, the late Duchess of Teck thus
+describes a dramatic performance at the Castle in January
+1849, in which King Edward appeared, in spite of an accident
+which he had had a few days before:&mdash;</p>
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_21" id="Page_21">[21]</a></span></p>
+<p>“Last Wednesday we went to Windsor Castle to remain
+till Friday. The visit went off very well indeed. The Queen
+and the children are looking very well, and the latter much
+grown. The poor little Prince of Wales has disfigured his
+face by falling on an iron-barred gate, and the bridge of his
+nose and both his eyes are quite black and bruised, but
+fortunately no bones were broken. The first evening we
+danced till twelve o’clock. Next day, … dinner was very
+early, and at eight o’clock the Play began. ‘Used Up’ and
+‘Box and Cox’ were chosen for that night, and I was much
+pleased at seeing two very amusing pieces. They were very
+well acted, and we all laughed a great deal. The Theatre
+was well arranged, and the decorations and lamps quite
+wonderfully managed. It was put up in the Rubens-room,
+which is separated from the Garter-room by one small room
+where the Private Band stood. In the Garter-room was the
+Buffet, and in the centre hung one of the beautiful chandeliers
+from the pavilion at Brighton. The four elder children
+appeared at the Play, and the two boys wore their ‘kilts.’
+The two little girls had on white lace gowns, over white
+satin, with pink bows and sashes. Princess Royal wears her
+hair in a very becoming manner, all twisted up into a large
+curl, which is tucked into a dark blue or black silk net, which
+keeps it all very tidy and neat.”</p>
+
+<div id="illus9" class="figcenter" style="width: 400px;">
+
+<img src="images/ill009.jpg" width="400" height="375" alt="" />
+
+<p><span class="smcap">The King and the Empress Frederick as Children</span></p>
+
+<p><i>From the Painting by Sir W. C. Ross, A.R.A.</i></p>
+
+</div>
+
+<hr class="chap" />
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_22" id="Page_22">[22]</a></span></p>
+
+<h2 id="CHAPTER_III">CHAPTER III<br />
+<span class="smaller">THE KING’S BOYHOOD</span></h2>
+
+<p>In view of all that has been said in the last chapter to show
+how anxiously Queen Victoria and Prince Albert considered
+the education of the future King of England, it is amusing to
+record that the latter was quite five years old before it occurred
+to the public to take an interest in the question. It was
+then that a pamphlet was published, entitled <i>Who should educate
+the Prince of Wales?</i> This contribution to the subject was
+carefully read by Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, and Baron
+Stockmar drew up another long memorandum, dealing this
+time with the question of the Prince’s education alone. He was
+fully sensible of the importance of the subject.</p>
+
+<p>“On the choice of the principles on which the Prince of
+Wales shall be educated,” he wrote, “will in all probability
+depend whether the future Sovereign of England shall reign
+in harmony with, or in opposition to, the prevailing opinions
+of his people. The importance of the selection of principles
+is increased by the consideration that opinion in Europe is at
+this moment obviously in a state of transition, and that by
+the time the Prince shall ascend the throne many of the maxims
+of government and institutions of society now in the ascendancy
+will, according to present probabilities, have either entirely
+passed away, or be on the very verge of change.”</p>
+
+<p>After enlarging on this topic, the Baron lays down that the
+great and leading question is&mdash;whether the education of the
+Prince should be one which will prepare him for approaching
+events, or one which will stamp, perhaps indelibly, an impression<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_23" id="Page_23">[23]</a></span>
+of the sacred character of all existing institutions on
+his youthful mind, and teach him that to resist change is to
+serve at once the cause of God and of his country. Baron
+Stockmar recommends the former course, but he utters the
+warning that:&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>“The education of the Prince should, however, nowise tend
+to make him a demagogue or a moral enthusiast, but a man
+of calm, profound, comprehensive understanding, imbued with
+a deep conviction of the indispensable necessity of practical
+morality to the welfare of both Sovereign and people. The
+proper duty of the Sovereign in this country is not to take
+the lead in change, but to act as a balance-wheel on the movements
+of the social body. When the whole nation, or a large
+majority of it, advances, the King should not stand still; but
+when the movement is too partial, irregular, or over-rapid, the
+royal power may with advantage be interposed to restore the
+equilibrium. Above all attainments, the Prince should be
+trained to freedom of thought and a firm reliance on the
+inherent power of sound principles, political, moral, and religious,
+to sustain themselves and produce practical good when left in
+possession of a fair field of development.”</p>
+
+<p>As regards the religious faith in which the future King
+was to be brought up, the law prescribed that of the Church
+of England, and Baron Stockmar therefore does not discuss
+that point, but he does put a question arising out of it, which
+naturally seemed in that year&mdash;1846&mdash;more difficult than it
+would seem nowadays. The Baron asks in effect whether
+the Prince should be made acquainted with the changes then
+going on in public opinion in regard to matters of faith, and
+the important influence on the minds of educated men which
+the discoveries of science were likely to exert in the future?
+Without suggesting a definite answer to his own question, the
+Baron goes on to say:&mdash;</p>
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_24" id="Page_24">[24]</a></span></p>
+<p>“The Prince should early be taught that thrones and
+social order have a stable foundation in the moral and
+intellectual faculties of man; that by addressing his public
+exertions to the cultivation of these powers in his people,
+and by taking their dictates as the constant guides of his
+own conduct, he will promote the solidity of his empire and
+the prosperity of his subjects. In one word, he should be
+taught that God, in the constitution of the mind and in
+the arrangement of creation, has already legislated for men,
+both as individuals and as nations; that the laws of morality,
+which he has written in their nature, are the foundations on
+which, and on which alone, their prosperity can be reared;
+and that the human legislator and sovereign have no higher
+duty than to discover and carry into execution these enactments
+of Divine legislation.”</p>
+
+<p>Queen Victoria and Prince Albert also consulted the
+Bishop of Oxford (Dr. Wilberforce) and Sir James Clark,
+both of whom recorded their views in long and carefully
+considered papers, in which they came to conclusions substantially
+the same as those of Baron Stockmar. On these
+principles, therefore, King Edward VII. was educated, namely,
+that the best way to build up a noble and princely character
+was to bring it into intelligent sympathy with the best movements
+of the age.</p>
+
+<p>After some further discussion Prince Albert opened
+negotiations with Mr. Henry Birch, afterwards rector of
+Prestwich, near Manchester, the gentleman who was ultimately
+entrusted with the responsible position of tutor to the future
+ruler of the British Empire. This young man had been
+educated at Eton, where he had been captain of the school
+and obtained the Newcastle medal. He had taken high
+honours at Cambridge, and had then gone back to Eton as
+an assistant master.</p>
+
+<p>The Prince Consort had an interview with Mr. Birch in
+August 1848, and says in a letter to Lord Morpeth, “The
+impression he has left upon me is a very favourable one,
+and I can imagine that children will easily attach themselves
+to him.” Writing to his stepmother, the Dowager Duchess
+of Gotha, in April 1849, Prince Albert observed:&mdash;</p>
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_25" id="Page_25">[25]</a></span></p>
+<p>“Bertie will be given over in a few weeks into the hands
+of a tutor, whom we have found in a Mr. Birch, a young,
+good-looking, amiable man, who was a tutor at Eton, and
+who not only himself took the highest honours at Cambridge,
+but whose pupils have also won especial distinction. It is
+an important step, and God’s blessing be upon it, for upon
+the good education of Princes, and especially of those who
+are destined to govern, the welfare of the world in these days
+very greatly depends.”</p>
+
+<div id="illus10" class="figcenter" style="width: 300px;">
+
+<img src="images/ill010.jpg" width="300" height="400" alt="" />
+
+<p><span class="smcap">The Rev. Henry Mildred Birch, the King’s First Tutor</span></p>
+
+<p><i>Photograph by Eastham, Manchester</i></p>
+
+</div>
+
+<p>During the years 1848 to 1850 a Mr. George Bartley, well
+known at that time as an actor, was engaged to read at
+Buckingham Palace translations of the <i>Antigone</i> and the trilogy
+of <i>Œdipus</i>. Queen Victoria was so much pleased with the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_26" id="Page_26">[26]</a></span>
+ability which Mr. Bartley showed that she engaged him to give
+lessons in elocution to her eldest son, who certainly profited by
+them, to judge by the ability which His Majesty afterwards
+showed as a public speaker.</p>
+
+<p>In the summer of 1849 King Edward VII. visited Ireland
+for the first time. He landed with his parents at Queenstown,
+and received a splendid welcome, which probably laid the
+foundation of his hearty sympathy with and liking for the Irish
+character. Queen Victoria, after vividly describing the enthusiasm
+with which the Royal visitors were greeted at Dublin,
+Cork, and elsewhere, writes in her <i>Journal</i> on 12th August:&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>“I intend to create Bertie ‘Earl of Dublin,’ as a compliment
+to the town and country; he has no Irish title, though he
+is <i>born</i> with several Scotch ones (belonging to the heirs to the
+Scotch throne, and which we have inherited from James VI. of
+Scotland and I. of England); and this was one of my father’s
+titles.”</p>
+
+<p>Accordingly the Prince of Wales was soon afterwards
+gazetted Earl of Dublin, but in the peerage of the United
+Kingdom, not, as had been done in the case of the Duke of
+Kent, in the peerage of Ireland.</p>
+
+<p>It is a curious fact that King Edward visited Ireland, and,
+as we have seen, Cornwall, Wales, and Scotland, and made an
+excellent impression upon the “Celtic fringe” before he was
+brought before the public notice of his future English subjects.</p>
+
+<p>He made his first official appearance in London on 30th
+October 1849. It had been arranged that Queen Victoria was
+to be present at the opening of the Coal Exchange, but she
+was not able to go as she was suffering from chicken-pox.
+Accordingly it was arranged that the Princess Royal and the
+Prince of Wales should represent their Royal mother.</p>
+
+<p>“Puss and the boy,” as the Queen called them, went with
+their father in State from Westminster to the city in the Royal
+barge rowed by twenty-six watermen. All London turned out
+to meet the gallant little Prince and his pretty sister. Lady
+Lyttelton, in a letter to Mrs. Gladstone, gives a charming
+account of the event, and tells how the Prince Consort was<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_27" id="Page_27">[27]</a></span>
+careful to put the future King forward. Some city dignitary
+addressed the young Prince as “the pledge and promise
+of a long race of Kings,” and, says Lady Lyttelton, “poor
+Princey did not seem to guess at all what he meant.” In
+honour of the Royal children a great many quaint old city
+customs were revived, including a swan barge, and both the
+King and the Empress Frederick seem to have retained a very
+delightful recollection of their first sight of the City.</p>
+
+<div id="illus11" class="figcenter" style="width: 650px;">
+
+<img src="images/ill011.jpg" width="650" height="500" alt="" />
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Queen Victoria, Prince Albert, and their Children</span></p>
+
+<p><i>From the Painting by Winterhalter</i></p>
+
+</div>
+
+<p>It must have been about this time that Miss Alcott, the
+author of <i>Little Women</i>, paid a visit to London, and sent home
+to her family the following description of the Prince:&mdash;</p>
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_28" id="Page_28">[28]</a></span></p>
+<p>“A yellow-haired laddie, very like his mother. Fanny, W.,
+and I nodded and waved as he passed, and he openly winked
+his boyish eye at us, for Fanny with her yellow curls and wild
+waving looked rather rowdy, and the poor little Prince wanted
+some fun.”</p>
+
+<p>Two years later the King was present at the opening of the
+Great Exhibition of 1851, and in the following year Mr. Birch
+retired from his responsible post, greatly to the sorrow of his
+young pupil, who was a most affectionate and open-hearted
+little boy.</p>
+
+<p>In June 1852 Viscountess Canning wrote from Windsor
+Castle:&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>“Mr. Birch left yesterday. It has been a terrible sorrow
+to the Prince of Wales, who has done no end of touching
+things since he heard that he was to lose him three weeks ago.
+He is such an affectionate, dear little boy; his little notes and
+presents, which Mr. Birch used to find on his pillow, were
+really too moving.”</p>
+
+<p>As was natural, there were many discussions as to who
+should become the Prince’s next tutor. On the recommendation
+of Sir James Stephen, Mr. Frederick W. Gibbs was appointed.
+He remained in his responsible position till 1858, and was rarely
+separated from his Royal pupil during those seven years.</p>
+
+<p>But although so much attention was devoted to the education
+and mental training of the King, he spent a very happy
+and unclouded childhood; and, like all his brothers and sisters,
+he retained the happiest memories of the youthful days spent
+by him at Balmoral, Osborne, and Windsor.</p>
+
+<p>The Baroness Bunsen in her <i>Memoirs</i> gives a charming
+account of a Masque devised by the Royal children in honour
+of the anniversary of the Queen and the Prince Consort’s
+marriage. King Edward, then twelve years old, represented
+Winter. He wore a cloak covered with imitation icicles, and
+recited some passages from Thomson’s <i>Seasons</i>. Princess Alice
+was Spring, scattering flowers; the Princess Royal, Summer;
+Prince Alfred, Autumn; while Princess Helena, in the <i>rôle</i>
+of St. Helena, the mother of Constantine, who was, according
+to tradition, a native of Britain, called down Heaven’s benedictions
+on her much-loved parents.</p>
+
+<p>Shortly before this pretty scene took place, King Edward<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_29" id="Page_29">[29]</a></span>
+had made his first appearance in the House of Lords, sitting
+beside his Royal mother upon the Throne. It was on this
+occasion that the addresses of the two Houses in answer to
+the Queen’s Message announcing the beginning of hostilities
+in the Crimean War were presented, and there is no doubt
+that the sad and terrible months that followed made a deep
+and lasting impression on the King’s mind. He took the most
+vivid interest in the fortune of the war, and in March 1855
+went with his parents to the Military Hospital at Chatham,
+where a large number of the wounded had recently arrived
+from the East.</p>
+
+<div id="illus12" class="figcenter" style="width: 300px;">
+
+<img src="images/ill012.jpg" width="300" height="400" alt="" />
+
+<p><span class="smcap">The King at the Age of Eight, and the Duke of
+Saxe-Coburg and Gotha at the Age of Five</span></p>
+
+<p><i>From the Painting by F. Winterhalter</i></p>
+
+</div>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_30" id="Page_30">[30]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>The popular concern was exhibited in many ingenious and
+touching ways. An exhibition was held at Burlington House
+in aid of the Patriotic Fund, and all the Royal children who
+were old enough sent drawings and paintings, the King’s
+exhibit obtaining the very considerable sum of 55 guineas.</p>
+
+<p>The worst of the terrible struggle was over by the time
+King Edward and the Empress Frederick accompanied their
+parents to Paris in August of the same year. The visit was in
+many ways historically eventful. Queen Victoria was the first
+British Sovereign to enter Paris since the days of Henry VI.,
+and the Royal Party received a truly splendid welcome. The
+young Prince and his sister, however, were not allowed to be idle,
+and, though they shared to a great extent in the entertainments
+organised in honour of Queen Victoria and the Prince Consort,
+their headquarters remained the whole time in the charming
+country palace of St. Cloud, and after sightseeing in Paris all
+day, they were always driven back there each evening. It is
+undoubtedly to the impression left by this visit that the King
+owes his strong affection and liking for France and the French
+people. When present at a splendid review, held in honour of
+Queen Victoria, he attracted quite as much attention as any of
+his elders, for he was dressed in full Highland costume, and
+remained in the carriage with his mother and the Empress,
+while the Emperor and Prince Consort were on horseback.</p>
+
+<p>The British Royal party remained in France eight days.
+The last gala given in their honour was a splendid ball at
+Versailles, and on this occasion both the Prince of Wales and
+the Princess Royal were allowed to be present, and sat down to
+supper with the Emperor and Empress. A dance had not
+been given at Versailles since the days of Louis XVI.</p>
+
+<p>One of the most pleasing traits in Napoleon III.’s character
+was his great liking for children. As was natural, he paid
+considerable attention to his youthful guests, who both became
+much attached to him; and later, when he was living at Chislehurst
+a broken-hearted exile, King Edward never lost an
+opportunity of paying him respectful and kindly attentions.
+Indeed, the King enjoyed his first Continental holiday so<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_31" id="Page_31">[31]</a></span>
+heartily that he begged the Empress to get leave for his sister
+and himself to stay a little longer after his parents were gone
+home. When with some embarrassment she replied that
+Queen Victoria and the Prince Consort would not be able to
+do without their two children, he exclaimed, “Not do without
+us! don’t fancy that, for there are six more of us at home, and
+they don’t want <i>us</i>”; but it need hardly be added that this
+naïve exclamation did not have the desired effect, and the
+young people duly returned home with their parents.</p>
+
+<div id="illus13" class="figcenter" style="width: 500px;">
+
+<img src="images/ill013.jpg" width="500" height="350" alt="" />
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Sketching at Loch Laggan&mdash;Queen Victoria with King Edward
+and the Empress Frederick</span></p>
+
+<p><i>From the Painting by Landseer, published in 1858</i></p>
+
+</div>
+
+<p>A few days later, the Prince Consort, writing to Baron
+Stockmar, observed: “You will be pleased to hear how well
+both the children behaved. They made themselves general
+favourites, especially the Prince of Wales, <i>qui est si gentil</i>.”
+And on the same topic Prince Albert wrote to the Duchess of
+Kent:<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_32" id="Page_32">[32]</a></span> “I am bound to praise the children greatly. They
+behaved extremely well and pleased everybody. The task was
+no easy one for them, but they discharged it without embarrassment
+and with natural simplicity.”</p>
+
+<div id="illus14" class="figcenter" style="width: 425px;">
+
+<img src="images/ill014.jpg" width="425" height="500" alt="" />
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Queen Victoria and King Edward VII.</span></p>
+
+<p><i>After the Painting by Thorburn</i></p>
+
+</div>
+
+<p>When the King was fourteen he started on an <i>incognito</i>
+walking tour in the West of England with Mr. Gibbs and
+Colonel Cavendish. His father wrote to Baron Stockmar:<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_33" id="Page_33">[33]</a></span>
+“Bertie’s tour has hitherto gone off well and seems to interest
+him greatly.” Then followed a short time spent in Germany,
+as to which Prince Albert wrote to Baron Stockmar on 26th July,
+1857: “Bertie set out to-day at noon for Königswinter&mdash;he
+will take a week to get there. Of the young people only Lord
+Derby’s son will go with him in the first instance; Wood,
+Cadogan, and Gladstone will follow.”</p>
+
+<p>This visit of the Prince of Wales to Königswinter was for
+purposes of study, and he had with him General Grey, Colonel
+(afterwards General) H. Ponsonby his domestic tutor, Mr.
+Gibbs his classical tutor, the Rev. Charles Tarver (afterwards
+Canon of Chester), and Dr. Armstrong. During the Prince’s
+stay at Königswinter Mr. W. Gladstone, Mr. Charles Wood
+(now Lord Halifax), the present Lord Cadogan, and the present
+Lord Derby, then Mr. Frederick Stanley, were with him as
+companions. It may be conveniently recorded here that in
+1858, when Mr. F. W. Gibbs retired, Mr. Tarver was appointed
+the Prince’s Director of Studies and Chaplain, in which capacity
+he accompanied him to Rome, Spain, and Portugal, and then
+went with him to Edinburgh, remaining with the Prince till the
+autumn of 1859, when his education ceased to be conducted at
+home.</p>
+
+<p>The King was confirmed in 1858, and the Prince Consort,
+writing to Baron Stockmar on 2nd April, gives an interesting
+account of the ceremony:&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>“They were all three [Lords Palmerston, John Russell, and
+Derby] yesterday at the confirmation of the Prince of Wales,
+which went off with great solemnity, and, I hope, with an
+abiding impression on his mind. The previous day, his
+examination took place before the Archbishop and ourselves.
+Wellesley prolonged it to a full hour, and Bertie acquitted
+himself <i>extremely well</i>.”</p>
+
+<p>The day following his confirmation the King received the
+sacrament with his father and mother, and here may be fittingly
+ended the story of His Majesty’s boyhood.</p>
+
+<hr class="chap" />
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_34" id="Page_34">[34]</a></span></p>
+
+<h2 id="CHAPTER_IV">CHAPTER IV<br />
+<span class="smaller">OXFORD, CAMBRIDGE, AND THE CURRAGH</span></h2>
+
+<p>King Edward had now emerged from boyhood, and his loving
+parents set themselves to make the arrangements suitable for
+his growing years. What these arrangements were will be
+clear from the following passages in the Prince Consort’s letter
+to Baron Stockmar of 2nd April 1858:&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>“Next week he [the Prince of Wales] is to make a run for
+fourteen days to the South of Ireland with Mr. Gibbs, Captain
+de Ros, and Dr. Minter, by way of recreation. When he returns
+to London he is to take up his residence at the White Lodge
+in Richmond Park, so as to be away from the world and devote
+himself exclusively to study and prepare for a military examination.
+As companions for him we have appointed three very
+distinguished young men of from twenty-three to twenty-six
+years of age, who are to occupy in monthly rotation a kind
+of equerry’s place about him, and from whose more intimate
+intercourse I anticipate no small benefit to Bertie. They are
+Lord Valletort, the eldest son of Lord Mount Edgcumbe,
+who has been much on the Continent, is a thoroughly good,
+moral, and accomplished man, draws well and plays, and never
+was at a public school, but passed his youth in attendance on
+his invalid father; Major Teesdale, of the Artillery, who distinguished
+himself greatly at Kars, where he was aide-de-camp
+and factotum of Sir Fenwick Williams; Major Lindsay, of the
+Scots Fusilier Guards, who received the Victoria Cross for
+Alma and Inkermann (as Teesdale did for Kars), where he
+carried the colours of the regiment, and by his courage drew<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_35" id="Page_35">[35]</a></span>
+upon himself the attention of the whole Army. He is studious
+in his habits, lives little with the other young officers, is fond
+of study, familiar with French, and especially so with Italian,
+spent a portion of his youth in Italy, won the first prize last
+week under the regimental adjutant for the new rifle drill, and
+resigned his excellent post as aide-de-camp of Sir James
+Simpson, that he might be able to work as lieutenant in the
+trenches.</p>
+
+<div id="illus15" class="figcenter" style="width: 325px;">
+
+<img src="images/ill015.jpg" width="325" height="400" alt="" />
+
+<p><span class="smcap">The King in 1859</span></p>
+
+<p><i>From a Painting by G. Richmond</i></p>
+
+</div>
+
+<p>“Besides these three, only Mr. Gibbs and Mr. Tarver will
+go with him to Richmond. As future governor, when Gibbs
+retires at the beginning of next year, I have as yet been able<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_36" id="Page_36">[36]</a></span>
+to think of no one as likely to suit, except Colonel Bruce, Lord
+Elgin’s brother, and his military secretary in Canada, who now
+commands one of the battalions of Grenadier Guards, and lives
+much with his mother in Paris. He has all the amiability of
+his sister, with great mildness of expression, and is full of
+ability.”</p>
+
+<p>Of these early companions of the King, Lord Valletort succeeded
+to the Earldom of Mount Edgcumbe in 1861, Major
+Teesdale was afterwards well known as Sir Christopher
+Teesdale, while Major Lindsay was appointed extra equerry
+to the Prince of Wales in 1874, and was created Lord Wantage
+of Lockinge in 1885.</p>
+
+<p>While the Prince of Wales was at White Lodge, where the
+suite of rooms which he occupied still bears his name, he saw
+much of his relations at Cambridge Cottage; he often rowed
+up from Richmond or Mortlake, and mooring his boat alongside
+the landing-stage at Brentford Ferry, would get out and take
+a stroll in the gardens with his aunt and cousin. The first
+dinner-party the Prince attended was at the Cottage on Kew
+Green.</p>
+
+<p>By Queen Victoria’s special desire, Charles Kingsley about
+this time delivered a series of lectures on history to her eldest
+son, and the Prince remained fondly attached to the famous
+author of <i>Westward Ho</i>, who, till his death, was an honoured
+guest at Sandringham and at Marlborough House.</p>
+
+<p>On 9th November of the same year the King attained his
+eighteenth year, and became legally heir to the Crown. Queen
+Victoria wrote him a letter announcing his emancipation from
+parental control, and he was so deeply touched by its perusal
+that he brought it to General Wellesley with tears in his eyes,
+and we have the impartial testimony of Charles Greville as to
+the character of the epistle, which was, says the famous diarist,
+“one of the most admirable letters that ever was penned.”
+On the same day he became a Colonel in the Army (unattached),
+and received the Garter, while Colonel Bruce became his
+governor.</p>
+
+<p>Exactly a month after his birthday, the King started on a<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_37" id="Page_37">[37]</a></span>
+Continental tour, travelling more or less <i>incognito</i> as Lord
+Renfrew. He was accompanied by Mr. Tarver, who had just
+been appointed his chaplain and director of studies. The King
+stayed some time in Rome and visited the Pope, but on 29th
+April 1859 the Prince Consort wrote to Baron Stockmar: “We
+have sent orders to the Prince of Wales to leave Rome and to
+repair to Gibraltar.” For it was very properly considered,
+that owing to the Franco-Italian and Austrian imbroglio, it
+was far better that the heir to the British throne should be
+well out of the way of international dissensions.</p>
+
+<p>The King reached Gibraltar on 7th May, and visited the
+south of Spain and Lisbon, returning home in the middle of
+the next month; and then, after having seen something of the
+world, he again took up a very serious course of study, this
+time at Edinburgh. Meanwhile the education and training
+of the Heir-Apparent was being watched very carefully by the
+British public, and a good many people began to consider that
+their future King was being over-educated; indeed <i>Punch</i>, in
+some lines entitled “A Prince at High Pressure,” undoubtedly
+summed up the popular feeling, not only describing the past,
+but prophesying, with a great deal of shrewd insight, the
+future course of the Prince of Wales’s studies:&mdash;</p>
+
+<div class="poetry-container">
+<div class="poetry">
+<div class="stanza">
+<div class="verse">To the south from the north, from the shores of the Forth,</div>
+<div class="verse indent1">Where at hands Presbyterian pure science is quaffed,</div>
+<div class="verse">The Prince, in a trice, is whipped to the Isis,</div>
+<div class="verse indent1">Where Oxford keeps springs mediæval on draught.</div>
+</div>
+<div class="stanza">
+<div class="verse">Dipped in grey Oxford mixture (lest <i>that</i> prove a fixture),</div>
+<div class="verse indent1">The poor lad’s to be plunged in less orthodox Cam.,</div>
+<div class="verse">Where dynamics and statics, and pure mathematics,</div>
+<div class="verse indent1">Will be piled on his brain’s awful cargo of cram.</div>
+</div>
+</div>
+</div>
+
+<p>But the Prince seems to have borne his course of study very
+well, and after his son had been in Edinburgh some three
+months the Prince Consort wrote to Baron Stockmar:&mdash;</p>
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_38" id="Page_38">[38]</a></span></p>
+<p>“In Edinburgh I had an Educational Conference with all
+the persons who were taking part in the education of the
+Prince of Wales. They all speak highly of him, and he seems
+to have shown zeal and goodwill. Dr. Lyon Playfair is giving
+him lectures on chemistry in relation to manufactures, and at
+the close of each special course he visits the appropriate manufactory
+with him, so as to explain its practical application. Dr.
+Schmitz (the Director of the High School of Edinburgh, a
+German) gives him lectures on Roman history. Italian,
+German, and French are advanced at the same time; and three
+times a week the Prince exercises with the 16th Hussars, who
+are stationed in the city. Mr. Fisher, who is to be the tutor
+for Oxford, was also in Holyrood. Law and history are to
+be the subjects on which he is to prepare the Prince.”</p>
+
+<div id="illus16" class="figcenter" style="width: 500px;">
+
+<img src="images/ill016.jpg" width="500" height="325" alt="" />
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Christ Church, Oxford</span></p>
+
+</div>
+
+<p>The young Prince spent a delightful holiday in the Highlands,
+and made an expedition up Ben Muichdhui, one of the
+highest mountains in Scotland. Then, on 9th November, his
+nineteenth birthday was celebrated with the whole of his family,
+for the Princess Royal had arrived from Berlin in order to
+spend the day with her brother.</p>
+
+<p>The King was at that time very fond of the writings of Sir
+Walter Scott. He has always been a reader of fiction, French,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_39" id="Page_39">[39]</a></span>
+English, and German, and as a youth he was studious and
+eager to learn.</p>
+
+<p>On leaving Scotland he went up to Oxford, being admitted
+a member of Christ Church. The Prince seems to have
+thoroughly enjoyed his life as an undergraduate. He joined
+freely in the social life of the University, and took part in all
+the sports, frequently hunting with the South Oxfordshire
+Hounds. Nor did he neglect his books, for we find the Prince
+Consort writing to Baron Stockmar on 8th December 1859 to
+say that, “The Prince of Wales is working hard at Oxford.”</p>
+
+<div id="illus17" class="figcenter" style="width: 500px;">
+
+<img src="images/ill017.jpg" width="500" height="325" alt="" />
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Trinity College, Cambridge</span></p>
+
+</div>
+
+<p>It seems more convenient here to abandon the strictly
+chronological arrangement, and to leave the Prince’s visit to
+Canada and the United States, which followed immediately,
+to be described in a separate chapter, passing on at once to
+his life at Cambridge.</p>
+
+<p>Early in 1861 the King became an undergraduate member of
+Trinity College, Cambridge. Curiously enough, Dr. Whewell,
+at that time Master of Trinity, did not think it necessary to<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_40" id="Page_40">[40]</a></span>
+make a formal entry of the Royal undergraduate, but in 1883,
+when visiting Cambridge in order to enter his son, the late
+Duke of Clarence, as a student of Trinity, the King expressed
+the opinion that it was a pity that his own entry had not been
+properly filled up, and he offered to fill in the blank spaces if
+the book was brought to him. Accordingly the record may
+now be found at its proper place in the King’s own handwriting.
+His entry is as follows:&mdash;</p>
+
+<table summary="The register entry" id="register">
+  <tr>
+    <td class="tdc"><i>Date of Entry.</i><br />January 18th, 1861.</td>
+    <td class="tdc"><i>Rank.</i><br />Nobleman.</td>
+    <td class="tdc"><i>Name.</i><br />Albert Edward Prince of Wales.</td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="tdc"><i>Father’s Christian Name.</i><br />Albert.</td>
+    <td class="tdc"><i>Native Place.</i><br />London.</td>
+    <td class="tdc"><i>County.</i><br />Middlesex.</td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="tdc"><i>School.</i><br />Private Tutor.</td>
+    <td class="tdc"><i>Age.</i><br />November 9th, 1841.</td>
+    <td class="tdc"><i>Tutor.</i><br />Admitted by order of the Seniority, Mr. Mathison being his tutor.</td>
+  </tr>
+</table>
+
+<p>The entry immediately preceding the King’s name is that
+of the Hon. J. W. Strutt (now Lord Rayleigh), in connection
+with which the following amusing story is told. A visitor to
+the library (where the book is kept) having expressed her
+doubts as to the King’s intellectual abilities, the librarian
+showed her the entry, and said: “You may be right in what
+you say, madam, but allow me to inform you that the Prince
+comes next to a former Senior Wrangler.” The lady’s astonishment
+may be imagined, she being of course ignorant that
+mere coincidence was the cause of the juxtaposition of the
+two names.</p>
+
+<p>The position of the Prince of Wales in the University was
+very much that of an ordinary undergraduate, except in one
+point&mdash;that he was, by special favour, allowed to live with his
+governor, Colonel the Hon. Robert Bruce, about three miles
+away from Cambridge, in a little village called Madingley.</p>
+
+<p>Charles Kingsley at the Prince Consort’s request gave
+some private lectures to the Prince of Wales. The class was
+formed of eleven undergraduates, and after the Prince settled<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_41" id="Page_41">[41]</a></span>
+at Madingley, he rode three times a week to Mr. Kingsley’s
+house, twice attending with the class, and once to go through
+a <i>résumé</i> of the week’s work alone; and, according to the great
+writer’s biographer, the tutor much appreciated the attention,
+courtesy, and intelligence of his Royal pupil, whose kindness
+to him then and in after-life
+made him not only the
+Prince’s loyal but his most
+attached servant.</p>
+
+<div id="illus18" class="figright" style="width: 200px;">
+
+<img src="images/ill018.jpg" width="200" height="300" alt="" />
+
+<p><span class="smcap">The King in 1861</span></p>
+
+<p><i>Photograph by Silvy</i></p>
+
+</div>
+
+<p>The King certainly enjoyed
+his life at Cambridge.
+All sorts of stories, perhaps
+more or less apocryphal, used
+to be told as to his University
+career. He was not
+allowed quite as much freedom
+as the ordinary undergraduate,
+and Colonel Bruce
+had strict orders never to
+allow him to make any long
+journeys unaccompanied. On
+one occasion the King made
+up his mind that he would
+like to pay an <i>incognito</i> visit
+to London, and he succeeded
+in evading the vigilance of
+those whose duty it was to
+attend him. His absence, however, was discovered before he
+could reach town, and to his surprise and mortification he was
+met at the terminus by the stationmaster and by two of the
+royal servants who had been sent from Buckingham Palace for
+that purpose.</p>
+
+<p>Shortly after his marriage the King took his bride to visit
+Cambridge, and after the usual reception, the Royal pair drove
+to Madingley, to view the King’s former residence. On reaching
+one of the streets on the borders of the town it was found
+to be barricaded, it being thought that the carriage would<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_42" id="Page_42">[42]</a></span>
+proceed by another route. “This is the way I always came,”
+said the King, “and this is the way I wish to go now.” Forthwith
+the sightseers were removed and the barricade broken
+down, but the King signified his intention of returning by the
+other road so that the spectators might not be disappointed.</p>
+
+<p>The King remained more or less constantly at Cambridge
+all the winter of 1861, and it was arranged that during the long
+vacation he was to go on military duty at the Curragh.</p>
+
+<p>While the King was quartered there, Queen Victoria, the
+Prince Consort, and the young Princesses paid a short visit to
+Ireland in order to see him in his new character of soldier.
+On 26th August Her Majesty wrote in her diary:&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>“At a little before 3 we went to Bertie’s hut, which is in
+fact Sir George Brown’s. It is very comfortable&mdash;a nice little
+bedroom, sitting-room, drawing-room, and good-sized dining-room,
+where we lunched with our whole party. Colonel Percy
+commands the Guards, and Bertie is placed specially under
+him. I spoke to him, and thanked him for treating Bertie as
+he did, just like any other officer, for I know that he keeps
+him up to his work in a way, as General Bruce told me, that
+no one else has done; and yet Bertie likes him very much.”</p>
+
+<p>On the following day, which was a Sunday, the Prince Consort,
+accompanied by the Prince of Wales and Prince Alfred,
+went with Lord Carlisle to inspect the Dublin prisons.</p>
+
+<p>Prince Albert spent his last birthday, 26th August 1861,
+with his son in Ireland, and the Prince of Wales accompanied
+his parents and sisters to Killarney, where they had a very
+enthusiastic welcome. They travelled on the Prince Consort’s
+birthday. On the 29th Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, with
+their younger children, left Ireland, and writing to Baron
+Stockmar on 6th September the Prince Consort said:<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_43" id="Page_43">[43]</a></span> “The
+Prince of Wales has acquitted himself extremely well in the
+Camp, and looks forward with pleasure to his visit to the
+manœuvres on the Rhine.”</p>
+
+<hr class="chap" />
+
+<div id="illus19" class="figcenter" style="width: 700px;">
+
+<img src="images/ill019.jpg" width="700" height="175" alt="" />
+
+<p><span class="smcap">The Tour in Canada and the United States, 1860</span></p>
+
+</div>
+
+<h2 id="CHAPTER_V">CHAPTER V<br />
+<span class="smaller">THE KING’S VISIT TO CANADA AND THE UNITED STATES</span></h2>
+
+<p>During the Crimean war, Canada, stirred, as were all the
+British colonies, by the direful stress of the mother country,
+levied and equipped a regiment of infantry for service in the
+field with the regular British troops&mdash;an interesting precedent
+for what was to happen in the Boer war nearly half a century
+later. In return for their demonstration of loyalty, the
+Canadians dispatched a cordial invitation to Queen Victoria
+to visit her American possessions; but it was considered undesirable
+that Her Majesty should be exposed to the fatigues
+and the risks of so long a journey.</p>
+
+<p>Queen Victoria was then asked to appoint one of her sons
+Governor-General of the Dominion, but the extreme youth of
+all the Princes made that quite out of the question. Her
+Majesty, nevertheless, formally promised that when the Prince
+of Wales was old enough he should visit Canada in her stead.
+When the Prince was well on in his eighteenth year his parents
+decided that it was time for this promise to be fulfilled, the
+more so that it would enable the great railway bridge across
+the St. Lawrence at Montreal to be opened, and the foundation-stone
+of the Parliament buildings at Ottawa to be laid, by a
+Prince of the Blood.</p>
+
+<div id="illus20" class="figcenter" style="width: 300px;">
+
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_44" id="Page_44">[44]</a></span>
+
+<img src="images/ill020.jpg" width="300" height="400" alt="" />
+
+<p><span class="smcap">The Fifth Duke of Newcastle, K.G.</span></p>
+
+</div>
+
+<p>The Prince Consort, with the care and forethought which
+always distinguished him in such matters, made a most careful
+choice of those who were to accompany his young son. Both
+Queen Victoria and he felt the greatest confidence in the Duke
+of Newcastle, the grandfather of the present peer, and with him
+Prince Albert arranged all the details of the Prince’s Canadian
+visit. The careful and kindly father forgot nothing that might
+be needed. Not only did he take special pains to secure that
+the young Prince should learn something of the history,
+customs, and prejudices of the Canadian people, but he supplied
+the Duke with memoranda which might be found useful in
+drawing up the answers to be made to the addresses which
+were certain to be presented to the Prince of Wales during his
+progress through the Dominion. The best proof of the Prince
+Consort’s wisdom is to be found in the fact that every one of
+these notes afterwards turned out to be simply invaluable,
+owing to the peculiar aptness with which they had been framed<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_45" id="Page_45">[45]</a></span>
+to suit the circumstances of each locality where an address was
+likely to be received.</p>
+
+<p>When it became known on the American Continent that
+the Prince of Wales was really coming to Canada, the President
+of the United States, Mr. Buchanan, wrote to Queen Victoria
+explaining how cordial a welcome the Prince of Wales would
+receive at Washington should he extend his visit to the United
+States.</p>
+
+<p>Her Majesty returned a cordial answer, informing Mr.
+Buchanan, and through him the American people, that the
+Prince would return home through America, and that it would
+give him great pleasure to have an opportunity of testifying to
+the President in person the kindly feelings which animated the
+British nation towards America. At the same time the
+American people were told that the future British Sovereign
+would, from the moment of his leaving British soil, drop all
+Royal state, and that he would simply travel as “Lord Renfrew.”
+In this again Her Majesty showed her great wisdom,
+for it would have been extremely awkward for the Prince of
+Wales, the descendant of King George III., to have visited
+the American Republic in his quality as Heir-Apparent to the
+British Throne.</p>
+
+<p>After a pleasant but uneventful voyage on board the
+frigate <i>Hero</i>, escorted by H.M.S. <i>Ariadne</i>, the Prince of
+Wales first stepped on Transatlantic soil at St. John’s, the
+capital of Newfoundland, the oldest British colony, on 24th
+July 1860. The morning was rainy, but the moment His
+Royal Highness landed the sun shone out, bursting through
+the clouds, and this was considered by those present to be a
+very happy omen.</p>
+
+<p>On that day the Prince may be said to have really had his
+first glimpse of that round of official duties to which he seemed
+to take naturally, and in which he was destined to become so
+expert.</p>
+
+<p>After the Governor of Newfoundland had been formally
+presented to the Prince, the Royal party, which comprised, in
+addition to His Royal Highness, the Duke of Newcastle,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_46" id="Page_46">[46]</a></span>
+General Bruce, and Major Teesdale, went straight to Government
+House, where the Prince held a reception, and listened to
+a considerable number of addresses. The day did not end till
+the next morning, for in the evening a grand ball was given by
+Sir Alexander Bannerman, and King Edward won all hearts by
+mixing freely with the company, and dancing, not only with the
+ladies belonging to the Government and official circles, but
+with the wives and daughters of the fishermen. It was noticed
+that the Prince was quite remarkably like the portraits of his
+Royal mother on the British coins, and he displayed, not only
+in Newfoundland but also during the many fatiguing days
+that followed, the extraordinary tact and admirable breeding
+which have continually year after year increased the affection
+with which he is regarded by the British people.</p>
+
+<div id="illus21" class="figcenter" style="width: 350px;">
+
+<img src="images/ill021.jpg" width="350" height="400" alt="" />
+
+<p><span class="smcap">The King’s Landing at Montreal</span></p>
+
+<p><i>From a contemporary picture in the “Illustrated London News”</i></p>
+
+</div>
+
+<p>The wife of the then Archdeacon of St. John’s, in an<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_47" id="Page_47">[47]</a></span>
+interesting letter home, puts on record the impression produced
+by the King in Newfoundland:&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>“His appearance is very much in his favour, and his
+youth and royal dignified manners and bearing seem to have
+touched all hearts, for there is scarcely a man or woman
+who can speak of him without tears. The rough fishermen
+and their wives are quite wild about him, and we hear
+of nothing but their admiration. Their most frequent exclamation
+is, ‘God bless his pretty face and send him a good wife.’”</p>
+
+<div id="illus22" class="figcenter" style="width: 500px;">
+
+<img src="images/ill022.jpg" width="500" height="350" alt="" />
+
+<p><span class="smcap">The King laying the Last Stone of the Victoria Bridge over
+the St. Lawrence</span></p>
+
+<p><i>From the “Illustrated London News”</i></p>
+
+</div>
+
+<p>At Halifax, the news that his sister, the Princess Frederick
+of Prussia, had given birth to a little daughter met him, and
+he hastened to write home his affectionate congratulations on
+the event.</p>
+
+<p>The Prince’s tour through Canada may be said to have
+been one long triumphal procession. It was marred by no<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_48" id="Page_48">[48]</a></span>
+unpleasant incident, in spite of the fact that at Kingston and
+Toronto the Orangemen tried to induce the Prince to pass
+under arches decorated with their party symbols and mottoes.
+Thanks, however, to the Duke of Newcastle’s tact and firmness,
+the attempt failed, and the incident merely served to illustrate
+the young Prince’s freedom from party bias. Everywhere the
+Royal visitor produced the happiest impressions, and, thanks
+to his youth, he was able to endure considerable fatigue without
+apparently being any the worse for it.</p>
+
+<p>In America “Lord Renfrew’s” arrival was awaited with
+the utmost impatience, and while travelling over the Dominion
+His Royal Highness was surrounded by American reporters.
+Indeed, it is said that the Prince of Wales’s visit to Canada
+formed the first occasion on which press telegrams were used
+to any lavish extent. One enterprising journalist used to
+transmit to his paper long chapters from the Gospel according
+to St. Matthew and from the Book of Revelation in order to
+monopolise the wires while he was gathering material for his
+daily report of the Royal journey. At a great ball given in
+Quebec the Prince tripped and fell with his partner&mdash;the
+article recording this event was headed <i>Honi soit qui mal y
+pense</i>.</p>
+
+<p>The Royal visit to Montreal is still remembered in Canada.
+The Prince and his suite arrived there on 25th August, and the
+Prince, after opening a local exhibition, inaugurating a bridge,
+holding a review, and attending some native games, danced all
+night with the greatest spirit, even singing with the band when
+it struck up his favourite air.</p>
+
+<p>Many little stories were told of the King’s good-nature and
+affability. Hearing by accident that an old sailor who had
+served with Nelson on board the <i>Trafalgar</i> had been court-martialled,
+the Prince begged him off, and asked that he might
+be restored to his rank in the service.</p>
+
+<p>The Canadian Government provided a number of riding-horses
+in order that the King might see Niagara Falls from
+several points of view, and he has since often declared that
+this was one of the finest sights he ever saw in his life. Next<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_49" id="Page_49">[49]</a></span>
+day, in the presence of the Royal party and of thousands of
+spectators, Canadian and American, the famous rope-walker,
+Blondin, crossed Niagara river upon a rope, walking upon
+stilts, and carrying a man on his back. After the ordeal was
+over, Blondin had the honour of being presented to the Prince.
+The latter, with much emotion, exclaimed, “Thank God, it is
+all over!” and begged him earnestly not to attempt the feat
+again, but the famous rope-walker assured His Royal Highness
+that there was no danger whatever, and offered to carry him
+across on his back if he would go, but the Prince briefly
+declined! The Prince seems to have been quite fascinated by
+the marvellous Falls. On 17th September he insisted on riding
+over on American ground for a farewell view of Niagara.</p>
+
+<p>The Prince of Wales formally crossed from Canadian
+territory to the States on the night of 20th September, making
+his appearance on Republican soil, as had been arranged, as
+Lord Renfrew. At Hamilton, the last place in Canada where
+he halted, the Prince made a speech, in the course of which
+he observed:</p>
+
+<p>“My duties as Representative of the Queen cease this day,
+but in a private capacity I am about to visit before I return
+home that remarkable land which claims with us a common
+ancestry, and in whose extraordinary progress every Englishman
+feels a common interest.”</p>
+
+<p>Great as had been the enthusiasm in Canada, it may be
+said to have been nothing to the <i>furore</i> of excitement produced
+in America by the Prince of Wales’s visit. At Detroit the
+crowds were so dense that the Royal party could not get to
+their hotel through the main streets, and had to be smuggled
+in at a side entrance. The whole city was illuminated; every
+craft on the river had hung out lamps; and, as one individual
+aptly put it, “there could not have been greater curiosity
+to see him if the distinguished visitor had been George
+Washington come to life again.”</p>
+
+<p>Over 50,000 people came out to meet His Royal Highness
+at Chicago, then a village of unfinished streets, but there, for
+the first time, the Prince broke down from sheer fatigue, and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_50" id="Page_50">[50]</a></span>
+the Duke of Newcastle decided that it would be better to
+break the trip from Chicago to St. Louis by stopping at a
+quiet village, famed even then for the good sport to be
+obtained in its neighbourhood. It was therefore arranged
+that His Royal Highness should have a day’s shooting at
+Dwight’s Station, and fourteen brace of quails and four rabbits
+fell to the Prince’s gun.</p>
+
+<p>A rather absurd incident marred the complete pleasure of
+the day. As the Royal party approached a farm-house an
+unmistakably British settler appeared at the door and invited
+every one <i>excepting the Duke of Newcastle</i> to enter. “Not
+you, Newcastle,” he shouted; “I have been a tenant of yours,
+and have sworn that you shall never set a foot on my land.”
+Accordingly the party passed on, and the farmer, though
+revenged on his old landlord, had to forego the honour of
+entertaining Royalty under his roof.</p>
+
+<p>But, notwithstanding this awkward incident, the King
+seems to have thoroughly enjoyed his little respite from
+official functions. At one moment, when he was out on the
+prairie, he and his companions desired to smoke, but nobody
+had a light. At last a single match was found, but no one
+volunteered to strike it. Lots were drawn with blades of
+the prairie grass, and the King drew the shortest blade.
+The others held their coats and hats round him whilst he
+lighted the match, and he once said that he never felt so
+nervous before or since.</p>
+
+<p>On 30th October “Lord Renfrew” reached Washington,
+and Lord Lyons, the British Minister, introduced him to President
+James Buchanan, and Miss Harriet Lane, the latter’s
+niece and housekeeper. The Prince stayed at the White
+House, and President Buchanan, though he could not spare
+his Royal guest a certain number of <i>levées</i> and receptions, did
+his best to make his visit to the official centre of the American
+Republic pleasant. During these five days there occurred a
+most interesting event&mdash;the visit of His Royal Highness to
+Mount Vernon and the tomb of Washington. A representative
+of the <i>Times</i> gave the following eloquent account of the scene:&mdash;</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_51" id="Page_51">[51]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>“Before this humble tomb the Prince, the President, and
+all the party stood uncovered. It is easy moralising on this
+visit, for there is something grandly suggestive of historical
+retribution in the reverential awe of the Prince of Wales, the
+great-grandson of George III., standing bareheaded at the foot
+of the coffin of Washington. For a few moments the party
+stood mute and motionless, and the Prince then proceeded to
+plant a chestnut by the side of the tomb. It seemed, when the
+Royal youth closed in the earth around the little germ, that
+he was burying the last faint trace of discord between us and
+our great brethren in the West.”</p>
+
+<p>Doubtless the Prince enjoyed these new experiences a good
+deal more than did his guides, philosophers, and friends. Political
+feeling ran high, and the pro-slavery leaders were very
+anxious to influence public sentiment in Great Britain. They
+formed the project of taking the Prince of Wales through the
+South to see slavery under its pleasantest aspect as a paternal
+institution. After a good deal of discussion between the Duke
+of Newcastle and Lord Lyons, it was felt better to accept the
+invitation of some representative Southerners, and accordingly
+the Prince went a short tour to Richmond; but it may be
+added that a great slave sale which had been widely advertised
+was postponed so as not to offend British susceptibilities. The
+Prince does not seem to have been at all impressed by the
+slave cities, and he flatly refused to leave his carriage to visit
+the negro quarters at Haxhall’s plantation, and so he returned
+to Washington, having shown a good deal more common sense
+than had those about him.</p>
+
+<p>The day that the Prince left Washington for Richmond,
+President Buchanan wrote a charming letter to the Queen, in
+which he said, speaking of his guest: “In our domestic circle
+he has won all hearts. His free and ingenuous intercourse
+with myself evinced both a kind heart and a good understanding.”</p>
+
+<p>From Washington the Prince proceeded to Philadelphia,
+and there, for the first time, His Royal Highness heard Adelina
+Patti. He was so greatly charmed with her marvellous voice<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_52" id="Page_52">[52]</a></span>
+and winning personality, that he begged that she might be
+presented to him.</p>
+
+<p>The Prince’s feelings must have been strangely mixed when
+he stood in Independence Hall, but he does not appear to have
+revealed them by making any remark, and after staying a
+few days in Philadelphia he started for New York, where
+he received a splendid welcome from Father Knickerbocker,
+being met at the station by the Mayor, and driven through
+Broadway to the Fifth Avenue Hotel. Half a million spectators
+saw him arrive, and so great was the anxiety to see
+Queen Victoria’s eldest son at close quarters, that there was
+no structure in New York large enough to contain those who
+thought that they had&mdash;and who no doubt had&mdash;a right to meet
+the Prince of Wales at a social function.</p>
+
+<div id="illus23" class="figcenter" style="width: 500px;">
+
+<img src="images/ill023.jpg" width="500" height="350" alt="" />
+
+<p><span class="smcap">The Grand Ball given at the Academy of Music, New York</span></p>
+
+<p><i>From the “Illustrated London News”</i></p>
+
+</div>
+
+<p>At last a building was found capable of containing 6000
+people; but, looking to the question of<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_53" id="Page_53">[53]</a></span> “crinolines and comfort,”
+it was reluctantly decided that not more than 3000 cards of
+invitation, admitting to the ball and to the supper to follow,
+should be sent out. Fortunately most of the 3000 guests
+were important people, and therefore too old to dance. They
+represented, in both senses of the word, the solid element in
+New York society, for, as they crowded round the Prince, the
+floor gave way, and it is a wonder that no serious accident took
+place. This splendid entertainment, which took place in the
+old Academy of Music, is still remembered by many elderly
+Americans. The Prince showed his tact and good taste by
+frequently changing his partner. For the supper, a special
+service of china and glass had been manufactured, the Prince’s
+motto, <i>Ich Dien</i>, being emblazoned on every piece.</p>
+
+<p>During the five days that the Prince remained in New
+York, he was the guest of the Mayor and of the Corporation.
+He seems to have most enjoyed a parade of the Volunteer
+Fire Department in his honour. There were 6000 firemen in
+uniform, and all, save those in charge of the ropes and tillers,
+bore torches. It was a magnificent spectacle, and the Prince,
+as he looked at the brilliant display in Madison Square, cried
+repeatedly, “This is for me, this is all for me!” with unaffected
+glee.</p>
+
+<p>From New York the Prince went on to Albany and Boston,
+and at the latter place Longfellow, Oliver Wendell Holmes,
+Emerson, and a number of other notable Americans were
+presented to him. He visited Harvard College, spent an
+hour at Mount Auburn, where he planted two trees, and drove
+out to Bunker’s Hill.</p>
+
+<p>Portland was the last place visited by the Prince in the
+United States, and on 20th October the Royal party set sail
+for home on board the <i>Hero</i>, which was escorted by the
+<i>Ariadne</i>, the <i>Nile</i>, and the <i>Styx</i>. The voyage home was not
+as uneventful as had been the voyage out. So anxious were
+they at Court about the fate of the <i>Hero</i>, that two ships of
+war were sent in search of the frigate and her escort. At
+last, to every one’s great relief, the <i>Hero</i> was sighted, and it
+was ascertained that a sudden storm had driven the boat back<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_54" id="Page_54">[54]</a></span>
+from the British coast, and the Royal party had been reduced
+to salt fare, with only a week’s provisions in store.</p>
+
+<p>On 9th November the Prince Consort put in his diary:
+“Bertie’s birthday. Unfortunately he is still absent, neither
+do we hear anything from him.” Great, therefore, was the
+joy of the Queen and Prince Albert when, on 15th November,
+they received a telegram from Plymouth announcing the safe
+arrival of their son. That same evening the Prince of Wales
+arrived at Windsor Castle, being greeted with the warmest
+affection by his family and friends.</p>
+
+<p>Queen Victoria showed the most vivid interest in all her
+eldest son’s many and varied adventures. Both Her Majesty
+and the Prince Consort were very much gratified by the way
+in which the Duke of Newcastle had performed his arduous
+and delicate task, and, after some consultation, it was decided
+that the Queen should publicly mark her satisfaction by conferring
+upon the Duke the Order of the Garter.</p>
+
+<hr class="chap" />
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_55" id="Page_55">[55]</a></span></p>
+
+<h2 id="CHAPTER_VI">CHAPTER VI<br />
+<span class="smaller">DEATH OF THE PRINCE CONSORT&mdash;TOUR IN THE EAST</span></h2>
+
+<p>King Edward’s visit to Germany in the autumn of 1861 is
+explained by Sir Theodore Martin, in his <i>Life of the Prince
+Consort</i>, to have been made with another object in view besides
+that of seeing the military manœuvres in the Rhenish Provinces.
+It had been arranged that he was to make the acquaintance of
+the Princess Alexandra of Denmark, who was then on a visit
+to Germany, with a view to a marriage, should the meeting
+result in a mutual attachment.</p>
+
+<p>In spite, however, of every precaution to ensure secrecy,
+until at least the inclinations of the principal parties should
+have been ascertained, the project leaked out, and even before
+they met, it was actually canvassed, much to the Prince
+Consort’s annoyance, in the Continental papers. From these
+it soon found its way into the English journals, where it met
+with general approval; but as the meeting, which took place
+at Speier and Heidelberg on the 24th and 25th of September,
+ended with the happiest results, no harm was done, though in
+other circumstances it might have been extremely painful.</p>
+
+<p>“We hear nothing but excellent accounts of the Princess
+Alexandra,” Prince Albert notes in his diary on the 30th of
+September, and he adds, with evident satisfaction, that “the
+young people seem to have taken a warm liking for each
+other.” On 6th October the Prince Consort, writing to the
+King of Prussia, says:<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_56" id="Page_56">[56]</a></span> “Bertie has come back in raptures
+with his excursion to the manœuvres, and cannot speak sufficiently
+highly of your kindness to himself, and to all the
+English officers.” About a week later the Prince Consort was
+able to write to Baron Stockmar: “The Prince of Wales leaves
+to-morrow for Cambridge. He came back greatly pleased with
+his interview with the Princess of Holstein at Speier.… His
+present wish, after his time at the University is up, which it
+will be at Christmas, is to travel; and we have gladly assented
+to his proposal to visit the Holy Land. This, under existing
+circumstances, is the most useful tour he can make, and will
+occupy him till early in June.”</p>
+
+<p>The Prince Consort that same autumn went specially to
+London in order to inspect the alterations that were being
+made at Marlborough House, which was then being actively
+prepared as a residence for the Prince of Wales; and on the
+9th Queen Victoria wrote in her diary: “This is our dear
+Bertie’s twentieth birthday. I pray God to assist our efforts
+to make him turn out well.… All our people in and out of
+the house came in to dinner. Bertie led me in by Albert’s
+wish, and I sat between him and Albert.”</p>
+
+<p>Prince Albert paid a hurried visit on 28th November to
+Cambridge in order to visit the Prince of Wales. The
+weather was cold and stormy, and he returned to Windsor
+with a heavy cold.</p>
+
+<p>The next few days were spent by both the Prince Consort
+and Queen Victoria in considerable anxiety. The seizure of
+the <i>Trent</i> aroused a great deal of bitter public feeling, and the
+fact that America was convulsed by civil war did not make the
+position of Great Britain more easy. The Government adopted
+a very resolute attitude, and the Prince Consort, instead of
+allowing himself to be nursed through his feverish attack, spent
+some hours in composing and writing a draft, on the burning
+question of the day, to Lord Russell.</p>
+
+<p>The story of those sad days is well known. As time went
+on, Prince Albert grew slightly worse rather than better, but
+no real danger was apprehended by those nearest and dearest
+to him, and Queen Victoria would not hear of having the
+Prince of Wales summoned, until at last Princess Alice, who
+behaved with extraordinary fortitude and marvellous self-possession,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_57" id="Page_57">[57]</a></span>
+felt that she must send for her eldest brother on
+her own responsibility. She accordingly did so, and King
+Edward was always, up to the day of her death, very grateful
+to her for her prompt action, because it enabled him to arrive
+in time to be present at his much-loved father’s death-bed.
+Although she was herself overwhelmed with bitter grief, it was
+to the Princess Alice that all turned, for Queen Victoria was
+so completely overcome that nothing could be referred to her,
+and it was finally arranged that the Prince of Wales and the
+Princesses Alice and Helena should accompany their mother to
+Osborne, where she had consented very reluctantly to go.</p>
+
+<p>The Prince of Wales returned immediately, in order to
+complete the arrangements for the funeral, and to receive his
+uncle the Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, his brother-in-law
+the Crown Prince of Prussia (afterwards the Emperor Frederick),
+and the other foreign mourners who were to take part in the
+last sad ceremony.</p>
+
+<p>The funeral took place on 23rd December, the service being
+held in St. George’s Chapel, Windsor. The chief mourner
+was, of course, the Prince of Wales, who was supported, in the
+absence of Prince Alfred (Duke of Edinburgh), by Prince
+Arthur. All those present were deeply moved by the grief
+of the two young princes. They both hid their faces, and after
+the coffin had been lowered into the vault the Prince of Wales
+advanced to take a last look and stood for one moment looking
+down; then, his fortitude deserting him, he burst into a flood
+of tears, and was led away by the Lord Chamberlain.</p>
+
+<p>Sad indeed were the days that followed. The effect of the
+Prince Consort’s death on King Edward’s affectionate and
+sensitive nature was terrible, and those about the Court felt
+that something must be done to rouse him from his grief.</p>
+
+<div id="illus24" class="figcenter" style="width: 450px;">
+
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_58" id="Page_58">[58]</a></span>
+
+<img src="images/ill024.jpg" width="450" height="650" alt="" />
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Dean Stanley</span></p>
+
+<p><i>From a Photograph by the Stereoscopic Co.</i></p>
+
+</div>
+
+<p>As we have already seen, the Prince Consort, not long
+before his death, had assented to his eldest son’s proposal of
+making a tour in the Holy Land, and it had also been his
+earnest wish that His Royal Highness should on that occasion
+be accompanied by the Rev. Arthur Penrhyn Stanley, who had
+himself already taken a journey to Jerusalem. And so, when
+the tour was decided upon as a means of rousing the Prince of
+Wales from his stupor of grief, Queen Victoria made up her
+mind that she would be guided by her late Consort’s wishes,
+and General Bruce was commanded to write to Dr. Stanley,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_59" id="Page_59">[59]</a></span>
+but not till he reached Osborne was he actually asked whether
+he would consent to undertake the responsibility.</p>
+
+<div id="illus25" class="figcenter" style="width: 500px;">
+
+<img src="images/ill025.jpg" width="500" height="350" alt="" />
+
+<p><span class="smcap">The King’s Reception by Said Pacha, Viceroy of Egypt, at Cairo</span></p>
+
+<p><i>From the “Illustrated London News”</i></p>
+
+</div>
+
+<p>Dr. Stanley, though he regarded the proposal with reluctance
+and misgiving, for he could not bear to leave his aged mother,
+to whom he was most tenderly devoted, consented to do as Her
+Majesty wished. It was ultimately arranged that he should
+meet the Prince at Alexandria, ascend the Nile with him, and
+accompany him, not only through the Holy Land, but on the
+Egyptian portion of the expedition.</p>
+
+<p>On 28th February King Edward, accompanied by General
+Bruce, Major Teesdale, Captain Keppel, and a small suite, was
+joined by Dr. Stanley, the party at once proceeding to Cairo.
+“The Prince,” wrote General Bruce to his sister, “takes great
+delight in the new world on which he has entered, and Dr.
+Stanley is a great acquisition.” They visited the Pyramids
+together, and then resumed their voyage, the Prince characteristically<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_60" id="Page_60">[60]</a></span>
+persuading Dr. Stanley to read <i>East Lynne</i>, a book
+which had greatly struck his imagination. When recording the
+circumstance, Dr. Stanley adds:&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>“It is impossible not to like him, and to be constantly with
+him brings out his astonishing memory of names and persons.…
+I am more and more struck by the amiable and endearing
+qualities of the Prince.… His Royal Highness had himself
+laid down a rule that there was to be no shooting to-day
+(Sunday), and though he was sorely tempted, as we passed
+flocks of cranes and geese seated on the bank in the most
+inviting crowds, he rigidly conformed to it; a crocodile was
+allowed to be a legitimate exception, but none appeared. He
+sat alone on the deck with me, talking in the frankest manner,
+for an hour in the afternoon, and made the most reasonable and
+proper remarks on the due observance of Sunday in England.”</p>
+
+<p>A sad event which occurred in March was destined to draw
+closer together the ties which were now binding His Royal
+Highness and his chaplain, for on 23rd March the news was
+broken to Dr. Stanley that his mother was dead. The Prince
+of Wales showed the kindest and most tender consideration for
+his bereaved travelling companion, and was much gratified that
+Dr. Stanley very wisely made up his mind to continue the
+journey instead of hurrying home at once.</p>
+
+<p>A few days later the Royal party reached Palestine, and it
+is interesting to note that this was the first time that the heir
+to the English throne, since the days of Edward I. and Eleanor,
+had visited the Holy City. King Edward landed at Jaffa on
+31st March, and both on his entrance into the Holy Land and
+during his approach to Jerusalem he followed in the footsteps
+of Richard Cœur de Lion and Edward I. The cavalcade,
+escorted by a troop of Turkish cavalry, climbed the Pass of
+Bethhoron, catching their first glimpse of Jerusalem from the spot
+where Richard is recorded to have hidden his face in his shield,
+with the words, “Ah, Lord God, if I am not thought worthy
+to win back the Holy Sepulchre, I am not worthy to see it!”</p>
+
+<p>The King, accompanied by Dr. Stanley, carefully explored
+Jerusalem and its neighbourhood, riding over the hills of Judæa<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_61" id="Page_61">[61]</a></span>
+to Bethlehem, walking through the famous groves of Jericho,
+and staying some time at Bethany.</p>
+
+<p>“Late in the afternoon,” writes Dr. Stanley, “we reached
+Bethany. I then took my place close beside the Prince. Every
+one else fell back by design or accident, and at the head of the
+cavalcade we moved on towards the famous view. This was
+the one half-hour which, throughout the journey, I had determined
+to have alone with the Prince, and I succeeded.”</p>
+
+<p>During Dr. Stanley’s previous journey to the Holy Land
+he had not been permitted to visit the closely-guarded cave of
+Machpelah, but on this occasion, thanks to the diplomacy of
+General Bruce, not only the King, but also his chaplain, were
+allowed to set foot within the sacred precincts. Even to Royal
+personages the Mosque of Hebron had remained absolutely
+barred for nearly seven hundred years, and on the present
+occasion the Turkish official in charge declared that “for no
+one but for the eldest son of the Queen of England would he
+have allowed the gate to be opened; indeed, the Princes of any
+other nation should have passed over his body before doing so.”</p>
+
+<p>King Edward, with his usual thoughtfulness, had made Dr.
+Stanley’s entrance with himself a condition of his going in at
+all, and when the latter went up to the King to thank him and
+to say that but for him he would never have had this great
+opportunity, the young man answered with touching and
+almost reproachful simplicity, “High station, you see, sir, has,
+after all, some merits, some advantages.” “Yes, sir,” replied
+Dr. Stanley, “and I hope that you will always make as good
+a use of it.”</p>
+
+<p>On the party’s return to Jerusalem, they witnessed the
+Samaritan Passover, and Easter Sunday, 20th April, was
+spent by the shores of Lake Tiberias.</p>
+
+<p>During the journey from Tiberias to Damascus King
+Edward and his escort lived in tents, an experience which
+he seems to have thoroughly enjoyed. From Damascus the
+party turned westward, reaching Beyrout on 6th May, and
+after visiting Tyre and Sidon they proceeded to Tripoli. On
+13th May the King left the shores of Syria, visiting on his<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_62" id="Page_62">[62]</a></span>
+homeward journey Patmos, Ephesus, Smyrna, Constantinople,
+Athens, and Malta.</p>
+
+<div id="illus26" class="figcenter" style="width: 500px;">
+
+<img src="images/ill026.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="" />
+
+<p><span class="smcap">The King about the Time of his Marriage</span></p>
+
+<p><i>From Photographs by Hughes and Mullins, Ryde</i></p>
+
+</div>
+
+<p>It was very characteristic of King Edward’s readiness to
+take any trouble to please those dear to him that wherever he
+went he collected a number of flowers or leaves from every
+famous spot. These, after having been carefully dried by
+him, were sent to his sister, the Princess Royal, afterwards the
+Empress Frederick, who had a particular taste for such memorials.</p>
+
+<p>It was very soon after his return from the East that the
+King played for the first time an important part in a family
+gathering&mdash;the wedding of his favourite sister, Princess Alice,
+to Prince Louis of Hesse. The bride was given away by her
+uncle, the Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, but the young
+Prince of Wales acted as master of the house during the quiet
+week which preceded the ceremony.</p>
+
+<hr class="chap" />
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_63" id="Page_63">[63]</a></span></p>
+
+<h2 id="CHAPTER_VII">CHAPTER VII<br />
+<span class="smaller">THE WEDDING OF KING EDWARD AND QUEEN ALEXANDRA</span></h2>
+
+<p>As is very generally known, the marriage of King Edward to
+Princess Alexandra of Denmark was brought about in quite a
+romantic fashion. It is said that long before His Majesty saw
+his future wife he was very much attracted by a glimpse of her
+photograph, shown him by one of his friends.</p>
+
+<p>A more authoritative story of a photograph is told in the
+memoir of the late Duchess of Teck. The meeting at Heidelberg
+in September 1861, already referred to, took place when
+the Danish Princess and her father were on their way to join
+one of those famous family gatherings at Rumpenheim, and the
+Duchess of Teck’s biographer writes:&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>“As soon as the Princess arrived at the Hessian Palace,
+her cousins were most anxious to hear all about the meeting,
+and much excitement followed when Princess Alexandra, producing
+a photograph from her pocket, laughingly exclaimed, ‘I
+have got him here!’”</p>
+
+<p>It is certain that though many Princesses had been spoken
+of in connection with the Prince, and at one time negotiations
+were actually impending with a view to his engagement to the
+daughter of a German Royal House, all such schemes were
+instantly abandoned after he had seen the beautiful Danish
+Princess.</p>
+
+<p>Another meeting is said to have taken place in the
+Cathedral of Worms during this eventful tour in 1861. The
+Prince, accompanied by his tutor and equerry, had gone to
+examine the frescoes, and when wandering through the beautiful<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_64" id="Page_64">[64]</a></span>
+old Cathedral they met Prince Christian of Denmark and his
+daughter intent on the same object.</p>
+
+<p>Later, after the Prince Consort’s death, during a short visit
+which he paid to his cousin, the King of the Belgians, the Heir-Apparent
+again met Princess Alexandra, and it is said that King
+Leopold had a considerable share in arranging the preliminaries
+of the marriage, for it was while the Prince and Princess were
+both staying at Laeken that Queen Victoria’s formal consent
+to her son’s making a Danish alliance was granted.</p>
+
+<p>The formal betrothal took place on 9th September 1862,
+but even then what had occurred was only known to a comparatively
+small circle of friends and relations, for it was not till
+the eve of His Royal Highness’s coming of age that his engagement
+was formally announced in the <i>London Gazette</i>, and so
+made known to the whole British Empire.</p>
+
+<p>The announcement roused the greatest enthusiasm, for deep
+as had been the public sympathy with Her Majesty, a widowed
+Court could not but cast a very real gloom, not only over
+society, but over all those directly and indirectly interested in
+the sumptuary trades and the wide distribution of wealth. It
+was universally felt that the marriage of the Heir-Apparent
+would inaugurate a new era of prosperity, and scarce a dissenting
+voice was raised to oppose the Grant voted by the House
+of Commons for the Royal couple.</p>
+
+<p>On the proposal of Lord Palmerston, it was decided that
+the Prince of Wales should receive from the country an income
+of £40,000 a year, with an added £10,000 a year to be specially
+set apart for the Princess. And so it came to pass that the
+Heir-Apparent and his bride began housekeeping with an
+income of somewhat over £100,000 a year, for, owing to the
+Prince Consort’s foresight and good sense, out of the savings
+made during his son’s long minority, Sandringham, of which
+the initial cost was £220,000, had been purchased.</p>
+
+<p>Unlike most Royal engagements, that of the Prince and
+Princess of Wales lasted nearly six months, but active preparations
+for the wedding did not begin till the official announcement
+had been made.</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_65" id="Page_65">[65]</a></span></p>
+
+<div id="illus27" class="figcenter" style="width: 400px;">
+
+<img src="images/ill027.jpg" width="400" height="500" alt="" />
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Queen Alexandra</span></p>
+
+<p><i>From a Photograph in the possession of the King of Denmark, taken on 1st December 1862</i></p>
+
+</div>
+
+<p>Although Princess Alexandra had visited England as a
+child in order to make the acquaintance of her great-aunt, the
+Duchess of Cambridge, it was at Laeken that she was presented
+to her future mother-in-law, Queen Victoria, who was then
+paying a visit <i>incognito</i> to King Leopold. Later on, the young
+Princess, accompanied by her father, paid Queen Victoria an
+informal visit at Osborne. She did not on this occasion come to
+London or take part in any public function, but rumours of her
+beauty and of her charm of manner had become rife, and as the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_66" id="Page_66">[66]</a></span>
+wedding day, which had been fixed for 10th March, approached,
+the public interest and excitement were strung to the highest
+pitch. It was felt that Denmark’s loss was Britain’s gain, and
+Alfred Tennyson, the Poet Laureate, voiced most happily the
+universal feeling in his fine lines:</p>
+
+<div class="poetry-container">
+<div class="poetry">
+<div class="verse">Clash, ye bells, in the merry March air!</div>
+<div class="verse">Flash, ye cities, in rivers of fire!</div>
+<div class="verse indent2">And welcome her, welcome the land’s desire,</div>
+<div class="verse right">Alexandra.</div>
+</div>
+</div>
+
+<p>With what feelings the event was regarded among King
+Edward’s near relatives may be estimated from the following
+characteristically warm-hearted references in the diary of the
+late Duchess of Teck, whose mother, the Duchess of Cambridge,
+was the bride’s great-aunt:&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>“<i>Brighton, November 9.</i>&mdash;The Prince of Wales&mdash;God bless
+him!&mdash;attains his majority (21) to-day. After luncheon we
+watched anxiously for the expected and longed-for arrival of
+dear Christian, who was on his way back to Copenhagen, having
+established Alix at Osborne. At half-past three we had the
+happiness of welcoming him, and for upwards of three hours
+sat talking over the <i>Verlobung</i> [betrothal] of Alix and Bertie.
+We had much to hear and discuss, and while fully sharing his
+happiness at the marriage we could enter into his feelings at
+leaving Alix thus for the first time. We dined at eight o’clock,
+a party of five, and toasted our dear Prince in champagne.</p>
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_67" id="Page_67">[67]</a></span></p>
+<p>“<i>Cambridge Cottage, November 21.</i>&mdash;… We reached Windsor
+Castle about twelve, and were shown into our old Lancaster
+Tower rooms, where we were presently joined by darling Alix,&mdash;too
+overjoyed at the meeting to speak!&mdash;dear Alice and
+Louis; after a while Alix took me to her room.… I then
+returned to the others, and we went with Alice to see her
+rooms in the Devil’s Tower, where Louis was being <i>sketched</i>;
+here the poor dear Queen joined us and remained with us for
+some time. We lunched without Her Majesty, and Beatrice
+came in afterwards.… Went into Alix’s room again and
+played to her <i>en souvenir de Rumpenheim</i>, afterwards accompanying
+her into all the state-rooms, Mama, Alice, Louis, and
+Helena being also of the party. On our return Mama and I
+were summoned to the Queen’s Closet, and had a nice little
+talk with her, ending with tea. We were hurried off shortly
+before five, Alix, Alice, and the others rushing after us to bid
+us good-bye.”</p>
+
+<div id="illus28" class="figcenter" style="width: 325px;">
+
+<img src="images/ill028.jpg" width="325" height="500" alt="" />
+
+<p><span class="smcap">The King on Coming of Age</span></p>
+
+<p><i>From an Engraving published by Henry Graves and Co.</i></p>
+
+</div>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_68" id="Page_68">[68]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>Even the humblest of His Majesty’s subjects usually finds
+a good deal to do in the weeks that precede his marriage, and
+it will be easily understood that the high station of the future
+King rather augmented than diminished these engrossing
+occupations. He had to receive and suitably acknowledge
+countless addresses of congratulation from individuals, corporations,
+and other public bodies; he had to superintend the
+extensive alterations which were still being carried out at
+Marlborough House; he had to pass in review the innumerable
+details of the various elaborate functions which were to mark
+the occasion of his marriage; and last but not least it was
+considered desirable that he should now go through the somewhat
+trying ceremony of taking his seat in the House of Lords.</p>
+
+<p>Nearly three-quarters of a century had elapsed since the
+Heir-Apparent to the British Crown had taken the oath and
+his seat as a Peer of the Realm. It was on 5th February 1863,
+within a few weeks of his marriage, that King Edward went
+through this historic ceremony, and it is a curious fact that the
+business before the House of Lords on that occasion was an
+Address from the Crown to the British Parliament announcing
+the Prince’s approaching marriage. It is also noteworthy that
+soon after the ceremony the two chief dignitaries of the English
+Church, the new Archbishops of Canterbury and York, also
+took the oaths and their seats upon the Episcopal benches of
+the House.</p>
+
+<p>The Duchess of Cambridge and Princess Mary and a
+brilliant array of Peeresses and ladies from the various foreign
+Embassies and Legations were present at the ceremony, which
+was invested with a great deal of pomp and solemnity. After
+prayers had been read by the Bishop of Worcester, a procession
+emerged from the Prince’s Chamber, and advanced slowly up
+the floor of the House. First came the Usher of the Black
+Rod, followed immediately by the Garter King of Arms, attired
+in his robes. Then came the Prince of Wales, preceded by
+an equerry, bearing his coronet on an embroidered crimson
+cushion. His Royal Highness was also accompanied by
+the Duke of Cambridge, the Duke of Argyll, the Hereditary<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_69" id="Page_69">[69]</a></span>
+Lord Great Chamberlain, and Lord Edward Howard, who represented
+the infant Duke of Norfolk, Hereditary Earl Marshal.</p>
+
+<div id="illus29" class="figcenter" style="width: 350px;">
+
+<img src="images/ill029.jpg" width="350" height="400" alt="" />
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Queen Alexandra in 1863</span></p>
+
+<p><i>From the Painting by Madame Jerichau, published by Henry Graves and Co.</i></p>
+
+</div>
+
+<p>The Prince wore the scarlet and ermine robes of a Duke
+over the uniform of a General. He also wore the Order of
+the Garter, the Order of the Golden Fleece, and the Order
+of the Star of India. As he entered the House, the Peers
+rose in a body, the Lord Chancellor alone remaining seated
+and covered with his official hat. His Royal Highness then
+advanced to the Woolsack, and placed his patent of peerage
+and writ of summons in the hands of the Chancellor. The
+oaths were administered to him at the table by the Clerk of
+Parliament, the titles under which the Prince was sworn being
+those of Duke of Cornwall, Earl of Chester, Earl of Carrick,
+Duke of Rothesay, and Lord of the Isles.</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_70" id="Page_70">[70]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>After the roll had been signed the procession moved on,
+and His Royal Highness, on reaching the right-hand side of
+the Throne, took his seat upon the Chair of State specially
+appropriated on State occasions to the Prince of Wales. While
+thus seated he placed on his head the cocked hat worn by
+general officers in full dress. The Prince and the other Peers
+finally left the House, retiring by the entrance at the right
+of the Throne in the same order as they had entered.</p>
+
+<p>About an hour later His Royal Highness re-entered the
+House dressed in ordinary afternoon costume, and took his
+seat on one of the cross-benches, thereby formally dissociating
+himself from either political party. The Prince remained
+almost throughout the entire debate. When leaving he
+shook hands with the Earl of Derby and a number of other
+Peers whom he recognised.</p>
+
+<p>As is well known, the only votes which King Edward has
+ever given in the House of Lords have been in favour of the
+Bill for legalising marriage with a deceased wife’s sister, but
+he is a constant visitor at the Houses of Parliament when
+anything of special interest is going on, and there is no doubt
+that he takes the keenest interest in the political questions of
+the day.</p>
+
+<p>As regards the Deceased Wife’s Sister Bill, it is well
+known that the King and the Bench of Bishops hold opposite
+opinions, and there is a curious allusion to this in the <i>Life</i> of
+the late Archbishop Benson. The Archbishop went to a great
+garden party given by Queen Victoria in July 1896, and thus
+describes it in his diary:&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>“The Queen’s Garden Party at Buckingham Palace was of
+4000 persons.… The Prince, after glancing my way several
+times, came up, holding out his hand <i>as if</i> diffidently, and
+saying, ‘Will you shake hands with me?’ I said, ‘Vicisti,
+sir.’ He said, ‘What?’ But on my saying again, ‘Vicisti,’
+he laughed very heartily in his own way.” It should be
+explained that the Prince and the Duke of York had just
+voted in the House of Lords in favour of the Deceased Wife’s
+Sister Bill, the third reading of which was passed.</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_71" id="Page_71">[71]</a></span></p>
+
+<div id="illus30" class="figcenter" style="width: 330px;">
+
+<img src="images/ill030.jpg" width="330" height="400" alt="" />
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Queen Alexandra</span></p>
+
+<p><i>From a Photograph by Mayall in 1863</i></p>
+
+</div>
+
+<p>The Danish people were extremely pleased at the marriage
+their Princess was making, and so determined were they that
+she should not go dowerless, that 100,000 kroner, known as
+“the People’s Dowry,” were presented to her, and countless
+presents, many of them of the humblest description, poured
+in upon her from all over the sea-girt kingdom. By the
+Princess’s own wish, 3000 thalers were distributed among
+six Danish brides belonging to the poorer classes during
+the year of Her Royal Highness’s marriage. The fact
+became known, and naturally greatly added to Her Royal
+Highness’s popularity, and from the day she left Copenhagen<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_72" id="Page_72">[72]</a></span>
+to that on which she landed on British soil, the journey of
+Prince Christian and his family, for Princess Alexandra was
+accompanied by her father and mother, and brothers and
+sisters, was nothing short of a triumphal progress.</p>
+
+<p>The Royal <i>cortège</i> left Denmark on 26th February, reaching
+Cologne on 2nd March. There the Prince of Wales’s <i>fiancée</i>
+received the first greetings of her future husband’s people, the
+British residents. The whole party were also royally entertained
+at Brussels by the Count of Flanders; and at Flushing they
+found a squadron of British men-of-war to escort the Royal
+yacht <i>Victoria and Albert</i>.</p>
+
+<p>On the morning of 7th March the Danish Royal Family
+first saw the white cliffs of Old England, and at twenty minutes
+past eleven, the Royal yacht, which had steamed slowly up
+the river amid craft splendidly decorated with flags and flowers,
+anchored opposite the pier at Gravesend. A moment later
+the Prince of Wales, accompanied by a numerous suite, and
+attired in a blue frock-coat and gray trousers, stepped on board.
+As His Royal Highness reached the deck Princess Alexandra
+advanced to the door of the State cabin to meet him, and, to
+the great delight of the assembled crowds ashore and afloat,
+the Prince, walking quickly towards his bride, took her by the
+hand and kissed her most affectionately.</p>
+
+<p>Then followed the procession through London; every street,
+from the humblest portions of the East End to the great West
+End thoroughfares, was lavishly decorated, and the Prince and
+Princess accepted addresses presented by the Corporation and
+many other London public bodies.</p>
+
+<p>The Princess of Wales gave some special sittings for a
+medal which was struck to commemorate her public entry into
+the City of London, and it remains one of the finest examples of
+Wyon’s art. The reverse represents the Princess Alexandra,
+led by the Prince of Wales, and attended by Hymen, being
+welcomed by the City of London, who is accompanied by
+Peace and Plenty, the latter carrying the diamond necklace
+and earrings which the City offered to the Princess as a
+wedding present. In the background is the triumphal arch<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_73" id="Page_73">[73]</a></span>
+erected by the Corporation at London Bridge, where Her
+Royal Highness first entered the City precincts. The medals
+were struck only in bronze, and were presented to Queen
+Victoria, King Edward, and Queen Alexandra, all the members
+of the Royal family, the Royal and distinguished guests who
+were asked to the wedding, and the members of the Corporation
+of the City of London.</p>
+
+<p>The poor young Princess must have been glad when that
+long day came to an end, for the Royal train from Paddington
+to Windsor did not start till a quarter past five, and thus from
+early morning till late in the afternoon the future Queen had
+been compelled to remain the cynosure of all eyes. It is an
+interesting fact that the engine which took the Princess to
+Windsor was driven by the Earl of Caithness, then the best
+known amateur locomotive engineer of the day.</p>
+
+<p>As may easily be imagined, the Royal borough was determined
+not to be outdone by London in the matter of a bridal
+welcome. The Eton boys presented an address signed by the
+whole 800; and then came the arrival at the Castle, where
+Queen Victoria, surrounded by all her children and a large
+number of Royal visitors, received her future daughter-in-law.
+Then followed two days of almost complete rest for the
+Princess.</p>
+
+<p>King Edward, in addition to the multifarious duties which
+beset even humble individuals when they are about to enter
+the holy estate, was also compelled to hold his first <i>levée</i> within
+a few days of his wedding. Over a thousand gentlemen had
+the honour of being presented to him, the presentations, by
+Queen Victoria’s pleasure, being considered as equal to presentations
+to Her Majesty. The <i>levée</i>, which was held in St.
+James’s Palace, was also attended by about seventeen hundred
+of the nobility and gentry, all anxious to do honour to the
+Heir-Apparent, who was, it need hardly be added, attended by
+a brilliant Court.</p>
+
+<p>The Prince and the British Royal Family had not been idle
+during the period of the engagement. His Royal Highness
+himself ordered and examined the designs for all the gifts<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_74" id="Page_74">[74]</a></span>
+about to be presented by him to his bride, and to her family
+whom he specially wished to honour. His first present to
+her, the engagement ring, has since served as keeper for the
+Princess’s wedding ring. It is a very beautiful example of the
+jeweller’s art, being set with six precious stones&mdash;a beryl, an
+emerald, a ruby, a turquoise, a jacinth, and a second emerald,
+the initials of the six gems spelling the Prince’s family name,
+“Bertie.” His Royal Highness’s gifts also included a complete
+set of diamonds and pearls, comprising diadem, necklace,
+stomacher, and bracelet; also a very beautiful waist-clasp,
+formed of two large turquoises inlaid with Arabic characters,
+and mounted in gold.</p>
+
+<p>Queen Victoria presented her daughter-in-law with a set of
+opals and diamonds exactly similar in form to that designed for
+Princess Alice by the Prince Consort. Her Majesty also gave
+the Prince a centre-piece, which was presented to him in the
+name of the Prince Consort and of herself. This fine piece of
+work had been designed by the Prince Consort as a gift to his
+son. It has a group at the base showing Edward I. presenting
+his heir to the Welsh chieftains, and round the base are
+portraits of six Princes of Wales. Queen Victoria, whose
+thoughtful care was shown in this as in many other matters,
+gave the Prince and his bride a great deal of valuable plate
+as well.</p>
+
+<p>The London jewellers had certainly cause for rejoicing over
+the Royal marriage, for the Prince, not content with presenting
+his bride-elect with a number of other very costly gifts, also
+showered gems on all his own and her relations. Neither were
+his friends forgotten. He ordered twenty breast-pins, heart-shaped,
+encircled by brilliants, with the initials of himself and
+the Princess traced in rubies, diamonds, and emeralds occupying
+the centre of each heart. These were distributed to his
+brothers and to a number of his intimates. To his future
+mother-in-law, Princess Christian of Denmark, the Prince gave
+a beautiful bracelet, containing a miniature of himself; also a
+diamond, ruby, and emerald brooch, inscribed with the date
+of the marriage, and containing miniature portraits of himself<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_75" id="Page_75">[75]</a></span>
+and the Princess. An exactly similar jewel was presented by
+Princess Alexandra to the Queen.</p>
+
+<div id="illus31" class="figcenter" style="width: 650px;">
+
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_76" id="Page_76">[76]</a><br />
+<a name="Page_77" id="Page_77">[77]</a></span>
+
+<img src="images/ill031.jpg" width="650" height="450" alt="" />
+
+<p><span class="smcap">The Marriage of the King and Queen</span></p>
+
+<p><i>From a Painting by W. P. Frith, R.A. published by Henry Graves and Co.</i></p>
+
+</div>
+
+<p>In order efficiently to conduct the Royal wedding in St.
+George’s Chapel at Windsor, it became necessary to build
+proper apartments for the accommodation of the bride and
+bridegroom on their arrival, and for the Lord Chamberlain to
+marshal the processions without any danger of a hitch. With
+this object the Board of Works built an immense Gothic hall,
+opening out of the west door of the Chapel, and surrounded
+by apartments appropriated to the use of the Royal Family.
+Facing the Chapel, the two rooms upon the right were
+assigned to the bridegroom, and those on the left to the bride.</p>
+
+<p>The marriage of King Edward and Queen Alexandra was
+the first Royal marriage which had been celebrated in St.
+George’s Chapel since that of Henry I. in 1122. The day was
+kept as a public holiday throughout the country, and the
+attention of the whole kingdom was concentrated on Windsor.
+The ceremony took place on 10th March 1863, at 12 o’clock.
+The total number of persons admitted to the Chapel did not
+exceed 900 ladies and gentlemen, exclusive of the Guards and
+of the attendants on duty.</p>
+
+<p>The scene will never be forgotten by those who had the
+privilege of being present. It was an extraordinarily magnificent
+pageant, heralds and trumpeters in coats of cloth of gold
+adding greatly to the brilliancy and pomp.</p>
+
+<p>Queen Victoria surveyed the scene from the Royal closet,
+which, placed on the north side of the Communion Table, is
+really a small room in the body of the Castle with a window
+opening into the Chapel. Her Majesty was clad in deep black,
+even to her gloves, and she wore a close-fitting widow’s cap,
+but in deference to the occasion she had consented to put on
+the broad blue riband of the Order of the Garter with the
+glittering star, and this was specially noticed by the few
+persons who, from the body of the Chapel, caught a glimpse of
+their beloved Sovereign.</p>
+
+<p>The bridegroom, as in duty bound, arrived some time
+before the bride. He was supported by his uncle, the Duke of<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_78" id="Page_78">[78]</a></span>
+Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, and his brother-in-law, the Crown
+Prince of Prussia, and wore the uniform of a British General,
+the Collar of the Garter, the Order of the Star of India, and
+the rich flowing purple velvet mantle of a Knight of the Garter.
+His supporters also wore the robes of the Garter, and the three
+were naturally the centre of interest till the arrival of the bride,
+who came in upon the stroke of half-past twelve.</p>
+
+<div id="illus32" class="figcenter" style="width: 330px;">
+
+<img src="images/ill032.jpg" width="330" height="500" alt="" />
+
+<p><span class="smcap">A Contemporary Design for the Royal Wedding</span></p>
+
+</div>
+
+<p>Princess Alexandra, who was given away by her father,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_79" id="Page_79">[79]</a></span>
+wore, according to the notions of that day, a very beautiful and
+splendid wedding dress. It consisted of a white satin skirt,
+trimmed with garlands of orange blossom and puffings of tulle
+and Honiton lace, the bodice being draped with the same lace,
+while the train of silver moire antique was covered with nosegays
+of orange blossom and puffings of tulle. In addition to
+the necklace, earrings, and brooch presented to Her Royal
+Highness by the bridegroom, she wore the <i>rivière</i> of diamonds
+given by the Corporation of London, and three bracelets,
+presented to her respectively by Queen Victoria, the ladies of
+Leeds, and the ladies of Manchester. On her beautiful hair,
+which was very simply dressed, lay a wreath of orange blossoms
+covered by a veil of Honiton lace.</p>
+
+<p>The bridal bouquet was composed of orange blossoms, white
+rosebuds, orchids, and sprigs of myrtle, the latter being taken
+from the same bush as that from which the myrtle used in the
+Princess Royal’s bridal bouquet was cut.</p>
+
+<p>As the Princess moved slowly up the Chapel her train was
+carried by eight bridesmaids, Lady Victoria Scott, Lady Victoria
+Howard, Lady Agneta Yorke, Lady Feodora Wellesley, Lady
+Diana Beauclerk, Lady Georgina Hamilton, Lady Alma Bruce,
+and Lady Helena Hare. They each wore dresses of white
+tulle over white glacé silk, trimmed with blush roses, shamrocks,
+and white heather, with wreaths to correspond, and each
+also wore a locket presented to her by the Prince of Wales,
+composed of coral and diamonds, signifying the red and white
+which are the colours of Denmark, while in the centre of each
+was a crystal cipher forming the letters “A. E. A.” twined
+together in a monogram designed by Princess Alice.</p>
+
+<p>It is an interesting fact that all these ladies are still living,
+or were until quite lately, and many of them became Queen
+Alexandra’s personal friends. Even now Her Majesty occasionally
+wears the splendid diamond and enamelled bracelet,
+made in eight compartments, each containing a miniature of
+one of the Royal bridesmaids, which was their gift to her on
+the occasion of the marriage.</p>
+
+<p>The ceremony itself did not last very long. The Prince is<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_80" id="Page_80">[80]</a></span>
+recorded to have answered his “I will” right manfully, but the
+Princess’s answers were almost inaudible. As soon as the
+Prince of Wales and the Princess Alexandra were man and
+wife, they turned to the congregation hand in hand, bowing low
+to the Queen, who, in returning the salutation, made a gesture
+of blessing rather than of ceremonious acknowledgment.</p>
+
+<p>The late Bishop Wilberforce thus describes the scene in
+the Chapel:&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>“The wedding was certainly the most moving sight I ever
+saw. The Queen, above all, looking down, added such a
+wonderful chord of feeling to all the lighter notes of joyfulness
+and show. Every one behaved quite at their best. The
+Princess of Wales, calm, feeling, self-possessed; the Prince
+with more depth of manner than ever before.”</p>
+
+<p>Dr. Norman Macleod wrote:&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>“I returned home and went back to the marriage on the
+10th of March.… I got behind Kingsley, Stanley, Birch, and
+in a famous place, being in front of the Royal pair. We saw
+better than any except the clergy. It was a gorgeous sight,
+yet somehow did not excite me. I suppose I am past this.</p>
+
+<p>“Two things struck me much. One was the whole of the
+Royal Princesses weeping, though concealing their tears with
+their bouquets, as they saw their brother, who was to them
+but their ‘Bertie,’ and their dead father’s son, standing alone
+waiting for his bride. The other was the Queen’s expression
+as she raised her eyes to Heaven, while her husband’s Chorale
+was sung. She seemed to be with him alone before the throne
+of God.”</p>
+
+<p>Mr. W. P. Frith, who had been commissioned to execute
+a painting of the Royal marriage for Queen Victoria, was
+accommodated with a special corner for himself and his sketch-book,
+and later, all those who had taken part in the historic
+pageant sat to him for portraits with the most excellent result.</p>
+
+<p>On their return to the Castle a few moments later the bride
+and bridegroom were met by Queen Victoria and conducted
+to the Green Drawing-Room, where the formal attestation of
+the marriage took place.</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_81" id="Page_81">[81]</a></span></p>
+
+<div id="illus33" class="figcenter" style="width: 310px;">
+
+<img src="images/ill033.jpg" width="310" height="500" alt="" />
+
+<p><span class="smcap">On the Wedding Day</span></p>
+
+<p><i>From a Photograph by Mayall</i></p>
+
+</div>
+
+<p>It may be added that among those present at the marriage
+and afterwards at the wedding breakfast were the Rev. H. M.
+Birch and the Rev. C. F. Tarver, the Prince’s tutors, and when
+lunch was over these gentlemen were informed that their old
+pupil sent them a souvenir of himself, of which he desired their<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_82" id="Page_82">[82]</a></span>
+acceptance. This souvenir proved to be in each case a copy
+of the Holy Scriptures, handsomely bound, and containing an
+inscription in His Royal Highness’s own handwriting.</p>
+
+<div id="illus34" class="figleft" style="width: 175px;">
+
+<img src="images/ill034.jpg" width="175" height="300" alt="" />
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Queen Alexandra at the time of
+her Marriage</span></p>
+
+<p><i>From a Photograph by Hughes and Mullins</i></p>
+
+</div>
+
+<p>The wedding breakfast,
+which was served in St.
+George’s Hall, was very sumptuous,
+but out of respect to
+the Queen’s recent bereavement
+there were not many
+speeches&mdash;a circumstance which
+probably did not greatly disappoint
+either the bride or the
+bridegroom. While the marriage
+was actually in progress
+the King of Denmark was
+entertaining both the rich and
+poor in his kingdom right
+royally, and it must have been
+a pleasant thought for the Princess
+to know that her marriage
+was filling with gladness innumerable
+multitudes both of
+her own people and of her
+husband’s future subjects.</p>
+
+<p>At four o’clock the Prince
+and Princess took their departure
+for Osborne, where a very short honeymoon was spent.
+On their return home, which in this case meant Windsor, it was
+noticed that the lovely bride looked the very picture of happiness.
+The streets of Windsor were decorated with flags, and
+the Royal borough looked as gay as it did on the wedding day.</p>
+
+<p>After the marriage the Liturgy of the Church of England
+was officially altered by the introduction of the name of the
+Princess of Wales into the Prayer for the Royal Family. The
+Scottish Church was also officially instructed to pray for<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_83" id="Page_83">[83]</a></span> “Her
+Most Sacred Majesty Queen Victoria, Albert Edward Prince
+of Wales, the Princess of Wales, and all the Royal Family.”</p>
+
+<hr class="chap" />
+
+<h2 id="CHAPTER_VIII">CHAPTER VIII<br />
+<span class="smaller">EARLY MARRIED LIFE</span></h2>
+
+<p>At the outset of their married life King Edward and Queen
+Alexandra were called upon to perform the public duties of the
+Sovereign, which, since the Prince Consort’s death, had in
+some measure necessarily developed upon the Duke of Cambridge
+and his family. The late Duchess of Teck’s biographer
+records that Society did its utmost to give the beautiful young
+bride a right royal welcome. A memorable event of the
+London season was the Guards’ ball in honour of the Prince
+and Princess of Wales, held in the picture galleries of the
+International Exhibition. The decorations were unusually
+magnificent, and Queen Victoria graciously lent some splendid
+plate from Buckingham Palace. Many members of the aristocracy,
+too, placed at the disposal of the Duke of Cambridge,
+as head of the Committee, their collections of gold and silver
+plate, the contributions being valued at £2,000,000. The
+guests, limited in number to 1400, began to arrive at nine
+o’clock, and soon after ten the ball was opened by a royal
+quadrille, in which eight couples took part, the Duke of
+Cambridge dancing with the Princess of Wales, and the
+Prince of Wales with Princess Mary (afterwards Duchess of
+Teck). The Prince and Princess of Wales showed their
+appreciation of the entertainment which their soldier hosts
+had provided by remaining almost till dawn.</p>
+
+<p>One of the first public appearances made by King Edward
+after his marriage was at the Royal Academy dinner, where
+he made an excellent short speech, greatly impressing those<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_84" id="Page_84">[84]</a></span>
+who were present by his modesty and good sense. Sir Charles
+Eastlake was then President of the Royal Academy, and
+Lady Eastlake gives this amusing account of the affair in
+her reminiscences:&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>“All went perfectly well at the Royal Academy dinner.
+My husband was quite enchanted with the Prince of Wales,
+and with his natural manners and simplicity. The Prince
+hesitated in the middle of his speech, so that everybody
+thought it was all up with him; but he persisted in thinking
+till he recovered the thread, and then went on well. The
+very manner in which he did this was natural and graceful.
+He was so moved when mentioning his father that
+it was feared he would break down. After the speech
+the Prince turned to my husband and told him he was
+quite provoked with himself. ‘I knew it quite by heart
+in the morning’; but he evidently had no vanity, for he
+laughed at his own ‘stupidity,’ and immediately recovered
+his spirits. ‘Hesse’ was next the Prince, who chaffed him
+from time to time, and told him he would have to sing a
+song.”</p>
+
+<p>William Makepeace Thackeray was among the other
+speakers at the Academy dinner, which was very shortly before
+the famous novelist’s lamented death. At the anniversary
+of the Royal Literary Fund some months later King Edward
+made some graceful and appropriate allusions to the great
+writer whom the Empire had lost. He spoke with evident
+feeling of the fact that Thackeray had been the life of the
+Fund, always ready to open his purse for the relief of literary
+men struggling with pecuniary difficulties.</p>
+
+<p>This spring was a very busy time for both King Edward
+and Queen Alexandra. On 8th June they were sumptuously
+entertained by the Lord Mayor at the Guildhall, when the
+Prince took up the freedom of the City, to which he was
+entitled by patrimony. The entertainments included a great
+ball, which the Princess opened, dancing a quadrille with the
+Lord Mayor, while the Prince had the Lady Mayoress for his
+partner.</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_85" id="Page_85">[85]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>A week later the Royal couple attended “Commem.” at
+Oxford. They received a splendid welcome both from the
+University authorities and the undergraduates. The honorary
+degree of Doctor of Civil Law was conferred on King Edward
+in the Sheldonian Theatre, where the wildest uproar prevailed,
+till amid a sudden lull of perfect silence Queen Alexandra
+entered with Dr. Liddell, the then Dean of Christ Church.
+Scarcely had she traversed half the distance to her seat when
+a cheer loud and deep arose, and seemed to shake the theatre
+to its foundation, to the evident gratification of her Royal
+husband.</p>
+
+<p>After the ceremony was over their Royal Highnesses
+escaped from all their friends and entertainers and took the
+opportunity of going over what had been the Prince’s rooms
+as an undergraduate. That same evening a ball was given in
+the Prince’s honour in the Corn Exchange by the Apollo
+Lodge of Freemasons.</p>
+
+<p>Shortly after their visit to Oxford the Prince and Princess
+celebrated their house-warming at Marlborough House by an
+evening party and a ball. During the summer months they
+spent some time at Sandringham in the original house, which
+at that time stood in an isolated park, and which was afterwards
+pulled down and superseded by the present very much larger
+and more comfortable mansion. There can be no doubt that
+Queen Alexandra’s strong affection for her country home is
+based on the tender recollections of her early married life. It
+is a significant fact that when the new Sandringham House
+was built, she begged that her boudoir in the new mansion
+might be arranged so as to be an exact reproduction of her
+boudoir in the old house.</p>
+
+<p>Among the very first visitors entertained at Sandringham
+by the Royal bride and bridegroom was Dr. Stanley, who spent
+Easter Sunday with them there.</p>
+
+<div id="illus35" class="figcenter" style="width: 450px;">
+
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_86" id="Page_86">[86]</a></span>
+
+<img src="images/ill035.jpg" width="450" height="650" alt="" />
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Queen Alexandra in 1863</span></p>
+
+<p><i>From the Painting by Lauchert, published by Colnaghi</i></p>
+
+</div>
+
+<p>“On the evening of Easter Eve,” he writes,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_87" id="Page_87">[87]</a></span> “the Princess
+came to me in a corner of the drawing-room with her Prayer
+Book, and I went through the Communion Service with her,
+explaining the peculiarities and the likenesses and differences
+to and from the Danish Service. She was most simple and
+fascinating.… My visit to Sandringham gave me intense
+pleasure. I was there for three days. I read the whole
+Service, preached, then gave the first English Sacrament to
+this ‘angel in the Palace.’ I saw a great deal of her, and can
+truly say that she is as charming and beautiful a creature as
+ever passed through a fairy tale.”</p>
+
+<p>Much satisfaction was felt by the nation when the
+interesting fact became known that Queen Victoria hoped
+to welcome the first of her British grandchildren in the month
+of March. One Friday evening, early in January, shortly
+after Queen Alexandra, who was staying, had been skating on
+Virginia Water, near Windsor, her eldest child appeared so
+unexpectedly that for a while the Royal baby had to be
+wrapped in cotton wool, for all the beautiful layette which was
+in course of preparation was at Marlborough House.</p>
+
+<p>The rejoicings over the event, both in this country and in
+Denmark, were naturally very great, more especially when it
+became known that the Royal infant was none the worse for
+his early arrival. Among the two Royal families most immediately
+concerned the interest and excitement were intense.
+Princess Alice wrote to Queen Victoria on 9th January 1864,
+“I was aghast on receiving Bertie’s telegram this morning
+announcing the birth of their little son.” But this feeling of
+trepidation quickly gave place to one of relief when the
+bulletins announced the steady progress of both mother and
+babe, and soon the British public saw many charming photographs
+and portraits of Queen Alexandra in her new <i>rôle</i> of
+mother. At the time of the birth of the Duke of Clarence
+Queen Alexandra was not yet twenty, but, like Queen
+Victoria, she seems to have been wholly absorbed in her
+maternal duties, and at any moment she would joyfully give
+up attending a State function or ball in order to spend an hour
+in her nursery.</p>
+
+<p>It need hardly be said that the first portion of the Prince
+and Princess’s married life was overshadowed by the war
+between Denmark and Prussia. The young Princess was
+naturally strongly patriotic in her sympathies. At breakfast
+one morning a foolish equerry read out a telegram which
+announced a success of the Austro-Prussian forces, whereupon
+Her Royal Highness burst into tears, and the Prince, it is said,
+thoroughly lost his temper for once, and rated his equerry as<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_88" id="Page_88">[88]</a></span>
+soundly as his ancestor, King Henry VIII., might have done.
+An amusing story went the round of the clubs about this time.
+It was said that a Royal visitor at Windsor asked Princess
+Beatrice what she would like for a present. The child stood
+in doubt, and begged the Princess of Wales to advise her.
+The result of a whispered conversation between the two was
+that the little Princess declared aloud that she would like to
+have Bismarck’s head on a charger!</p>
+
+<p>In July 1864 the Prince laid the foundation-stone of the new
+West Wing of the London Hospital. He was accompanied by
+the Princess. This was one of the first occasions on which
+King Edward showed his great interest in hospital management.
+The fact that there was a separate ward for the Jews
+aroused his keen interest. In the same month King Edward
+and his Consort went to the Fourth of June at Eton, and also
+stayed at Goodwood for the races. In the middle of August
+they went to the Highlands, visiting Stirling Castle on the
+way. They spent some weeks at Abergeldie, entertaining a
+great deal. Dr. Norman Macleod stayed with them there.
+It was during this stay in Scotland that the Prince and
+Princess first became intimate with the family of their future
+son-in-law, and the Countess of Fife, his mother, gave a great
+picnic in their honour.</p>
+
+<p>That autumn they went from Dundee to Denmark, being
+accompanied by their baby, now nearly a year old. This
+was King Edward’s first visit to his wife’s home. They
+received a most enthusiastic welcome, and were splendidly
+entertained. At Bernsdorf, where the Royal party spent
+several days, a number of shooting parties were organised in
+honour of the Prince, who, certainly for the first time in his life,
+was invited to shoot foxes. He bagged two, and some of the
+teeth of the animals were set as breast-pins for him.</p>
+
+<p>From Elsinore the Prince and Princess went in their yacht
+to Stockholm in order to pay a visit to the King and Queen of
+Sweden. In Sweden also the Prince was invited to take part
+in several hunting expeditions. One odd bag resulted in ten
+foxes, six hares, and seventeen stags.</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_89" id="Page_89">[89]</a><br /><a name="Page_90" id="Page_90">[90]</a></span></p>
+
+<div id="illus36" class="figcenter" style="width: 390px;">
+
+<img src="images/ill036.jpg" width="390" height="650" alt="" />
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Queen Alexandra in 1864</span></p>
+
+<p><i>From the Painting by Lauchert, published by Henry Graves and Co.</i></p>
+
+</div>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_91" id="Page_91">[91]</a></span></p>
+
+<div id="illus37" class="figcenter" style="width: 400px;">
+
+<img src="images/ill037.jpg" width="400" height="500" alt="" />
+
+<p><span class="smcap"> Queen Alexandra with the Baby Prince Albert Victor</span></p>
+
+<p><i>Photograph in 1864 by Vernon Heath, published by McQueen</i></p>
+
+</div>
+
+<p>After sending Prince Albert Victor home with Countess
+de Grey, the Royal couple travelled back <i>via</i> Germany and
+Belgium, visiting on the way Prince and Princess Louis of
+Hesse at Darmstadt, and making a short stay at Brussels.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_92" id="Page_92">[92]</a></span>
+Then they came home for the rest of the autumn to Sandringham,
+where Queen Alexandra spent her twentieth birthday.</p>
+
+<p>The year 1865 proved an eventful one to both King Edward
+and his wife. King Edward paid his first State visit to Ireland,
+opening the International Exhibition of Dublin on 9th May,
+and a little less than a month later Prince George of Wales was
+born at Marlborough House.</p>
+
+<p>Although there have at various times been more or less
+serious fires in Royal residences, Sandringham, for instance,
+having been almost destroyed by a conflagration within the
+last few years, the King has only once been really in a fire, and
+this was just a month after his second son’s birth. The fire
+began in the floor then styled the nursery floor, and after
+Queen Alexandra had been moved to another part of the house
+with her two children, King Edward set to work with the
+utmost energy to check the flames. It need hardly be said
+that very soon the whole of London seemed to be congregated
+in Pall Mall and St. James’s Park. At first it could not be
+made out where the fire was coming from, and the King helped
+to rip up the whole of the nursery floor before the mischief
+could be traced, and while doing so he nearly had a bad accident,
+for he fell some distance through the rafters.</p>
+
+<p>At last, however, the fire was got under, and it was found
+that comparatively little harm had been done. Then for the
+first time it occurred to some one to ask if Marlborough House
+was insured. Strangely enough this very important precaution
+had not been taken. Now, however, both Marlborough House
+and Sandringham are insured to their full value.</p>
+
+<p>King Edward from childhood has always shown the keenest
+interest in firemen and fires. During many years of his life he
+used to be informed whenever a really big blaze was signalled,
+and he has attended <i>incognito</i> most of the great London fires
+during the last thirty years.</p>
+
+<div id="illus38" class="figcenter" style="width: 400px;">
+
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_93" id="Page_93">[93]</a></span>
+
+<img src="images/ill038.jpg" width="400" height="500" alt="" />
+
+<p><span class="smcap">King Edward, Queen Alexandra, and Prince Albert Victor</span></p>
+
+<p><i>Photograph in 1864 by Vernon Heath, published by McQueen</i></p>
+
+</div>
+
+<p>About this time the King visited the gigantic steamship
+<i>Great Eastern</i>, off Sheerness, in order to see the Atlantic telegraph
+cable, which had just been completed. He was received
+by a number of prominent engineers, and while he was present
+the last section of the cable was being wound into the tanks
+on board the <i>Great Eastern</i> from the vessel alongside which
+had brought it from the works at Greenwich. A message was
+sent through one of the coils, the length of which was equivalent<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_94" id="Page_94">[94]</a></span>
+to the distance from Sheerness to Valentia. The signals transmitted,
+“God Save the Queen,” were received at the other
+end of the coil in the course of a few seconds, a fact which,
+commonplace as it may now seem, struck the onlookers in the
+year 1865 with amazement. The King visited every portion
+of the huge ship, and accepted specimen pieces of portions of
+the cable in various stages of manufacture.</p>
+
+<p>In that same year, that is two years after her marriage,
+Queen Alexandra performed her first public act by opening the
+Cambridge School of Art. It was in 1865 also that the King
+attended his first public dinner as President of the Royal
+Literary Fund, and on this occasion he toasted the ladies in
+the following graceful words:&mdash;“In the presence of a society
+accustomed to cultivating with such success the flowers of literature,
+it would be unpardonable to forget the flowers of society.”</p>
+
+<p>During that summer the Prince and Princess visited Cornwall,
+and went down the Botallack tin mine, near St. Just, the
+depth of which is about 200 fathoms. The bottom level of the
+mine extends horizontally about half a mile beneath the sea.
+A part of this mine then belonged to the Prince as Duke of
+Cornwall. During the same tour he visited Land’s End. The
+day was exceptionally clear and fine, and the Prince lingered
+for some time among the grim rocks which form the western-most
+point of England.</p>
+
+<p>All this time Queen Victoria was living in the strictest
+retirement, and the great shadow of the Prince Consort’s
+death had thrown scarcely less gloom over the life of his
+eldest son. King Edward mourned deeply for his father,
+and it is significant that he never lost an opportunity of
+testifying in his public speeches to the high purpose and
+noble aims which had distinguished Prince Albert’s life. To
+the cost of the mausoleum at Frogmore the King contributed
+from his private purse no less a sum than £10,000. At the
+end of 1865 he sustained another severe blow in the death of
+Lord Palmerston, whom he had honoured with his special
+friendship, and whom he had been accustomed to consult in his
+private affairs.</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_95" id="Page_95">[95]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>Not till February 1866 did Queen Victoria consent to
+open Parliament again in person. She was accompanied by
+the Prince of Wales and two of her daughters, the Princess
+of Wales being accommodated with a seat on the Woolsack
+facing the Throne.</p>
+
+<div id="illus39" class="figright" style="width: 200px;">
+
+<img src="images/ill039.jpg" width="200" height="250" alt="" />
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Queen Victoria with Prince
+Albert Victor</span></p>
+
+<p><i>Photograph by Hughes and Mullins, Ryde</i></p>
+
+</div>
+
+<p>It was in this year, when the Austro-German war was
+going on, that King Edward established special telegraphic
+communication between Marlborough House and the seat of
+war. Like his lamented mother, he is a shrewd observer of
+foreign politics, and now that he is
+called upon to reign, he will be, as
+she was, the greatest help to the
+Foreign Minister of the day. He
+has since kept up in every important
+war the practice of securing the
+earliest possible telegraphic information,
+notably in the Franco-Prussian,
+the Russo-Turkish, and the
+Greco-Turkish wars, but most of
+all in the Boer war.</p>
+
+<p>In the summer of 1866 the King
+laid the foundation-stone of the new
+building of the British and Foreign
+Bible Society, when he was received
+by the venerable Earl of Shaftesbury,
+President of the Society, the
+Lord Mayor, the Archbishop of York, and the Bishop of
+Winchester.</p>
+
+<p>In his speech the King recalled the fact that only sixty-three
+years previously Mr. Wilberforce had met with a few
+friends in a small room in a dingy counting-house and had
+established the Bible Society, while in the interval the Society
+had already spent six millions of money in the furtherance of
+its objects, and that it had contributed to the translation of the
+Bible into two hundred and eighty different languages and
+dialects. The King further said:&mdash;</p>
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_96" id="Page_96">[96]</a></span></p>
+<p>“I have an hereditary claim to be here on this occasion.
+My grandfather, the Duke of Kent, warmly advocated the
+claims of the Society, and it is gratifying to me to reflect
+that the two modern versions of the Scriptures more widely
+circulated than any others&mdash;the German and English&mdash;were
+both in their origin connected with my family. The translation
+of Martin Luther was executed under the protection of
+the Elector of Saxony, the collateral ancestor of my lamented
+father; whilst that of William Tyndale&mdash;the foundation of the
+present Authorised English Version&mdash;was introduced with the
+sanction of the Royal predecessor of my mother, the Queen
+who first desired that ‘the Bible shall have free course
+through all Christendom, but especially in my own realm.’
+It is my hope and trust that, under the Divine guidance,
+the wider diffusion and a deeper study of the Scriptures
+will, in this as in every age, be at once the surest guarantee
+of the progress and liberty of mind, and the means of multiplying
+in the present form the consolations of our holy
+religion.”</p>
+
+<p>In the autumn following, King Edward and Queen Alexandra,
+accompanied by their two sons, visited the Duke and
+Duchess of Sutherland at Dunrobin. At that time the most
+northern point of railway communication was at Ardgay, and
+thence the King and Queen had to drive a distance of twenty-five
+miles before they could reach Dunrobin Castle. All along
+the route they received a most enthusiastic welcome. They
+arrived at night at the Castle, and were received in Royal
+Highland style. Among those asked to meet them were the
+Duke of Edinburgh, the Prince of Saxe-Weimar, and many
+members of the leading Scotch nobility. The King reviewed
+the Sutherland Volunteers in the grounds of the Castle, and
+later, on the same day, the Duke of Sutherland announced that
+it was the wish of the King that the whole of the corps
+should adopt the kilt as their uniform, His Majesty having
+a preference for the national costume.</p>
+
+<p>Shortly after their return from Scotland the King and
+Queen had the pleasure of entertaining the Queen of Denmark
+and her two younger children, and they spent some time at<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_97" id="Page_97">[97]</a></span>
+Sandringham with Queen Alexandra, while the King went to
+Russia in order to be present at the marriage of his sister-in-law,
+Princess Dagmar, to the then Cesarewitch. It was quite
+late in the year, and it was considered that the cold in St.
+Petersburg would be too severe for Queen Alexandra to
+accompany her husband. The King, who attended the Imperial
+marriage in his official capacity, was accompanied by a considerable
+suite, including Lord Frederick Paulet, Viscount
+Hamilton, the Marquis of Blandford, and Major Teesdale. On
+his arrival at St. Petersburg he was met at the railway terminus
+by the Emperor of Russia, the Cesarewitch, and the Grand
+Dukes; and he was given splendid quarters at the Hermitage
+Palace.</p>
+
+<p>King Edward has always been known to have a great liking
+for Russia and the Russian people, and he is himself very
+popular in St. Petersburg. After the Imperial marriage he
+visited Moscow, being accompanied by the Crown Prince of
+Denmark. The Princes went over the Kremlin, and the
+King paid a call on the Metropolitan Archbishop, the highest
+dignitary of the Russian Church. The aged ecclesiastic received
+him in a perfectly plain cell. They conversed for a quarter of
+an hour, and as the King took his leave, the Metropolitan gave
+him his blessing, and with the assistance of his monks accompanied
+his Royal visitor to the door.</p>
+
+<p>The year 1867 was, if not very eventful, an anxious one,
+for both before and after the birth of Princess Louise, now the
+Duchess of Fife, on 20th February, Queen Alexandra suffered
+from acute rheumatism and inflammation of a knee-joint. Her
+illness caused so much anxiety at the Danish Court that her
+father and mother came over and spent some time in London.
+King Edward was most devoted in his attentions to the invalid,
+and actually had his bureau moved into her sick-room in order
+that he might not be separated from her in her convalescence
+even by the imperious demands of his enormous correspondence.
+Happily Queen Alexandra grew quite strong again, but the
+serious nature of her illness may be judged from the fact that
+she was not able to drive out until 9th July. Naturally for the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_98" id="Page_98">[98]</a></span>
+rest of that year the King and Queen lived very quietly and
+went about as little as possible.</p>
+
+<p>Five years after their marriage the King and Queen paid
+a visit to Ireland, and their reception was marked by a very
+genuine demonstration of cordiality and even of enthusiasm.
+On arriving in Kingstown Harbour Queen Alexandra was
+presented, as Queen Victoria had been in 1849, with a white
+dove, emblematic of the affection and goodwill which she was
+supposed to be bringing to the distressful country. King
+Edward, with his usual tact, declared it to be his wish that no
+troops should be present in the streets of Dublin. Entire
+reliance was accordingly placed on the loyalty and hospitable
+spirit of the people, and, in spite of many doleful prognostications
+to the contrary, the Royal visit was successful from every
+point of view.</p>
+
+<p>It has often been asserted that King Edward is fonder of
+the Emerald Isle than is any other member of his family; he
+certainly numbers several Irishmen among his closest friends.
+Although he thoroughly enjoyed his visit, this one week in
+1868 was one of the most tiring ever spent by the King.
+Like his younger son, twenty-nine years later, the King was
+installed with great pomp as a Knight of the Order of
+St. Patrick, on which occasion he used the sword worn by
+King George IV. The King also unveiled with much ceremony
+a statue of Edmund Burke. The <i>Times</i> described the
+exertions entailed by the Royal visit in the following vivid
+passage:&mdash;</p>
+
+<div id="illus40" class="figleft" style="width: 350px;">
+
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_99" id="Page_99">[99]</a></span>
+
+<img src="images/ill040.jpg" width="350" height="500" alt="" />
+
+<p><span class="smcap">King Edward at the Age of Twenty-Three</span></p>
+
+<p><i>From a Painting by Weigall, published by Henry Graves and Co.</i></p>
+
+</div>
+
+<p>“There were presentations and receptions, and receiving
+and answering addresses, processions, walking, riding and driving,
+in morning and evening, military, academic, and medieval
+attire. The Prince had to breakfast, lunch, dine, and sup, with
+more or less publicity, every twenty-four hours. He had to go
+twice to races, with fifty or a hundred thousand people about
+him; to review a small army and make a tour in the Wicklow
+mountains, of course everywhere receiving addresses under
+canopies and dining in State under galleries full of spectators.
+He visited and inspected institutions, colleges, universities,
+academies, libraries, and cattle shows. He had to take a very
+active part in assemblies of from several hundred to several
+thousand dancers, and always to select for his partners the
+most important personages.… He had to listen to many
+speeches sufficiently to know when and what to answer. He
+had to examine with respectful interest, pictures, books, antiquities,
+relics, manuscripts, specimens, bones, fossils, prize
+beasts, and works of Irish art. He had never to be unequal<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_100" id="Page_100">[100]</a></span>
+to the occasion, however different from the last, or however
+like the last, and whatever his disadvantage as to the novelty
+or dulness of the matter and the scene.”</p>
+
+<p>Some amusing incidents happened. A loyal Irish girl,
+determined to have a good look at her future King and Queen,
+defied all rails and barriers, and, mounted on horseback,
+dashed through the crowd of sightseers and galloped past the
+Royal visitors, exclaiming, “Oh, thank you all, I have seen
+them and shall go home happy now.” King Edward, with a
+smile, raised his hat, which was certainly the most sensible
+thing he could have done in the circumstances.</p>
+
+<p>The King has always shown great interest in Ireland and
+Irish matters, so much so that it has been more than once
+whispered that he is a Home Ruler. He gave his warm
+support and help to a fund for the relief of distress in Ireland,
+and more recently, during the annual Show of the Royal
+Agricultural Society, he took the opportunity to receive and
+entertain at Sandringham no fewer than three hundred and
+fifty Irish tenant-farmers.</p>
+
+<p>On their way back from Dublin the Prince and Princess of
+Wales visited North Wales, and on landing at Holyhead they
+passed along the pier through a double line of aged Welshwomen,
+who were all wearing the tall hat and national dress of
+the Principality. At Carnarvon the Prince inaugurated some
+new waterworks, and after this ceremony the Royal party
+proceeded to the famous castle, where they were presented
+with an address from the Council of the National Eisteddfod.
+The Prince replied in a neat little speech, in which he observed
+that he and the Princess received the address with peculiar
+satisfaction on the anniversary of the birth, on 25th April
+1284, and in the very birthplace, of the first Prince of Wales,
+“Edward of Carnarvon,” the son of Edward I.</p>
+
+<p>King Edward’s fourth child, the Princess Victoria, was
+born on 6th July, and after a quiet summer spent at Sandringham
+the King and Queen, attended by a small suite, left
+Marlborough House in November for a long Continental tour,
+which extended over some months and enabled them to renew<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_101" id="Page_101">[101]</a></span>
+old ties and make new friendships. They spent a few days in
+Paris, and paid a visit to the Emperor and Empress of the
+French at Compiègne, where, during a stag hunt organised in
+honour of King Edward, an accident happened which might
+easily have cost him his life. As he was galloping along one
+of the grassy drives of the forest, a stag rushed from one of the
+cross-paths and knocked
+him and his horse completely
+over. Fortunately
+he was not hurt, though
+much bruised and shaken.
+Without alarming those
+about him, he again mounted
+and went on hunting to the
+end of the day. At this
+house-party the King and
+Queen had as fellow-guests
+Marshal Bazaine, Count
+von Moltke, and a number
+of other notable people
+destined to make history.</p>
+
+<div id="illus41" class="figleft" style="width: 200px;">
+
+<img src="images/ill041.jpg" width="200" height="250" alt="" />
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Queen Victoria, Queen Alexandra,
+and Princess Christian</span></p>
+
+<p><i>Photograph by Hughes and Mullins, Ryde</i></p>
+
+</div>
+
+<div id="illus42" class="figright" style="width: 200px;">
+
+<img src="images/ill042.jpg" width="200" height="250" alt="" />
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Queen Alexandra about the Year 1865</span></p>
+
+<p><i>From a Photograph by Hughes and Mullins</i></p>
+
+</div>
+
+<p>Queen Alexandra’s
+birthday, 1st December,
+was spent in Denmark.
+After a short stay there
+the travellers went to Berlin,
+where a large family
+party was assembled to meet them, and on 18th January,
+which is, curiously enough, one of the only two days of the
+year in which it can be held, a Chapter of the Order of the
+Black Eagle was convened, and King Edward was formally
+invested with the insignia of this, the highest Order in
+Germany, by the King of Prussia, to whom he was introduced
+by his brother-in-law, the Crown Prince, and by Prince Albert
+of Prussia.</p>
+
+<p>Then followed an interesting sojourn in Vienna, where the
+Royal party were splendidly entertained by the Emperor and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_102" id="Page_102">[102]</a></span>
+Empress of Austria, a suite of apartments in the Burg having
+been specially prepared for them.</p>
+
+<p>These Continental visits, however, were all preliminary to
+a prolonged tour in Egypt and the Mediterranean, which must
+be described in a separate chapter.</p>
+
+<hr class="chap" />
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_103" id="Page_103">[103]</a></span></p>
+
+<h2 id="CHAPTER_IX">CHAPTER IX<br />
+<span class="smaller">THEIR MAJESTIES’ TOUR IN EGYPT AND THE MEDITERRANEAN</span></h2>
+
+<p>Of this tour Queen Alexandra’s Bedchamber Woman, the
+Hon. Mrs. Grey, wrote a charming record, which her brother-in-law,
+General Grey, persuaded her to give to the world. It
+should be mentioned that Mrs. Grey was a Swedish lady, the
+daughter of Count Stedingk. Her first husband, the Hon.
+William George Grey, eighth son of the famous Earl Grey
+who was Prime Minister in the reign of William IV., had
+been dead some years before this tour began. She afterwards
+married <i>en secondes noces</i> the Duke of Otranto, but it will be
+more convenient to speak of her here as Mrs. Grey.</p>
+
+<p>Mrs. Grey begins by giving an outline of her plans for the
+summer of 1868, and then goes on:&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>“These plans were, however, all upset by a letter from the
+Princess, in which she told me that she wished me to accompany
+her on the tour she projected with the Prince of Wales to
+the East, and to join her at Copenhagen in the beginning of
+January; and that in the meantime I might remain quietly&mdash;which
+she knew would be a pleasure to me&mdash;with my father
+and mother in Sweden. This was too tempting an offer not to
+be eagerly embraced.”</p>
+
+<p>Mrs. Grey went to Copenhagen, and there writes in her
+journal at the beginning of 1869 the following sketch of the
+tour:&mdash;</p>
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_104" id="Page_104">[104]</a></span></p>
+<p>“<i>January 12.</i>&mdash;Soon after breakfast I went to see my dear
+Princess, and to hear something of the proposed plans. I
+found her, as usual, most kind and affectionate, but very sorry
+that the few weeks she had been able to spend with her father
+and mother had come to an end. Her visit seemed to have
+been a great happiness to her. It is now arranged that we
+shall set out for our long journey on the 15th, and that while I
+accompany Her Royal Highness as her lady-in-waiting, Lady
+Carmarthen and Colonel Keppel, who accompanied the Prince
+and Princess from England in November, shall part from us at
+Hamburg, and, with Sir W. Knollys, take the Royal children
+home. The plan is for us to pass by Berlin and Vienna, and
+embark on board the <i>Ariadne</i> frigate, fitted as a yacht, at
+Trieste; sail from thence to Alexandria; and, after going up
+the Nile as far as the Second Cataract, to visit Constantinople,
+the Crimea, and Greece, before returning home somewhere
+about the beginning of May. Such is the plan made out for
+us, but it is, of course, open to many changes, as the political
+state of things between Greece and Turkey at the present
+moment may, after all, very possibly upset the latter part of
+the journey; and in that case we shall return home through
+Italy.”</p>
+
+<p>King Edward and Queen Alexandra were joined at Trieste
+by Prince Louis of Battenberg, the Duke of Sutherland, Dr.
+(afterwards Sir) W. H. Russell, and other friends, together
+with their suite. There the Royal party embarked on board
+H.M.S. <i>Ariadne</i>, which had been specially fitted up for their
+reception. Of the accommodation in this vessel Mrs. Grey
+gives an attractive account:&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>“The <i>Ariadne</i>, in reality a man-of-war, but for this occasion
+fitted up as a yacht, is most comfortable. The Prince and
+Princess have two large sleeping cabins, besides a large cabin
+for a sitting-room, and another for a dining-room. I have a
+charming cabin also, with a bath-room outside, and my maid
+next door to me. In short, I think we were all much pleased
+with the accommodation and arrangement of what is to be our
+<i>home</i>, while at sea, for the next four months.”</p>
+
+<p>The travellers reached Alexandria on 3rd February 1869, and
+were met by the usual loyal greetings, addresses, and bouquets
+presented by the British residents. The party then went on to<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_105" id="Page_105">[105]</a></span>
+Cairo, where they were received by the Viceroy of Egypt and
+his ministers. Here the King and Queen were assigned a
+palace, which Mrs. Grey thus describes:&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>“The Palace of Esbekieh is beautiful, full of French luxury,
+but without the real comfort of an English house. The Prince
+and Princess have an immense bedroom, full of rich French
+furniture. The beds are very beautiful, made of massive
+silver, and cost, I believe, £3000 each! My room is so large
+that even when the candles are lit, there might be somebody
+sitting at the other end of it without your knowing it. You
+could not even hear people speaking from one end to the other!
+It is as high as it is long, with nine large windows. There is a
+beautiful silver bed, a large divan (rather high and hard for
+comfort) round half of the room, a common writing-table and
+washhand-stand (put in all the rooms at the request of Sir S.
+Baker), a large sofa, and quantities of very smart chairs round
+the walls. The curtains and covers of the furniture are all
+made of the richest silk. Add to all this, one immense looking-glass,
+and you have the whole furniture of my room, which is
+more like a State drawing-room at Windsor than a bedroom.
+All the other rooms are furnished in the same way.”</p>
+
+<p>Queen Alexandra and Mrs. Grey had an absolutely novel
+experience on 5th February, namely an invitation to dinner at
+the Harem of “La Grande Princesse,” the Viceroy’s mother.</p>
+
+<p>The Queen, her lady-in-waiting, and two English ladies
+were received at the door of the Palace by la Grande Princesse,
+the second and third wife of the Viceroy (the first and fourth
+were not well), his eldest son, and two eldest daughters. La
+Grande Princesse took Queen Alexandra by the hand, while
+one of the wives handed Mrs. Grey, another Mrs. Stanton
+(wife of the British Consul), and one of the daughters Miss
+M’Lean; and so the party went in procession to an immense
+drawing-room, the whole way thither being lined with slaves.
+No stay, however, was made in the drawing-room, and what
+followed reads like a page out of the <i>Arabian Nights</i>.</p>
+
+<p>The visitors were conducted straight to the dining-room,
+after having a cherry given them to eat, handed to them on a<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_106" id="Page_106">[106]</a></span>
+beautiful gold tray, with goblets and plates of gold and precious
+stones. A slave then offered each visitor a silver basin to
+wash their hands in before sitting down to dinner. In the
+middle of the room there was a kind of round silver table,
+about one foot high from the floor, looking more like a big
+tray than anything else; large square cushions were placed
+all round it, and the company sat down <i>à la Turque</i> round the
+table, la Grande Princesse having Queen Alexandra on her
+right, next whom was Mehemet Taafik Pasha, then the third
+Princess and Mrs. Grey, with the second Princess next, on
+the left side of the Viceroy’s mother. Mrs. Stanton and Miss
+M’Lean, with the two daughters of the Viceroy, dined in
+another room.</p>
+
+<p>A slave then entered very smartly dressed, half her skirt
+being of black satin and embroidered in gold, and the other
+half of yellow satin, also trimmed with gold, and with a sort of
+turban on her head. She had a beautifully embroidered napkin,
+with gold fringe, hanging on her arm, as a sort of badge of
+her office, which corresponded with that of a European
+<i>maître-d’hôtel</i>. She placed each dish in the middle of the
+table, beginning with soup&mdash;a sort of chicken broth with rice.
+Each visitor was given a sort of tortoiseshell spoon, with a
+large coral branch as a handle, but neither knife nor fork; and
+then, at a sign from the old Princess, everybody dipped their
+spoons into the tureen together. Next came an enormous
+piece of mutton, of which the company had to tear off bits
+with their fingers and put them straight into their mouths.
+About twenty dishes followed in rapid succession, alternately
+savoury and sweet, and the dinner ended with <i>compôte</i> of
+cherries. No wine or water was served during the meal, and
+Mrs. Grey confesses that she felt thoroughly disgusted.</p>
+
+<p>Some very necessary washing of hands followed, and then
+there was an entertainment in the great drawing-room, given
+by musicians and dancing-girls, in the course of which a slave
+brought in a tray covered with black velvet cloth embroidered
+with pearls and uncut emeralds, and decorated with an enormous
+diamond star in the centre. This was lifted off, and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_107" id="Page_107">[107]</a></span>
+then were revealed a number of cups encrusted with diamonds,
+and full of coffee. These were handed round, and a slave
+brought pipes and cigarette-holders, all lavishly ornamented
+with precious stones, each mouthpiece being formed of one
+large ruby or emerald.</p>
+
+<p>After an interval the visitors were taken all through the
+upper rooms, a young prince who acted as interpreter being
+most anxious that Queen Alexandra should see everything.
+“La Princesse doit tout voir,” he kept saying. More music
+and dancing followed, and more coffee, until at four o’clock it
+seemed to be time to go, so Queen Alexandra rose, and the
+party were handed out to the door of the garden at which they
+had entered amid enthusiastic demonstrations of affection on
+the part of their hospitable entertainers.</p>
+
+<p>There can be no doubt of the impression which the Queen’s
+graciousness and charm created. Mrs. Grey says:&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>“They were all perfectly enchanted with the Princess, and
+about every ten or fifteen minutes <i>une phrase de cérémonie</i> was
+exchanged through the Prince [that is, the young Egyptian
+prince who acted as interpreter]. ‘La Grande Princesse est si
+contente de vous voir,’ or ‘La Grande Princesse regrette tant
+que cela soit contre l’usage du pays, de vous rendre cette
+visite’; and so on.… At last they all expressed a hope that
+the Princess would come and dine again on her return to
+Cairo.”</p>
+
+<p>The same evening Queen Alexandra had the pleasure of
+visiting some beautiful Arab horses in the stables of Ali Sherif
+Pasha.</p>
+
+<p>Before starting on their journey up the Nile the King and
+Queen took the opportunity of witnessing the curious and
+interesting Procession of the Holy Carpet starting from Cairo
+on its way to Mecca, which, strangely enough, few of the
+Europeans who at that time visited Cairo cared to see. Every
+year two carpets are sent, one of which goes to Medina to
+serve as a covering for the tomb of the Prophet, and the other
+to Mecca to be a covering for Kaabah or the central point of
+the Mahomedan religion. The King and Queen also witnessed<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_108" id="Page_108">[108]</a></span>
+the departure of the pilgrims for Mecca, or rather of that
+portion of the pilgrimage consisting of sheikhs and holy men,
+escorted by irregular cavalry and artillery, which left the city
+to join the other pilgrims encamped on the plain outside.</p>
+
+<p>On 6th February the voyage up the Nile began. The
+party was a large one, and the number of vessels provided for
+them formed quite a little fleet, of which the following was the
+order of sailing:&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>A large and very smartly fitted-up steamer, the <i>Federabanee</i>,
+Captain Achmet Bey, headed the squadron, and was occupied
+by Prince Louis of Battenberg (then a midshipman on board
+the <i>Ariadne</i>), Major Teesdale, Captain Ellis, equerries in
+waiting, Lord Carrington, Mr. O. Montagu, Dr. Minter, Sir
+Samuel Baker, and Mr. Brierley. On deck there was a large
+saloon, all fitted up with silk and looking-glasses and every
+description of luxury, and there meals were served. Outside
+this there was a small open saloon with a large looking-glass at
+the back, in which the scenery could be viewed in comfort.</p>
+
+<p>The <i>Federabanee</i> towed a most beautiful dahabeah, or Nile
+boat, which was named the <i>Alexandra</i>, and in which the
+King and Queen and Mrs. Grey lived. It was all fitted up in
+blue and gold, with a great deal of taste, and the cabins were
+all large and most comfortable. Mrs. Grey mentions that
+the King and Queen had “a very nice sleeping cabin, with
+a bath-room and dressing-room apiece.” The <i>Alexandra</i> also
+contained a large sitting-room with a piano, and outside there
+was a place for sitting and reading, as well as the upper deck.
+The only inconvenience of this arrangement was that the
+travellers in the dahabeah had to go on board the <i>Federabanee</i>
+for every meal. This necessity was especially hard on Queen
+Alexandra, who resolved, however, to return to the dahabeah
+after breakfast as often as she could in order to have time for
+painting and reading; this, with the active co-operation of Mrs.
+Grey, she contrived to do on a good many days.</p>
+
+<p>After the dahabeah came a kitchen steamer, carrying four
+French cooks and one Arab cook, and towing a barge full of
+provisions and live stock, such as turkeys, sheep, and chickens.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_109" id="Page_109">[109]</a></span>
+Following this came another steamer, having on board Colonel
+Stanton, British Consul-General at Cairo, with two Egyptian
+gentlemen, Mourad Pasha and Abd El Kader Bey, and towing
+a barge containing horses, donkeys, and a French washerwoman.
+Nor was this all. In his anxiety to do everything possible for
+the comfort of the Royal party, the Viceroy had actually provided
+another steamer of lighter draft than the <i>Federabanee</i>,
+simply in case the latter vessel should get stuck in the mud.</p>
+
+<p>The whole flotilla was completed by a steamer belonging to
+the Duke of Sutherland, the father of the present Duke, who
+brought with him a distinguished party, composed of his son,
+Lord Stafford, Colonel Marshall, Dr. Russell, Mr. Sumner,
+Professor Owen, Mr. Fowler, the distinguished engineer,
+Major Alison, the Duke’s brother Lord A. Gower, and Sir
+Henry Pelly.</p>
+
+<p>The King looked forward to having plenty of sport during
+the voyage. Accordingly he had taken a large variety of
+guns of almost every calibre in use, as well as a wherry to be
+used for approaching land game. For the purpose of capturing
+crocodiles, nets were brought which had been specially made
+under the superintendence of Sir Samuel Baker. The King
+also specially arranged for the inclusion in his party of a clever
+naturalist and taxidermist.</p>
+
+<p>Both the King and Queen greatly enjoyed this novel form
+of yachting, although, unfortunately, bad weather soon set in,
+and the <i>Alexandra</i> was frequently enveloped in clouds of dust
+and sand. Notwithstanding this, however, the King had
+fairly good sport and bagged some very large birds, though
+the crocodiles were, on the whole, conspicuous by their
+absence. Soon the Royal taxidermist could show some very
+fine specimens of spoonbills, flamingoes, herons, cranes,
+cormorants, and doves.</p>
+
+<p>Mrs. Grey thus records an amusing adventure which
+happened on 9th February:&mdash;</p>
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_110" id="Page_110">[110]</a></span></p>
+<p>“The fog was so thick this morning that we could not
+start till nine o’clock, the hour at which we are in future
+usually to begin our day’s voyage being between five and six
+in the morning; and then to go on, with occasional stoppages,
+till six in the evening. We now only went on for about an
+hour, as the Prince wanted to try and shoot some ducks from a
+small punt with a large gun, which had been lent to him for
+the trip. At eleven, the Princess and myself, with Prince
+Battenberg, Sir S. Baker, Mr. Brierley, and Dr. Minter,
+followed in another boat to look at the shooting. We saw
+perfect swarms of wild ducks, and hundreds of flamingoes
+and a few pelicans. However, the ducks took fright, and only
+a few flamingoes were shot. We determined to land, as soon
+as we saw that we could no longer spoil the sport; but the
+water being low, we stuck fast in the sand about thirty or
+forty yards from the shore. The four boatmen at once took
+off their jackets, shoes, and trousers; but luckily some undergarments
+(waistcoats and trousers in one) remained; and in
+they jumped, and dragged the boat a few yards, beyond which
+their utmost efforts were unable to move it. The alternative
+was now either to remain in the boat or to allow ourselves to
+be carried through the water. Of course we chose the latter.
+Sir S. Baker and Mr. Brierley carried the Princess, crossing
+their arms, on which she sat.”</p>
+
+<p>Ultimately the whole party got off and reached Minieh.
+There the King joined a shooting party on the following day,
+while the Queen, Prince Louis of Battenberg, and some of the
+others visited the Viceroy’s palace, and afterwards saw the
+process of making sugar out of the sugar-canes. Queen
+Alexandra and Mrs. Grey were allowed to visit the wife of
+one of the directors of the sugar factory, whom Mrs. Grey
+describes as a very ugly woman, painted and bedizened. The
+room was full of her women friends, all as ugly and as lavishly
+dressed as she was. Queen Alexandra, however, was much
+pleased with the novelty of such a visit, for, though the
+hostess and her friends were very cheerful and talked and
+laughed, yet naturally everything that was said was quite
+unintelligible to their English visitors. The Queen afterwards
+sent some presents to the ladies in memory of the
+visit.</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_111" id="Page_111">[111]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>On the 11th the Queen and Mrs. Grey succeeded in
+staying for the whole day in the dahabeah, where they
+played and wrote and painted. The same thing happened
+on the afternoon of the 13th, the morning being occupied by
+an interesting lecture from Mr. Fowler on the Suez Canal.</p>
+
+<p>During the voyage Queen Alexandra had one very serious
+adventure. One night the King, who was on board the steamer,
+observed a light reflected on the side of the <i>Alexandra</i>. He at
+once gave an alarm, the Queen and Mrs. Grey, who were in
+the dahabeah, were hurried off to the shore, and the fire, which
+had been caused by a lighted candle in Prince Louis of
+Battenberg’s cabin, was put out by the King and his suite.
+Had not the quick eye of the King discovered the danger a
+terrible disaster might have happened, for the boats were
+wooden and scorched by an Egyptian sun, while there were,
+of course, a considerable number of cartridges on board.</p>
+
+<p>The 14th was Sunday, the first Sunday in Lent, and Mrs.
+Grey records that King Edward read the service to the party
+and the servants very impressively. The party frequently
+landed to visit the temples and the other splendid ruins of
+ancient Egyptian civilisation. On one occasion the King
+caught a bat in the large tomb of Rameses IV.</p>
+
+<p>The party started to see the Temple of Karnak by moonlight
+on the evening of the 18th. The King rode a milk-white
+ass caparisoned in crimson velvet and gold, while the Queen
+was mounted on a gray mule. When they approached the
+temple an electric light was lit between each enormous
+column, and in the background there was a display of rockets
+and fireworks, forming stars of different colours. This had
+been arranged by the King as a surprise for the Queen,
+though Mrs. Grey confesses that the secret had been accidentally
+revealed. However, she describes the whole scene as
+one of surprising beauty. She walked alone with the Queen
+amid the gigantic columns, until they were recalled to the
+prosaic luxury of the nineteenth century by being offered
+glasses of iced champagne.</p>
+
+<p>The 20th was rendered memorable by a mishap; all the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_112" id="Page_112">[112]</a></span>
+steamers stuck fast in the ground, with the result that everybody
+had to turn out, and all the luggage had to be removed
+in order to lighten the boats. The King and Queen and Mrs.
+Grey were entertained on board the Duke of Sutherland’s
+steamer at dinner, and by the next day the difficulty of the
+sand-banks had been surmounted, thanks to the smaller steamer
+which the Viceroy’s foresight had provided.</p>
+
+<p>On the 21st the King again read Divine Service, and the
+party arrived at Assouan. Here they found a large number
+of camels ready to carry the baggage across from the First
+Cataract to Philæ, whither the party rode to see the boats
+in which they were to go on to the Second Cataract. On the
+22nd the King started first in order to pay a visit to Lady
+Duff Gordon, who was living in her dahabeah a little above
+Assouan; while the Queen, the Duke of Sutherland, and Mrs.
+Grey followed in a boat to the foot of the First Cataract,
+where they were to meet the King. There seems to have
+been some hitch in the arrangements, but Queen Alexandra
+was not at all disconcerted, and was highly amused at having
+to ride a wretched donkey without a bridle, and with a cushion
+for a saddle, though Mrs. Grey, who was no better mounted,
+regarded the incident with less philosophy. After a time,
+however, they met their own donkeys, and ultimately joined
+the King’s party, who had been getting very anxious.</p>
+
+<p>The Duke of Sutherland and his party left on the 23rd,
+while the Royal party continued their voyage in two new
+dahabeahs tied together, and towed by a small steamer. The
+accommodation was not nearly so good as it had been below
+Philæ. The Queen and Mrs. Grey landed frequently, and the
+latter notes that her Royal mistress found great pleasure in
+distributing the <i>baksheesh</i> for which the natives were continually
+asking, especially the little children. On one occasion the
+Queen and her lady-in-waiting found a donkey running about;
+they caught it, and the Queen mounted it and rode through
+the fields in the cleverest way without saddle or bridle.</p>
+
+<p>Meanwhile the King was very anxious for crocodile, but
+he had very poor luck, though he had better sport with fishing.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_113" id="Page_113">[113]</a></span>
+It was not, indeed, until the 28th that he had a fair shot at a
+crocodile, which he killed at fifty yards with his first barrel.
+The excitement was tremendous among the party, for, as is
+well known, the shyness of these beasts is so great that they
+are among the most difficult game to stalk in the world. This
+specimen was 9 feet long and 4 feet round the body; and it
+was at once skinned with a view to being stuffed. Inside the
+creature was found a quantity of pebbles, two bottles full of
+which were brought away as mementoes.</p>
+
+<p>The King and Queen throughout the voyage took the
+greatest interest in the antiquities along the route, visiting
+all that were accessible. Mrs. Grey mentions how much Queen
+Alexandra enjoyed the extreme peacefulness of the life led
+by the party, for there was no post nor any papers, and, after
+the first inconvenience had worn off, the feeling that no means
+existed of either sending or receiving letters soon became
+perfectly delightful.</p>
+
+<p>A touching incident occurred at Wady Halfa on 3rd March.
+The party were at dinner, when the King and Queen took a
+fancy to a little boy whom they saw watching the torches, which
+were always fixed in the ground on shore wherever the Royal
+dahabeah stopped for the night. On being questioned, the
+child said that his father was dead, his mother had married
+again, and he had not a friend in the world. He was delighted
+with the idea of going with the party, and so he was engaged
+as a pipe cleaner. The only property he had was a white linen
+shirt and a white cap. Mrs. Grey describes him as an intelligent
+ugly little boy, not very black, but rather bronzed,
+and wearing a large silver ring in one ear.</p>
+
+<p>Whenever the dahabeah stopped, numbers of natives came
+down to the bank, mostly children; and at first the Queen
+used to throw them bread and oranges, but it was discovered
+that they regarded empty bottles as much more valuable, and
+for these there was the greatest competition, although in the
+end they generally agreed to divide the spoil equally in the
+most good-humoured manner. At one place a little Nubian
+monkey was presented to Queen Alexandra, and the fortunate<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_114" id="Page_114">[114]</a></span>
+donor was presented in return with a double-barrelled English
+fowling-piece and some money.</p>
+
+<p>There were the usual groundings on sand-banks, but nothing
+else of interest occurred, and the party returned to their old
+dahabeah on 8th March, having thoroughly enjoyed their expedition
+to the Second Cataract. After lunch the King and Queen,
+with Mrs. Grey and Sir Samuel Baker, paid a visit to Lady
+Duff Gordon in the dahabeah, which she had made entirely her
+home on account of her health.</p>
+
+<p>The return voyage down the Nile began on the following
+day, and immediately the big steamer stuck fast on the old
+sand-bank which gave so much trouble on the way up, although
+the Viceroy had had six hundred people working away in the
+interval to deepen the channel. No amount of exertion could
+get the steamer off, and consequently the little steamer was
+used, and Prince Louis of Battenberg, Sir Samuel Baker, and
+Lord Carrington had to sleep on deck.</p>
+
+<p>On 10th March, the anniversary of the King and Queen’s
+wedding day, some members of the Duke of Sutherland’s party,
+which had broken up, met the Royal party at Thebes, namely,
+Colonel Stanton, Sir Henry Pelly, Major Alison, and Abd El
+Kader Bey. Colonel Stanton entertained the party, and
+Mourad Pasha proposed the health of the Royal pair. After
+dinner the party went to the house of Mustapha Aga, the
+English Consul, where they saw some famous Egyptian dancing-girls,
+including the Taglioni of the country, and some remarkable
+mummy cases, which had been excavated on purpose for
+the King. The following day they visited the spot where the
+digging was going on. Mrs. Grey describes it as like a coal
+pit, at the bottom of which was a magnificent stone sarcophagus,
+said to be that of the beautiful Queen Nicotris, which the King
+intended to take to England, together with a selection of
+mummies.</p>
+
+<p>This was the last day’s picnic on the Nile, and the party
+were due at Minieh in two days, going thence by rail to Cairo.
+On the 15th, however, the Queen, Mrs. Grey, and some of the
+gentlemen of the party paid a visit to the little town of Minieh,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_115" id="Page_115">[115]</a></span>
+where an old woman was engaged to tell fortunes. This she
+did with the aid of a heap of shells and bits of coloured glass;
+and she told the Queen that she had many friends and much
+money, with the usual “patter” traditional among fortune-tellers.
+Thence the party went on to the house of the
+Governor of the town, where a kind of lemonade was offered
+to the visitors, and the Queen was presented with a beautiful
+white parrot and two live flamingoes. The menagerie already
+consisted of the Nubian monkey, a snapping turtle, and two
+goats. As for the little Nubian boy, who was added to the
+party at Wady Halfa, he turned out much too sharp and difficult
+to manage, so, instead of bringing him to England, the King
+decided to start him in life with a donkey, as one of the
+numerous donkey boys so common in Egypt.</p>
+
+<p>On 16th March the party went by train from Minieh
+to Ghizeh, where they were met by the Viceroy’s eldest son
+and a number of officials. After some conversation the King
+and Queen took their leave, and the Royal party, entering some
+carriages, drove to the Pyramids. At the foot of the big
+Pyramid they found a small pavilion which had been built on
+purpose for the Royal visit. The King and Queen, in spite of
+the slippery, difficult, and suffocating ascent, visited the King’s
+and Queen’s chambers, and the King actually went up to the
+top of the Pyramid. Dinner was served in the pavilion by
+order of the Viceroy, consisting of nineteen dishes, eight
+entrées, ice, and other luxuries&mdash;quite a small dinner for Egypt.</p>
+
+<p>On the night drive to Cairo which followed, there was very
+nearly a bad accident, the carriage being driven up against a
+high white flag-post, which it fortunately only just touched.</p>
+
+<p>During the voyage down the Nile the King received
+letters to say that as the differences between Turkey and
+Greece had been happily settled, their Majesties were free to
+pay their proposed visit to Constantinople and Athens.</p>
+
+<p>The King and Queen spent a week in Cairo, and saw all
+the sights of that wonderful city, which were then, it must be
+remembered, much more novel than they are nowadays when
+Egypt has become a regular winter resort. Mrs. Grey gives<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_116" id="Page_116">[116]</a></span>
+an amusing description of a shopping expedition on which she
+attended Queen Alexandra in the Turkish bazaar. Abd El
+Kader Bey, their old friend of the Nile expedition, did the
+bargaining in the Oriental method. The Queen wished to
+buy a burnous, but the price was too high, and so Abd El
+Kader Bey sent for a shopman from another shop where they
+had seen a similar burnous, and employed him to help in
+bargaining with the other shopman. This extraordinary
+device was most successful, and the Queen ultimately obtained
+her burnous for £9.</p>
+
+<p>On the 19th Mrs. Grey attended the Queen in the ordeal
+of being photographed on a dromedary, and then the party,
+having been joined by the King, went to see the museum of
+Egyptian antiquities, where the distinguished French Egyptologist,
+M. Mariette, explained everything. In the evening of
+the same day there was a great dinner at the Viceroy’s palace
+on the other side of the river, where the scene was one of truly
+Oriental magnificence and luxury, finishing up with a display
+of fireworks so arranged that their reflection was seen in a large
+ornamental piece of water.</p>
+
+<p>The Royal party had intended to leave Cairo on the 21st
+March, but the King was persuaded by the Viceroy to remain
+over the Feast of Bairam, which corresponds with the Christian
+Easter. Consequently, instead of starting immediately, the
+Queen, to her great delight, was able to pay a visit to the wife
+of Mourad Pasha, who had attended so ably to the comfort of
+the Royal travellers during their voyage on the Nile. Queen
+Alexandra was delighted with this lady, who was most kind
+and good-natured, and spoke French very well, her father,
+indeed, having been half a Frenchman.</p>
+
+<p>On the 22nd the Queen started after breakfast for the
+bazaars, and met the King there and shopped until lunch-time.
+In the afternoon the Queen and Mrs. Grey visited the wife of
+Abd El Kader Bey, and then went on to see Achmet Bey, the
+captain of their dahabeah. His wife received the English
+visitors with much enthusiasm, kissing both the Queen and
+Mrs. Grey violently. Mrs. Achmet was a very pretty woman<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_117" id="Page_117">[117]</a></span>
+with pleasant manners, but although she could only speak
+Arabic, which was not understood by her visitors, yet she
+never stopped talking for a minute.</p>
+
+<p>The following day, the 23rd, was the first day of Bairam,
+and the Queen again visited la Grande Princesse, the Viceroy’s
+mother, who held a sort of Drawing-room in the Harem. In the
+evening the Queen went to the Viceroy’s palace across the river
+to dine with His Highness’s four wives. The Princesses were
+much charmed with some photographs which the Queen gave
+them of herself. Shortly before leaving she expressed a wish
+to see how the Egyptian ladies’ outdoor veils were fastened on.
+Some were accordingly sent for, and Queen Alexandra was
+dressed up in a veil, much to her amusement; her eyebrows,
+and those of Mrs. Grey, were painted, and the thin veil and
+the burnous were put over them. These Her Majesty and her
+lady-in-waiting were entreated to keep as a <i>souvenir</i> of their
+visit. They were still wearing their Egyptian dresses when
+they returned to their palace, but to their great disappointment
+found everybody gone to bed except their courier, whom they
+succeeded in surprising, though he very frankly said that he
+thought the ladies were looking far better than usual. That
+was the last night in Cairo.</p>
+
+<p>On the following day the Royal party had a very hot and
+dusty journey, and arrived at Suez at seven o’clock in the
+evening. There they were joined by Dr. Russell and Major
+Alison, and were met by the great de Lesseps. Dinner was
+served in the large dining-room of the hotel, and among the
+waiters the King observed a small black boy about fourteen
+years old, who seemed intelligent above the average. After
+dinner His Majesty asked the landlord of the hotel about
+him, and, finding that he was an Abyssinian boy and had an
+excellent character, he decided to take him home instead of
+the little <i>mauvais sujet</i> whom the party had picked up at
+Wady Haifa.</p>
+
+<p>Then came one of the most interesting episodes of the tour,
+namely, their visit to the Suez Canal, where their Majesties
+were received and escorted by M. de Lesseps. The works of<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_118" id="Page_118">[118]</a></span>
+the Canal Company were by no means completed, but they
+were being actively carried forward, a large dock, 450 feet
+long, having been already finished. At Tussum the King
+performed the important ceremony of opening the sluices of
+the dam across the finished portion of the canal, thus letting
+the waters of the Mediterranean into the empty basin of the
+Bitter Lakes.</p>
+
+<p>The Royal party then drove about three miles beyond the
+town through the desert to the Viceroy’s <i>châlet</i>, a pretty little
+place built on high ground overlooking Lake Timsah. The
+King and Queen were lodged here, the rest of the party having
+to rough it in out-houses and tents. Dinner was served in a
+large tent, and, thanks to the Viceroy’s forethought, it was a
+most excellent French dinner, for His Highness was determined
+that his guests should not have to rough it unless it was
+absolutely necessary.</p>
+
+<p>The next day the Royal party went up the Canal towards
+the Mediterranean, and after driving through Port Said, they
+embarked on board the Viceroy’s yacht <i>Mahroussa</i> for passage
+to Alexandria. M. de Lesseps and his party also came on
+board the yacht. When the vessel passed outside the breakwater
+she began to roll so much that dinner became more
+exciting than comfortable. One swell threw everything off
+the table, and the Royal party were rolled out of their chairs,
+and then in an instant, before they had time to pick themselves
+up, another roll threw the ship over on the other side. Fortunately,
+however, the rolling did not last very long, and the
+resources of the yacht were so great that dinner was not long
+interrupted.</p>
+
+<p>The following morning the yacht arrived at Alexandria,
+where the Royal party visited the various sights, including
+Cleopatra’s Needle and Pompey’s Pillar. Then they were
+rowed off in a barge to the <i>Ariadne</i>, their old home, which
+looked quite small and poor after the gorgeous <i>Mahroussa</i>,
+with its silk hangings, Italian marbles, mosaic mother-of-pearl,
+and so on, though in reality it was much more comfortable in
+a practical way. Here they said good-bye, much to their<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_119" id="Page_119">[119]</a></span>
+regret, to Mourad Pasha, Abd El Kader Bey, and old Captain
+Achmet, as well as to Colonel Stanton, the British Consul.</p>
+
+<p>The next day, 28th March, the <i>Ariadne</i> left for Constantinople,
+but nothing much of importance occurred during the
+voyage, and the vessel anchored on 1st April some three miles
+from Constantinople. There the Royal party were transferred
+to the Sultan’s yacht <i>Pertif Piati</i>, in which they went past
+the entrance to the Golden Horn, as far as the Saleh-Bazar
+Palace, which had been assigned as a residence by the Sultan
+to the King and Queen during their visit. The Sultan himself
+received the Royal party on landing, and took Queen
+Alexandra up to her rooms, every one following.</p>
+
+<p>Mrs. Grey describes the rooms in the Saleh-Bazar Palace
+as not quite so gorgeous as those which they had had at Cairo,
+but, on the other hand, fitted up with the most perfect taste in
+the French style. Every European luxury had been provided.
+The lattice work, which is always put up across the windows in
+Turkish houses in order to screen the fair inmates from the
+rude gaze of outsiders, had been removed and replaced with
+magnificent silk hangings. All the servants appointed to wait
+on the King and Queen were Greek and European, except the
+coachmen, who were French. The meals at the Palace were
+all served on gold and silver plate studded with gems; a band
+of eighty-four musicians played during dinner; every morning
+arrived gorgeous presents from the Sultan, including exquisite
+flowers and trays laden with fruits and sweets; while, at a clap
+of the hand, black-coated chibouquejees brought in pipes with
+amber mouth-pieces of fabulous value, encrusted in diamonds
+and rubies. There was a complete Turkish bath establishment
+in the Palace, and the slightest wish expressed by the Royal
+guests was considered an order.</p>
+
+<p>Almost immediately after the arrival the labour of official
+functions began, King Edward going to pay a visit to the
+Sultan at the Palace of Dolma-Baghtche. The next day the
+Royal party saw the Sultan going to the Selamlik, the brilliant
+uniforms and the native ladies in their white yashmaks and
+brilliantly-coloured dresses producing to Mrs. Grey’s eyes the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_120" id="Page_120">[120]</a></span>
+effect of a bright flower-garden. While the pageant was passing,
+little Prince Izzedin, the Heir-Apparent, visited their
+Majesties. Nothing could exceed the anxiety of the Sultan
+to entertain his distinguished visitors in a splendid manner,
+and he certainly seems to have succeeded.</p>
+
+<p>On 4th April the Royal party dined with the Sultan at the
+Palace of Dolma-Baghtche. The dinner was good, and well
+served in the European fashion, but it was remarkable for
+being the first time that the Sultan had ever sat down to
+dinner with ladies; and, indeed, it was the first time that any
+of his own Ministers, except the Grand Vizier, had ever been
+known to sit down in his presence. Half the party were
+Turks, and they looked so frightened and astonished that
+they acted as wet blankets to the rest of the company, which
+included Mr. Elliot, the British Ambassador, and Mrs. Elliot,
+and General Ignatieff, the Russian Ambassador, and his wife.
+The Sultan was in high good-humour, but spoke very little.</p>
+
+<p>After dinner Queen Alexandra, attended by Mrs. Grey
+and accompanied by Mrs. Elliot and Madame Ignatieff, went
+to visit the Sultan’s mother and wife. The visit very much
+resembled that which had been paid in Cairo to La Grande
+Princesse; and the most amusing part of the evening was
+the sudden appearance of the Sultan’s son, aged ten, and
+daughter, aged nine, who both came marching in followed
+by slaves. Both were enormously over-dressed, the little
+girl, indeed, being hardly able to move under all her lace and
+finery. They sat themselves down in large arm-chairs, and
+the little Princess kept slipping down off hers, but a slave
+always helped her up again.</p>
+
+<p>The King and Queen, who adopted for the nonce the name
+of Mr. and Mrs. Williams, spent the whole morning of 5th April
+in the bazaars, attended by Mrs. Grey, and entirely escaped
+being recognised. Another Oriental precedent was broken
+on the 7th, when the Royal party went to the opera, and the
+Sultan joined the King and Queen and Mrs. Grey in the
+Royal box. This was the first time that the Sultan had been
+seen with ladies in his box. On the following day Queen<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_121" id="Page_121">[121]</a></span>
+Alexandra was delighted to have an opportunity of seeing the
+Sultan’s stables, containing about 200 horses of extraordinary
+beauty.</p>
+
+<p>It would be tedious to describe in detail the ceremonies and
+visits to places of interest which the Royal party paid. In this
+way the days were filled up until the 10th, when it was decided
+that the Queen should accompany the King in his proposed
+visit to the Crimea.</p>
+
+<p>After lunching with the Sultan, the Royal party again went
+on board the <i>Ariadne</i> with the usual ceremonies, and started
+for the Crimea. They had a beautiful passage across the
+Black Sea, and arrived in the harbour of Sevastopol on 12th
+April. The great struggle with Russia was still fresh in
+every one’s memories, and they found not a single ship in the
+harbour, and all the forts and fortifications abandoned&mdash;indeed,
+the whole town on one side almost one mass of ruins. The
+<i>débris</i> remained just as they were left in 1856, and the populace,
+which before the war amounted to 60,000, had been reduced to
+5500.</p>
+
+<p>As soon as the <i>Ariadne</i> had cast anchor a boat came off
+containing General Kotzebue, Governor-General of New
+Russia, and General Jukoffsky, Governor of Crim Tartary,
+who had come from Simferopol to meet King Edward. They
+were accompanied by Admiral Kisalinsky, the Commandant of
+Sevastopol, and other officials, together with the British Consul
+at Odessa. The Russian authorities offered every possible
+assistance to the King and Queen in order that they might see
+everything that could be seen.</p>
+
+<p>On that first day of their arrival they visited the Russian
+cemetery, and then drove to the battlefield of the Alma, where
+Mrs. Grey records the shaking which the Queen and she experienced
+in driving over the rough ground still full of great
+holes made by the shells used in the battle; indeed, the pony
+carriage broke down, and they had to get into a larger one with
+four horses. They saw the broken-down bridge over the Alma,
+just as it was left after the battle; the party drove through the
+water, and Dr. Russell pointed out where the Duke of Cambridge<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_122" id="Page_122">[122]</a></span>
+had passed with his Staff&mdash;in fact, the King and Queen
+examined the battlefield most thoroughly, studying the various
+positions occupied by the forces on both sides.</p>
+
+<p>The Russian authorities entertained the party at luncheon
+in a Tartar farm-house, which had been used during the war as
+a field-hospital. Dr. Russell, Major Alison, and Captain
+Ellis, who had all been there during the war, were perpetually
+pointing out fresh places of interest, and in the evening the
+Russian officials were entertained at dinner on board the
+<i>Ariadne</i>. Nothing could exceed the tact and courtesy of the
+Russians, who affected to regard the war as if it had been some
+long distant historical campaign, and had no hesitation even in
+pointing out to their visitors the different places where the
+Russian forces had been beaten.</p>
+
+<p>It is needless to mention the names of all the places visited
+by the Royal party. Wherever they went the beautiful old
+Russian custom of offering bread and salt was never omitted,
+the inhabitants of the villages always rushing out and presenting
+these signs of hospitality to Queen Alexandra.</p>
+
+<p>On the 14th the Royal party found the <i>Psyche</i> in the
+harbour of Balaklava, in which they embarked and steamed out
+of the harbour to see the rocks at the entrance where the ship
+<i>Prince</i> was lost in 1845, and where the Duke of Cambridge had
+such a narrow escape in the <i>Retribution</i>. On re-landing they
+visited the field of Balaklava, and listened to many amusing
+stories told by Dr. Russell.</p>
+
+<p>That night the party slept at Livadia, and were most agreeably
+entertained by Count Stenboch, who had been sent all the
+way from St. Petersburg on purpose to receive the King and
+Queen. The <i>Ariadne</i> and <i>Psyche</i> had been sent round from
+Sevastopol to meet the party, and after visiting some villas
+in the neighbourhood, they all embarked in the <i>Ariadne</i> and
+bade farewell to their Russian friends with much regret.</p>
+
+<p>On the 16th they anchored again opposite the Sultan’s
+palace, and His Majesty and King Edward exchanged farewell
+visits. On the 17th the <i>Ariadne</i> left Constantinople for
+Athens; she was lighted up with red and blue lights held by<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_123" id="Page_123">[123]</a></span>
+sailors at the end of the yard-arm. The Turkish ships were all
+illuminated, and rockets, music, and cheering sped the parting
+guests.</p>
+
+<p>Bad weather detained the <i>Ariadne</i> until the 20th, when
+they entered the Piræus, where the King of the Hellenes and
+Prince Frederick of Glucksburg came on board. The King
+had arrived, on purpose to receive the Royal visitors, from
+Corfu, where the Court was established, and after two days’
+sightseeing His Majesty was to conduct the Royal party there,
+where he had left the Queen. King Edward and Queen
+Alexandra duly arrived at Corfu on the 24th, and on the following
+day, which was the Festival of St. Spiridion&mdash;the patron
+saint of Corfu&mdash;they had an opportunity of seeing the town <i>en
+fête</i>. The body of the saint was carried in procession amid
+much picturesque rejoicing of the populace. On the 27th the
+King left for the Albanian coast for some wild boar shooting,
+and returned on the following evening, having bagged two
+boars and other game.</p>
+
+<p>The visit to Corfu came to an end on 1st May. There was a
+great display of fireworks, and the <i>Ariadne</i> and the <i>Royal Oak</i>
+were dressed with red and blue lights. Unfortunately there
+was a sad accident which occurred just as the illuminations
+were over. One of the sailors fell overboard, and though a
+most careful search was made, nothing was ever seen or heard
+of him again except just the splash as he fell into the water.</p>
+
+<p>On the following day the Royal party arrived at Brindisi,
+and returned to London over-land, stopping a little while in
+Paris, where they were treated with the most marked attention
+by the Emperor and Empress of the French.</p>
+
+<p>As may be easily imagined, the King is very popular all
+over France, and he has had many curious and interesting
+adventures when going out in the semi-<i>incognito</i> which he
+affects when travelling for pleasure. On one occasion, shortly
+after the end of the war, he visited the battlefield of Sedan
+attended by General Teesdale. He was naturally anxious
+that his identity should not become known, for French
+susceptibilities were very keen at that time, and he had no<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_124" id="Page_124">[124]</a></span>
+desire to appear to glory over his brother-in-law’s brilliant
+victories. When the time came to pay the hotel bill
+General Teesdale found with great dismay that he had no
+ready cash; the King was in an equally penniless condition;
+while any telegram sent would have disclosed the identity of
+the Royal visitor. At length, after much discussion, the
+equerry made his way to the local <i>Mont de Piété</i> and placed
+both his own and King Edward’s repeater in pawn.</p>
+
+<p>Among the formal acts of ceremony which King Edward
+performed during this year was the unveiling of a statue of the
+late Mr. George Peabody. In the speech which he delivered on
+this occasion he alluded in the warmest terms to his feeling of
+personal friendship towards the United States, and his enduring
+recollection of the reception which had been accorded to him
+there.</p>
+
+<hr class="chap" />
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_125" id="Page_125">[125]</a></span></p>
+
+<h2 id="CHAPTER_X">CHAPTER X<br />
+<span class="smaller">THE FRANCO-PRUSSIAN WAR&mdash;THE KING’S ILLNESS</span></h2>
+
+<p>The outbreak and progress of the Franco-Prussian war were
+naturally watched with the keenest interest at Marlborough
+House. Two of the King’s own brothers-in-law were serving
+with the German forces, while, on the other hand, he not only
+had many close ties with France, but from childhood had
+always regarded the Emperor and Empress of the French
+with special affection. When public subscription lists were
+opened in aid of the ambulances, which distributed medical
+aid impartially to the sick and wounded on both sides, King
+Edward gave a liberal donation; and when the Empress
+Eugénie fled to England, one of the first visits which she
+received at Chislehurst was from the King and Queen
+Alexandra.</p>
+
+<p>Exactly ten years after the first dread news of the Prince
+Consort’s fatal illness had gone forth, it became known that
+the Heir-Apparent was lying seriously ill at Sandringham.
+Not very long before, Princess Alice, who was then staying
+at Sandringham, wrote the following note to Queen Victoria:&mdash;</p>
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_126" id="Page_126">[126]</a></span></p>
+<p>“It is the first time since eleven years that I have spent
+Bertie’s birthday with him, and though we have only three
+of our own family together, still that is better than nothing,
+and makes it seem more like a birthday. Bertie and Alix
+are so kind, and give us so warm a welcome, showing how
+they like having us, that it feels quite home. Indeed, I pray
+earnestly that God’s blessing may rest on him, and that he
+may be guided to do what is wise and right, so that he may
+tide safely through the anxious times that are before him, and
+in which we now live.”</p>
+
+<p>Princess Alice little knew the days and nights of anxious
+misery that were coming so swiftly upon her brother’s peaceful
+household, and indeed upon the whole nation. The King
+sickened in London, but as soon as he felt himself to be
+seriously attacked he insisted on going home to Norfolk, where
+the disease was pronounced to be typhoid fever.</p>
+
+<p>The King, his groom Blegge, and Lord Chesterfield, who
+had all been at Scarborough with Lord Londesborough, were
+stricken simultaneously, and public attention was soon wholly
+concentrated on the three cases. Curiously enough, the groom
+and the peer both died, though in neither case were any pains
+or expense spared. Doubtless King Edward’s youth and
+excellent constitution stood him in good stead, but for many
+days the issue was considered exceedingly doubtful.</p>
+
+<p>The patient was nursed entirely by his wife and his sister,
+Princess Alice, his medical attendants being Doctors Jenner,
+Gull, Clayton, and Lowe. On the last day of November came
+an official notification:&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>“The Princess of Wales has borne her great trial in the
+most admirable manner and with singular equanimity. While
+fully aware of the gravity of the Prince’s serious illness, Her
+Royal Highness has throughout been calm and collected.”</p>
+
+<p>But the patient’s state was known to be critical, and soon it
+was announced that Queen Victoria was going to Sandringham,
+which she did on 29th November.</p>
+
+<p>The anxiety, succeeded by the most heart-breaking suspense,
+which prevailed in the Royal family is well reflected in
+the following extracts from the diary of the late Duchess of
+Teck, who was then at Strelitz:&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>“<i>November 25.</i>&mdash;Read Gussy Alix’s letter to Mama about
+our poor, dear Wales, who was attacked with the fever about
+the 19th or so, and is under Dr. Gull’s charge, who says it
+must have its twenty-four days’ course, and that so far all is
+going on as well as can be expected.</p>
+
+<p>“<i>December 1.</i>&mdash;… When I finished my packet for the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_127" id="Page_127">[127]</a></span>
+messenger, I telegraphed to darling Alix, and flew up to Mama
+to consult her about it.… From Alix somewhat better
+news reached us, after a bad telegram at three from dear Alice.</p>
+
+<p>“<i>December 2.</i>&mdash;A rather better account of Wales.</p>
+
+<p>“<i>December 3.</i>&mdash;Wales improving.…</p>
+
+<p>“<i>December 5.</i>&mdash;… Better accounts from Sandringham,
+but poor Lord Chesterfield dead.</p>
+
+<p>“<i>December 6.</i>&mdash;… Reassuring message from Alice.</p>
+
+<p>“<i>December 8.</i>&mdash;… Opened a telegram with anxious and
+distressing news from Sandringham; poor dear Wales has had
+a relapse; his state evidently very critical. <i>Gott helfe weiter.</i>
+We were much upset, and with a heavy heart I closed my
+packet for the messenger and wrote till dressing-time, though
+I had much difficulty in settling down to anything.… Mama
+was very silent all dinner-time, but we never for a moment
+suspected, what we afterwards learnt had been the case, that
+she had received a worse telegram at five o’clock, and had in
+kindness kept it from us.… I wrote <i>chez moi</i> till a most
+alarming telegram from Alice to Mama was brought me, with
+which I hastened to Gussy.… We cried over the almost
+hopeless accounts together, which spoke of the end as not far
+distant, provided dear Wales did not at once rally, and with
+despairing hearts we joined the others in the blue drawing-room.
+Fritz came in presently, and I read him the three telegrams
+received that day, and a letter from Lady Macclesfield. Later
+Mama sent for Gussy and me to wish us a sorrowful good
+night. I then went to my room and wrote till nearly four,
+feeling sleep out of the question.</p>
+
+<p>“<i>December 9.</i>&mdash;Gussy rushed in with a rather more hopeful
+telegram: ‘Night quiet, exhaustion not increased, breathing
+clearer.’ God grant he may yet rally and pull through! It
+was a relief after all we had undergone, and thank God for it;
+the agony of suspense was hard to bear.…</p>
+
+<p>“<i>December 10.</i>&mdash;On our return from church we found a
+telegram from Sandringham, which Gussy tremblingly opened.
+<i>Es lautete, ‘a shade better.’</i> Thank God! I ran with it to
+Tante<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_128" id="Page_128">[128]</a></span>.…</p>
+
+<p>“<i>December 11.</i>&mdash;About noon Geraldo rushed in with two
+telegrams, one sent off last night, the other this morning;
+both <i>heartrendingly sad</i>, and giving next to no hope, but for
+the words, ‘Yet we hope.’ They were a <i>cruel</i> check to our
+faint hopes. We could think and talk of nothing else.…</p>
+
+<p>“<i>December 12.</i>&mdash;Dolphus brought us a very hopeless telegram
+from Alice: ‘Night restless, very delirious, no signs of
+improvement.’ After a while I went to my room and read the
+papers with accounts from Sandringham and Windsor.…</p>
+
+<p>“<i>December 13.</i>&mdash;… To Mama’s <i>entrée</i>, where I found
+her, Gussy, and Tante much upset over a very disquieting
+message from Alice, which said, ‘Night without rest. No
+important change in the general state. Breathing is weak.
+Anxiety increased.’ One can only look to God’s great mercy
+for further hope!</p>
+
+<p>“<i>December 14.</i>&mdash;… Bülow congratulated me on the
+better accounts which had just been received from Sandringham!
+It was the first I had heard of it; just at that moment
+Wenckstern appeared with the telegram: ‘Quiet sleep at
+intervals, gravity of symptoms diminished, state more hopeful.&mdash;Alice.’
+God be thanked for this blessed change!… I
+read aloud in Mama’s room, amid tears and sobs, the touching
+account in the <i>Daily Telegraph</i> of our dear Wales’s illness, of
+all that goes on at Sandringham, of the prayers for him and the
+sermons preached about him.</p>
+
+<p>“<i>December 15.</i>&mdash;A much more hopeful telegram from Alice,
+as follows: ‘Bertie has passed a quiet night. The debility is
+great, but the conditions are much more favourable.’ Thank
+God for this great mercy.”</p>
+
+<p>The feeling aroused through the United Kingdom was
+far greater than any public expression of emotion since the
+death of Princess Charlotte in 1817. In every town, crowds
+waited anxiously for the issue of newspapers containing the
+latest news of the Royal patient’s condition, and the Government
+found it expedient to forward the medical bulletins to
+every telegraph office in the United Kingdom. In the
+churches of every religious communion, prayers were offered,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_129" id="Page_129">[129]</a></span>
+though almost without hope, for the recovery of King
+Edward.</p>
+
+<p>At length, on 1st December, the King recovered consciousness,
+and his first remark to those about him was, “This is the
+Princess’s birthday.” The next coherent utterance came when
+he heard that Queen Victoria had been at Sandringham. “Has
+the Queen come from Scotland? Does she know I am ill?”
+he asked; but this slight rally did not continue, and soon all
+the Royal family were summoned to Sandringham. On 9th
+December the fever had spent itself, but the patient’s strength
+was considered to be exhausted. Special prayers were offered
+up in all churches; and shortly before the service in St. Mary
+Magdalene’s, Sandringham, the Vicar received the following
+note from Queen Alexandra:&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>“My husband being, thank God, somewhat better, I am
+coming to church. I must leave, I fear, before the service is
+concluded, that I may watch by his bedside. Can you not say
+a few words in prayer in the early part of the service, that I
+may join with you in prayer for my husband before I return to
+him?”</p>
+
+<p>The Vicar, before reading the Collect, in a voice trembling
+with emotion, which he vainly strove to suppress, said: “The
+prayers of the congregation are earnestly sought for His Royal
+Highness the Prince of Wales, who is now most seriously ill.”</p>
+
+<p>The day following, an article in the <i>Times</i> began: “The
+Prince still lives, and we may still therefore hope”; and so the
+weary days dragged on. On the 16th it was recorded that the
+patient had enjoyed a quiet and refreshing sleep, and on the
+17th, a Sunday, those of the Royal family who were then at
+Sandringham were present at church, when, by special request,
+the Prince and Blegge were recommended to the mercy of God
+in the same prayer. That same day Queen Alexandra visited
+the poor dying groom, and after his death, which occurred
+within the next few hours, both she and Queen Victoria found
+time, in the midst of their terrible anxiety, to visit and comfort
+his relations.</p>
+
+<p>By Christmas Day the danger may be said to have been<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_130" id="Page_130">[130]</a></span>
+over, and on 26th December Queen Victoria wrote the following
+letter to the nation:&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>“The Queen is very anxious to express her deep sense of
+the touching sympathy of the whole nation on the occasion of
+the alarming illness of her dear son, the Prince of Wales. The
+universal feeling shown by her people during those painful,
+terrible days, and the sympathy evinced by them with herself
+and her beloved daughter, the Princess of Wales, as well as
+the general joy at the improvement of the Prince of Wales’s
+state, have made a deep and lasting impression on her heart,
+which can never be effaced.…”</p>
+
+<p>Queen Alexandra and Princess Alice now felt that their
+patient was well enough for them to leave him for an hour or
+two in order to assist at the distribution of Christmas gifts to
+the labourers on the estate. In the ceiling of the room afterwards
+occupied by Queen Alexandra as a bed-chamber, the
+mark of an orifice might be seen from which projected a hook
+supporting a trapeze, by the aid of which the patient, when on
+the slow and weary road to convalescence, could change his
+position and pull himself up into a sitting posture.</p>
+
+<p>Another memento of the King’s terrible illness is the brass
+lectern in the parish church. On it runs an inscription:&mdash;</p>
+
+<div class="blockquote">
+
+<p class="center"><span class="smcap">To the glory of God.<br />
+A thank-offering for His mercy.<br />
+14th December 1871.<br />
+Alexandra.</span></p>
+
+<p class="center">“When I was in trouble I called upon the Lord, and He heard me.”</p>
+
+</div>
+
+<p>The last bulletin was issued on 14th January, and nine days
+later Sir William Jenner was gazetted a K.C.B. and Dr. W.
+Gull was created a Baronet&mdash;rewards which gave particular
+satisfaction to the nation.</p>
+
+<p>It was whispered at the time that King Edward, under
+Providence, really owed his recovery to one of those sudden
+inspirations of genius of which the history of medicine is full.
+He seemed to be actually <i>in extremis</i>, when one of his medical
+attendants sent in haste for two bottles of old champagne<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_131" id="Page_131">[131]</a></span>
+brandy and rubbed the patient with it vigorously all over till
+returning animation rewarded the doctor’s efforts.</p>
+
+<p>King Edward’s recovery was hailed with feelings of deep
+thankfulness by the whole nation, and it was universally deemed
+appropriate that public thanks should be returned to Almighty
+God for His great mercy. The utmost interest was taken by
+all classes of society in the preparations for the proposed
+National Thanksgiving. Mr. William Longman wrote to the
+<i>Times</i> urging that, as in 1664 and 1678, subscriptions should
+be invited for the completion of the Cathedral Church of St.
+Paul in London as a perpetual memorial of the event.</p>
+
+<p>During the interval before the day fixed for the National
+Thanksgiving, King Edward and Queen Alexandra paid visits
+to Windsor and Osborne. When they returned to London
+one of the first visitors they received was Dr. Stanley, who
+had now become Dean of Westminster. It was resolved that
+they should attend a private service of thanksgiving in the
+Abbey, which the Dean thus describes in a letter to an intimate
+correspondent:&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>“I went to Marlborough House to suggest, through Fisher
+and Keppel, that the Prince of Wales should come. He consented
+at once, and it was agreed that he, the Princess, and
+the Crown Prince of Denmark, and if in town, Prince Alfred,
+should come. I kept it a secret except from the Canons. We
+met them at the great Western door; the nave (as usual) was
+quite clear. They walked in with me, and took their places on
+my right. I preached on Psalm cxxii. 1. The Prince of Wales
+heard every word, and has decided that it shall be published,
+which it will be, and you shall have a copy. It was one of
+those rare occasions on which I was able to say all that I
+wished to say. They were conducted again to the West door,
+and departed.”</p>
+
+<p>The day fixed for the public National Thanksgiving in St.
+Paul’s was 27th February, and never, save perhaps on 22nd June
+1897, did Queen Victoria and her eldest son and daughter-in-law
+receive a more splendid and heartfelt welcome. Thirteen
+thousand people were admitted to the Cathedral, among them<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_132" id="Page_132">[132]</a></span>
+being most of the notable personages of the day, including all
+the great officers of State.</p>
+
+<div id="illus43" class="figcenter" style="width: 275px;">
+
+<img src="images/ill043.jpg" width="275" height="400" alt="" />
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Thanksgiving Day, 1872: The Scene at Temple Bar</span></p>
+
+<p><i>From the “Illustrated London News”</i></p>
+
+</div>
+
+<p>The procession set out from Buckingham Palace at twelve
+o’clock. First came the Speaker, the Lord Chancellor, and the
+Commander-in-Chief, in their carriages, followed by nine Royal
+equipages, in the last of which sat Queen Victoria, dressed in
+black velvet trimmed with broad bands of white ermine, Queen
+Alexandra in blue silk covered with black lace, King Edward
+in the uniform of a British general and wearing the Collars of
+the Orders of the Garter and the Bath, Prince Albert Victor<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_133" id="Page_133">[133]</a></span>
+then a boy of eight, and Princess Beatrice. The late Duchess
+of Teck, to her great grief, could not be present, as her eldest
+son had sickened with scarlet fever.</p>
+
+<p>In the Green Park the procession was greeted by an army
+of 30,000 children, who sang the National Anthem as the Royal
+carriages drove by.</p>
+
+<p>St. Paul’s was reached at one o’clock, and the Royal party
+were received at the great West door by the Dean and Chapter.
+Queen Victoria passed up the nave leaning on the arm of her
+son, who conducted Her Majesty to a pew which had been
+specially prepared for the occasion.</p>
+
+<p>The service began with the “Te Deum,” and after some
+prayers a special form of thanksgiving which had been officially
+drawn up was said. Then the Archbishop of Canterbury
+preached a short sermon from the text, Romans xii. 5,
+“Members one of another.” The service concluded with a
+thanksgiving hymn which had been specially written for the
+occasion. The proceedings were over by two o’clock, and the
+procession returned by a different route, along Holborn and
+Oxford Street, in the presence of an enthusiastic crowd said
+to be the largest ever collected in London. As the poet
+sings:&mdash;</p>
+
+<div class="poetry-container">
+<div class="poetry">
+<div class="verse indent2">Bear witness, thou memorable day,</div>
+<div class="verse">When, pale as yet, and fever-worn, the Prince,</div>
+<div class="verse">Who scarce had plucked his flickering life again</div>
+<div class="verse">From halfway down the shadow of the grave,</div>
+<div class="verse indent2">Past through the people and their love;</div>
+<div class="verse">And London roll’d one tide of joy thro’ all</div>
+<div class="verse indent2">Her trebled millions and loud leagues of men.</div>
+</div>
+</div>
+
+<p>Two days later Queen Victoria wrote from Buckingham
+Palace to Mr. Gladstone, who was then Prime Minister, one
+of those touching letters which on many occasions drew still
+more closely together the ties of loyalty and affection between
+Her Majesty and her people. The Queen wrote that she was
+anxious<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_134" id="Page_134">[134]</a></span> “to express publicly her own personal very deep sense
+of the reception she and her dear children met with on Tuesday,
+the 27th of February, from millions of her subjects on her way
+to and from St. Paul’s. Words are too weak for the Queen
+to say how very deeply touched and gratified she has been
+by the immense enthusiasm and affection exhibited towards
+her dear son and herself, from the highest down to the lowest,
+in the long progress through the capital, and she would
+earnestly wish to convey her warmest and most heartfelt
+thanks to the whole nation for this great demonstration of
+loyalty. The Queen, as well as her son and dear daughter-in-law,
+felt that the whole nation joined with them in thanking
+God for sparing the beloved Prince of Wales’s life.…”</p>
+
+<div id="illus44" class="figcenter" style="width: 500px;">
+
+<img src="images/ill044.jpg" width="500" height="325" alt="" />
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Thanksgiving Day, 1872: The Procession up Ludgate Hill</span></p>
+
+<p><i>From the “Illustrated London News”</i></p>
+
+</div>
+
+<p>Although the Duchess of Teck had not been able to attend
+the Thanksgiving Service at St. Paul’s, she returned to England
+in time to take part in a great ceremony which took place on
+the 1st of May at the Crystal Palace. Referring to this occasion,
+she writes:&mdash;<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_135" id="Page_135">[135]</a></span>“We drove down to Sydenham with Louise as
+Alfred’s guests to attend the <i>fête</i> in celebration of Wales’s
+recovery. Concert: Sullivan’s <i>Te Deum</i>, Miscellanies with
+Titiens.”</p>
+
+<p>The impression made by King Edward’s illness and
+marvellous recovery upon the Royal family in general is
+well illustrated by the following passage from a letter written
+by Princess Alice to her mother in December 1872:&mdash;</p>
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_136" id="Page_136">[136]</a></span></p>
+<p>“That our good, sweet Alix should have been spared this
+terrible grief, when this time last year it seemed so imminent,
+fills my heart with gratitude for her dear sake, as for yours,
+his children and ours.… The 14th will now be a day of
+mixed recollections and feelings to us, a day hallowed in our
+family, when one great spirit ended his work on earth …
+and when another was left to fulfil his duty and mission, God
+grant, for the welfare of his own family and of thousands.”</p>
+
+<hr class="chap" />
+
+<h2 id="CHAPTER_XI">CHAPTER XI<br />
+<span class="smaller">1873-1875</span></h2>
+
+<p>The year 1873 was spent on the whole very quietly by the
+King and Queen. His Majesty took up once more the thread
+of his public life which had been interrupted for a considerable
+time by his illness and convalescence.</p>
+
+<p>A pleasant glimpse of the home life at Sandringham about
+this time is given in the following letters from the witty and
+eloquent Archbishop Magee (then Bishop of Peterborough),
+written to his wife:&mdash;</p>
+
+<div class="blockquote">
+
+<p class="right">“<span class="smcap">Sandringham</span>, <i>6th December 1873</i>.</p>
+
+<p>“… I arrived just as they were all at tea in the entrance
+hall, and had to walk in, all seedy and dishevelled from my
+day’s journey, and sit down beside the Princess of Wales,
+with Disraeli on the other side of me, and sundry lords and
+ladies round the table. The Prince received me very kindly,
+and certainly has most winning and gracious manners. The
+Princess seems smaller and thinner than I remember her at
+Dublin. They seem to be pleasant and domesticated, with
+little state and very simple ways.”</p>
+
+<p class="right">“<i>7th December 1873.</i></p>
+
+<p>“Just returned from church, where I preached for twenty-six
+minutes (Romans viii. 28). The church is a very small
+country one close to the grounds. The house, as I saw it by
+daylight, is a handsome country house of red stone with white
+facings, standing well and looking quietly comfortable and
+suitable. I find the company pleasant and civil, but we are<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_137" id="Page_137">[137]</a></span>
+a curious mixture. Two Jews, Sir A. Rothschild and his
+daughter; an ex-Jew, Disraeli; a Roman Catholic, Colonel
+Higgins; an Italian duchess who is an Englishwoman, and
+her daughter brought up as a Roman Catholic and now turning
+Protestant; a set of young lords, and a bishop. The
+Jewess came to church; so did the half-Protestant young lady.
+Dizzy did the same, and was profuse in his praises of my
+sermon. We are all to lunch together in a few minutes, the
+children dining with us. They seem, the two I saw in church,
+nice, clever-looking little bodies, and very like their mother.”</p>
+
+</div>
+
+<div id="illus45" class="figcenter" style="width: 450px;">
+
+<img src="images/ill045.jpg" width="450" height="650" alt="" />
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Queen Alexandra and her Sister the Empress Alexander of Russia,
+in 1873</span></p>
+
+<p><i>From a Photograph by Maull and Fox</i></p>
+
+</div>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_138" id="Page_138">[138]</a></span>King Edward and Queen Alexandra represented Queen
+Victoria at the marriage of the Duke of Edinburgh and the
+Grand Duchess Marie of Russia in January 1874. The
+English marriage service was performed by Dean Stanley,
+who wrote to Queen Victoria an interesting letter describing
+the Imperial wedding, in which he mentioned how much he
+had been struck, both in the chapel and at the subsequent
+banquet, by the singular difference in character and expression
+of the four future kings, the Prince of Wales, the Crown
+Prince of Prussia, the Cesarewitch, and the Crown Prince of
+Denmark, who were all present.</p>
+
+<p>On the Sunday following the wedding King Edward and
+Queen Alexandra attended the service at the English Church
+in St. Petersburg, and the Dean preached on the marriage
+feast at Cana in Galilee, much the same sermon which he had
+preached in the Chapel-Royal at Whitehall on the Sunday following
+the marriage of their Majesties. All through this visit to
+Russia their Majesties were received with unusual distinction, and
+a grand parade of troops was held in honour of King Edward.</p>
+
+<p>King Edward dined in the Middle Temple Hall on Grand
+Night of Trinity term in 1874. On this occasion His Majesty
+humorously expressed the opinion that it was a good thing for
+the profession at large, and for the public in general, that he
+had never practised at the Bar, for he could never have been
+an ornament to it. In saying this his modesty probably led him
+astray, for he is a thoughtful and lucid speaker, and his habits of
+method and order would certainly have stood him in good stead if
+he had been compelled to apply his mind to any profession. His
+Majesty was elected a Bencher of the Middle Temple in 1861,
+and served the office of Treasurer in the Jubilee year of 1887.</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_139" id="Page_139">[139]</a><br />
+<a name="Page_140" id="Page_140">[140]</a></span></p>
+
+<div id="illus46" class="figcenter" style="width: 480px;">
+
+<img src="images/ill046.jpg" width="480" height="650" alt="" />
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Queen Victoria, with the Princes Albert Victor and George,
+and their sister, Princess Victoria</span></p>
+
+<p><i>From the Painting by James Sant, R.A.</i></p>
+
+</div>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_141" id="Page_141">[141]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>When King Edward and Queen Alexandra were first
+married they always gave two great balls at Marlborough
+House each year&mdash;one on the anniversary of their wedding
+day, and one at the close of the London season. But the
+most splendid entertainment ever given by their Majesties
+was the great fancy dress ball in July 1874. Over fourteen
+hundred invitations were sent out, and the Royal host and
+hostess made no stipulations as to the choice of costume,
+leaving it to individual taste. The Queen wore a Venetian
+dress, and was attended by her two young sons as pages.
+The King appeared as Charles I., wearing a costume exactly
+copied from the famous Vandyke picture, that is, a maroon
+satin and velvet suit, partly covered with a short black velvet
+cloak, while the black hat, trimmed with one long white
+feather, was looped up with an aigrette of brilliants. He also
+wore high buff boots, long spurs and sword, while round his
+neck hung the Collar of the Garter.</p>
+
+<p>Many of the costumes worn were very interesting and
+curious. In the Fairy Tale Quadrille, the Earl of Rosebery,
+then quite a youth, was Blue Beard; Mr. Albert (now Earl)
+Grey, Puss in Boots; and the Duke of Connaught, the Beast.
+Lord Charles and Lord Marcus Beresford were a couple of
+Court jesters. The only person present who was not in fancy
+dress was Benjamin Disraeli, then Prime Minister. He wore
+the official dress of a Privy Councillor.</p>
+
+<p>That same year the King and Queen visited Birmingham
+for the first time, being received by the then mayor, Mr.
+Joseph Chamberlain, who was at the time credited with being
+so advanced a Republican that many fears were expressed that
+he might behave with scant courtesy to his Royal guests, and
+bets were even taken as to whether he would consent to
+shake hands with them! However, these prognostications
+proved groundless, and it is particularly interesting to recall the
+comment which the <i>Times</i> made on the following day:&mdash;</p>
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_142" id="Page_142">[142]</a></span></p>
+<p>“Whatever Mr. Chamberlain’s views may be, his speeches
+of yesterday appear to us to have been admirably worthy of
+the occasion, and to have done the highest credit to himself.
+We have heard and chronicled a great many mayors’ speeches,
+but we do not know that we ever heard or chronicled speeches
+made before Royal personages by mayors, whether they were
+Tories or Whigs, or Liberals or Radicals, which were couched
+in such a tone at once of courteous homage, manly independence,
+and gentlemanly feeling, which were so perfectly becoming
+and so much the right thing in every way as those of Mr.
+Chamberlain.”</p>
+
+<p>On the same day that this appeared in the leading journal,
+Sir Francis Knollys wrote to Mr. Chamberlain a most cordial
+letter, in which he said:&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>“I have received the commands of the Prince and Princess
+of Wales to make known through you to the inhabitants of the
+borough of Birmingham the satisfaction they derived from their
+visit to that town yesterday. They can never forget the reception
+they met with, nor the welcome given to them by all classes
+of the community.… I may further congratulate you and the
+other members of the reception committee on the happy result
+of their labours. Nothing could have been more successful, and
+their Royal Highnesses will ever entertain most agreeable
+recollections of their visit to Birmingham.”</p>
+
+<p>In conclusion, Mr. Chamberlain was informed that the King
+wished to give £100 to a Birmingham charity, and was asked
+to state which he considered to be the most deserving, and at
+the same time the most in need of support.</p>
+
+<p>The festivities of the following Christmas were overshadowed
+by the death at Sandringham from inflammation of
+the lungs of Colonel Grey, who had been for some time a
+valued member of the Household. It was with reference to
+this sad loss that Princess Alice wrote to Queen Victoria:&mdash;“Dear
+Bertie’s true and constant heart suffers on such
+occasions, for he can be constant in friendship, and all who
+serve him, serve him with warm attachment.”</p>
+
+<p>In 1875 the death of Canon Kingsley came as a great blow
+to their Majesties, who were both fondly attached to the
+famous writer.</p>
+
+<hr class="chap" />
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_143" id="Page_143">[143]</a></span></p>
+
+<div id="illus47" class="figcenter" style="width: 700px;">
+
+<img src="images/ill047.jpg" width="700" height="250" alt="" />
+
+<p><span class="smcap">The King’s Indian Tour, 1875</span></p>
+
+</div>
+
+<h2 id="CHAPTER_XII">CHAPTER XII<br />
+<span class="smaller">THE KING’S TOUR IN INDIA</span></h2>
+
+<p>Lord Canning, the great Viceroy of India, once told the
+Prince Consort how desirable he thought it that the Prince
+of Wales should, when grown up, visit Queen Victoria’s
+Eastern Empire, and later on, those who had the privilege
+of the young Prince’s friendship were well aware that an
+Indian tour had become one of his most ardent wishes.</p>
+
+<p>But the project of the Heir-Apparent’s visit to India only
+really took shape early in 1875, and on 20th March it was
+publicly announced that the Prince contemplated this journey,
+the Marquis of Salisbury, who was then Secretary of State for
+India, making an official announcement to the Council of India
+of the intended event. The Council passed a resolution that
+the expenditure actually incurred in India should be charged
+on the revenues of that country.</p>
+
+<p>Curiously enough, a great deal of hostile feeling was aroused
+by the announcement of this Royal tour. On 17th July a great
+meeting was held in Hyde Park to protest against the grant
+of money which was then being sanctioned by Parliament to
+defray the expenses of the journey. Many people went so far
+as to declare that they would have acquiesced in the passing
+of the vote had the Heir-Apparent’s visit to his mother’s
+Eastern dominions been a “State visit” instead of a mere
+“pleasure trip.” And yet it need hardly be pointed out that,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_144" id="Page_144">[144]</a></span>
+greatly as King Edward looked forward to his tour, the
+journey was likely to prove anything but a mere “pleasure
+trip” to India’s Royal visitor. He and those about him well
+knew that from the moment he landed at Bombay till the day
+he left India he would not only constantly remain <i>en évidence</i>,
+but he also expected to conciliate the many different races with
+which he was going to be brought in contact when passing
+through the various Indian States.</p>
+
+<p>There were many points to be considered about the tour.
+The rules and regulations which had sufficed for the Prince in
+Canada and the Colonies were inapplicable to India. One
+notable feature of Oriental manners is the exchange of presents
+between visitors and hosts, and it was early arranged that
+King Edward’s luggage should contain £40,000 worth of
+presents to be distributed among the great feudatory and
+other potentates who would have the honour of entertaining
+or at any rate of meeting him.</p>
+
+<p>It was also arranged that he was to be the guest of the
+Viceroy, Lord Northbrook, from the moment he landed on
+Indian soil; and, roughly speaking, it was estimated that the
+expenses of the reception alone would probably come to
+about £30,000. The estimate made by the Admiralty for the
+expenses of the voyage to and from India, and the movements
+of the fleet in connection with the Royal visit, came
+to £52,000; while for the personal expenses of the visit a
+vote of £60,000 was included in the estimate submitted to
+the House of Commons when in Committee of Supply. However,
+here again this suggestion did not meet with universal
+approval when the necessary resolution was brought forward
+in the House. Mr. Fawcett, afterwards Postmaster-General,
+raised a discussion, basing his objections to the vote partly
+on sentimental and partly on economic grounds. However,
+he only found thirty-three members to agree with him, and
+the vote was passed. During the debate, Mr. Disraeli, who
+was then Prime Minister, drew a very remarkable picture of
+the extraordinary pomp and circumstance with which King
+Edward was about to be surrounded.</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_145" id="Page_145">[145]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>It was felt better that he should go as Heir-Apparent of
+the Crown, and not as the representative of Her Majesty, but,
+as might have been expected, these fine distinctions were not
+understood in India, and he was expected to do just as much
+as he would have done in a more directly official capacity.</p>
+
+<p>Before starting on his tour he thoroughly studied the
+subject of India and her peoples, and he even made himself
+acquainted with the peculiarities of every one of the large
+Indian cities where he would be expected to receive and answer
+addresses.</p>
+
+<p>The question of the suite was, as may be imagined, very
+important. It was early decided that Sir Bartle Frere, whose
+name was familiar to millions of the inhabitants of India, should
+accompany King Edward, and the Duke of Sutherland was also
+asked to join the party. Of his private friends, the Earl of Aylesford,
+Lord (now Earl) Carrington, Colonel (now General) Owen
+Williams, and Lieutenant (now Admiral) Lord Charles Beresford,
+also accepted an invitation to be of the party. Then
+came the official Household, consisting of Lord Suffield;
+Colonel Ellis, the Prince’s equerry, to whom was confided
+the delicate question of the giving and receiving of presents;
+General (now Sir Dighton) Probyn, to whom were left the
+arrangements for horses, travelling, and shooting parties; and
+Mr. (now Sir Francis) Knollys, the Prince’s private secretary.
+Canon Duckworth went as chaplain, and Dr. (now Sir Joseph)
+Fayrer as medical man. Mr. Albert Grey (now Earl Grey)
+went as private secretary to Sir Bartle Frere, Mr. S. P. Hall
+accompanied the party in order to sketch the incidents of the
+tour, while Lord Alfred Paget was specially commissioned
+by Queen Victoria to join the suite. Dr. W. H. (now Sir
+William) Russell, the famous war correspondent, who was
+temporarily attached to the suite as honorary private secretary,
+wrote on his return a very interesting account of the tour,
+entitled “The Prince of Wales’s Tour in India,” which has
+remained the standard authority on the subject.</p>
+
+<p>On the day that King Edward left Sandringham, amid
+many demonstrations of goodwill and wishings of God-speed<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_146" id="Page_146">[146]</a></span>
+from his country neighbours, he presented his Consort with a
+team of Corsican ponies and a miniature drag. He spent the
+last few days of his stay in England with Queen Alexandra and
+their children at Marlborough House. On the Sunday before
+his departure they were all present at divine service in
+Westminster Abbey, and the next day the King went to say
+good-bye to his old friend Dean Stanley, who, in a letter to
+an intimate correspondent, gave the following vivid description
+of the visit:&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>“On the Sunday night we had a message to say that the
+Prince and Princess of Wales would come to take leave of us at
+3.30 <span class="smcapuc">P.M.</span> the next day. They came about 4 <span class="smcapuc">P.M.</span>, having been
+detained by the members of the family coming to Marlborough
+House.</p>
+
+<p>“They brought all the five children, wishing, the Prince
+said, to have them all with him as long as possible.</p>
+
+<p>“They all came up, and remained about twenty minutes.
+Fanny was in the back library, and the children, after being for
+a few minutes with Augusta, who was delighted to see them,
+went to her.</p>
+
+<p>“The Prince and Princess remained with Augusta and me.
+A. talked with all her usual animation. They were both extremely
+kind. The Princess looked inexpressibly sad. There
+was nothing much said of interest, chiefly talking of the
+voyage, etc. As I took him downstairs, he spoke of the
+dangers&mdash;but calmly and rationally, saying that, of course
+the precautions must be left to those about him. I said to
+him, ‘I gave you my parting benediction in the Abbey yesterday.’
+‘Yes,’ he replied, ‘I saw it. Thank you.’</p>
+
+<p>“Later on in the evening Augusta wished me to telegraph
+our renewed thanks and renewed good wishes to the <i>Castalia</i>
+at Dover. I did so, and at 11 <span class="smcapuc">P.M.</span> there came back a telegram
+from him: ‘Many thanks for your kind message. God bless
+both of you! Just off for Calais!’”</p>
+
+<p>King Edward started from London on 11th October, immense
+popular interest being taken in the event. Huge
+crowds assembled long before the departure of the special<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_147" id="Page_147">[147]</a></span>
+train from Charing Cross, and the King and Queen Alexandra
+were wildly cheered. The Queen accompanied her husband
+as far as Calais, and then the King travelled across the
+Continent <i>incognito</i>, meeting his suite, who had started a few
+days previously, at Brindisi.</p>
+
+<div id="illus48" class="figcenter" style="width: 500px;">
+
+<img src="images/ill048.jpg" width="500" height="330" alt="" />
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Embarkation on Board the “Serapis” at Brindisi</span></p>
+
+</div>
+
+<p>The eventful journey was made in the <i>Serapis</i>, one of the
+old large Indian troopships, and the voyage was very successful
+from every point of view. The Royal party spent a few
+days at Athens, where the King was entertained by his
+brother-in-law, the King of Greece, to whom he had brought
+a number of gifts from Sandringham, including an Alderney
+bull and cow, a ram and sheep, several British pigs, and a
+number of horses.</p>
+
+<p>From the Piræus the <i>Serapis</i> proceeded to Egypt, and King
+Edward invested Prince Tewfik, the Khedive’s eldest son, with
+the Order of the Star of India.</p>
+
+<p>As the <i>Serapis</i> steamed onwards the various programmes
+of the Royal progress through India were submitted to the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_148" id="Page_148">[148]</a></span>
+King, and even the addresses which were to be presented to
+him were shown and his answers were carefully prepared; in
+fact, before he left Aden, His Majesty knew with what words
+the Corporation of Bombay, for instance, would receive him.</p>
+
+<p>As may be easily imagined, all India was by now in a
+ferment of excitement, and the official world were very much
+concerned at the immense responsibility placed upon them by
+the mother-country. Four officers, of whom two had obtained
+the Victoria Cross, were carefully selected and commissioned
+to look after the comfort and the safety of the King and of his
+suite, Major Bradford (afterwards Sir E. R. C. Bradford, Chief
+Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police) being entrusted with
+the responsible task of attending to the safety of the Royal
+visitor’s own person.</p>
+
+<p>The question as to how King Edward was to make his first
+appearance in Bombay was keenly discussed, and at one time
+it was thought that splendidly caparisoned elephants would
+form the most fitting mode of transport from the landing-stage
+to Government House, but finally the party went in carriages.
+Among the cargo of the <i>Serapis</i> were three valuable horses,
+specially chosen from the Marlborough House stables, which
+had been regularly taken to the Zoo, in order to be accustomed
+to the sight of the wild beasts and reptiles which they were
+likely to meet with in India.</p>
+
+<p>At last it was noised abroad that the <i>Serapis</i> had been
+sighted, and the Viceroy, Lord Northbrook (afterwards Earl of
+Northbrook), went out to meet King Edward, returning to
+Bombay in order to receive him on landing. There was a good
+deal of discreet curiosity as to which of them would give precedence
+to the other, for of course the Viceroy represents Her
+Majesty, and so was entitled to take precedence, but Lord
+Northbrook, with considerable tact, unobtrusively gave his
+Royal guest the first place.</p>
+
+<p>The moment the King emerged from the dockyard a salute
+was fired, and at every station in India, whether important or
+obscure, the signal was given by telegraph for a Royal salute
+wherever there were guns to fire it.</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_149" id="Page_149">[149]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>While actually in Bombay King Edward and his suite
+became the guests of the Governor, Sir Philip Woodhouse, and
+it was there that two days after his arrival in India the King
+celebrated his thirty-fourth birthday, the first object which met
+his eyes in the morning being a charming portrait of Queen
+Alexandra, who had specially entrusted it to Sir Bartle Frere.
+On this eventful day the glories and the fatigues of the King’s
+Indian tour may be said to have begun.</p>
+
+<p>The Royal birthday was duly honoured all over Hindustan
+at noon, and although the heat, even at 8 <span class="smcapuc">A.M.</span>, had been very
+considerable, the King was compelled to hold a great reception
+in full dress, that is to say, in a uniform of English cloth loaded
+with lace and buttoned up to the throat. The scene was very
+impressive. The King during the reception was seated on a
+silver throne, and everything was done to invest the affair with
+the greatest pomp and circumstance. His suite all stood round
+him in full uniform; behind the throne was a portrait of Queen
+Victoria; and although the King was not supposed to hold
+durbars, the ceremony being simply styled a private visit or
+reception, it was in every way as impressive and remarkable
+as if it had carried full official significance.</p>
+
+<p>An immense number of native Princes and Rajahs paid
+their respects in person to their future Sovereign. The first
+potentate to be presented was the Rajah of Kholapur, a child
+of twelve years old, the ruler of nearly a million people. The
+little Rajah was attired in purple velvet and white muslin
+encrusted with gems, his turban containing a King’s ransom
+of pearls and rubies. In spite of his extreme youth the Indian
+Prince remained perfectly serious, and went through the
+somewhat complicated ceremonies with absolute self-possession.</p>
+
+<p>After the last Rajah had departed, King Edward had a
+long talk with the Viceroy, and then made his way to the
+<i>Serapis</i>, where he had the pleasure of seeing the crew enjoying
+the birthday dinner provided by himself. He also cut a
+birthday cake, and looked over the telegrams just received
+from Sandringham. That same evening was held a great<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_150" id="Page_150">[150]</a></span>
+reception, to which naturally the British officials and residents
+came in great force.</p>
+
+<p>The next few days were also equally well filled. King
+Edward had to pay elaborate return visits to the chiefs and
+Rajahs who had attended his reception, and it was then that
+he was enabled to show his tact and the extraordinary
+knowledge he had acquired of their complicated ranks and
+genealogies; indeed, he greatly pleased several important
+Rajahs by showing that he had heard of the antiquity of
+their families, and by graciously alluding to the gallant deeds
+of their ancestors. The British people of Bombay had
+organised a great dinner for the sailors of the fleet, and,
+much to their gratification, the King consented to attend the
+banquet. Not content with a mere formal glance at the
+proceedings, he mounted a plank, and with a glass in his
+hand, exclaimed to the delighted men, of whom there were
+over two thousand present, “My lads, I am glad to meet
+you all. I drink your good health, and a happy voyage
+home.”</p>
+
+<p>King Edward took the opportunity of laying the foundation-stone
+of the Elphinstone Docks, the ceremony being carried
+out with Masonic honours, and it was considered very
+interesting and significant that among members of the craft
+present were Parsees, Mahomedans, and Hindus.</p>
+
+<p>During the month of November the King visited Poona,
+where he held a review, and visited the Court of the Gaikwar
+of Baroda. There a fine elephant was prepared for his use.
+The animal was of extraordinary size, and the howdah on
+which the King rode was said to have cost four lakhs of
+rupees. He held a reception at the Residency, and had his
+first sight of Indian sport, for he attended a cheetah hunt,
+himself killing a fine buck, and much enjoying his day’s sport.
+About the same time he also joined a pig-sticking expedition,
+a very popular Indian sport, and at last, to his great satisfaction,
+had the opportunity of “getting his spear,” in other words,
+of killing a wild boar.</p>
+
+<p>Then, returning to Bombay, the Royal party once more<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_151" id="Page_151">[151]</a></span>
+took up their quarters on the <i>Serapis</i>, where the King spent
+Queen Alexandra’s birthday. From Bombay he found time
+to visit the Portuguese settlement of Goa, and thence went
+on to Ceylon, where he inspected a tea plantation, and where
+the peepul planted by him in commemoration of his visit is
+still proudly shown to the ubiquitous globe-trotter.</p>
+
+<p>At Madras the King had a splendid reception, spending,
+however, 14th December, the anniversary of his father’s death,
+in retirement at Guindy Park, the country seat of the Governor,
+eight miles from the city.</p>
+
+<p>Christmas Day was spent in Calcutta, where an immense
+programme was gone through, including a considerable number
+of public ceremonies, the holding of audiences, and last, but
+not least, a <i>levée</i>, at which both natives and Europeans were
+present. After the King and the Viceroy had attended divine
+service in the Cathedral, His Majesty entertained a large party
+at lunch in the <i>Serapis</i>. His health was drunk with Highland
+honours, and many messages were exchanged between himself
+and “home.” On the afternoon of the same day the Royal
+party drove out to the Viceregal Lodge at Barrackpur.</p>
+
+<p>The most important ceremony attended by King Edward
+in India, namely, a Chapter of the Order of the Star of India,
+at which he acted as High Commissioner for his Royal mother,
+was held on New Year’s Day 1876. His Majesty wore a
+field-marshal’s uniform, almost concealed beneath the folds of
+his sky-blue satin mantle, the train of which was carried by two
+naval cadets, who wore cocked hats over their powdered wigs,
+blue satin cloaks, trunk hose, and shoes with rosettes. The
+Chapter tent was carpeted with cloth of gold with the Royal
+Arms emblazoned in the centre. An immense number of the
+Companions of the Order attended, forming a most impressive
+procession, walking two and two, one half native and the other
+European. The Begum of Bhopal, the first Knight Grand
+Commander, had a procession all to herself. She was veiled
+and swathed in brocades and silks, over which was folded the
+light blue satin robe of the Order.</p>
+
+<p>The King took his seat on the daïs, and after the roll of<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_152" id="Page_152">[152]</a></span>
+the Order had been read, each member standing up as his
+name was called, the Chapter was declared open, and His
+Majesty directed the investiture to proceed. Never had such
+a gathering been seen in India. Among those present were
+Lord Napier of Magdala, “Political” Maitland, the Maharajah
+of Kashmir, and the Rajah of Patiala, who wore the great
+Sancy diamond in his turban.</p>
+
+<p>As each investiture took place, seventeen guns were fired,
+and the secretary proclaimed aloud the titles of the newly-made
+Knight Grand Commander or Companion as the case might
+be. The pageant was incomparably splendid, the close of the
+ceremony being quite as fine as the beginning, for the Knights
+Grand Cross, the Knights Grand Commanders, and the Companions
+all formed once more in a procession in the reverse
+order of their entry.</p>
+
+<p>At the close of the King’s visit to Calcutta he began his
+journeys by rail. At Benares he visited the famous Temples,
+and the Golden Pool, going from thence by steamer to the
+old port of Rammagar, where he and his suite were splendidly
+received by the Maharajah, who presented him with some very
+costly shawls and brocades, together with what is to an Indian
+the very highest proof of regard, namely his own walking-stick,
+a thick staff mounted with gold.</p>
+
+<p>At Lucknow the King laid the foundation-stone of a
+memorial to the natives who fell in the defence of the
+Residency. On this occasion he took the opportunity of
+paying a well-deserved tribute to the faithful soldiers of the
+native army. Some of the veterans were presented to him,
+and they were not allowed to be hurried by, ragged, squalid,
+or unclean; indeed, His Majesty insisted on exchanging a few
+words with several of them.</p>
+
+<p>While at Lucknow he took part in a pig-sticking expedition,
+at which Lord Carrington’s left collar-bone was broken, and
+curiously enough, Lord Napier of Magdala met with a precisely
+similar accident on the same day.</p>
+
+<div id="illus49" class="figcenter" style="width: 330px;">
+
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_153" id="Page_153">[153]</a></span>
+
+<img src="images/ill049.jpg" width="330" height="500" alt="" />
+
+<p><span class="smcap">The King’s Visit to the Cawnpore Memorial</span></p>
+
+</div>
+
+<p>From Delhi the King proceeded to Cawnpore, a spot he
+had been extremely anxious to visit, in common with many
+less illustrious tourists. His Majesty, after a drive to the
+site of the old cantonments, where the heroic defence took
+place, made his way to the Memorial Church, where he
+stopped close to the gateway which no native may pass
+through. There he alighted, and, with signs of deep emotion,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_154" id="Page_154">[154]</a></span>
+walked to the spot which marks the place of the fatal well.
+There was deep silence as he read aloud in a low voice the
+touching words, “To the memory of a great company of
+Christian people, principally women and children, who were
+cruelly slaughtered here.”</p>
+
+<p>On returning to Delhi the King held a <i>levée</i>, attended by
+hundreds of British officers, at the close of which several
+notabilities of the native army were presented. The next
+day a great review was held, Lord Napier of Magdala entertaining
+His Majesty at his own camp. Delhi was illuminated,
+and no trouble was spared in showing what was once the
+capital city of India to the Royal visitor.</p>
+
+<p>Some interesting hours were spent at Agra, where the
+King went to see the Taj illuminated, the beautiful marble
+“Queen of Sorrow” erected by the Shah Jehan in memory
+of his much-loved wife, Moomtaz i Mahul, who died at the
+birth of her eighth child. The King was so greatly charmed
+with the beauty of the Taj, lit up by myriad lights, that he
+would not return to the city till nearly midnight. All through
+the journeys and expeditions which immediately followed, His
+Majesty could not forget what he had seen, and before finally
+leaving the district he paid one more visit to the famous tomb,
+seeing it this time not illuminated, but by the beautiful full
+Indian moonlight.</p>
+
+<p>The King shot his first tiger on 5th February in the
+neighbourhood of Jeypur, but it was by no means the last, for it
+is recorded that he shot six tigers in one day when hunting in
+Nepaul with Sir Jung Bahadur. Then he returned through Lucknow,
+Cawnpore, and Allahabad. At Jubbulpur His Majesty
+went through the prison, and had some talk with seven Thugs
+who had been thirty-five years in confinement, and whose life
+in the first instance had only been spared because they had
+turned Queen’s evidence. The King questioned them as to
+their hideous trade, and one man, a villainous-looking individual,
+answered proudly, in reply to the question as to how many
+people he had murdered, “Sixty-seven.”</p>
+
+<p>King Edward and his suite left Bombay for home on<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_155" id="Page_155">[155]</a></span>
+13th March, just seventeen weeks after the <i>Serapis</i> had first
+dropped anchor in Bombay harbour. During those four months
+he had travelled close on 8000 miles by land and 2500 miles
+by sea, and during that time he had become acquainted with
+more Rajahs than had all the Viceroys who had ever reigned
+over India, and he had seen more of the country than had any
+living Englishman.</p>
+
+<p>The intelligence that Queen Victoria was about to assume
+the title of Empress of India had become known before the
+<i>Serapis</i> left Bombay, and caused her son great gratification.
+Curiously enough, the King met Lord Lytton, who was on his
+way out to Hindustan to succeed Lord Northbrook as Viceroy,
+when the <i>Serapis</i> was going through the Suez Canal.</p>
+
+<p>The Royal party spent five days in Egypt. By 6th April
+Malta was in sight, and the King was received there with great
+enthusiasm, as was also the case at Gibraltar, where he had
+the pleasure of meeting his brother, the Duke of Connaught.
+From there the <i>Serapis</i> proceeded by easy stages round Spain,
+the King taking the opportunity of visiting Seville, Cordova,
+Madrid, the Escurial, Lisbon, and Cintra. At Madrid King
+Alfonso came to meet the King at the station, and they drove
+together to the Palace, going from there to Toledo in order
+that the Royal visitor might inspect the famous manufactory
+of Toledo blades.</p>
+
+<p>As the <i>Serapis</i> anchored near Yarmouth the King was
+informed that Queen Alexandra and the Royal children had
+come to meet him on board the <i>Enchantress</i>. He immediately
+went on board their ship, bringing Her Majesty and
+their children back with him a little later on board the
+<i>Serapis</i>.</p>
+
+<p>It need hardly be pointed out that King Edward received
+a very remarkable number of gifts during his tour in India.
+The cost of a gift made to him by a native Prince was supposed
+to be strictly limited to £2000 in value, but in many cases this
+restriction was evaded by the present being priced at a nominal
+sum, the real value being anything from £5000 to £30,000.
+As an actual fact the splendid collection brought home by His<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_156" id="Page_156">[156]</a></span>
+Majesty, which is his own personal property, is said to be
+worth half a million sterling.</p>
+
+<p>Some time after his return home the King kindly allowed
+his Indian gifts to be exhibited to the public. They were
+afterwards distributed between Marlborough House and
+Sandringham, a considerable portion of them finding a resting-place
+in the Indian room of Marlborough House. There also
+were carefully stored away in solid silver cylinders all the
+addresses received by the King during his eventful Indian tour.</p>
+
+<p>King Edward, who takes the very keenest interest in live
+animals, brought back quite a menagerie with him from India,
+and the quarters in the <i>Serapis</i> assigned to his pets was for
+the time being a veritable Zoo, for there were tigers, elephants,
+ostriches, leopards, birds, ponies, cattle, monkeys, dogs and
+horses, some of which spent a peaceful old age at Sandringham.</p>
+
+<p>There can be no doubt that from a political point of view
+the tour was a great success, doing much indirectly to consolidate
+the British power in India. It is also a curious commentary
+on the objections raised by the economy party to the
+visit that no less a sum than £250,000 was spent in London
+alone by native Princes in buying presents for His Majesty.</p>
+
+<p>The principal incident of the voyage home had been a farewell
+dinner given by the officers of the <i>Serapis</i> to the King and
+his suite when the vessel was nearing harbour.</p>
+
+<p>The table was laid for forty on the main deck (called the
+Windsor Long Walk), which was decorated with flags, trophies
+of arms, and ornaments. After Queen Victoria had been duly
+honoured, Captain Glyn proposed King Edward’s health, and
+begged him to accept an album as a keepsake from himself and
+his officers. It contained, besides a large photograph of every
+officer, photographed groups of the men and the Guard of
+Honour, views of different parts of the ship, and photographs
+of a few favourite animals.</p>
+
+<p>The real popularity of the King’s visit to India was significantly
+proved by the popular demonstrations which awaited
+him on his return. Enthusiastic greetings of welcome hailed
+him in the evening both at Victoria Station and in his drive<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_157" id="Page_157">[157]</a></span>
+round by Grosvenor Place, Piccadilly, and St. James’s Street
+to meet the Queen at Buckingham Palace. The appearance
+of the King and Queen at the Royal Italian Opera in the
+evening, within two hours of their reaching home, was a
+particularly graceful act of consideration. Nothing could
+surpass the enthusiasm with which they were greeted when
+they were seen in the Royal box.</p>
+
+<div id="illus50" class="figcenter" style="width: 275px;">
+
+<img src="images/ill050.jpg" width="275" height="400" alt="" />
+
+<p><span class="smcap">The King in 1876</span></p>
+
+<p><i>From a Drawing by Sargent</i></p>
+
+</div>
+
+<p>During the days that followed, their Majesties received
+congratulatory visits from all the members of the Royal Family<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_158" id="Page_158">[158]</a></span>
+then in England, and from many distinguished personages.
+On the Sunday after his return, King Edward, accompanied by
+his Consort, the Duke of Edinburgh, and the Duke of Connaught,
+attended divine service at Westminster Abbey in
+the afternoon, when special thanksgivings were offered up for
+His Majesty’s safe return from India.</p>
+
+<p>Soon afterwards the King was entertained at a banquet and
+ball given by the Corporation of the City of London at the
+Guildhall. The temporary building erected for this brilliant
+assembly, to which over five thousand were invited, occupied
+the whole of Guildhall Yard. The reception hall was on the
+basement floor, the ballroom being built above it, and was
+beautifully decorated and draped with Oriental hangings. A
+daïs had been erected for their Majesties; and the scene is
+described as a combination of quaintly mediæval magnificence
+with modern luxury and elegance. The reception ceremony
+took place in the new library of the Guildhall, where an address
+of welcome, in a golden casket of Indian design, was presented
+to the King by the Lord Mayor. His Majesty, in a brief
+reply, said that it was his highest reward and his greatest pride
+to have received from the citizens of London and his countrymen
+such a welcome at the termination of a visit which had
+been undertaken with the view to strengthening the ties that
+bound India to our common country. The invitation tickets
+for this brilliant function were both beautiful and appropriate,
+the Star of India and the Taj Mahal at Agra figuring prominently
+in the design.</p>
+
+<p>Among the other entertainments given in honour of the
+King’s return may be mentioned a concert at the Albert Hall.
+King Edward and Queen Alexandra on their arrival were
+received by a Guard of Honour of 120 bluejackets from the
+<i>Serapis</i>, the <i>Raleigh</i>, and the <i>Osborne</i>, under the command of
+Captain Carr Glyn, and in the vestibule were all the Council
+of the Albert Hall, wearing the Windsor uniform. At their
+head was the Duke of Edinburgh in naval uniform. The vast
+hall was crowded with a distinguished audience.</p>
+
+<hr class="chap" />
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_159" id="Page_159">[159]</a></span></p>
+
+<h2 id="CHAPTER_XIII">CHAPTER XIII<br />
+<span class="smaller">QUIET YEARS OF PUBLIC WORK, 1876-1887&mdash;VISIT TO IRELAND&mdash;QUEEN
+VICTORIA’S GOLDEN JUBILEE</span></h2>
+
+<p>The year 1876 was marked, in addition to King Edward’s
+return from India, by a curious example of His Majesty’s tact
+and courage. He consented to preside at the special Jubilee
+Festival of the Licensed Victuallers’ Asylum, and this action
+aroused an extraordinary amount of feeling in temperance
+circles. Before the day of the festival he had received more
+than 200 petitions from all over the kingdom begging him to
+withdraw his consent. His Majesty, however, attended the
+festival, and in his speech pointedly referred to his critics,
+observing that he was there, not to encourage the consumption
+of alcoholic liquors, but to support an excellent charity, which
+had enjoyed the patronage of his honoured father.</p>
+
+<p>It is interesting to note the manner in which King Edward
+always refers to his father, with whom he undoubtedly has far
+more in common than is generally supposed. Perhaps the
+most conspicuous taste shared by the father and the son is a
+really keen and personal interest in exhibitions of all kinds.
+This was probably first realised by those about him twenty
+years ago, when the King accepted the onerous duties of
+Executive President of the British Commission of the Paris
+Exhibition of 1878. He threw himself with ardour into this
+work almost immediately after his return from India, and
+during a short visit which he paid to France in that spring he
+received a considerable number of official personages connected
+with the approaching exhibition.</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_160" id="Page_160">[160]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>The King, accompanied by Queen Alexandra, unveiled in
+the following July a statue of Alfred the Great at Wantage,
+the birthplace of the famous King. The statue was the gift
+of Colonel Lloyd-Lindsay (afterwards Lord Wantage), the
+sculptor being Count Gleichen (Prince Victor of Hohenlohe-Langenburg).
+King Edward is a lineal descendant of King
+Alfred by the intermarriage of the Saxon with the Norman
+reigning houses in the eleventh century, and it was most
+appropriate that he should have been invited to perform the
+ceremony.</p>
+
+<p>In January 1878 King Edward, accompanied by Prince
+Louis Napoleon, visited the late Duke of Hamilton at Hamilton
+Palace, in Lanarkshire. The Crown Prince of Austria was also
+a guest of the Duke at the time. The King greatly enjoyed
+this visit to the premier Peer of Scotland, who is of the ancient
+lineage of Scottish Royalty. The Royal visitors enjoyed some
+excellent sport in the historic Cadzow Forest&mdash;<i>Cadyow</i> having
+been granted by King Robert the Bruce after the battle of
+Bannockburn to Sir Gilbert Hamilton, the ancestor of the
+present Duke. Here still remain the few old oaks of the once
+great Caledonian Forest, immortalised by Sir Walter Scott in
+his ballad of “Cadyow Castle”; and here are also the wild
+white bulls of the same breed as preserved at Chillingham,
+and the famous Cadzow herd of wild cattle.</p>
+
+<p>This year of 1878, so brilliant in Paris, brought to the
+British Royal family a bereavement which can only be compared
+for its suddenness and bitterness with the death of the
+Prince Consort. The Grand Duchess of Hesse (Princess
+Alice), after nursing her children through a malignant diphtheria,
+herself fell a victim to the same dread disease on the very
+anniversary of her father’s death. The blow fell with peculiar
+severity on the King and Queen Alexandra, with whom
+Princess Alice had been united in the bonds of the closest affection,
+especially since the King’s illness, in which she had proved
+herself so devoted a nurse. The link between the Royal brother
+and sister is significantly shown by the fact that Princess Alice
+never visited England without paying long visits at Sandringham<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_161" id="Page_161">[161]</a></span>
+or at Marlborough House. The King was one of the chief
+mourners at the funeral in Darmstadt.</p>
+
+<div id="illus51" class="figcenter" style="width: 450px;">
+
+<img src="images/ill051.jpg" width="450" height="650" alt="" />
+
+<p><span class="smcap">The King in 1879</span></p>
+
+<p><i>From a Portrait by Angeli, published by Henry Graves and Co.</i></p>
+
+</div>
+
+<p>After this blow the King and Queen naturally remained for<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_162" id="Page_162">[162]</a></span>
+some months in the deepest retirement. A new grief was,
+however, in store for them&mdash;the tragic death in the following
+June of the young Prince Imperial, in whose career the King had
+always taken a warm and almost paternal interest. His Majesty
+was among the very first in this country to be informed of the
+terrible news, and he was of the greatest assistance to the
+stricken Empress Eugénie in making the complicated arrangements
+for the funeral. His active sympathy, and the announcement
+that the heir to the British Crown intended to be the
+principal pall-bearer of Napoleon III.’s ill-fated son, aroused
+much comment on the Continent, and gave great satisfaction
+to Frenchmen of all shades of political opinion. On a beautiful
+wreath of violets which was sent from Marlborough House for
+the funeral at Chislehurst were the words, written in Queen
+Alexandra’s own hand:&mdash;</p>
+
+<div class="blockquote">
+
+<p>“A token of affection and regard for him who lived the
+most spotless of lives and died a soldier’s death fighting for
+our cause in Zululand.</p>
+
+<p class="center">“From <span class="smcap">Albert Edward</span> and <span class="smcap">Alexandra</span>,<br />
+July 12, 1879.”</p>
+
+</div>
+
+<p>The King strongly supported the movement for erecting a
+memorial to the Prince Imperial in Westminster Abbey, and
+subscribed £130 to the fund which was raised for that object.
+The opposition to the scheme was, however, so strong that it
+fell to the ground. That the King’s feelings were not modified
+in any way is shown by the fact that early in January 1883,
+His Majesty, accompanied by his two sons, Prince Albert
+Victor and Prince George, with the Duke of Edinburgh and
+the Duke of Cambridge, unveiled a monument to the Prince
+Imperial at Woolwich. This “United Service Memorial”
+was erected by a subscription raised throughout all ranks of
+the Army, Navy, Royal Marines, Militia, Yeomanry, and
+Volunteers, and Count Gleichen was the sculptor. The
+King, in a speech at the unveiling, commended the virtues,
+the blameless life, the courage, and obedience to orders
+manifested by the young Prince, as a bright example to the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_163" id="Page_163">[163]</a></span>
+young men entering the Military Academy, and remarked
+that it was only a natural impulse which prompted his desire
+to join his English comrades in the war in South Africa, in
+which he fell fighting for the Queen of England.</p>
+
+<p>In view of Princess Louise’s subsequent marriage it is
+interesting to record that in the autumn of 1880 the King,
+accompanied by Prince Leopold and Prince John of Glucksburg,
+visited the Earl of Fife at Mar Lodge. On the evening
+of their arrival Lord Fife gave a grand ball, at which his
+distinguished visitors were present. The entertainment
+included a torchlight procession and dance by the Duff
+Highlanders. The party also enjoyed some deer-stalking in
+the Forest of Mar.</p>
+
+<p>An incident worth recording occurred in January 1881,
+during a visit of the King and Queen to Normanton Park.
+Queen Alexandra drove with Lady Aveland to Oakham, and
+paid a visit to the ancient castle, on the inner walls of which
+are nailed numerous horse-shoes, the gift, or rather the toll,
+of various Royal and noble personages. A large horse-shoe
+of steel, perfect in shape and of elegant workmanship, had
+been made for the Queen to offer. Her Majesty examined
+the other horse-shoes in the Castle hall, and chose the position
+in which she desired her toll to be affixed, namely, over a large
+one supposed to have been the gift of Queen Elizabeth. The
+Queen greatly enjoyed following this ancient custom, a mark
+of territorial power possessed for many centuries by the Ferrers
+family, a shoe from the horse of every princely traveller who
+passed that way being a tax due to the Ferrers or Farriers.
+Among the horse-shoes specially noticed by Queen Alexandra
+were one contributed by Queen Victoria before her accession,
+on 2nd September 1833; another by the Duchess of Kent on
+the same date; also one offered by the Prince Regent, afterwards
+George IV., on 7th January 1814.</p>
+
+<p>It was in this year that the King had an opportunity of
+exhibiting in a public manner his strong interest in the British
+Colonies, the welfare of which was not then so much a matter
+of concern in the eyes of our statesmen as it is now. The<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_164" id="Page_164">[164]</a></span>
+occasion was a dinner given to the members of the Colonial
+Institute by the then Lord Mayor, Sir George MacArthur,
+himself an old colonist. An extraordinary number of distinguished
+men connected in various ways, official and other,
+with our colonies were present. In his speech the King
+pointed out that no function of the kind had ever taken place
+before&mdash;a statement which seems hardly credible nowadays,
+thanks in a great measure to His Majesty’s own unwearied
+exertions in the interests of our colonial empire. The King
+also alluded to his Canadian tour, and took the opportunity
+of paying a graceful compliment to his friend Sir John
+Macdonald, the Canadian statesman, who was present.</p>
+
+<div id="illus52" class="figcenter" style="width: 300px;">
+
+<img src="images/ill052.jpg" width="300" height="400" alt="" />
+
+<p><span class="smcap">The King in 1882</span></p>
+
+<p><i>From the Painting by H. J. Brooks, published by Henry Graves and Co.</i></p>
+
+</div>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_165" id="Page_165">[165]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>Very shortly after this dinner the King attended as patron
+the first meeting ever held in this country of the International
+Medical Congress.</p>
+
+<p>King Edward was deeply grieved at the death of Dean
+Stanley, with whom, as we have seen, he had been on terms of
+close intimacy. At a meeting held in the Chapter-House of
+Westminster Abbey, His Majesty paid a touching and eloquent
+tribute to his dead friend’s rare qualities, both of heart and
+intellect.</p>
+
+<p>Generally speaking, this period of the King’s life was not
+very eventful. His children were still quite young, and his
+public appearances, though tolerably frequent, did not usually
+possess more than a local importance. There were, however,
+some conspicuous exceptions, which broke the even current of
+his life. For example, it would be difficult to overestimate the
+value of the work which His Majesty did in promoting the
+International Fisheries Exhibition in 1883, which was visited
+by nearly three million people, and may be said to have been
+the first introduction into London of open-air entertainment on
+a large scale. Moreover, it resulted in a clear profit of £15,000,
+of which two-thirds was devoted to the relief of the orphan
+families of fishermen.</p>
+
+<p>The success of the Fisheries suggested to the King the
+idea of another exhibition concerned with health and hygiene,
+which was held in 1884, and was nicknamed the “Healtheries.”
+Not long before it was opened the King and Queen Alexandra
+suffered a great bereavement in the death of the Duke of
+Albany, to whom their Majesties had always been very much
+attached. He died quite suddenly in the south of France on
+28th March, and the King instantly started for the Riviera and
+brought his brother’s remains back to Windsor. In the following
+July His Majesty, presiding at the festival of the Railway
+Guards’ Friendly Society, took the opportunity of his first
+appearance at a public dinner to express in the name of Queen
+Victoria and the Royal Family their thanks for the public
+sympathy shown on the death of the Duke of Albany.</p>
+
+<p>In August of this year was celebrated the jubilee of the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_166" id="Page_166">[166]</a></span>
+abolition of slavery throughout the British dominions. The
+King attended a meeting at the Mansion-House and delivered
+a long and elaborate speech, evidently the result of much painstaking
+study, in which he reviewed the whole history of the
+anti-slavery movement.</p>
+
+<p>The news of the fall of Khartoum came as a terrible shock
+to the King, who had long watched with increasing interest
+the career of General Gordon. Indeed, General Gordon had
+always been one of His Majesty’s great heroes, and it was
+chiefly owing to His Majesty’s initiative that a fund was
+established for providing a national memorial to the hero of
+Khartoum. At the first meeting of the committee the King
+made a touching speech, in which he said of Gordon&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>“His career as a soldier, as a philanthropist, and as a
+Christian is a matter of history.… Many would wish for
+some fine statue, some fine monument, but we who know
+what Gordon was feel convinced that were he living nothing
+would be more distasteful personally than that any memorial
+should be erected in the shape of a statue or of any great
+monument. His tastes were so simple and we all know he
+was anxious that his name should not be brought prominently
+before the public, though in every act of his life that name was
+brought, I am inclined to think, as prominently before the
+nation as that of any soldier or any great Englishman whom
+we know of at the present time.”</p>
+
+<p>It is well known that it was His Majesty’s suggestion that
+a hospital and sanatorium should be founded in Egypt open to
+persons of all nationalities. Queen Alexandra was present at
+the special service held in St. Paul’s on 13th March, the day
+of public mourning for the loss of General Gordon.</p>
+
+<p>Three days later the King, accompanied by his eldest son,
+presided at a meeting of the Royal Colonial Institute, and
+spoke of the personal as well as of the political interest he took
+in everything that concerned the colonies. On the next day
+Prince Albert Victor was initiated as a Freemason in the
+presence of a large and most distinguished company, his father
+receiving the Royal apprentice in his quality of Worshipful<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_167" id="Page_167">[167]</a></span>
+Master of the Royal Alpha Lodge. On the following day the
+King, Prince Albert Victor, and the Duke of Edinburgh went
+to Berlin to congratulate the aged Emperor William on his
+eighty-eighth birthday.</p>
+
+<p>It had been decided, not without the most anxious consideration,
+that the King and Queen, accompanied by their
+elder son, should pay a visit to Ireland. The announcement
+was received with the greatest excitement both in Ireland
+and in America.</p>
+
+<p><i>United Ireland</i>, the chief organ of the Nationalist party,
+then edited by Mr. William O’Brien, and said to be largely
+written by Mr. T. M. Healy, brought out a special number
+devoted entirely to expressions of opinion from eminent
+Irishmen of all kinds on the Royal visit. Every Nationalist
+Member of Parliament, every prominent ecclesiastic, in a word,
+every Irishman of conspicuous Nationalist views, was invited to
+say what he thought of the forthcoming visit. The answers
+filled a copious supplement, and their tenour was one of
+unanimous disapproval, expressed in some cases strongly, and
+in others in terms of studied moderation. Almost all the letters
+agreed in counselling an attitude of absolute indifference to the
+visit, but abstention from any kind of display of hostility to the
+King himself was insisted on; and it was openly said that the
+part which he was playing in this pageant was a more or less
+passive one. This, perhaps, showed more than anything else
+that has occurred during His Majesty’s life the personal liking
+and respect in which he is held.</p>
+
+<p>It may be added that when the King and Queen arrived
+early in April 1885, the Nationalist party made no sign, but,
+as there was naturally a great display of rejoicing on the part
+of the Anti-nationalist citizens, the Press, perhaps unfortunately,
+chose to regard this reception as a proof that the Home Rulers
+were wholly discredited. The Nationalist leaders therefore
+made up their minds that it was necessary to make some
+protest against the Royal progress as an answer to these
+taunts, and accordingly, from Mallow till the Royal party left
+Ireland, they were the victims of some very unpleasing demonstrations,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_168" id="Page_168">[168]</a></span>
+and at Cork collisions occurred between the police
+and the mob, though no serious injuries were reported on
+either side.</p>
+
+<p>Perhaps the most interesting event of the tour was when,
+after laying the foundation-stone of the New Science and Art
+Museum and National Library of Ireland in Dublin on 10th
+April, their Majesties attended the Royal University of Ireland,
+and the degree of Doctor of Laws was conferred on the King,
+and that of Doctor of Music on Queen Alexandra. Her Majesty
+has always been passionately fond of music, and the distinction
+gave her special gratification.</p>
+
+<p>The Colonial and Indian Exhibition, called for short the
+“Colinderies,” may be said to have been the most successful
+of all those with which the King was intimately associated.
+It was opened by Queen Victoria on 4th May 1886, and Her
+Majesty was received by the King, and Queen Alexandra, His
+Majesty conducting his mother to the daïs. In the Royal
+Albert Hall, where the opening ceremony took place, everything
+was done to make the scene as impressive and interesting
+as possible; and at the special desire of the King, Lord
+Tennyson wrote an Ode for the occasion, which was set to
+music by Sir Arthur Sullivan and sung by Madame Albani
+in the choir. This exhibition resulted in a net surplus of
+£35,000.</p>
+
+<p>In September some correspondence between King Edward
+and the Lord Mayor, suggesting the establishment of a Colonial
+and Indian Institute to commemorate the Queen’s Jubilee, was
+published, and excited a great deal of interest both at home
+and in the Colonies. A public subscription was opened at the
+Mansion-House; and later in the same month His Majesty,
+having been informed that a movement was on foot to present
+him with a testimonial in recognition of his services in connection
+with the Colonial and Indian Exhibition, wrote to request
+that any fund subscribed might be devoted to the furtherance
+of the Imperial Institute, and a great deal of his time that
+autumn was dedicated to this scheme.</p>
+
+<div id="illus53" class="figcenter" style="width: 350px;">
+
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_169" id="Page_169">[169]</a></span>
+
+<img src="images/ill053.jpg" width="350" height="500" alt="" />
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Queen Alexandra in her Robes as Doctor of Music</span></p>
+
+<p><i>From a Photograph by Chancellor, Dublin</i></p>
+
+</div>
+
+<p>The King in 1886 also gave his patronage to two great
+engineering achievements, by opening the Mersey Tunnel and
+by laying the first stone of the Tower Bridge. It is interesting
+to note in this connection that His Majesty has long been an
+honorary member of the Institution of Civil Engineers, and
+when he attended their annual dinner in the same year, he<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_170" id="Page_170">[170]</a></span>
+made an amusing speech, in which he attempted to picture
+what sort of a world ours would be without engineers.</p>
+
+<p>One of the busiest years ever spent by the King and
+Queen Alexandra was 1887, when Queen Victoria’s Golden
+Jubilee was celebrated. To His Majesty was left the responsibility
+of a great number of the arrangements, and on him fell
+almost entirely the reception and entertainment of the foreign
+Royal personages who attended the splendid ceremony in the
+Abbey as Queen Victoria’s guests. In many cases the King
+was obliged to welcome in person the Royal visitor to London,
+and he was indefatigable in his efforts to make everything go
+off as smoothly and successfully as possible, while it need
+hardly be said that he took a very prominent part next to
+Queen Victoria in all the Jubilee functions.</p>
+
+<p>It was in this year that His Majesty was appointed
+Honorary Admiral of the Fleet, a distinction which gave him
+much gratification, for it was his first definite official link with
+the sea service which he had selected as the profession of his
+younger son, and in which his elder son had received an early
+training&mdash;a link which was destined to be still further strengthened
+after His Majesty’s accession, as will be related hereafter.</p>
+
+<hr class="chap" />
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_171" id="Page_171">[171]</a></span></p>
+
+<h2 id="CHAPTER_XIV">CHAPTER XIV<br />
+<span class="smaller">SILVER WEDDING OF KING EDWARD AND QUEEN ALEXANDRA&mdash;ENGAGEMENT
+AND MARRIAGE OF PRINCESS LOUISE</span></h2>
+
+<p>Considerable preparations were made early in 1888 for the
+Silver Wedding of King Edward and Queen Alexandra, but
+it was well known that the Royal family were expecting daily
+to hear of the death of the old German Emperor, William I.,
+which actually occurred just before the Silver Wedding Day,
+and everything in the way of public rejoicing was countermanded.
+Still, the 10th of March was not allowed to pass
+entirely unobserved. The whole of the Royal family then in
+England, preceded by Queen Victoria, called at Marlborough
+House to offer their congratulations in person, and for that
+one day the Court mourning was abandoned. The King and
+Queen Alexandra with their family lunched at Buckingham
+Palace with Queen Victoria, while in the evening the Sovereign
+attended a family dinner-party at Marlborough House, this
+being the first time she had ever been to dinner with her son
+and daughter-in-law in London. Queen Victoria, after leaving
+Marlborough House, drove through some of the principal West
+End streets in order to see the illuminations. Her Majesty
+also gave a State ball at Buckingham Palace in honour of the
+event, and the King and Queen of Denmark gave a grand
+ball at the Amalienborg Palace at Copenhagen.</p>
+
+<p>Archbishop Magee (then Bishop of Peterborough) writes
+in a letter to his intimate friend and biographer, Canon
+MacDonnell, the following amusing account of his share in
+the rejoicings:&mdash;</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_172" id="Page_172">[172]</a></span></p>
+
+<div class="blockquote">
+
+<p class="right">“<span class="smcap">Athenæum Club</span>, <i>11th March 1888</i>.</p>
+
+<p>“Did you ever in your eminently respectable life dance on
+the tight rope? And did you ever do so in the presence of
+Royalty? No? Then I have beaten you.</p>
+
+<p>“For I have this day performed that exceedingly difficult
+feat, and dead beat do I feel after it. I suppose you saw (for
+it was announced in all the papers) that H.R.H. was to worship
+at Whitehall with all his family, to keep his silver wedding,
+and that the Bishop of Peterborough was to preach. Not an
+easy thing to do, under any circumstances, to preach to Royalty
+in a pew opposite you, and also to a large middle-class
+congregation on a special occasion. But only think of having
+to add to this a special allusion to the late Emperor of
+Germany’s death, and the present Emperor’s condition, and
+all this within the space of forty minutes, the utmost length
+that it is considered good taste to inflict on H.R.H. Add to
+this that he specially requested an offertory for the Gordon
+Boys’ Home, and of course implied some reference in the
+sermon to this. So that I had, within forty minutes, to preach
+a charity sermon, a wedding sermon, and a funeral one.
+Match me that if you can for difficulty.…”</p>
+
+</div>
+
+<p>In the unavoidable absence of the Bishop of London, Dean
+of the Chapels-Royal, the Archbishop of Canterbury was
+present, His Grace finally receiving the alms and giving the
+benediction. On the desk in the Royal Closet, in front of
+Queen Alexandra, was placed a beautiful bouquet of lilies of
+the valley, the emblem of the See and Province of Canterbury.
+Her Majesty quitted the chapel carrying the bouquet.</p>
+
+<p>An enormous number of presents testified to the wide
+affection and respect in which the Royal couple were held.
+King Edward gave his wife a cross of diamonds and rubies,
+her favourite jewels; and from St. Petersburg, as a joint gift
+of the Emperor and Empress of Russia, came a superb necklace
+of the same gems composed of carefully selected stones.
+The five children of Queen Alexandra gave her a silver model
+of “Viva,” her favourite mare. Her Majesty’s eight bridesmaids,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_173" id="Page_173">[173]</a></span>
+who were all alive and all married, gave the Royal bride
+of 1863 their autographs bound up in a silver book enshrined
+in a silver casket of Danish work.</p>
+
+<p>The Freemasons of Great Britain presented Queen Alexandra
+with a very splendid diamond butterfly. The members
+of the Body-Guard were represented by a silver statue of a
+member of the corps, arrayed in the uniform originally designed
+by the Prince Consort. The Comte de Paris sent a large
+agate punch-bowl, studded with precious stones. Among the
+public gifts which afforded the King and Queen most pleasure
+was the Colonial Silver Wedding gift&mdash;a silver candelabrum
+adapted for electric light, and a fine twenty-one day
+movement clock to match. The Colonies became very enthusiastic
+over this gift, and more than £2000 was subscribed
+in small sums.</p>
+
+<p>The King and Queen of Denmark gave a silver-gilt tea
+and coffee service; the Crown Prince and Princess of Denmark,
+a valuable vase of Danish china; the Empress Eugénie,
+a silver model of a two-masted ship of the time of Henry
+VIII.; and the King of the Belgians, a large silver tankard
+and a collection of the choicest exotics from the gardens at
+Laeken. The Austrian Ambassador presented an autograph
+letter from the Emperor Francis Joseph announcing that King
+Edward had been appointed to the Honorary Colonelcy of the
+12th Hussar Regiment in the Austro-Hungarian Army. The
+French Ambassador was also received in audience, and offered
+an expression of good wishes on the part of the President of
+the French Republic and the French Government.</p>
+
+<p>The presents received by the King and Queen were
+arranged in the Indian Room at Marlborough House. A
+prominent position was accorded to the gift from Queen
+Victoria&mdash;a massive silver flagon of goodly height and proportions,
+the counterpart of one in the Kremlin. One corner
+of the Indian Room was filled with floral gifts, bouquets,
+wreaths, pyramids of lilies of the valley, and rich and rare
+exotics, sent by all classes of the community from all parts of
+the country and from the Continent.</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_174" id="Page_174">[174]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>In strong contrast to these rejoicings was the deep shadow
+thrown over King Edward and his family by the serious illness
+of the Emperor Frederick. All the arrangements of their
+Majesties were naturally dependent on the news received
+almost hourly from the sick-chamber at Potsdam, but even
+in the midst of his terrible anxieties the King did not disappoint
+the loyal citizens of Glasgow, whose Exhibition he
+had promised to open, and who gave him a right Royal
+welcome. At length the long-dreaded blow fell. On 14th
+June the Emperor Frederick breathed his last after a reign
+of ninety-nine days.</p>
+
+<p>The following year was notable for the first break in the
+King’s own family circle caused by marriage. But before the
+engagement of Princess Louise to the Earl of Fife was publicly
+announced, Queen Victoria paid one of her necessarily rare
+visits to Sandringham, spending altogether four days there.
+While there Her Majesty witnessed a performance of <i>The Bells</i>
+and of <i>The Merchant of Venice</i>, given by Sir Henry Irving
+and the members of the Lyceum Company. The King’s
+tenants presented an address of welcome to his Royal mother,
+to which Queen Victoria gave the following gracious reply:&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>“It has given me great pleasure to receive your loyal
+address, and I thank you sincerely for the terms in which you
+welcome me to Sandringham, and for the kind expressions
+which you have used towards the Prince and Princess of Wales.
+After the anxious time I spent here seventeen years ago, when,
+by the blessing of God, my dear son was spared to me and
+to the nation, it is indeed a pleasure to find myself here again,
+among cheerful homes and cheerful faces, and to see the kind
+feeling which exists between a good landlord and a good
+tenant; and I trust that this mutual attachment and esteem
+may long continue to make you happy and prosperous, and to
+strengthen, if possible, the affection of the Prince and Princess
+of Wales for the tenants of Sandringham.”</p>
+
+<p>Although Great Britain was not officially represented at
+the Paris Centennial Exhibition of this year, the King once
+more showed his friendship with France by going over with<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_175" id="Page_175">[175]</a></span>
+his Consort in semi-<i>incognito</i>. Their Majesties carefully inspected
+the whole Exhibition, paying special attention to the
+British section, and finished by ascending the Eiffel Tower.</p>
+
+<div id="illus54" class="figcenter" style="width: 500px;">
+
+<img src="images/ill054.jpg" width="500" height="350" alt="" />
+
+<p><span class="smcap">The Duchess of Fife, Princess Victoria, and Princess Charles
+of Denmark</span></p>
+
+<p><i>From a Photograph by Lafayette</i></p>
+
+</div>
+
+<p>Princess Louise’s engagement was made public in the
+spring, and though it aroused almost as much surprise as
+satisfaction among the general public, yet those who were
+really in a position to know regarded it as the most natural
+thing in the world. Lord Fife had for years been admitted
+to the close intimacy of the King’s family circle. His was the
+only bachelor’s house at which Queen Alexandra had ever
+been entertained, he had long been a frequent and welcome
+guest at Sandringham, and when he took the oath and his
+seat in the House of Lords, the King had paid him the rare
+honour of appearing as one of his introducers. Although
+rumours of the betrothal of the King’s eldest daughter to
+various foreign Princes had for some time been rife, His<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_176" id="Page_176">[176]</a></span>
+Majesty had made no secret of the special importance which he
+attached to her marriage, for at that time it appeared by no
+means impossible that the Princess herself or her children
+might one day sit on the British throne. In these circumstances
+a foreign marriage of the particular kind which then
+seemed intrinsically probable would have been frankly unpopular
+with the British people, who would have pictured
+themselves as being perhaps one day reduced to bringing
+back their Queen, now wholly Germanised, from some obscure
+Grand Duchy.</p>
+
+<p>King Edward on this occasion showed once more his intuitive
+sympathy with the feelings of his future subjects, for
+the news of the Royal engagement was received with an
+absolutely unforced outburst of popular enthusiasm, the more
+so when it became known that it was entirely a love match.</p>
+
+<p>The King and Queen Alexandra with their three daughters
+went to Windsor on 27th June and visited Queen Victoria, who
+formally gave her consent to the engagement. On the receipt
+of the news at Marlborough House the fact was at once communicated
+to the Household, and the Marquis of Salisbury,
+the Prime Minister, was also officially informed. The Earl
+of Fife was received by Queen Victoria the same evening at
+Windsor Castle. In the House of Commons a Message from
+the Queen formally announced the intended marriage, and the
+First Lord of the Treasury gave notice of a motion to grant a
+suitable provision for the Royal bride, though owing to the
+great wealth of the bridegroom this was perhaps less necessary
+than it had been on the occasion of other Royal marriages.</p>
+
+<p>The Earl of Fife (Alexander William George Duff), Baron
+Skene of Skene, Viscount Macduff, and Baron Braco of Kilbryde,
+County Cavan, was the only son of James, fifth Earl of
+Fife, and of the Countess of Fife, who was Lady Agnes
+Georgiana Elizabeth Hay, daughter of the Earl of Erroll.
+He was born on 10th November 1849, and was educated
+at Eton. He succeeded his father in the Scotch and Irish
+honours on 7th August 1879, and was created an Earl of the
+United Kingdom in 1885. He sat as Viscount Macduff in<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_177" id="Page_177">[177]</a></span>
+the House of Commons from 1874 to 1879 as Liberal member
+for Elgin and Nairn. Lord Fife, who is one of the largest
+landed proprietors in Scotland, owning extensive estates in
+Elgin, Banff, and Aberdeen, was created Duke of Fife and
+Marquis of Macduff in the peerage of the United Kingdom,
+on his wedding day, 27th July, having declined to take the
+title of Duke of Inverness.</p>
+
+<div id="illus55" class="figcenter" style="width: 275px;">
+
+<img src="images/ill055.jpg" width="275" height="400" alt="" />
+
+<p><span class="smcap">The Duke of Fife</span></p>
+
+<p><i>From a Photograph by the London Stereoscopic Co.</i></p>
+
+</div>
+
+<p>The wedding was celebrated in the Chapel at Buckingham
+Palace, in the presence of Queen Victoria, King Edward, and
+Queen Alexandra, with their sons and two younger daughters,
+the King of the Hellenes, the Crown Prince of Denmark, and
+the Grand Duke of Hesse.</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_178" id="Page_178">[178]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>The King of the Hellenes has always been one of the
+favourite brothers-in-law of the King, who, with Queen
+Alexandra, went to Athens in the autumn to attend the
+wedding of the Duke of Sparta and Princess Sophie of
+Germany.</p>
+
+<p>The following year was not very eventful. In March the
+King performed the ceremonies of finishing and opening the
+Forth Bridge in the presence of an illustrious assembly, including
+his son Prince George, the Duke of Edinburgh, who
+had travelled from Russia on purpose, the Duke of Fife, and
+the Earl of Rosebery, who entertained the Royal party at
+Dalmeny. The last rivet, which the King fixed, is on the
+outside of the railway, and holds together three plates.
+Around its gilded top there runs a commemorative inscription.
+At the hour appointed for the formal declaration of the
+opening of the bridge, the wind was blowing so violently that
+it was impossible for His Majesty to make a speech. He
+simply said, “Ladies and Gentlemen, I now declare the Forth
+Bridge open.”</p>
+
+<p>It was in March, also, that the King and Prince George
+attended a Chapter of the Order of the Black Eagle in Berlin,
+at which Prince George was invested with the insignia of the
+Order. Subsequently the Royal visitors took part in the
+Ordensfest.</p>
+
+<hr class="chap" />
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_179" id="Page_179">[179]</a></span></p>
+
+<h2 id="CHAPTER_XV">CHAPTER XV<br />
+<span class="smaller">THE BACCARAT CASE&mdash;BIRTH OF LADY ALEXANDRA DUFF&mdash;THE
+KING’S FIFTIETH BIRTHDAY&mdash;ILLNESS OF PRINCE GEORGE</span></h2>
+
+<p>During the winter of 1890 various rumours had been rife as
+to a <i>cause célèbre</i> in which King Edward was to be called as
+a witness. These reports proved to have had substantial
+foundation in the following spring, when Sir William Gordon-Cumming,
+a cavalry officer of good family, who had distinguished
+himself in the Egyptian campaign, and was understood
+to enjoy the personal friendship of the King, brought an action
+for slander against five defendants&mdash;Mrs. Arthur Wilson, Mrs.
+A. S. Wilson, Mr. and Mrs. Lycett Green, and Mr. Berkeley
+Levett&mdash;who had accused him of cheating at baccarat at
+Tranby Croft, the Wilsons’ place near Hull.</p>
+
+<p>The trial opened early in June before Lord Chief-Justice
+Coleridge, and the King was accommodated with a seat on the
+bench. The Court throughout wore the air of a theatre rather
+than of a Court of Justice, the bench and both the galleries
+being filled with ladies, who used their opera-glasses with
+freedom to discover the notable personages in Court, and to
+watch Sir William Gordon-Cumming under examination. The
+great counsel of the day were engaged. Sir Edward Clarke
+(Solicitor-General), with Mr. C. F. Gill as his junior, conducted
+the case for Sir William Gordon-Cumming; and Sir Charles
+Russell (afterwards Lord Chief-Justice), with Mr. Asquith,
+appeared for the defendants, the Attorney-General having
+withdrawn from the case.</p>
+
+<p>The Solicitor-General made a speech of singular power and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_180" id="Page_180">[180]</a></span>
+skill on behalf of his client. The point of the defence was that
+Sir William Gordon-Cumming&mdash;who was accused of the trick
+known as <i>la poussette</i>, by which a player at baccarat increases
+his stake after he sees that the cards are in his favour or the
+<i>coup</i> has been declared&mdash;had simply been playing on a system.
+This theory Sir William supported in the witness-box with
+great steadiness, and though his cross-examination was most
+severe, he maintained that on no occasion had he wrongfully
+increased the stake. When the cross-examiner came to a
+document which the plaintiff had signed, practically admitting
+his guilt, and which had been witnessed by the King, Sir
+William’s explanation was, in effect, that he was hopeless of
+convincing those round him of his innocence, and that he
+desired for his own sake and that of others to avoid a
+scandal.</p>
+
+<p>King Edward entered the witness-box and was sworn in
+the ordinary way on the second day. Sir Edward Clarke
+addressed him as “Sir” and “Your Royal Highness,” and
+Sir Charles Russell did the same. His Majesty gave his
+evidence with much frankness, but it was largely of a formal
+character. He did, however, say that at the time when, as
+banker, he questioned Sir William Gordon-Cumming on the
+largeness of his winnings, he did not think he had been
+cheating; but he added, in cross-examination by Sir Charles
+Russell, that in advising Sir William Gordon-Cumming to
+sign the document, he considered he had been acting most
+leniently.</p>
+
+<p>As the King was leaving the witness-box an amusing
+incident occurred. A juryman rose from the back of the jury-box,
+and with <i>naïf</i> frankness put two important questions&mdash;whether
+the King had ever seen Sir William Gordon-Cumming
+cheating, and whether he believed him to be guilty. In reply
+to the first question the King answered that the banker
+would not be in a position to see foul play, and that among
+friends it would not be expected; and to the second he replied
+that, Sir William’s accusers being so numerous, he could not
+but believe them. Having elicited these very important facts,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_181" id="Page_181">[181]</a></span>
+the little juryman sat down, and the King left the box with a
+smile and a bow.</p>
+
+<p>The King’s evidence was followed by that of General
+Owen Williams, who, with Lord Coventry, drew up the
+document signed by the plaintiff. General Williams made
+two important statements&mdash;that he believed Sir William guilty,
+and that the King had objected to his placing his hands on
+the table in such a way that the counters could not properly
+be seen. In the course of the evidence it came out that the
+stakes played for on the two evenings were not large, but that
+Sir William won in all £225, which was paid him by cheque
+and which he retained.</p>
+
+<p>The trial lasted seven days, and on 9th June the jury,
+after ten minutes’ deliberation, returned a verdict for the
+defendants.</p>
+
+<p>The most extraordinary interest was taken in the case, both
+in this country and on the Continent and in America, no doubt
+chiefly owing to the Heir-Apparent’s connection with it. A
+Prince of Wales has rarely been called as a witness in a case,
+although, of course, in the theory of English law, all men are
+equal, and the privileges, if any, which would attach to him
+would not attach to him in his capacity as Prince of Wales or
+Heir-Apparent to the Throne, but simply in his capacity as a
+peer of the United Kingdom.</p>
+
+<p>It was pointed out by many that the conduct attributed to
+Sir William Gordon-Cumming was obviously not that of an
+officer and a gentleman, and in the House of Commons a week
+after the trial the Secretary of State for War expressed the
+regret of the King that he had not required Sir William to
+submit his case to the Commander-in-Chief.</p>
+
+<p>The criticism which was directed against the King’s connection
+with this lamentable business was largely based on
+ignorance of all the circumstances. His Majesty’s own view
+is clearly stated in a private letter which he wrote about two
+months afterwards to his old friend Dr. Benson, who was then
+Archbishop of Canterbury, and which was first published in
+that prelate’s life, some years later. King Edward wrote:&mdash;</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_182" id="Page_182">[182]</a></span></p>
+
+<div class="blockquote">
+
+<p class="right">“<span class="smcap">R. Yacht ‘Osborne,’ Cowes</span>,<br />
+<i>13th August 1891</i>.</p>
+
+<p>“<span class="smcap">My dear Archbishop</span>&mdash;Your kind letter of the 10th
+instant has touched me very much, as I know the kind feelings
+which prompted you to write to me on a subject which we have
+discussed together, and which you are aware has caused me
+deep pain and annoyance.</p>
+
+<p>“A recent trial, which no one deplores more than I do,
+and which I was powerless to prevent, gave occasion for the
+Press to make most bitter and unjust attacks on me,
+knowing that I was defenceless, and I am not sure that politics
+were not mixed up in it! The whole matter has now died out,
+and I think therefore it would be inopportune for me in any
+public manner to allude again to the painful subject which
+brought such a torrent of abuse upon me not only by the Press
+but by the Low Church, and especially the Nonconformists.</p>
+
+<p>“They have a perfect right, I am well aware, in a free
+country like our own, to express their opinions, but I do not
+consider that they have a just right to jump at conclusions
+regarding myself without knowing the facts.</p>
+
+<p>“I have a horror of gambling, and should always do my
+utmost to discourage others who have an inclination for it,
+as I consider that gambling, like intemperance, is one of the
+greatest curses which a country could be afflicted with.</p>
+
+<p>“Horse-racing may produce gambling or it may not, but I
+have always looked upon it as a manly sport which is popular
+with Englishmen of all classes, and there is no reason why it
+should be looked upon as a gambling transaction. Alas! those
+who gamble will gamble at anything. I have written quite
+openly to you, my dear Archbishop, whom I have had the
+advantage of knowing for so many years.</p>
+
+<p>“Thanking you again for your kind letter, and trusting that
+you will benefit by your holiday, believe me, sincerely yours,</p>
+
+<p class="right">“<span class="smcap">Albert Edward</span>.”</p>
+
+</div>
+
+<p>The King became a grandfather for the first time this
+spring, for on 17th May the Duchess of Fife gave birth to a<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_183" id="Page_183">[183]</a></span>
+daughter at East Sheen Lodge. The question was immediately
+raised whether the infant should take Royal rank as a Princess
+of the Blood. When Sir William Beechey painted his portrait
+of Princess Victoria, the distance between the Duke of Kent’s
+little daughter and the throne was as great as, or even greater
+than, that of the little daughter of Princess Louise at her birth.
+It was ultimately settled, in accordance with the wishes, it was
+understood, of both King Edward and the Duke of Fife, that
+the infant should simply take the rank and precedence of a
+Duke’s daughter, and be called Lady Alexandra Duff.</p>
+
+<p>The child was christened on 29th June in the Chapel-Royal,
+St. James’s. Queen Victoria came to London to act as sponsor
+to her great-granddaughter, and King Edward and Queen
+Alexandra were joint sponsors for their grandchild. The
+Archbishop of Canterbury administered the rite of baptism.
+Queen Alexandra took the child from the nurse and placed her
+in the arms of Queen Victoria, who gave the names of Alexandra
+Victoria Alberta Edwina Louise.</p>
+
+<p>This autumn the King celebrated his fiftieth birthday, and
+it was computed that in his half-century of existence His
+Majesty must have been prayed for aloud in Anglican churches
+alone at least a hundred million times. On this occasion the
+theatrical managers of London presented a magnificent gold
+cigar-box, weighing 100 ounces, to His Majesty.</p>
+
+<p>The month of December has been one of peculiar ill-omen
+to the Royal Family, and it seemed as if December 1891
+was to prove no exception. For Queen Alexandra and her
+daughters, who had been to Livadia on a visit to the Tsar,
+were recalled by the illness of Prince George, and the King
+and Queen went through some days of terrible anxiety. As
+soon as Prince George was declared to be suffering from enteric
+fever he was removed from Sandringham to London, and it was
+there that he was nursed. The illness evoked a remarkable
+degree of public sympathy, though perhaps the serious nature
+of the Prince’s condition was hardly realised till all danger was
+practically over.</p>
+
+<hr class="chap" />
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_184" id="Page_184">[184]</a></span></p>
+
+<h2 id="CHAPTER_XVI">CHAPTER XVI<br />
+<span class="smaller">THE DUKE OF CLARENCE AND AVONDALE</span></h2>
+
+<p>The year 1892 opened auspiciously both for the Royal family
+and the nation, inasmuch as, immediately on the convalescence
+of Prince George, the engagement of his elder brother, the
+Duke of Clarence and Avondale, to Princess Victoria Mary of
+Teck was announced. The projected alliance was received
+with every possible expression of popular approval. The
+public career of the Duke of Clarence, short as it had been,
+had already confirmed him in the public estimation as a worthy
+son of his father, who was known to have actively superintended
+the whole course of his education. A significant
+proof of the young Prince’s amiability and unpretending
+modesty was to be found in the large number of personal
+friends whom he attached to himself, both at Cambridge and
+among his comrades of the 10th Hussars, by ties of sincere
+esteem. Moreover, it was generally known that between the
+Duke of Clarence and his mother there existed the strongest
+possible link of filial and maternal love, and so the Prince came
+to share in a measure the high place which Queen Alexandra
+has always held in the hearts of the British people.</p>
+
+<p>The circumstances of the mournful event which threw a
+gloom over the whole winter of 1892 are still fresh in the
+memory of the nation. On 9th January the Duke of Clarence,
+who was spending the Christmas holidays with his parents at
+Sandringham, was attacked with influenza, having caught cold
+at the funeral of Prince Victor of Hohenlohe-Langenburg.</p>
+
+<div id="illus56" class="figcenter" style="width: 450px;">
+
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_185" id="Page_185">[185]</a><br /><a name="Page_186" id="Page_186">[186]</a></span>
+
+<img src="images/ill056.jpg" width="450" height="650" alt="" />
+
+<p><span class="smcap">The Duke of Clarence and Avondale</span></p>
+
+<p><i>From a Photograph by Chancellor, Dublin</i></p>
+
+</div>
+
+<p>Two days later the late Duchess of Teck wrote to Lady<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_187" id="Page_187">[187]</a></span>
+Salisbury a letter which pathetically reflects the anxiety prevailing
+at Sandringham:&mdash;</p>
+
+<div class="blockquote">
+
+<p class="right">“<span class="smcap">Sandringham</span>, <i>January 11, 1892</i>.</p>
+
+<p>“… After Sir Francis Knollys’s letter and the anxious
+tidings in this morning’s papers you will not be surprised to
+hear from me that we feel we must ask you and dear Lord
+Salisbury to let us postpone the so-looked-forward-to visit
+until we can really enjoy it; for although I hope and believe
+dear Eddy is doing as well as can be expected at this stage
+of this fearful illness, I cannot conceal from you that we are
+very anxious, and must continue so until the crisis is over and
+the inflammation has begun to subside. His strength is very
+fairly maintained; the night was a tolerable one; he has two
+admirable nurses, and both Doctors Broadbent and Laking
+[now Sir William Broadbent and Sir Francis Laking] are
+attending him; so that Eddy has every care, and with youth
+on his side and God’s blessing, I trust we may soon see him
+on the road to recovery, and who knows?&mdash;perhaps even our
+visit to Hatfield may yet come off before you move to London.
+As at present arranged we stay on here until Wednesday or
+so; but, of course, everything depends on the progress the
+dear patient (a <i>most exemplary one</i>, the Doctors say) makes.
+May is wonderfully good and calm, but it is terribly trying for
+her.…”</p>
+
+</div>
+
+<p>Notwithstanding the most devoted care and the most skilful
+nursing, the Prince passed away on the 14th, within a week of
+the day on which the tidings of his illness had first gone forth.
+Then, if ever, King Edward and Queen Alexandra must have
+realised the respect and affection with which they are regarded
+by the British people. Their Majesties received the most
+touching letters from all over the world. One of those they
+most valued was from the Zulu chiefs at St. Helena. This
+was conveyed to the Prince through Miss Colenso, and ran as
+follows:&mdash;</p>
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_188" id="Page_188">[188]</a></span></p>
+<p>“We have heard of the death of Prince Edward, the son
+of the Prince of Wales. We lament sincerely. Pray you
+present our lamentation to them all&mdash;to his grandmother, to
+his father and his mother, and his brother.”</p>
+
+<p>Their Majesties showed how deeply they appreciated the
+sympathy so spontaneously offered to them on every side by
+publishing the following Message:&mdash;</p>
+
+<div class="blockquote">
+
+<p class="right">“<span class="smcap">Windsor Castle</span>, <i>20th January 1892</i>.</p>
+
+<p>“The Prince and Princess of Wales are anxious to express
+to Her Majesty’s subjects, whether in the United Kingdom, in
+the Colonies, or in India, the sense of their deep gratitude for
+the universal feeling of sympathy manifested towards them at
+a time when they are overwhelmed by the terrible calamity
+which they have sustained in the loss of their beloved eldest
+son. If sympathy at such a moment is of any avail, the
+remembrance that their grief has been shared by all classes
+will be a lasting consolation to their sorrowing hearts, and if
+possible will make them more than ever attached to their dear
+country.”</p>
+
+</div>
+
+<p>The Archbishop of Canterbury (Dr. Benson) was at Biskra
+when he heard of the lamentable death of the Duke of
+Clarence. The Archbishop wished to return home at once,
+and in sending a telegram of condolence to the bereaved father
+he stated his intention of so doing, but King Edward, with his
+usual kindly consideration, telegraphed to him that he was on
+no account to curtail his holiday. The telegram was followed
+by this letter, which is given in the Archbishop’s Life:&mdash;</p>
+
+<div class="blockquote">
+
+<p class="right">“<span class="smcap">Sandringham, Norfolk</span>, <i>27th January 1892</i>.</p>
+
+<p>“<span class="smcap">My dear Archbishop</span>&mdash;Only a short time ago I received
+such a kind letter from you, in which you agreed to perform the
+marriage ceremony at St. George’s for our eldest son. Since
+then I have received another letter from you containing such
+kind and sympathetic words, in which you expressed a desire
+to return home to take part in his Funeral Service.</p>
+
+<p>“It was like yourself, kind and thoughtful as you always
+are, but I could not allow you to undertake that long journey
+and return to our cold climate and to an atmosphere still<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_189" id="Page_189">[189]</a></span>
+impregnated with that dire disease when your absence abroad
+in a warmer climate is so essential for your health and strength.</p>
+
+<p>“It has pleased God to inflict a heavy, crushing blow upon
+us&mdash;that we can hardly realise the terrible loss we have
+sustained. We have had the good fortune of receiving you
+here in our country home on more than one occasion, and
+you know what a happy family party we have always been,
+so that the wrenching away of our first-born son under such
+peculiarly sad circumstances is a sorrow, the shadow of which
+can never leave us during the rest of our lives.</p>
+
+<p>“He was just twenty-eight; on this day month he was to
+have married a charming and gifted young lady, so that the
+prospect of a life of happiness and usefulness lay before him.
+Alas! that is all over. His bride has become his widow
+without ever having been his wife.</p>
+
+<p>“The ways of the Almighty are inscrutable, and it is not for
+us to murmur, as He does all for the best, and our beloved son
+is happier now than if he were exposed to the miseries and
+temptations of this world. We have also a consolation in the
+sympathy not only of our kind friends but of all classes.</p>
+
+<p>“<i>God’s will be done!</i></p>
+
+<p>“Again thanking you, my dear and kind Archbishop, for
+your soothing letter, which has been such a solace to us in
+our grief, I remain, yours very sincerely,</p>
+
+<p class="right"><span class="smcap">Albert Edward</span>.”</p>
+
+</div>
+
+<p>On the Sunday following the death of the Duke a private
+service was held in Sandringham Church, attended by King
+Edward and Queen Alexandra, their daughters, Princess
+Victoria Mary of Teck, and Prince George. By the King’s
+special wish his elder son was given the simplest of military
+funerals, and the coffin was removed from Sandringham to
+Windsor on a gun-carriage, escorted by a number of the
+Prince’s old comrades in arms. On the coffin lay the Prince’s
+busby and a silken Union Jack, and even at Windsor, where
+among the impressive mass of mourners every Royal House
+was represented, everything was severely simple, and the pall-bearers
+were officers of the 10th Hussars.</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_190" id="Page_190">[190]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>The career of the Prince, so suddenly cut off ere he had
+well reached his prime, in addition to its historical interest,
+throws an instructive light on the pains which King Edward
+has always expended on the education and training of his
+children. On none of his children did the King bestow more
+loving thought and care than on his eldest son, who was
+destined, as it then seemed, one day to bear all the anxieties
+and responsibilities of the British Crown.</p>
+
+<p>Prince Albert Victor was popularly, but quite erroneously,
+supposed to be a weakly, delicate child. The two nurses who
+successively had the principal charge of him&mdash;Mrs. Clark and
+Mrs. Blackburn&mdash;agreed in repudiating this idea, and their
+testimony is certainly supported by the photographs which
+were taken of the Prince in babyhood. His early death is to
+be attributed, not to any original delicacy of constitution, but
+to the weakness following a severe attack of typhoid, which
+delayed by two months his joining the <i>Britannia</i>.</p>
+
+<p>Once out of the nursery, the brothers were committed to
+the charge of a tutor selected for them by Queen Victoria&mdash;the
+Rev. John Neale Dalton&mdash;an admirable choice as events
+proved. From childhood Prince Albert Victor was devotedly
+attached to his younger brother, Prince George, who warmly
+reciprocated his affection, and their father wisely determined
+that the two boys should not be separated, but should enter
+the Royal Navy together as cadets. This was done in June
+1877, Prince Albert Victor being then thirteen and a half and
+Prince George being some seventeen months younger. From
+the very first King Edward caused it to be understood that his
+sons were to enjoy no privileges on account of their rank, but
+were to be treated exactly like their fellow-cadets on board the
+<i>Britannia</i>, and made to learn their profession just as if they
+had been the sons of an ordinary private gentleman. The
+only exceptions were that Mr. Dalton attended the Princes as
+governor, and that, by special request of the Admiralty, their
+hammocks were slung behind a separate bulkhead in a space
+about 12 feet square. The young Princes spent two years in
+the <i>Britannia</i>, and both obtained a first-class in seamanship,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_191" id="Page_191">[191]</a></span>
+entitling them to three months’ sea-time, and for general good
+conduct they obtained another three months.</p>
+
+<p>The King thoroughly realised the benefit he had himself derived
+from the travels which he had undertaken as a youth, and
+therefore he arranged that his sons should spend three years
+in making a tour round the world, that their minds might be
+equipped by experience of men and cities, and that they might
+acquire an abiding impression of the extent and resources of
+the British Empire. Accordingly, the young Princes started
+in the <i>Bacchante</i> cruiser, Captain Lord Charles Scott, being
+again entrusted to the care of Mr. Dalton, who was afterwards
+made a Canon of Windsor. Canon Dalton, it is interesting to
+note, attended Prince George when, as Duke of Cornwall and
+York, and accompanied by the Duchess of Cornwall and York,
+he visited Australia to inaugurate the Federal Parliament,
+coming home by New Zealand and Canada.</p>
+
+<p>The Princes kept careful diaries, and on their return they
+published a detailed account of their experiences. In the
+<i>Bacchante</i>, just as in the <i>Britannia</i>, they were treated exactly
+like other officers of their age and standing, except that they
+had a private cabin under the poop. They joined the gun-room
+mess, the members of which were granted a special
+allowance&mdash;an arrangement which had before been made
+when the Duke of Edinburgh began his naval career.</p>
+
+<p>The <i>Bacchante</i> cruised to Gibraltar, Messina, Gibraltar
+again, Madeira, the West Indies, and home to Spithead on
+3rd May. Then, on 19th July, the Princes rejoined the
+<i>Bacchante</i> for another cruise, first with the combined Channel
+and Reserve Squadrons to Bantry Bay and Vigo, and afterwards
+to Monte Video. The ship arrived off the Falkland
+Islands, but the Princes never landed, as had been arranged,
+for the troubles in South Africa had come to a head and the
+squadron was suddenly ordered to the Cape. The <i>Bacchante</i>
+reached Simons Bay on 16th February, and not many days
+later came the news of Majuba Hill and Laing’s Nek.</p>
+
+<p>Early in April the Princes left for Australia, a voyage
+which was destined to be not without danger, for the <i>Bacchante</i><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_192" id="Page_192">[192]</a></span>
+broke a portion of her steering-gear in a heavy gale. Temporary
+repairs were effected, and the vessel’s course was altered
+for Albany, in Western Australia. While the <i>Bacchante</i> was
+refitting, their Royal Highnesses visited the chief Australian
+ports in a passenger steamer called the <i>Cathay</i>, being everywhere
+received with enthusiastic loyalty. At last, rejoining
+the <i>Bacchante</i>, they said good-bye with regret to Australia,
+and on the voyage home they visited Fiji, Japan (where they
+were received with great ceremony by the Mikado), Shanghai,
+Hong-Kong, Singapore, and Colombo. Thence they proceeded
+to Suez, where they had the pleasure of meeting the
+great de Lesseps, and went in the Khedive’s yacht on a trip
+up to the First Cataract, as their parents had done in 1869.</p>
+
+<p>A somewhat prolonged tour in the Holy Land followed, their
+Royal Highnesses visiting those sacred scenes which their
+father had visited before they were born. The Princes left
+Beirut for Athens on 7th May, and there they had the pleasure
+of meeting their uncle, the King of the Hellenes, and thence
+they went to Suda Bay to take part in a naval regatta, in which
+the <i>Bacchante’s</i> boats covered themselves with glory. By way
+of Sicily and Sardinia, the Princes passed on to Gibraltar,
+there renewing their old acquaintance with the famous Lord
+Napier of Magdala. It is a pathetic circumstance that both
+Lord Napier and, but two years afterwards, the Duke of
+Clarence and Avondale, were borne to the grave on the same
+gun-carriage.</p>
+
+<p>At length the long voyage came to an end. Off Swanage
+the <i>Osborne</i>, with King Edward, Queen Alexandra, and the
+three young Princesses, met the <i>Bacchante</i> early in August. A
+visit to Queen Victoria at Osborne followed, and the two
+Princes were shortly afterwards confirmed in Whippingham
+Church by Archbishop Tait, who said to them in his address:&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>“From this time forward your course of life, which has been
+hitherto unusually alike, must, in many respects, diverge. You
+will have different occupations and different training for an
+expected difference of position.”</p>
+
+<div id="illus57" class="figcenter" style="width: 400px;"><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_193" id="Page_193">[193]</a><br /><a name="Page_194" id="Page_194">[194]</a></span>
+
+<img src="images/ill057.jpg" width="400" height="650" alt="" />
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Queen Alexandra</span></p>
+
+<p><i>From a Photograph by Gunn and Stuart</i></p>
+
+</div>
+
+<p>The Archbishop was a true prophet. It was indeed<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_195" id="Page_195">[195]</a></span>
+necessary now to separate the brothers. Prince George, as
+the younger son, might be left to continue his career in the
+noble service to which he had become devoted, but his elder
+brother, being in the immediate succession to the Throne,
+must, it was felt, be associated, as his father had been before
+him, with other walks of national life as well. First of all, it
+was decided, must come some terms at Cambridge University,
+and to prepare Prince Albert Victor in the particular kind of
+knowledge required Mr. J. K. Stephen was associated with Mr.
+Dalton in the summer of 1883. Mr. Stephen, the son of one
+of the greatest Judges who ever adorned the English Bench&mdash;Sir
+James Fitz-James Stephen&mdash;was not merely a most lovable
+man, possessed of extraordinary intellectual powers, but his total
+personality was of so rare a kind as to be indescribable to those
+who never came under its conquering influence. Probably
+from no human being were all things mean and paltry so utterly
+alien. Large in heart and mind as he was large in bodily frame,
+he left, when an untimely death snatched him away, not only a
+bitter personal grief among his friends, but a conviction that
+the nation’s loss was even greater than theirs.</p>
+
+<p>Prince Albert Victor became warmly attached to Mr.
+Stephen, who gives in some private letters, quoted in Mr. J. E.
+Vincent’s memoir of the Duke of Clarence and Avondale, a
+characteristic picture of the life led by the Royal pupil and his
+tutors in a little house in the park at Sandringham.</p>
+
+<p>“He is a good-natured, unaffected youth,” writes Mr.
+Stephen, “and disposed to exert himself to learn some history.…
+We are six in this little house, a sort of adjunct to the
+big one in whose grounds it stands, and we lead a quiet and
+happy reading-party sort of life with all the ordinary rustic
+pursuits.” The other four members of the party were Mr.
+Dalton, “a lively little Frenchman,” “a young aristocrat, whose
+father is the Earl of Strathmore, and a naval lieutenant, kept
+on shore by a bad knee, both of whom are very pleasant, and
+have more brains than they take credit for.”</p>
+
+<p>In October 1883 the King accompanied Prince Albert
+Victor to Cambridge, and saw him matriculated as an undergraduate<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_196" id="Page_196">[196]</a></span>
+member of Trinity College, that ancient and splendid
+foundation to which he himself belonged. Two sets of rooms,
+one for the Prince and one for Mr. Dalton, were prepared on
+the top floor of a staircase in Nevile’s Court, the quietest court
+in Trinity.</p>
+
+<p>It was at Cambridge that certain sterling qualities possessed
+by Prince Albert Victor first became manifest to any considerable
+circle, and through them to the public at large. His life
+at the University was simple and well ordered. He had not&mdash;nor
+was it desirable that he should have&mdash;the specialised intellect
+which wins University prizes and scholarships, but he displayed
+in a marked degree that peculiarly Royal quality of recognising
+intellect in others. Of those whom he admitted to his friendship
+while at Cambridge nearly all have become, or are becoming,
+distinguished in various walks of life. He was not distinguished
+from his undergraduate contemporaries except by
+the silk gown of the fellow-commoner&mdash;the Prince never wore
+the gold tassel to which he was entitled&mdash;and by immunity from
+University examinations.</p>
+
+<p>It must not, however, be supposed that the Prince was idle
+at the University. On the contrary, he read for six or seven
+hours a day regularly&mdash;a good deal more than the average
+undergraduate can be persuaded to do; and he was in another
+respect intellectually ahead of most of his contemporaries,
+namely, in his familiar knowledge of modern languages. He
+had read German at Heidelberg with Professor Ihne, and he
+kept it up while at Cambridge with a German tutor. He spoke
+French easily and well, and he had also a literary knowledge of
+that language, having spent some time in Switzerland with a
+French tutor. His college tutor was Mr. Joseph Prior. Mr.
+Stephen exercised a general supervision over his reading, and
+he attended the late Professor Seeley’s History Lectures and
+Mr. Gosse’s Lectures on English Literature.</p>
+
+<p>Prince Albert Victor strongly resembled his father in many
+respects, notably in his habits of order and method, and in his
+complete freedom from affectation or assumption. He was,
+indeed, if anything, almost too modest and retiring, but those<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_197" id="Page_197">[197]</a></span>
+who knew him bore witness to his real geniality and thoughtful
+consideration for others. At Cambridge he attended his
+College chapel twice on Sundays, and once or twice during the
+week. He generally dined in the College hall, when he would
+be assigned a place at the Fellows’ table. He was fond, however,
+of giving little dinner-parties of six or eight in his own
+rooms in College, usually on Thursdays, his guests on these
+occasions often including some of the senior members of the
+University.</p>
+
+<p>After dinner, the Royal host would generally arrange a
+rubber or two of whist. He did not play cricket or football,
+but was fond of polo and hockey, and he occasionally hunted.
+He might often have been met in the neighbourhood of
+Cambridge riding in the company of a few of his undergraduate
+friends, to whom he liked to offer a mount, especially in cases
+where he knew it was needed. The Prince had an inherited
+love of music, and he attended pretty regularly some weekly
+concerts of chamber music given at the Cambridge Town Hall.
+He was also a member of the Cambridge A.D.C., and patronised
+its performances, and he occasionally attended the debates at the
+Union, though he did not speak himself. He joined the University
+Volunteer Corps, and was photographed in his uniform.</p>
+
+<p>One traditionally Royal quality the Prince possessed in an
+extraordinary degree, namely, a perfectly marvellous memory
+for names and faces. Indeed, his memory in general was
+singularly tenacious, and in his historical studies he exhibited
+a wonderful power of quickly mastering the most intricate
+genealogical tables.</p>
+
+<p>The Prince went for the Long Vacation on a reading party
+to Heidelberg, and while there he received an amusing poem
+from Mr. H. F. Wilson, one of his Cambridge friends, which
+is printed in Mr. Vincent’s memoir. The following may be
+quoted as perhaps the most characteristic lines:&mdash;</p>
+
+<div class="poetry-container">
+<div class="poetry">
+<div class="verse">Your kitten broadens to a cat,</div>
+<div class="verse">And wonders what her master’s at;</div>
+<div class="verse">Is she to wait your Highness’ will,</div>
+<div class="verse">And stay with Mrs. Jiggins still?</div><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_198" id="Page_198">[198]</a></span>
+<div class="verse">Or shall we pack her in a box,</div>
+<div class="verse">And send her off from London Docks?</div>
+<div class="verse">Meanwhile she slays the casual mouse,</div>
+<div class="verse">And dreams at night of Marlborough House.</div>
+<div class="verse center">…</div>
+<div class="verse">And finally a word we send</div>
+<div class="verse">To our Philosopher and Friend;</div>
+<div class="verse">They say he’s coming in July&mdash;</div>
+<div class="verse">We hope ’tis true, for, verily,</div>
+<div class="verse">We miss our mine of curious knowledge,</div>
+<div class="verse">And, when we get him back in College,</div>
+<div class="verse">We mean to drop a pinch of salt on</div>
+<div class="verse">The tail of Mr. J. N. Dalton.</div>
+</div>
+</div>
+
+<p>The Prince came of age in 1885, and the house-party at
+Sandringham given to celebrate the occasion was one of the
+largest gatherings ever held there. The company included a
+considerable number of Prince Albert Victor’s Cambridge
+friends.</p>
+
+<p>On the conclusion of Prince Albert Victor’s residence at
+Cambridge, the honorary degree of LL.D. was conferred upon
+him, and then his father decided that it was time for him to
+enter the army. He was gazetted a lieutenant in the 10th
+Hussars, of which the King is now colonel-in-chief, and while
+he was quartered at Aldershot the father and son saw a great
+deal of each other. In the army, as in the navy, Prince Albert
+Victor was treated as far as possible exactly like his brother
+officers; and indeed it is highly probable that, had he been
+offered any exceptional privileges, he would have steadily
+refused to take advantage of them. The Prince became a
+captain in the 9th Lancers and in the 3rd King’s Royal Rifles
+and aide-de-camp to the Queen in 1887, and two years later
+attained the rank of major, returning to his old regiment, the
+10th Hussars.</p>
+
+<p>Prince Albert Victor’s training as a soldier was real and
+thorough. He was not spared the drudgery of drill and the
+riding school through which the ordinary subaltern has to pass,
+and yet at the same time his work was frequently interrupted
+by the duty of attending various ceremonial functions. This<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_199" id="Page_199">[199]</a></span>
+life was but sparingly varied with days with the hounds and
+shooting, to which the Prince eagerly looked forward. It is
+generally agreed by his contemporaries that he became an
+excellent officer, and his private letters to his friends prove how
+absorbed he was in his military career.</p>
+
+<p>King Edward had retained such pleasant recollections of
+his own visit to India, that he determined that his elder son
+should at an early date make a tour in the great Eastern
+dependency. The tour was arranged, and proved extremely
+successful from every point of view, the Prince particularly
+enjoying the excellent and varied sport shown him by his keen
+Indian hosts. His Royal Highness was gazetted honorary
+colonel of the 4th Bengal Infantry, the 1st Punjab Cavalry
+(Prince Albert Victor’s Own), and the 4th Bombay Cavalry.</p>
+
+<p>Soon after his return from India, Prince Albert Victor was
+created Duke of Clarence and Avondale, and Earl of Athlone,
+in the peerage of the United Kingdom. He was formally
+introduced to the House of Lords by his father on 23rd January
+1890, the ceremony being watched by Queen Alexandra from
+a gallery. This was an event unique in English history. The
+Duke of Clarence was the only eldest son of a Prince of Wales
+who attained his majority, to say nothing of taking his seat in
+the House of Lords, while his father was still Heir-Apparent
+to the Crown.</p>
+
+<p>During the year which followed, the King gave up regularly
+a certain portion of his time to initiating his elder son in all the
+varied, if monotonous, duties which were likely to fall to his
+lot, a task which was really in no wise irksome, for those who
+knew the Duke of Clarence best were well aware that his father
+had ever been his best friend, and that he himself was never so
+happy as when he was allowed to share in any sense his father’s
+life and interests.</p>
+
+<p>After the death of the Duke of Clarence, the King and his
+family naturally retired into the deepest privacy, and it was
+many months before His Majesty had sufficiently recovered
+from the blow to be able to take up again the thread of his
+public duties.</p>
+
+<hr class="chap" />
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_200" id="Page_200">[200]</a></span></p>
+
+<h2 id="CHAPTER_XVII">CHAPTER XVII<br />
+<span class="smaller">THE HOUSING OF THE WORKING CLASSES&mdash;MARRIAGE OF PRINCE
+GEORGE&mdash;THE DIAMOND JUBILEE&mdash;DEATH OF THE DUCHESS
+OF TECK</span></h2>
+
+<p>The year 1893 brought to the King a very fortunate distraction,
+which prevented his mind from dwelling too much on
+his still recent bereavement in a way that could not have been
+accomplished by the customary round of ceremonial visits and
+functions. This distraction was his appointment as a member
+of the Royal Commission on the Housing of the Poor. The
+King was genuinely delighted with this opportunity. He
+threw himself with the greatest zeal into the work, and not
+only attended all the sittings, which took place in one of the
+House of Lords’ Committee Rooms, but visited, <i>incognito</i>, some
+of the very poorest quarters of London. It is well known that
+he was exceedingly anxious to serve on the Labour Commission,
+but Ministers have always been unwilling that the
+Heir-Apparent should take an active part in matters connected,
+even indirectly, with politics, and he has had, therefore, constantly
+to play the part of the Sovereign’s deputy without the
+responsibilities and interests naturally attaching to the position.</p>
+
+<p>It is no exaggeration to say that there are few men now
+living who possess better general qualifications for the difficult
+work of serving on Royal Commissions than the King. He
+is familiar with an almost bewildering variety of subjects, and
+possesses a wonderful faculty for almost instinctively grasping
+the important features and the really essential points of any
+matter under discussion. He is a model chairman of a committee,
+and, though he cannot ever display the slightest trace
+of personal or party feeling, it is well known that he follows
+with intense interest all the political and social movements of
+the day, and it is no secret that he is thoroughly an Imperialist.</p>
+
+<div id="illus58" class="figcenter" style="width: 400px;"><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_201" id="Page_201">[201]</a><br /><a name="Page_202" id="Page_202">[202]</a></span>
+
+<img src="images/ill058.jpg" width="400" height="650" alt="" />
+
+<p><span class="smcap">King Edward and Queen Alexandra, with the Duchess of Fife and
+Lady Alexandra Duff</span></p>
+
+<p><i>From a Photograph by Gunn and Stuart</i></p>
+
+</div>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_203" id="Page_203">[203]</a></span>The King’s work on the Housing of the Poor Commission
+was particularly congenial to him, for he has always shown an
+unaffected interest in the working classes. He has long been
+an annual subscriber to the Working Men’s Club and Institute
+Union, and is a generous donor to the Working Men’s College.
+Still more recently, in his reply to the loyal address of condolence
+presented to him by the London County Council on the
+death of Queen Victoria, His Majesty made a significant
+allusion to his interest in the problem of the housing of the
+working classes. In 1889, some years before the King joined
+the Housing of the Poor Commission, he took the trouble to
+go to Lambeth on business seemingly of nothing but local
+interest&mdash;namely, to receive a deputation of working men on
+the subject of providing a park for the district. His host was
+the late Primate, Dr. Benson, who thus describes the scene
+in his diary:&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>“Went up to receive Prince of Wales and twelve Representative
+Working Men at Lambeth. The latter to read him
+an address on the purchase of ‘The Lawn,’ South Lambeth,
+for a Public Park, and its great importance to them and their
+children. Their chairman read a natural, honest speech; nothing
+could be better than the tone and line of the Prince’s answer.
+They were delighted by his strong shake of the hand. ‘Not
+the tips of his fingers,’ they said; ‘working men have feelings,
+and they would not like that.’ And, ‘It isn’t everybody that
+education refines as it has him,’ said a blacksmith. ‘When
+he’s king I shall be able to say that I’ve shook hands with
+the Crown,’ said an engine-driver. Octavia Hill, and James
+Knowles, and my wife were the only people admitted besides
+his Equerry, and Donaldson, and Phillips. It will do good, and
+he spoke so well.”</p>
+
+<p>This incident is only mentioned as one out of many that
+could be cited in proof, if proof were needed, of His Majest<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_204" id="Page_204">[204]</a></span>y’s
+keen interest in everything that concerns the welfare of the
+working classes. On another occasion the King was accidentally
+informed that an exhibition, promoted by the working men in
+South London, was somewhat languishing for lack of sufficient
+notice, and unofficially His Majesty arranged to visit the
+exhibition. He went through it carefully, buying and paying
+for such articles as took his fancy, and the moment the fact
+became known, the promoters had no reason to complain of
+neglect on the part of the general public, who were eager to
+see what had interested so good a judge of exhibitions as King
+Edward.</p>
+
+<p>Throughout the year 1893 the King was busily employed
+in other ways also. In March he paid a formal visit to the
+Public Record Office to inspect some of the priceless national
+manuscripts deposited there, and in May he had the satisfaction
+of seeing that great enterprise which he had himself originated,
+the Imperial Institute, inaugurated in State by his Royal
+Mother. It was at the Institute that Mr. Gladstone was hissed
+by some unmannerly persons, to the great annoyance of the
+King, who never concealed the strong respect and esteem in
+which he held both Mr. and Mrs. Gladstone.</p>
+
+<p>It is interesting also to record that in March of this year the
+Queen, who was accompanied by her son, was received by the
+Pope in private audience. The interview lasted about an hour.</p>
+
+<p>The official announcement was made, appropriately enough
+in May, of the betrothal of the King’s son, then Duke of York,
+to Princess May of Teck. It is recorded in the late Duchess
+of Teck’s <i>Life</i> that Prince George proposed to Princess May
+on 3rd May 1893, at Sheen Lodge, which for some time had
+been occupied by the Duke and Duchess of Fife. Both the
+bride and her mother agreed that the trousseau should be
+entirely of home workmanship. “I am determined,” said the
+Duchess of Teck, “that all the silk shall come from England,
+all the flannel from Wales, all the tweeds from Scotland, and
+every yard of lace and poplin from Ireland.” The wedding
+gown was woven at Spitalfields, and was of silver and white
+brocade, the design being of roses, shamrock, and thistles.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_205" id="Page_205">[205]</a></span>
+The bridal veil&mdash;the same which had been worn by the bride’s
+mother on her wedding day in 1866&mdash;was of the finest Honiton
+lace, designed in a sequence of cornucopiæ filled with roses,
+thistles, and shamrock.</p>
+
+<div id="illus59" class="figcenter" style="width: 450px;">
+
+<img src="images/ill059.jpg" width="450" height="650" alt="" />
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Queen Victoria and the Duke and Duchess of Cornwall and York</span></p>
+
+<p><i>From a Photograph by Hughes and Mullins, Ryde</i></p>
+
+</div>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_206" id="Page_206">[206]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>The time of the short engagement was filled with preparations
+of all kinds, and from a letter written by Mrs. Dalrymple,
+and quoted in the Duchess of Teck’s <i>Life</i>, we obtain a good
+idea of how the days passed by at White Lodge:&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>“I remember the happy afternoon I spent at White Lodge
+a few days before the marriage. We were a large and merry
+party, including the Grand Duchess of Mecklenburg-Strelitz,
+and some time was spent in looking at the numerous presents.
+Tea was served on the lawn under the copper beech, and the
+dear Princess sat at the head of the table making tea for all;
+on one side of her was a pile of telegrams received, while on
+the other, scattered about amongst the cups, were packets of
+telegraph forms. Messages were constantly being delivered,
+and the Princess and the Duke as quickly wrote out the replies;
+no word of complaint was uttered at these incessant interruptions.
+Her Royal Highness’s amiable readiness to accede to
+the many appeals for a place from which to see the bridal
+procession was wonderful. Princess Mary begged me to visit
+her the day after the marriage, and her eyes filled with tears as
+she spoke of parting from ‘her precious child.’ Much, however,
+as I wished to accept the suggestion, I did not do so, but
+implored the Princess to take the rest that I knew she so
+urgently needed.”</p>
+
+<p>The qualities both of head and of heart possessed by
+Prince George’s bride were, at any rate partially, realised by
+the nation. An incident that occurred at St. Moritz in 1894
+is not so well known. The Duchess of Teck and her daughter
+were on a visit there when a fire broke out which entirely
+destroyed several shops and houses, and threatened destruction
+to the lower village. Both the Princess and her mother took
+active steps to rescue the goods from burning, carrying out the
+things in their arms. They were the first to go among the
+sufferers by the fire offering words of consolation, and started
+a subscription in their aid.</p>
+
+<p>After a very short engagement, the marriage took place
+in the Chapel-Royal, St. James’s, on 6th July, in the presence
+of all the Royal family, as well as the present Emperor of<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_207" id="Page_207">[207]</a></span>
+Russia and the King and Queen of Denmark. King Edward
+naturally took a prominent part in supervising all the arrangements,
+and was much gratified by the outburst of popular
+enthusiasm which greeted his son’s union with the daughter
+of the universally-beloved Duchess of Teck.</p>
+
+<p>It is interesting to note how frequently, ever since the
+marriage, the King has associated his heir with himself in the
+performance of his public duties, while the constant companionship
+of father and son is a striking testimony to their complete
+sympathy with one another.</p>
+
+<p>The following year was notable for two Royal marriages
+in the King’s immediate circle, and for a bereavement which
+touched both His Majesty and the Queen in their closest
+family affections. The King went to Coburg in April to be
+present at the wedding of his niece, Princess Victoria Melita
+of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, and his nephew, the Grand Duke
+of Hesse, the only son of the lamented Princess Alice. The
+occasion brought together a remarkable number of prominent
+members of Royal Houses, including Queen Victoria and the
+German Emperor, and was rendered additionally memorable
+by the fact that the engagement of the present Tsar of Russia
+to the bridegroom’s sister was then publicly announced.</p>
+
+<p>The King, who was on this occasion accompanied by Queen
+Alexandra, went to St. Petersburg in August for the wedding
+of the Grand Duchess Xenia, which was celebrated with all
+the lavish magnificence of Russian Court ceremonies.</p>
+
+<p>Although the Tsar was not then in his usual robust health,
+there was nothing to indicate how soon the King and Queen
+were to be recalled to Russia on a far different mission. To
+their lasting sorrow, the summons to the Tsar’s death-bed at
+Livadia arrived too late for them to be present at the last.
+Their Majesties left London on 31st October, immediately on
+receipt of an urgent message from the Tsaritsa, and had proceeded
+as far as Vienna when the news was broken to them
+that all was over. They, however, continued their melancholy
+journey, which was much delayed by bad weather, in order
+that they might be with the widowed Empress and her son<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_208" id="Page_208">[208]</a></span>
+through the terrible strain of the return to St. Petersburg, and
+the ordeal of the funeral ceremonies.</p>
+
+<p>The King’s fifty-third birthday was spent at Livadia, and
+for the first time since his birth the anniversary celebrations in
+London and at Sandringham did not take place.</p>
+
+<p>When the funeral <i>cortège</i> reached St. Petersburg, Prince
+George joined his parents, and together they attended the
+elaborate obsequies of the Emperor, and the very quiet
+wedding of the young Tsar and Princess Alix of Hesse, which
+followed a few days later. The King remained in Russia for
+the Queen’s birthday, and left with his son the following day,
+while Her Majesty stayed behind to support her sister, the
+Empress Alexander.</p>
+
+<p>The relations between England and Russia after the King’s
+return became noticeably more cordial, and there is no doubt
+that this was owing in a large measure to His Majesty’s
+personal exertions, and the sympathy which he and his son
+displayed with the Russian people in their great sorrow.</p>
+
+<p>During this year of 1894 the King exhibited his usual
+complaisance in attending various local ceremonies. Among
+these may be mentioned the opening of the Tower Bridge by
+the King and Queen, on behalf of Queen Victoria, in June;
+while in July their Majesties attended the Welsh Eisteddfod
+at Carnarvon, where they were received with great enthusiasm.
+A special session was held, at which the King was initiated as
+“Iorweth Dywysog” (Edward the Prince), Queen Alexandra
+as “Hoffder Prydain” (Britain’s Delight), and the Princess
+Victoria as “Buddug” (the modern Welsh form of Boadicea).</p>
+
+<p>The King was always willing to emphasise his connection
+with the Principality from which he then took his title, and
+when the long-desired University of Wales became an accomplished
+fact, he readily consented to be its first Chancellor.
+His Majesty was installed in this office at Aberystwyth in June
+1896, and his first act as Chancellor was to confer an honorary
+degree on Queen Alexandra. At the luncheon which followed,
+the King’s health was proposed by Mr. Gladstone.</p>
+
+<p>In the following month, the marriage of Princess Maud to<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_209" id="Page_209">[209]</a></span>
+Prince Charles of Denmark took place in the chapel of Buckingham
+Palace in the presence of Queen Victoria and the
+Royal families of the two countries.</p>
+
+<p>Archbishop Benson officiated at the wedding, and he gives
+the following charming description of the ceremony in his
+diary:&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>“Married the Princess Maud to Prince Charles of Denmark.
+The brightest of the Princesses, and almost as young as when
+I confirmed her. He is a tall, gallant-looking sailor. Hope he
+will make her happy. The Chapel and old conservatory ineffectually
+disguised by church furniture&mdash;all well arranged, and
+the banquet also. The whole very royally done. The group
+of great peers of the Queen’s Household afterwards was
+striking, as were the greater peers also in Chapel, and Mr.
+Gladstone decidedly ageing and paling, though they say he
+is well. The Queen was the wonderful sight&mdash;so vigorous.
+In the Bow Room afterwards, where fifty Royalties signed the
+book, she called me to her, and I knelt and kissed her hand,
+and she talked very spiritedly a few minutes. As soon as it
+was over an Indian servant wheeled in her chair to take her
+out; she instantly waved it back. ‘Behind the door,’ she
+said, and walked all across the room with her stick most
+gallantly.”</p>
+
+<p>The month of May was naturally a very busy one for the
+King and Queen. On the 22nd their Majesties, representing
+Queen Victoria, opened the new Blackwall tunnel in State,
+the East End of London giving them a right Royal reception.
+On this occasion His Majesty was presented with one of the
+heaviest gold medals ever struck in England, weighing 12
+ounces, and bearing on the reverse a representation of the
+tunnel in perspective. On the 26th His Majesty opened the
+new Medical School of Guy’s Hospital; on the 27th the King
+and Queen, with their son and two of their daughters, opened
+the Royal Military Tournament; on the 28th, at the request of
+Queen Victoria, the King and Queen, accompanied by Princess
+Victoria, laid the first stone of the Royal London Ophthalmic
+Hospital in the City Road; on the 29th the King and Queen,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_210" id="Page_210">[210]</a></span>
+with their son and two of their daughters, went down to Canterbury
+to open the restored Chapter-house of the Cathedral, and
+in the evening the King dined with the past and present
+officers of the Norfolk Artillery Militia, of which he is honorary
+colonel. On the 31st the King held a <i>levée</i> at St. James’s
+Palace, and in the evening dined with the 1st Guards Club.</p>
+
+<div id="illus60" class="figcenter" style="width: 250px;">
+
+<img src="images/ill060.jpg" width="250" height="400" alt="" />
+
+<p><span class="smcap">The King in the Undress Uniform of an Admiral of the Fleet</span></p>
+
+<p><i>From a Photograph taken in 1897 by Mullins, Ryde</i></p>
+
+</div>
+
+<p>This is a short summary, which does not pretend to be by<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_211" id="Page_211">[211]</a></span>
+any means exhaustive of His Majesty’s engagements for a
+very few days, but it brings out perhaps more vividly than a
+detailed list could possibly do the whole-hearted manner in
+which the King threw himself into the great tide of national
+rejoicing which reached its flood in that memorable June of
+1897.</p>
+
+<p>King Edward, for a variety of reasons, took a much greater
+part in the Diamond Jubilee festivities of 1897 than he did in
+those of ten years before. All the arrangements were submitted
+for his approval as well as Queen Victoria’s, and it was
+largely owing to his conspicuous organising ability that everything
+went off with such triumphant success. Both the King
+and Queen Alexandra associated themselves in a special manner
+with the occasion, the former by his Hospital Fund for London,
+and the latter by her thoughtful scheme of providing one good
+dinner for the very poorest. The Hospital Fund greatly
+benefited by the sale of a special stamp, the design of which
+was selected by the King himself.</p>
+
+<p>King Edward, who had been made an honorary Admiral of
+the Fleet at the Golden Jubilee of 1887, represented his
+mother at the magnificent naval review at Spithead, which
+was generally agreed to be, in its way, the finest spectacle
+of all that the Jubilee festivities afforded. Many foreign
+warships were sent by other countries as tokens of international
+courtesy. Towards the officers of these vessels the
+King displayed all his wonted cordiality; and in the arrangements
+for their entertainment his efforts were heartily seconded
+by Viscount Goschen, then First Lord of the Admiralty, and
+the other naval authorities. The spectacle of so vast a
+concourse of British vessels was rendered doubly impressive
+by the knowledge that it had been assembled without weakening
+in the slightest degree the squadrons on the numerous
+British naval stations all over the world. There was much
+point in the remark said to have been made by the United
+States Special Ambassador to the First Lord: “I guess, sir,
+this makes for peace!”</p>
+
+<p>On the eventful morning of the 22nd June, when the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_212" id="Page_212">[212]</a></span>
+Jubilee honours were announced, it was found that Queen
+Victoria, while conferring some mark of her favour on each
+of her sons, had created a new and special dignity for the
+Heir-Apparent. The announcement was made in the following
+terms:&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>“The Queen has been graciously pleased, on the occasion
+of Her Majesty’s Diamond Jubilee, to appoint Field-Marshal
+His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales, K.G., G.C.B., to be
+Great Master and Principal Knight Grand Cross of the Most
+Honourable Order of the Bath.”</p>
+
+<p>That this distinction was very gratifying to the King was
+significantly shown in the following month, when he gave a
+great banquet at St. James’s Palace to the Knights Grand
+Cross of the Order of the Bath in celebration of his appointment.
+It was an absolutely unique gathering of men who had
+rendered distinguished service to the State, in statesmanship,
+in diplomacy, in the profession of arms, in the navy, and in the
+departments of civil administration.</p>
+
+<p>Since his accession, His Majesty has appointed his brother,
+the Duke of Connaught, to succeed him as Great Master of the
+Order of the Bath.</p>
+
+<p>By command of Queen Victoria, the King held a State
+reception and investiture at St. James’s Palace on 21st July,
+when he received on behalf of Her Majesty a large number
+of Diamond Jubilee addresses and invested the newly-created
+Companions of the Orders of the Bath, the Star of India,
+St. Michael and St. George, and the Indian Empire, and on
+the same day His Majesty also opened the new Tate Gallery
+at Millbank.</p>
+
+<p>It was in this month that His Majesty was elected to the
+fellowship of the Royal College of Physicians of London at
+a comitia of the College&mdash;an honour which he valued highly.
+As a non-medical fellow the King had had only three predecessors,
+the Marquis of Dorchester in 1658, the Duke of
+Manchester in 1717, and the Duke of Richmond in 1729.
+The Royal diploma was, it is understood, specially composed
+for the occasion, and did not give the new fellow complete<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_213" id="Page_213">[213]</a></span>
+freedom to practise in his new profession! Later on, His
+Majesty was destined to experience in his own person the
+marvellous benefits which modern surgery has placed at the
+service of suffering humanity.</p>
+
+<div id="illus61" class="figcenter" style="width: 275px;">
+
+<img src="images/ill061.jpg" width="275" height="400" alt="" />
+
+<p><span class="smcap">The King as Grand Master of the Knights-Hospitallers of Malta,
+at the Duchess of Devonshire’s Ball</span></p>
+
+<p><i>From a Photograph by Lafayette</i></p>
+
+</div>
+
+<p>The rest of the Diamond Jubilee year was spent in comparative
+quietude by the King and Queen Alexandra, although
+His Majesty took an active part in the exceptionally brilliant
+season. He attended, among other great functions, the Fancy<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_214" id="Page_214">[214]</a></span>
+Dress Ball given by the Duchess of Devonshire, wearing on
+this occasion the splendid costume of the Grand Master of the
+Knights-Hospitallers of Malta.</p>
+
+<p>King Edward and Queen Alexandra left Marlborough
+House on 10th August for Bayreuth, and His Majesty
+arrived at Marienbad on the 18th, travelling <i>incognito</i> as
+Lord Renfrew. Her Majesty went to Bernstorff to visit
+her parents, and was joined there early in September by
+the King. His Majesty afterwards visited the Empress
+Frederick at Cronberg, and returned to Marlborough House
+on 25th September, while Her Majesty prolonged her stay
+in Denmark till October.</p>
+
+<p>On 16th October the King stood as sponsor at the
+christening of the infant son and heir of the Duke and
+Duchess of Marlborough&mdash;an interesting occasion, for His
+Majesty had been godfather to the Duke himself some twenty-five
+years before.</p>
+
+<p>This summer was also rendered memorable for the visit
+paid by the Duke and Duchess of Cornwall and York to
+Ireland. Their Royal Highnesses spent a fortnight there,
+stopping with the Lord-Lieutenant, Earl Cadogan, in Dublin;
+afterwards visiting some of the great houses of the Irish
+nobility, and seeing a great deal of the lovely scenery for
+which Ireland is famous, including Killarney, from which the
+Duke takes the title of Baron.</p>
+
+<p>In Dublin the Duke of Cornwall and York and the ever-popular
+Lord Roberts were installed with great pomp and
+ceremony as Knights of the Order of St. Patrick. The Duke
+wore the same sword which his father had used when he was
+installed some three-and-twenty years before.</p>
+
+<div id="illus62" class="figcenter" style="width: 350px;">
+
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_215" id="Page_215">[215]</a></span>
+
+<img src="images/ill062.jpg" width="350" height="500" alt="" />
+
+<p><span class="smcap">The Duke of Cornwall and York in his Robes as a Knight of
+St. Patrick</span></p>
+
+<p><i>From a Photograph by Lafayette</i></p>
+
+</div>
+
+<p>His Royal Highness on the termination of the visit wrote
+the following letter to Lord Cadogan, the Lord-Lieutenant:&mdash;</p>
+
+<div class="blockquote">
+
+<p class="right">“<span class="smcap">Mount Stewart, Newtownards, Co. Down</span>,<br />
+<i>8th September 1897</i>.</p>
+
+<p>“<span class="smcap">Dear Lord Cadogan</span>&mdash;I cannot leave Ireland without
+expressing to you, on behalf of the Duchess of York and
+myself, our very sincere appreciation of the warm and enthusiastic
+welcome which has been accorded to us during our visit
+by all classes and in all parts of the country.</p>
+
+<p>“Nothing could have exceeded the kindness and hospitality
+which have been shown to us, and the agreeable impressions
+which we have derived from our visit can never be effaced<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_216" id="Page_216">[216]</a></span>
+from our memory. I regret that the limited time at our
+disposal rendered it impossible for us to see many districts
+in a country which contains so much that is beautiful and
+interesting. I hope, however, that we may have further
+opportunities of improving our acquaintance with the people
+of Ireland and with the country of which they are so justly
+proud.&mdash;Believe me, very sincerely yours,</p>
+
+<p class="right">“<span class="smcap">George</span>.”</p>
+
+</div>
+
+<p>Their Royal Highnesses came home by way of Scotland,
+visiting Glasgow, where they performed several ceremonial
+functions, and staying with Lord Rosebery at Dalmeny for
+two nights. They then went to Ness Castle and on to
+Guisachan for fishing and deer-stalking as the guests of Lord
+and Lady Tweedmouth, and ultimately visited Queen Victoria
+at Balmoral.</p>
+
+<p>This Royal visit to Ireland exhibited in a striking manner
+the extent to which party passions had been allayed in the distressful
+country. The Duke and Duchess had everywhere a
+respectful and frequently an enthusiastic reception; and in
+almost every address received by their Royal Highnesses the
+desirability of establishing a Royal residence in Ireland was
+pointedly referred to. The profound effect of the visit was
+seen a month or two later, when, on the death of the lamented
+Duchess of Teck, the Lord Mayor and Lady Mayoress of
+Dublin telegraphed their condolences, both officially and
+privately, not to the Duke of Teck, as might have been expected,
+but to the Duke and Duchess of Cornwall and York.
+On this mournful occasion, also, the Corporation of “rebel”
+Cork passed a resolution of sympathy.</p>
+
+<div id="illus63" class="figcenter" style="width: 350px;">
+
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_217" id="Page_217">[217]</a></span>
+
+<img src="images/ill063.jpg" width="350" height="500" alt="" />
+
+<p><span class="smcap">The Duchess of Cornwall and York</span></p>
+
+<p><i>From a Photograph by Chancellor, Dublin</i></p>
+
+</div>
+
+<p>The death of the Duchess of Teck on 27th October was a
+terrible blow to the King and Queen Alexandra. In the
+previous April the Duchess had undergone a severe operation
+with the magnificent courage characteristic of her, and
+as soon as she was able to receive visitors the very first who
+came was King Edward. Her Royal Highness seemed quite
+to have conquered her malady. She went up to London from
+White Lodge in June, and bore her part in many of the
+Diamond Jubilee rejoicings. No one who saw the Jubilee
+procession will ever forget the people’s welcome to the
+Duchess of Teck&mdash;great in the West End, but greatest of all
+in the poorer parts of London, and second only to the reception
+accorded to Queen Victoria herself. The Duchess attended
+the Garden Party at Buckingham Palace, and at the Duchess<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_218" id="Page_218">[218]</a></span>
+of Devonshire’s ball she appeared as the Electress Sophia.
+Visits to Northumberland and Westmoreland followed, but
+towards the end of October, when Her Royal Highness had
+returned to White Lodge, the illness returned. The surgeons
+again operated successfully, but the patient could not rally from
+the shock.</p>
+
+<p>There had been practically no warning, so that the news
+came with equal suddenness both to the Royal Family and
+the nation. King Edward and Queen Alexandra immediately
+hurried up from Sandringham, and afterwards, at the
+deeply impressive funeral in St. George’s Chapel, Windsor,
+His Majesty represented his Royal mother.</p>
+
+<p>This bereavement was the more terrible from its utter
+unexpectedness, and, as has been so singularly often the case
+in our Royal Family, it happened in the autumn. Princess
+Mary, who stood in the relation of second cousin to King
+Edward, was, although belonging technically to the same
+generation as Queen Victoria, but a few years older than His
+Majesty, and the most affectionate and close relations had
+always existed between them, a fact shown on many occasions
+throughout their joint lives, and nowhere more strikingly than
+in the great satisfaction expressed by both the King and
+Queen Alexandra at the marriage of their only surviving son to
+the daughter of the Duke and Duchess of Teck.</p>
+
+<p>Earlier in the autumn an attempt was made to use the
+King’s great personal prestige and popularity in order to
+bring to a close the struggle between masters and men in the
+engineering trade. The writer received the following reply:&mdash;</p>
+
+<div class="blockquote">
+
+<p class="right">“<span class="smcap">Marlborough House, Pall Mall, S.W.</span>,<br />
+<i>8th October 1897</i>.</p>
+
+<p>“<span class="smcap">Dear Sir</span>&mdash;I am directed by the Prince of Wales to
+acknowledge the receipt of your letter of the 4th inst., and to
+inform you, in reply, that, while he deeply deplores the disastrous
+state of affairs in the engineering industry, he feels that
+it would not be right or proper for him to attempt in any way
+to interfere or to mix himself up in them. His Royal Highness<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_219" id="Page_219">[219]</a></span>
+regrets that he is unable to act on your suggestion.&mdash;I am,
+Sir, your obedient servant,</p>
+
+<p class="right">“<span class="smcap">Francis Knollys</span>.”</p>
+
+</div>
+
+<p>Towards the end of November the King visited Durham,
+and in his reply to the inevitable address gave some interesting
+reminiscences of the late Bishop of the diocese. He said:&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>“Dr. Lightfoot, who was transferred from his theological
+studies in the University of Cambridge to undertake
+the administration of a large and important diocese, evinced
+a powerful personality of character through the brilliancy of
+his intellect, his profound learning, his earnest piety, and a
+capacity for organisation so remarkable as almost to appear
+intuitive.… I may mention that I myself was personally
+acquainted with Bishop Lightfoot when I was an undergraduate
+at Cambridge, and I wish to add my own testimony
+to the admiration and regard with which he inspired all who,
+like myself, had the advantage of knowing him.”</p>
+
+<p>On 21st December Queen Alexandra received a grateful
+address from the chairmen of the sixty local committees who
+were entrusted with the management of Her Majesty’s
+Diamond Jubilee dinner fund for the poor of London, and
+so ended this eventful year.</p>
+
+<hr class="chap" />
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_220" id="Page_220">[220]</a></span></p>
+
+<h2 id="CHAPTER_XVIII">CHAPTER XVIII<br />
+<span class="smaller">LATER YEARS&mdash;A SERIOUS ACCIDENT TO THE KING&mdash;GRADUAL
+RECOVERY&mdash;THE ATTEMPT ON THE KING’S LIFE</span></h2>
+
+<p>The year 1898, destined to bring His Majesty a serious
+accident and a tedious convalescence, opened uneventfully.
+On New Year’s Day the King accepted the post of Patron of
+the Fourth International Congress of Zoology, which had
+arranged to meet at Cambridge in August. In January, too,
+the Brixton branch of the Social Democratic Federation sent
+to the King a proposal that the Government should organise
+a system of State maintenance of the underfed London school
+children. In reply, Sir F. Knollys wrote:&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>“His Royal Highness directs me to assure you that he
+feels the greatest sympathy for the large number of underfed
+and half-starved children living in London, and although he
+is afraid he does not feel himself at liberty to support your
+particular proposal, it will give him much pleasure to send a
+donation to the London Schools Dinner Association, which he
+understands is doing very good work in the required direction.”</p>
+
+<p>In March the King went to Cannes, and saw President
+Faure in Paris on his way thither. On 10th March His
+Majesty laid the first stone of a new jetty at Cannes in the
+midst of a brilliant assemblage. He said, speaking to the
+Mayor:&mdash;</p>
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_221" id="Page_221">[221]</a></span></p>
+<p>“You know what pleasure it gives me to spend a few weeks
+in your beautiful country, where I always meet with a hospitable
+reception.… In laying the first stone of the new
+jetty, in accordance with your kind wish, I desire to tell you
+especially how touched I was at your having thought of giving
+it my name. I trust that the very wise and unanimous impulse
+given by you to yachting at Cannes will not fail of its effect.
+You can safely rely upon my support, for I am sincerely glad
+to see this friendly competition between our two countries
+developed, and, as you have so well said, I hope with you that
+this ceremony may be a fresh pledge of cordial relations
+between France and Great Britain.”</p>
+
+<p>To M. Leroux, Prefect of the Alpes Maritimes, His Majesty
+said:&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>“I am touched by the sentiments which, in the name of
+the Government of the Republic, you have just expressed. I
+sincerely hope that France may long enjoy the benefits of the
+Government which you represent, and that the cordial relations
+between France and Great Britain may continue for the good
+of humanity. I am, indeed, happy to be able to lend my
+co-operation to this hospitable country, for which I wish the
+greatest prosperity.”</p>
+
+<p>On 25th April His Majesty opened the Royal Photographic
+Society’s International Exhibition at the Crystal Palace. The
+Society was founded in 1853 under the auspices of Queen
+Victoria and the Prince Consort. The King naturally took
+special interest in the exhibit of his Hospital Fund for London,
+which included photographs of the “Roll of Ministering
+Children.” This roll comprised so many portraits of the
+King’s descendants that His Majesty drily observed that he
+seemed to be surrounded by grandchildren.</p>
+
+<p>This spring His Majesty was much occupied with the
+preparations for the Paris Exhibition of 1900. He was Chairman
+of both the executive and the finance committee of the
+Royal Commission which was appointed to see that Great
+Britain was adequately represented.</p>
+
+<p>On 18th May the King reviewed the Lancashire Hussars
+at Birkdale, it being the jubilee of this yeomanry regiment, and
+also visited Southport and Wigan. On 20th May he reviewed
+the Royal Bucks Hussars in Howe Park.</p>
+
+<p>The death of Mr. Gladstone caused much sorrow both to<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_222" id="Page_222">[222]</a></span>
+His Majesty and to Queen Alexandra, who had frequently
+demonstrated the regard in which they held the veteran statesman
+and his devoted wife. At the funeral of Mr. Gladstone
+in the Abbey on 28th May 1898 the King was the chief
+pall-bearer with his son, the Duke of Cornwall and York, and
+at the close of the service, with the other pall-bearers, they
+kissed the hand of Mrs. Gladstone. Queen Alexandra and
+the Duchess of Cornwall and York were present at the service.</p>
+
+<p>Soon afterwards their Majesties lost another old friend,
+and curiously enough a devoted follower of Mr. Gladstone,
+namely, the first Lord Playfair, so long known as Sir Lyon
+Playfair, who had taught the King science in His Majesty’s
+student days at Edinburgh.</p>
+
+<p>On 31st May the <i>London Gazette</i> published the following,
+which was naturally of much interest to the King:&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>“The Queen has been pleased, by Letters Patent under
+the Great Seal, to declare that the children of the eldest son of
+any Prince of Wales shall have, and at all times hold and enjoy,
+the style, title, and attribute of ‘Royal Highness.’”</p>
+
+<p>On 8th June Queen Alexandra presented prizes in the
+Albert Hall to the boys of the Royal Masonic Institution at
+Woodgreen. His Majesty, in acknowledging a vote of thanks
+to her, said:&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>“Though the Princess has set a good example, as the wife
+of a Freemason, in not attempting to discover the secrets of
+our craft, I think she has taken a philanthropic interest in all
+that concerns our works.”</p>
+
+<p>Three days later the King opened the Reading University
+Extension Hospital and inspected the Royal Berkshire Hospital,
+afterwards going on a visit to his old friends Lord and
+Lady Wantage at Lockinge. On 18th June the King distributed
+the prizes at Wellington College, and on 21st June,
+accompanied by the Queen, he laid the foundation stone of
+the new buildings of the North London or University College
+Hospital.</p>
+
+<p>A week later the King paid a visit to Lord and Lady
+Warwick, and much enjoyed driving in motor cars, then a<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_223" id="Page_223">[223]</a></span>
+comparatively novel form of conveyance. During the visit
+Lady Warwick drove the King to Barford to call upon
+Mr. Joseph Arch, M.P., in his cottage. His Majesty had a
+high opinion of Mr. Arch, who had risen by his own exertions
+from a very humble origin, and at that time represented the
+electoral division of Norfolk in which Sandringham is situated.</p>
+
+<div id="illus64" class="figcenter" style="width: 500px;">
+
+<img src="images/ill064.jpg" width="500" height="350" alt="" />
+
+<p><span class="smcap">The Duke of Connaught</span></p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">The Late Duke of Saxe-Coburg</span></p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Queen Victoria</span></p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">The German Emperor</span></p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">The Empress Frederick</span></p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">King Edward VII.</span></p>
+
+<p><i>From a Photograph by J. Russell and Sons</i></p>
+
+</div>
+
+<p>On 7th July the King, with the Duke of Sparta, who was
+on a visit to this country, attended the presentation of colours
+by Queen Victoria to the 3rd Coldstream Guards at Aldershot.</p>
+
+<p>The King met with a serious accident on 18th July while
+at Waddesdon Manor, Bucks, on a visit to Baron Ferdinand de
+Rothschild. His Majesty slipped in descending a staircase
+and sustained a fracture of the knee-cap, but was able to travel<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_224" id="Page_224">[224]</a></span>
+to Marlborough House the same afternoon. Not much progress
+was made, however, and on the 19th Sir William MacCormac
+and Sir Francis Laking decided to call in the famous surgeon,
+Sir Thomas Smith, who had undoubtedly prolonged the Duchess
+of Teck’s life. It is interesting to note that the Röntgen rays
+were employed to ascertain the extent of the injury, probably
+the first occasion of their being used for a Royal patient. Rest
+was compulsory, and though it must have been irksome in the
+extreme to one of the King’s active habits, yet nothing could
+exceed the cheerfulness displayed by the patient.</p>
+
+<p>On the 21st Lord Lister, the “father” of antiseptic surgery,
+was called in, and with characteristic consideration, in
+view of the anxiety exhibited by the whole Empire, the King
+authorised the publication of a detailed statement regarding
+the accident.</p>
+
+<p>From this it appeared that he missed his footing while
+coming down the spiral staircase at Waddesdon Manor, and in
+the sudden severe effort made to save himself from falling
+sustained a fracture of the left patella. “About one-fifth of
+the bone, somewhat crescentic in shape, was torn away, along
+with the tendinous insertion of the quadriceps extensor, and
+the gap between the fragments amounted to a little more than
+two inches.” Sir W. MacCormac and Sir Francis Laking
+concluded their statement by the remark that the illustrious
+patient “is bearing the enforced restraint with exemplary
+patience and good temper.” Of course what every one feared
+was some permanent lameness or weakness of the limb, but
+this, as will be seen from what follows, was fortunately averted.</p>
+
+<p>Queen Alexandra was unremitting in her attentions to the
+invalid, and was with difficulty prevailed upon to leave his room
+for necessary air and exercise. On the 23rd Mr. Alfred Fripp,
+Surgeon-in-ordinary, who was away on his honeymoon at the
+time the accident occurred, joined the other medical attendants,
+who in consultation decided that the patient might attend the
+Cowes Regatta on board the Royal yacht <i>Osborne</i>. It was
+hoped that the change of scene would facilitate recovery, and
+the decision was also naturally gratifying to Queen Victoria,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_225" id="Page_225">[225]</a></span>
+who was then in residence at Osborne, and wished to be near
+her son.</p>
+
+<p>On Sunday, the 24th, the patient was connected by electrophone
+with St. Michael’s, Chester Square, and heard his
+honorary chaplain, Canon Fleming, refer to the accident and
+the national anxiety it had caused. In the evening the invalid
+heard a sacred concert, also through the electrophone.</p>
+
+<p>The Sultan was greatly concerned at the news of the
+accident, and even offered to send the well-known Turkish
+surgeon, Djemal Pasha, to attend on the patient.</p>
+
+<p>It was characteristic of the King’s kindly consideration that
+before leaving London for Cowes he sent a gold scarf-pin, set
+with emeralds, and a letter of thanks to Dr. Shaw, the local
+practitioner who had attended him at Waddesdon immediately
+after the accident.</p>
+
+<p>On 30th July the King, accompanied by the Queen,
+Princess Victoria, and Prince Nicholas and Princess Marie of
+Greece, left London for Cowes. Sir F. Laking and Mr. Fripp
+were in medical attendance, and the transport to Paddington,
+and thence by the Queen’s train to Portsmouth Jetty, was
+accomplished with complete comfort and safety. The patient
+was carried by bluejackets in his invalid’s chair on board the
+<i>Osborne</i>, and it is needless to say that the “handy men” did
+their work to perfection, with masculine strength allied to
+womanly tenderness. On the 31st Queen Victoria visited the
+patient and found him in excellent spirits and making good
+progress.</p>
+
+<p>The Queen of Denmark fell seriously ill at this time, and
+as King Edward was going on so well, Queen Alexandra left
+on 3rd August for Copenhagen, attended by Miss Knollys
+and Sir Francis Laking. Princess Victoria remained with her
+father.</p>
+
+<p>On the 6th it was announced that no further bulletins would
+be issued, as the King’s progress was so satisfactory. Queen
+Victoria paid him frequent visits, and on the 12th Lord
+Rosebery was his guest. The <i>Osborne</i> often went for short
+cruises, sometimes as far as the Needles, and the King was<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_226" id="Page_226">[226]</a></span>
+much gratified to have his son and daughter-in-law with him,
+as well as his grandchildren, the little Princes Edward and
+Albert.</p>
+
+<p>At length on the 23rd the <i>Osborne</i> left for a longer cruise
+in the Channel, the programme including visits to Plymouth
+and Torquay. Mr. Fripp was in medical charge. This did
+the patient great good, and at some of the places at which
+the yacht touched he was able to obtain carriage exercise,
+four of the <i>Osborne’s</i> bluejackets having been drilled as a
+carrying party. His Majesty thoroughly realised that complete
+recovery must not only be a matter of time, but must also
+depend on strict obedience to the doctors’ orders, and, as the
+event proved, he showed himself a model patient in every way.
+Queen Victoria’s anxiety about her son abated, and she was
+able to leave for Balmoral on 31st August. The patient
+particularly enjoyed the opportunity of entertaining his
+friends on board the yacht, including the Portuguese Minister
+and Mr. Christopher Sykes. He paid a long visit to Mount
+Edgcumbe, landing and driving in the park.</p>
+
+<p>On 2nd September the <i>Osborne</i> returned to Cowes, and on
+the following day the patient was allowed to stand up for the
+first time and to walk very carefully a distance of three feet.</p>
+
+<p>The health of the Queen of Denmark continued to give
+great anxiety to His Majesty, and the Duke and Duchess of
+Cornwall and York, with little Prince Edward, left England
+for Copenhagen to be present at the celebration of the aged
+Queen’s birthday, which seemed only too likely to be the last
+that she would ever spend on earth.</p>
+
+<p>On the 8th the King was able to visit Osborne&mdash;of course
+in an invalid chair. On the 12th it was announced that a
+considerable degree of mobility had been obtained in the knee
+joint, and on the 14th the patient, accompanied by Princess
+Victoria, left for Balmoral.</p>
+
+<p>At this time, in spite of the tiresome restraints imposed on
+him by his accident, the King did another of those graceful
+little actions which have helped so much to strengthen his
+hold over the affections of his subjects all over the world.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_227" id="Page_227">[227]</a></span>
+Some time before this His Majesty had assisted Sir James
+Woodhead, then Mayor of Cape Town, to procure a mace
+for the city, made of oak from the timbers of Nelson’s flagship,
+the <i>Victory</i>. Unfortunately, the piece of wood sent out proved
+to be so much decayed as to be practically useless. Another
+application was made to the King, who again interested
+himself in the kindest manner in the matter, with the result
+that a fairly sound piece of wood was despatched, and the
+grateful council of Cape Town passed a unanimous resolution
+of thanks to their Royal benefactor. It is not a very important
+incident, but it illustrates His Majesty’s willingness not only
+to take trouble, but to go on taking trouble.</p>
+
+<p>The King derived the greatest benefit from the splendid
+air of Deeside, and about the middle of September Mr. Fripp,
+his Surgeon-in-ordinary, was able to return to London. While
+His Majesty was in Scotland Lord Crawford celebrated the
+quincentenary of his earldom, and the King sent him the
+following kindly telegram:&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>“Allow me to offer you my sincerest congratulations on
+the 500th anniversary of the creating of your title.&mdash;<span class="smcap">Albert
+Edward.</span>”</p>
+
+<p>On 23rd September the King left Balmoral to stay with
+the Duke and Duchess of Fife at Mar Lodge, and on the 27th
+the recovery of His Majesty was, so to speak, officially marked
+by the announcement in the <i>London Gazette</i> that Queen
+Victoria had appointed Sir William MacCormac and Sir
+Francis Laking to be Knight-Commanders, and Mr. Fripp
+and Fleet-Surgeon Delmege to be Members of the Royal
+Victorian Order, “in recognition of their services in connection
+with the recent accident met with by His Royal Highness the
+Prince of Wales.”</p>
+
+<p>All this time the condition of the venerable Queen of
+Denmark had been fluctuating, now an improvement and now
+a relapse being reported. At last the end came on 29th
+September, and the Balmoral <i>Court Circular</i>, in recording the
+mournful event, announced:&mdash;</p>
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_228" id="Page_228">[228]</a></span></p>
+<p>“The Queen’s beloved daughter-in-law, the Princess of
+Wales, was in constant attendance on her mother, to whom she
+was devotedly attached.”</p>
+
+<p>The utmost sympathy was shown by all classes with King
+Edward and Queen Alexandra in this terrible bereavement.
+The King was represented at the funeral by his son, and the
+Duke of Cambridge represented Queen Victoria. Queen
+Alexandra of course remained at Copenhagen for the last sad
+rites.</p>
+
+<p>On 16th October the King returned to London, the only
+trace of his accident being a very slight limp, which was
+soon got rid of, and on the 28th His Majesty received Lord
+Kitchener, who had come home with all the laurels of Omdurman.
+On 1st November Queen Alexandra and her son
+returned from Copenhagen, and their Majesties soon afterwards
+paid a short visit to Sandringham. Before the end of
+November the <i>Lancet</i> was able to assure the public that the
+King’s recovery was complete, and His Majesty showed his
+gratitude to Sir William MacCormac by his presence when, in
+the following February, the eminent surgeon delivered the
+Hunterian Oration at the Royal College of Surgeons of
+England.</p>
+
+<p>On 6th February 1899 another sad bereavement befell the
+King in the death of Prince Alfred, the only son of his brother,
+the Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha.</p>
+
+<p>The King soon returned to his active public life. On 2nd
+March His Majesty presided at a meeting held at Marlborough
+House to establish the League of Mercy, the purpose of which
+was to promote more systematic contributions to his Hospital
+Fund for London. On 8th July the King reviewed some
+26,000 Metropolitan Volunteers on the Horse Guards Parade.
+Queen Alexandra watched the review, and her son and the
+Duke of Connaught marched past at the head of the corps of
+which they are honorary colonels. On 20th July the King
+and Queen opened the new buildings of the Alexandra
+Hospital for Children with Hip Disease in Bloomsbury, and
+on the following day their Majesties entertained 1200 hospital
+nurses at Marlborough House at a garden party in connection
+with the Royal National Pension Fund for Nurses.
+On 22nd July the King, who was accompanied by his son
+and daughter-in-law, was an interested spectator of the International
+University Sports, when the representatives of
+Oxford and Cambridge beat the champions of Harvard and
+Yale by five events to four. In September His Majesty
+presented new colours to the 1st Gordon Highlanders at
+Ballater.</p>
+
+<div id="illus65" class="figcenter" style="width: 400px;"><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_229" id="Page_229">[229]</a><br /><a name="Page_230" id="Page_230">[230]</a></span>
+
+<img src="images/ill065.jpg" width="400" height="650" alt="" />
+
+<p><span class="smcap">The King with the Ladies Duff</span></p>
+
+<p><i>From a Photograph by Messrs. Downey</i></p>
+
+</div>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_231" id="Page_231">[231]</a></span>The autumn of 1899 was signalised by the visit which was
+paid to this country by the German Emperor and Empress,
+who were accompanied by two of their sons, Prince Augustus
+William and Prince Oscar. Their Imperial Majesties were
+royally entertained at Windsor by Queen Victoria, to whom
+they had come to pay their respects, a great State banquet
+being the chief among the festivities. King Edward naturally
+took a prominent part in the reception of the German
+Emperor, who particularly enjoyed some capital shooting on his
+uncle’s estate at Sandringham. At the time of His Imperial
+Majesty’s visit, the British arms in South Africa were not
+meeting with conspicuous success, and various political motives
+were freely attributed to the Kaiser, but the mass of the
+British people were content to take the event for what it
+seemed to be&mdash;namely, a tribute of respect to the venerated
+British Sovereign on the part of her grandson. Queen
+Victoria took the opportunity to appoint the Kaiser an
+honorary G.C.V.O., and to confer various grades of the same
+decoration on the members of His Imperial Majesty’s suite,
+which included more than one eminent German statesman.</p>
+
+<p>The year 1900 was perhaps the most eventful in King
+Edward’s life, for it saw the first attempt that had ever been
+made to kill him. Queen Victoria’s memorable visit to Ireland
+began on the very same day on which this dastardly attempt
+was perpetrated. Her Majesty landed at Kingstown on the
+morning of Wednesday, 4th April, and made her State entry
+into Dublin. Meanwhile King Edward and Queen Alexandra
+left England for Copenhagen. As the train by which they
+were travelling to Denmark was leaving the Nord Station at<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_232" id="Page_232">[232]</a></span>
+Brussels in the evening, a youth named Sipido jumped on the
+footboard of the Royal carriage and fired two shots from a
+revolver into the saloon. Fortunately they completely missed
+the King, who behaved with the utmost coolness, and as
+quickly as possible telegraphed a reassuring message to his
+Royal mother.</p>
+
+<p>Sipido, who was of course instantly arrested, declared that
+he had intended “to kill the Prince because His Royal Highness
+had caused thousands of men to be slaughtered in South
+Africa.” There is no doubt that the youth’s mind had become
+infuriated, partly by Anarchist doctrines, partly by reading
+the abominable libels which for some time had been circulated
+in the disreputable Continental journals regarding the conduct
+of the war in South Africa. Unfortunately it has to be recorded
+that not disreputable journals alone were guilty. For instance,
+the issue of the <i>Kladderadatsch</i>, the German <i>Punch</i>, published
+just before the attack on the King, contained a paragraph of
+the grossest and most insulting character, completing a series
+of abominably scurrilous attacks on His Majesty.</p>
+
+<p>Widespread indignation was aroused, not only in the
+British Empire, but also throughout the Continent, and the
+King and Queen were the recipients of many thousands of
+telegrams of sympathy and congratulation on His Majesty’s
+happy escape. The King expressed a wish to have the bullet,
+and after the trial it was sent to him. It is significant of His
+Majesty’s kindly thought that he sent to M. Crocius, the
+stationmaster who seized Sipido, a valuable scarf-pin as an
+acknowledgment. M. Crocius also received the Royal Victorian
+Order and a letter of thanks from Queen Victoria.</p>
+
+<p>The King and Queen returned to London from Denmark
+on 20th April, and their arrival was made the occasion of a
+really remarkable popular demonstration. A few days later
+the Press was requested to publish the following graceful
+acknowledgment from His Majesty:&mdash;</p>
+
+<div class="blockquote">
+
+<p class="right">“<span class="smcap">Marlborough House, Pall Mall, S.W.</span></p>
+
+<p>“I have been deeply touched by the numerous expressions<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_233" id="Page_233">[233]</a></span>
+of sympathy and goodwill addressed to me on the occasion
+of the providential escape of the Princess of Wales and myself
+from the danger we have lately passed through.</p>
+
+<p>“From every quarter of the globe, from the Queen’s
+subjects throughout the world, as well as from the representatives
+and inhabitants of foreign countries, have these
+manifestations of sympathy proceeded, and on my return to
+this country I received a welcome so spontaneous and hearty
+that I felt I was the recipient of a most gratifying tribute of
+genuine goodwill.</p>
+
+<p>“Such proofs of kind and generous feeling are naturally
+most highly prized by me, and will for ever be cherished in
+my memory.</p>
+
+<p class="right">“<span class="smcap">Albert Edward.</span>”</p>
+
+</div>
+
+<p>The subsequent history of Sipido throws a curious light
+on Belgian notions of justice. He was placed on trial before
+the Brabant Assize Court on 2nd July, and admitted his guilt,
+acknowledging that the attempt was not meant as a joke.
+Although the jury on the 5th brought in a verdict of “guilty,”
+the Court acquitted the prisoner on the ground that he was
+“irresponsible,” but ordered him to be placed at the disposal
+of the Government till he attained the age of twenty-one. The
+Belgian Government, however, did not prevent him from fleeing
+to Paris, where he had relatives. Mr. Balfour stated in the
+House of Commons that the British Government had informed
+the Belgian Government that they considered the result of the
+proceedings to be a grave and most unfortunate miscarriage
+of justice. In excuse for not detaining Sipido, the Belgian
+Government pleaded that the youth could not be arrested
+during the three days’ interval to which he was entitled for
+deciding whether he should lodge an appeal. But this
+deceived no one, for it was not an illegal arrest which was
+desired, but ordinary police surveillance.</p>
+
+<p>Sipido did appeal against the sentence of the Assize Court,
+but the Brussels Court of Cassation rejected the appeal towards
+the end of September. The Belgian Government ultimately
+obtained the extradition of the youth from the French Government,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_234" id="Page_234">[234]</a></span>
+and he arrived in Brussels in charge of the police on
+27th October.</p>
+
+<p>The death of his brother, the Duke of Saxe-Coburg and
+Gotha (Duke of Edinburgh), in the summer of 1900, was a
+bitter grief to the King, who was present with the German
+Emperor at the funeral. The succession to the principality
+had been the subject of a family arrangement on the death of
+the heir, Prince Alfred, in 1899. The King himself had of
+course long ago renounced his rights, and the next heir, the
+Duke of Connaught, on behalf of himself and his son, Prince
+Arthur, did the same, with certain reservations. The duchy
+therefore passed to the young Duke of Albany, only son of the
+late Prince Leopold, who was then a boy in Mr. Benson’s
+house at Eton.</p>
+
+<p>On New Year’s Day 1901 the King was much gratified
+by the promotion of his son and heir to be Rear-Admiral, the
+more so as the Duke had fairly earned this advancement as
+judged by the ordinary standards of promotion in the Navy.
+The position to which His Royal Highness was raised by the
+death of his elder brother of course rendered it impossible for
+him thenceforward to be so closely associated with the sea
+service as, for example, his uncle, the Duke of Edinburgh, had
+been, and the step in rank was no doubt conferred in anticipation
+of the Duke’s approaching visit to Australia to inaugurate
+the Federal Parliament. The promotion was followed, a day
+or two afterwards, by the appointment of the Duke to be
+Colonel-in-Chief of the Royal Marine Forces.</p>
+
+<p>Dr. Creighton, Bishop of London, died on 14th January,
+and the King, who was so soon to need the deepest sympathy
+himself, wrote a long and touching letter of sympathy to the
+bereaved widow.</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_235" id="Page_235">[235]</a></span></p>
+
+<div id="illus66" class="figcenter" style="width: 500px;">
+
+<img src="images/ill066.jpg" width="500" height="350" alt="" />
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Sandringham from the Grounds</span></p>
+
+<p><i>Photograph by Ralph, Dersingham</i></p>
+
+</div>
+
+<hr class="chap" />
+
+<h2 id="CHAPTER_XIX">CHAPTER XIX<br />
+<span class="smaller">THE KING AS A COUNTRY SQUIRE</span></h2>
+
+<p>Sandringham is so closely associated in the public mind with
+King Edward and Queen Alexandra, whose country home it
+was for so many years, and is still to be from time to time, that
+no apology is needed for devoting to it a special chapter.</p>
+
+<p>When King Edward was about to set up a separate establishment,
+Queen Victoria and the Prince Consort instructed
+some of their most trusted friends to look out for a suitable
+country estate for the Heir-Apparent. At one moment
+it was proposed to buy Newstead Abbey, but its Byronic
+associations caused it to be purchased as soon as it came into
+the market. Eynsham, in Oxfordshire, an estate belonging
+to Lord Macclesfield, also came under consideration, as well as
+Elveden, in Suffolk, and Hatherop, in Gloucestershire. Lord<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_236" id="Page_236">[236]</a></span>
+Palmerston seems to have suggested Sandringham, which at
+that time belonged to his stepson, Mr. Spencer Cowper, and
+accordingly the Norfolk estate was bought for £220,000.</p>
+
+<p>The estate consisted of eight thousand acres, the nominal
+rental being about £7000 a year, but everything about Sandringham
+was at that time in very bad order. The house was
+small and dilapidated, and the shooting and outlying portions
+of the estate had been utterly neglected. It is said that the
+whole rental has been expended on the property during the
+last thirty-five or forty years, and a very considerable sum has
+also been spent on the new house, the new gardens, the park,
+and the home farms. Every kind of improvement has been
+carried out, gradually but steadily, and now it may be considered
+a model estate from every point of view. One of the
+first institutions set up by the King was an admirable village
+club, entirely built at His Majesty’s own expense. The regulations
+enforced are based on what is called Dr. Arnold’s
+system, and give the <i>maximum</i> of freedom to the members.</p>
+
+<p>The old mansion, which was small and inconvenient, was
+pulled down, and the present house was erected on a more
+suitable site, from the designs of Mr. Humbert. The work
+was not completed till 1871. The new mansion is a very
+pretty gabled building, and though commodious enough, it
+will not compare in point of size with many of the “stately
+homes of England.” On the inner wall of the vestibule, above
+the hall door, is set a tablet bearing, in Old English characters,
+the inscription: “This house was built by Albert Edward,
+Prince of Wales, and Alexandra, his wife, in the year of Our
+Lord, 1870.”</p>
+
+<p>The Royal host and hostess, as well as their family and
+their guests, are wont to spend much of their time in the
+great hall, a really beautiful apartment, with a lofty ceiling of
+open oak work. Many family souvenirs are gathered here,
+including a fine painting of Queen Alexandra’s birthplace,
+portraits of the King and Queen of Denmark, two miniature
+cannon, which were given by Napoleon III. to the King and
+to his sister, the Empress Frederick, and a number of family<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_237" id="Page_237">[237]</a></span>
+portraits and photographs. Facing the main entrance is the
+head of a wild bull, belonging to the famous Chillingham herd,
+which was shot by the King in 1872. Underneath are Sir
+Walter Scott’s lines:&mdash;</p>
+
+<div class="poetry-container">
+<div class="poetry">
+<div class="verse">Fierce on the hunter’s quiver’d band</div>
+<div class="verse indent1">He rolls his eyes of swarthy glow,</div>
+<div class="verse">Spurns with black hoof and horn the sand,</div>
+<div class="verse indent1">And tosses high his mane of snow.</div>
+</div>
+</div>
+
+<p>Though Sandringham can boast of no wild cattle, yet the
+King has been for many years a breeder of shorthorns and
+Southdown sheep on a large scale, and it is difficult to estimate
+the benefits which his example in this respect has conferred on
+the great agricultural industry. His Majesty has always been
+a very keen competitor at the various national and local shows,
+and he took his duties as President of the Royal Agricultural
+Society very seriously. All the Norfolk shows, from the flower
+show to the poultry show, are patronised by their Majesties;
+and in this, as in so many other matters, the Squire of Sandringham
+sets an excellent example to those round him. The
+Allotments Act was practically anticipated at Sandringham,
+and the tenants of His Majesty know that he interprets very
+generously any Act telling in their favour.</p>
+
+<p>The Royal Agricultural Society held its annual meeting
+in Dublin in 1871, when the King, who was accompanied
+by the Duke of Connaught and Princess Louise (Duchess
+of Argyll), and the Duke of Argyll, paid one of his visits to
+Ireland. At the annual banquet of the Society His Majesty
+spoke in terms which demonstrate in the clearest manner his
+interest in agriculture and his sense of its importance in promoting
+the prosperity of the nation at large. He said, in the
+course of an unusually long speech:&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>“The theme before me&mdash;prosperity to Ireland&mdash;is one that
+might be enlarged upon greatly. No one wishes more sincerely
+than I do prosperity to this country. No one in the large
+assemblage which crowds this hall, and no one outside this
+hall, could more largely wish for the prosperity of Ireland
+which is so dear to them.… I may say that what will do<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_238" id="Page_238">[238]</a></span>
+more than anything else towards making a country prosperous
+is the extension of its agriculture. It was with great pleasure
+that I accepted the position of President of the Royal Agricultural
+Society, and it afforded me great pleasure to be present
+at the Show to-day. My brother has already alluded in his
+speech to the fine animals we saw, and I may add that I
+feel sure that in no other part of the United Kingdom could
+a more creditable Show be held than that which was opened
+near Dublin this morning. During the last four years there
+has been a great improvement in every respect in the shows
+of the Royal Agricultural Societies.…</p>
+
+<div id="illus67" class="figcenter" style="width: 500px;">
+
+<img src="images/ill067.jpg" width="500" height="350" alt="" />
+
+<p><span class="smcap">The Norwich Gate at Sandringham</span></p>
+
+<p><i>Photograph by Ralph, Dersingham</i></p>
+
+</div>
+
+<p>“I am assured that if the many gentlemen and landlords
+who very often find some difficulty in leaving England, but
+who have large interests and large estates in this country,
+could contrive to come over here more frequently, it would
+do more good than anything else I could imagine. I am
+certain that they are anxious to come over, and that their<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_239" id="Page_239">[239]</a></span>
+relations with their tenantry and those around them should
+be in every respect good. I may also here refer to the great
+improvement made in the erection of farm buildings and cottages.
+Beyond doubt there has been progress in the direction
+of improvement there; but still I believe much yet remains
+to be done. Everything depends upon the well-being of the
+people, and if they are properly lodged it tends to cleanliness,
+and very possibly to moral advantage.</p>
+
+<div id="illus68" class="figcenter" style="width: 500px;">
+
+<img src="images/ill068.jpg" width="500" height="250" alt="" />
+
+<p><span class="smcap">The East Front, Sandringham</span></p>
+
+<p><i>Photograph by Ralph, Dersingham</i></p>
+
+</div>
+
+<p>“Perhaps I may be allowed to speak of a slight personal
+experience in that matter. I have a small estate in Norfolk,
+and observed myself the great importance of providing suitable
+small cottages for those resident there, and, having done so,
+now reap immense advantage.”</p>
+
+<p>In the following year (19th June 1872) the King and
+Queen visited King’s Lynn to see the Annual Exhibition of
+the Norfolk Agricultural Society. At the entrance to the
+Show His Majesty said, in reply to the usual address presented
+on these occasions:&mdash;</p>
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_240" id="Page_240">[240]</a></span></p>
+<p>“It has been a source of the greatest gratification to have
+had it in my power to contribute in any degree to the success
+of your Association, and to promote the interests of agriculture
+in Norfolk. It is with these feelings that I have endeavoured
+to make myself acquainted with some of the operations of
+farming, and to acquire some knowledge of stock, and if I have
+not always been successful in the path of competition, I have
+at least obtained prizes sufficient to encourage me to persevere,
+and to indulge in the hope that I shall obtain more.”</p>
+
+<p>This hope of His Majesty’s was certainly justified, for he
+not only carried off six prizes at this Norfolk show, but he has
+ever since been a pretty regular prize-winner at the shows
+of the Royal Agricultural Society, the Bath and West of
+England, and other important exhibitions.</p>
+
+<p>In other speeches on the same occasion at King’s Lynn
+His Majesty said that during the ten years in which he had
+lived in Norfolk he had endeavoured not to lag behind those
+other county landlords who so ably fulfilled their duties. It
+would always be his earnest endeavour to promote the welfare
+of the county, in which he was much interested. He had to
+thank them for the kind reception which the Princess of Wales
+always experienced whenever she appeared in public. It was
+most desirable that ladies should associate themselves in their
+husbands’ pursuits, and when the Princess did not accompany
+him he always felt that there was something wanting. His
+Majesty went on to express his own great personal interest
+in the Society and in the cause of agriculture generally. His
+late father, the Prince Consort, always felt the greatest interest
+in agriculture, and used to take his children to inspect his
+prize animals.</p>
+
+<p>The King also referred to the housing of the agricultural
+labourer, and said that a landlord ought to feel a pride in
+having the working classes properly housed on his estate.
+Those who worked from morning to night should find on
+their return a comfortable dwelling, which would promote
+their moral and social well-being. He had endeavoured to
+improve the cottages on his own estate, and he felt pride
+and satisfaction in having his workmen properly housed.</p>
+
+<p>Only about a fortnight later the King again demonstrated<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_241" id="Page_241">[241]</a></span>
+his interest in the county in which he had become a squire
+by visiting Great Yarmouth to inspect the Norfolk Artillery
+Militia. On that occasion he said:&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>“This is the first occasion since my return from abroad
+that I have met with an official reception, and my pleasure
+is increased from the fact that I regard myself as a Norfolk
+man. I have also to acknowledge the very high honour
+conferred upon me last year in my having been appointed
+Honorary Colonel of the Norfolk Militia Artillery.”</p>
+
+<div id="illus69" class="figcenter" style="width: 500px;">
+
+<img src="images/ill069.jpg" width="500" height="285" alt="" />
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Queen Alexandra’s Dairy at Sandringham</span></p>
+
+<p><i>Photograph by Ralph, Dersingham</i></p>
+
+</div>
+
+<p>Of the Royal Agricultural Benevolent Institution the
+King has always been a generous friend and supporter, and
+the spread of agricultural depression has naturally made his
+Majesty’s support of exceptional value. The King spoke,
+for example, at the fifteenth anniversary festival of the Institution,
+held on 5th June 1875:&mdash;</p>
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_242" id="Page_242">[242]</a></span></p>
+<p>“I sincerely say that I do take a great interest in all that
+is connected with agriculture. I may call myself a colleague
+of many of you present as a farmer on a small scale, and I
+only hope that I may never have occasion to be a pensioner
+of this institution. It is impossible, I think, for any British
+gentleman to live at his country place without taking an
+interest in agriculture, and in all those things which concern
+the farmers of this great country. The very backbone of the
+country, the best recruits of the Army and Navy, come from
+the agricultural districts. We know that our commercial and
+agricultural interests depend upon the valour and efficiency of
+our land and sea forces.”</p>
+
+<p>On this occasion the King added a toast which had been
+most ungallantly omitted from the list&mdash;that of “The Ladies,”
+and in proposing it he said:&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>“We have been honoured on this occasion by fair ladies,
+and I think it would be very wrong if we were to separate
+without cordially drinking their health. We see especially
+how much the comfort, well-being, prosperity, and happiness
+of farmers and agriculturists depend upon a kind wife to
+cheer them by the fireside at the end of their day’s work, and
+to lighten by female influence the load of difficulties.”</p>
+
+<p>Though naturally His Majesty will now be unable to
+devote so much time to the interests of agriculture as he did
+when Prince of Wales, yet he has no intention of giving up
+the breeding of stock. It is understood that Her late Majesty
+bequeathed to him the magnificent herds of shorthorns, Jerseys,
+Devons, and Herefords established by the late Prince Consort
+at Windsor on the Shaw and Flemish farms which he started
+there. Prince Albert, indeed, revived the interest of the
+Royal Family in agriculture, which had lapsed since the death
+of “Farmer George.” Queen Victoria also had some very
+good stock on the home farm at Osborne, while at Abergeldie
+Mains Her Majesty kept a magnificent herd of pure-bred
+Aberdeen-Angus cattle. These, without doubt, her successor
+will keep up.</p>
+
+<p>To those who study the King’s personal nature and
+character, no apartment at Sandringham can be more interesting
+than the library, or rather that section of the libraries, for
+there are three, which is specially appropriated to His Majesty.
+The fittings are those of the cabins used by the King on board
+the <i>Serapis</i> during his voyage to and from India. The blotting-books
+and the tables and chairs are all covered in dark blue or
+green leather, and on each the Prince of Wales’s feathers and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_243" id="Page_243">[243]</a></span>
+monogram are stamped in gold. A glance at the shelves shows
+what are the King’s literary tastes and preferences. He is
+evidently intensely interested in the history of his own country,
+especially what may be called the history of our own time.
+Several shelves are entirely devoted to works dealing with the
+Indian Mutiny, including the official reports, memoirs, histories,
+and even novels. The King always buys every new work
+connected with the public or private administration of his
+Eastern Empire. Special attention has also evidently been
+paid to the Crimean War, and there is a rich collection of
+Colonial histories and documents. But most of the standard
+works of reference are to be found in the first library, a fine
+apartment, often used as a writing-room and reading-room by
+visitors.</p>
+
+<p>The second library is really the Equerries’ room. It is
+there the Gentlemen of the Household are often to be found.
+Here are gathered together French and English works of
+reference and classics, and a splendid collection of county
+histories. Novels and memoirs are not neglected, and no
+week passes, when the King and Queen are in residence,
+without a large consignment of British and foreign books
+finding its way to Sandringham.</p>
+
+<p>The King transacts much of the business connected with
+the Sandringham estate in a pleasant morning-room. There
+he receives at stated times the bailiffs and others concerned in
+the management of the estate, and, as he farms himself over
+1000 acres, he has much to do in the way of supervision.</p>
+
+<p>Sandringham can boast of one of the finest private billiard-rooms
+in England, and it is one of the very few country-houses
+where there are bowling alleys. The King and his children
+are very fond of the old-fashioned English game of bowls.</p>
+
+<p>In 1891 the entire roofing of the main building of Sandringham
+House, together with all the rooms and their contents on
+the two upper floors, was destroyed by fire. The bells of the
+various churches in the district clashed out the alarm. Gangs
+of men and women speedily set to work to clear the principal
+lower rooms of their furniture and rare, valuable, and interesting<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_244" id="Page_244">[244]</a></span>
+contents. Queen Alexandra was staying with the Empress of
+Russia, and the King was also away at the time. The amount
+of damage done was about £15,000. That portion of the house
+which was destroyed has been rebuilt in a thoroughly fire-proof
+fashion, with iron and concrete floors and roofs; and the
+opportunity was taken of making many additions to various
+portions of the house, in fact about eighteen rooms were added.
+It is very characteristic of the King that, by his orders, the
+general works were all carried out by local tradesmen.</p>
+
+<p>One of the most interesting departments of Sandringham
+Hall is the stables, which contain a great number of carriages.
+There are Russian sledges, only used in the coldest weather;
+a Hungarian snow-carriage, lined with rose colour; Norwegian
+carioles; a smart American buggy, painted bright yellow; a
+truly beautiful gold inlaid jinricksha, sent to the King from
+Japan, which is for show rather than for use; a char-à-banc,
+presented by the late Duke of Sutherland; and, it need hardly
+be said, every kind of ordinary two- and four-wheeled vehicle
+now in general use, from the modest Norfolk cart to the stately
+landau; while by the big coach is to be seen the charming
+miniature four-in-hand presented by His Majesty to Queen
+Alexandra just before his departure for India.</p>
+
+<p>Both the King and Queen are passionately fond of horses,
+and Her Majesty pays a daily visit when at Sandringham to
+her pony-stable, which was built in 1874 for her four French
+ponies, who were afterwards succeeded by equally valuable
+animals of British extraction. Bina, Merry-Antics, Bow, and
+Bell were the fortunate occupants of this model pony-stable,
+which is considered the prettiest building of the kind in the
+world, the walls being lined with white tiles, picked out in
+green glazed bricks, finished at the top by a green-tiled frieze
+and an open wooden roof. Above each manger was recorded
+in gold letters the name of the pony occupying the stall.
+Queen Alexandra at one time was very fond of driving tandem,
+and she has one of the best tandem teams in Great Britain.
+She is very fond of bay horses, and possesses also a pair of the
+famous greys bred in the Imperial stables at Leipzig. For
+many years Her Majesty always rode Kinsky, a Hungarian
+horse; and she was said to be one of the best horsewomen in
+Norfolk.</p>
+
+<div id="illus70" class="figcenter" style="width: 650px;"><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_245" id="Page_245">[245]</a><br /><a name="Page_246" id="Page_246">[246]</a></span>
+
+<img src="images/ill070.jpg" width="650" height="425" alt="" />
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Queen Alexandra at Sandringham</span></p>
+
+<p><i>From a Photograph by Thomas Fall</i></p>
+
+</div>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_247" id="Page_247">[247]</a></span>The saddle-room is not the least fascinating portion of the
+stable-yard. Much of the harness is silver and gold-plated.
+Queen Alexandra has always preferred brown harness to black,
+and all that used by her is made in tan leather, with brass
+mounts.</p>
+
+<p>There are a number of interesting photographs and paintings,
+including a picture in oils of a very beautiful chestnut mare,
+Victoria, long ridden by the Queen, and given to her when she
+was a bride by Queen Victoria. Below this portrait of a
+departed favourite is one of her hoofs mounted in silver, with
+the name of the owner written across. There are some
+valuable prints of celebrated trainers and jockeys, with some of
+the latter’s whips, spurs, and caps. A “Vanity Fair” cartoon
+of the King, surrounded by a number of his friends at Newmarket,
+is also given a prominent place in the Sandringham
+saddle-room; and not the least interesting memento now there
+is Mr. John Porter’s silver-wedding gift to his Royal patrons.
+In a silver frame, surmounted by the Prince of Wales’s feathers,
+is a white velvet tablet with the name “Ormonde” woven from
+the famous race-horse’s hair. The border contains pieces of
+the hair of thirty-three famous winners, the name of each being
+in silver letters beneath. Close by is to be seen the racing-saddle
+generally used by Fred Archer.</p>
+
+<p>Parallel with the stables runs the building known as the
+kennels. At one time, in the paddock between the stables and
+the kennels, there was a bear-pit, but the occupant thereof was
+sent to the Zoo after the King’s valued head-keeper, Mr.
+Jackson, had been hunted by Bruin just when he was about to
+feed him with some peculiarly bearish delicacy. This corner
+of Sandringham is by no means confined to horses and dogs.
+Here also were kept some of Queen Alexandra’s pet cats; a
+number of doves descended from the single pair presented to
+Her Majesty during her first visit to Ireland; her Australian
+pigeons, quite unlike the more humble home variety; a Barbary<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_248" id="Page_248">[248]</a></span>
+dove belonging to the Duchess of Cornwall and York; and
+some very fine water-fowl, to say nothing of “Cockie,” the
+Princess of Wales’s cockatoo, who was said to be over a
+hundred years old.</p>
+
+<p>The kennels are, in their way, quite as fine as the stables.
+They are very cleverly arranged, all fitted with hot-water
+pipes, and admirably ventilated. The dogs are exercised in
+the park, in three paddocks in front of the kennels, or in a
+large yard paved with red, blue, and brick tiles. All the food
+consumed in the kennels comes from special kitchens attached
+to the building. There is also a dog hospital and a nursery,
+always occupied by one or more litters.</p>
+
+<div id="illus71" class="figcenter" style="width: 500px;">
+
+<img src="images/ill071.jpg" width="500" height="315" alt="" />
+
+<p><span class="smcap">The Kennels, Sandringham</span></p>
+
+<p><i>Photograph by T. Fall, Baker Street, W.</i></p>
+
+</div>
+
+<p>The King and Queen are both keen dog-fanciers, and they
+possess some of the very finest animals in the world. They
+both exhibit at the leading shows, and Her Majesty is the
+Patron of the Ladies’ Kennel Association.</p>
+
+<p>This chapter must not be concluded without reference to a<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_249" id="Page_249">[249]</a></span>
+curious little book, published some years ago by one who must
+be regarded as absolutely unique&mdash;namely, an aggrieved tenant
+at Sandringham. This lady had differences with the agent of
+the estate, and to revenge herself for her supposed grievances
+she wrote this obviously prejudiced account of her late landlord
+at his country home.</p>
+
+<p>The following extracts from the book written by this hostile
+witness are therefore significant indeed of the tenour of our
+King’s life in Norfolk:&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>“Whenever I went (to Sandringham) I never failed to
+spend a pleasant evening, and received more courtesy from
+my illustrious host and hostess than from any house I ever
+was in. The Prince is noted for his powers of entertainment
+and exertion to make every one enjoy themselves. When a
+‘house-party’ is expected he superintends the arrangements
+and remembers their particular tastes and pursuits. A gouty
+squire who once grumbled at having to go, was completely
+mollified at finding a room prepared for him on the ground
+floor, the Prince thinking he would prefer it. The effect of a
+visit to Sandringham upon a certain order of Radicals, who are
+treated with the greatest deference, is perfectly astounding.
+It acts as a patent conjuring machine&mdash;a Republican stuffed
+in at one end, a Courtier squeezed out at the other.</p>
+
+<p>“The Sandringham festivities were so arranged that all
+classes could share in them; and what with County, farmers’,
+and servants’ balls, labourers’ dinners, visits to country houses,
+meets of the hounds, and other sociabilities, everybody from far
+and near had the opportunity of making acquaintance with
+their Royal Highnesses.”</p>
+
+<p>Of the servants’ parties at Sandringham she says:&mdash;</p>
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_250" id="Page_250">[250]</a></span></p>
+<p>“The house party, equerries, ladies-in-waiting, and all
+invited from the neighbourhood, were ordered to join in, no
+shirking or sitting out allowed, and when the sides had been
+made up, the Prince and Princess set off with their partners,
+round and round, down the middle and up again, and so on
+to the end, the Prince the jolliest of the jolly and the life of
+the party, as he is wherever he goes. I never saw such
+amazing vitality. His own Master of the Ceremonies, signalling
+and sending messages to the band, arranging every dance,
+and when to begin and when to leave off, noticing the smallest
+mistake in the figures, and putting the people in their places.
+In the ‘Triumph,’ which is such an exhausting dance, he looked
+as if he could have gone on all night and into the middle of
+next week without stopping, and I really believe he could.…
+Almost before one dance was ended the Prince started
+another, and suddenly the Scotch Pipers would screech out
+and the Prince would fold his arms and fling himself into a
+Highland fling, and so on fast and furious until far into the
+small hours of the morning.”</p>
+
+<div id="illus72" class="figcenter" style="width: 500px;">
+
+<img src="images/ill072.jpg" width="500" height="500" alt="" />
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Queen Alexandra with her Favourite Dogs</span></p>
+
+<p><i>Photograph by T. Fall, Baker Street, W.</i></p>
+
+</div>
+
+<hr class="chap" />
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_251" id="Page_251">[251]</a></span></p>
+
+<h2 id="CHAPTER_XX">CHAPTER XX<br />
+<span class="smaller">THE KING IN LONDON</span></h2>
+
+<p>Not long after the King’s accession, extensive alterations
+were ordered to fit Buckingham Palace, which had been for
+a long time only occupied occasionally, to be the town house
+of His Majesty and Queen Alexandra. It is probable that
+their Majesties would have preferred to remain at Marlborough
+House, which is endeared to them by the most intimate associations,
+both of joy and of sorrow; but in this, as in so many
+other instances, the King divined by quick intuition that his
+loyal subjects would wish that their Sovereign and his Consort
+should reside in the palace which is not less closely linked
+in the popular imagination with the British monarchy than
+Windsor Castle itself.</p>
+
+<p>It is evident that in all that concerns State ceremonial and
+the <i>décor</i> of a magnificent Court, King Edward is resolved
+to abate not a jot of his regal dignity. But so much of His
+Majesty’s life was passed at Marlborough House, and the
+beautiful old Georgian mansion was for so long the centre of
+his social, philanthropic, and official activities, that no biographical
+sketch of the King would be complete without some
+account of what went on there.</p>
+
+<p>There is scarcely an object in the house which does not
+remind the King and Queen of some happy incident of their
+joint lives. The very carpet in the drawing-room was presented
+to them on the occasion of their wedding; and His
+Majesty’s great interest in everything that concerns the history
+of the country and of the Empire is strikingly shown in each<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_252" id="Page_252">[252]</a></span>
+of his homes, for the rooms of both Marlborough House and
+Sandringham are lined with fine paintings and engravings
+recalling great events of the Victorian era.</p>
+
+<p>Although Marlborough House is the official residence of
+the Heir-Apparent, it is considered a private house for taxation
+purposes, and is rated at over £1000 a year.</p>
+
+<div id="illus73" class="figcenter" style="width: 500px;">
+
+<img src="images/ill073.jpg" width="500" height="400" alt="" />
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Marlborough House from the South-West</span></p>
+
+<p><i>Photograph by Ralph, Dersingham</i></p>
+
+</div>
+
+<p>The King’s study at Marlborough House, where none but
+his intimates are admitted, looks like the room of a hard-working
+man of business. He works at an old-fashioned
+pedestal desk-table, exactly resembling the one used by his
+father. The desk portion of the table shuts with a spring, and
+can only be opened with a golden key, which the King always
+wears on his watch chain.</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_253" id="Page_253">[253]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>When he was Prince of Wales the King only accomplished
+the immense amount of work he did by the most methodical
+organisation. Almost every hour of his day was mapped out
+for him. First came his private correspondence, which was
+very considerable. Then from ten to half-past ten was spent
+in talking over and dictating replies to the letters already
+sorted by Sir Francis Knollys. Immediately after, the Comptroller
+of the Household discussed with him the arrangements
+for the day. Often before lunch he had to receive a deputation,
+or to act as chairman of some committee, frequently held
+in Marlborough House. Luncheon was served at 2.30, and
+the King and Queen often entertained parties of their relations
+who were up in town for the day. Except when he was travelling,
+the King rarely had a free afternoon, for even on the
+rare occasions when he had not to visit some public institution,
+to lay a foundation-stone, or to declare a building open, and
+so on, there were endless social duties to which no one could
+attend but himself, such as weddings, race meetings, reviews,
+and receptions. Certain public functions were almost always
+attended by both the King and the Queen&mdash;for example, the
+Horse Show at Islington, the Royal Military Tournament, and
+the trooping of the colour.</p>
+
+<p>No one can realise how much his merely social duties cost
+the King while he was Heir-Apparent. The invariable cheerfulness
+and courage with which he went through what must
+have soon become a terribly monotonous round, year after year,
+are the more admirable when it is remembered that it was
+actually made the basis for the assertion that he was excessively
+devoted to mere amusement. An American writer who had
+brought the charge but, having discovered his error, had had the
+honesty and manliness to admit it, was rewarded by receiving a
+letter from the Prince’s Secretary in which occurred the following:&mdash;</p>
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_254" id="Page_254">[254]</a></span></p>
+<p>“The Prince cannot help feeling that you are a little hard
+and unjust upon him in your book; he says unjust because you
+evidently wrote about him without knowing his real character.
+There are many things which he is obliged to do which the
+outside world would call pleasures and amusements; they are,
+however, often anything but a source of amusement to him,
+though his position demands that he should every year go
+through a certain round of social duties which bore him to
+death. But, while duly regretting those social pleasures, you
+pass over very lightly all the more serious occupations of his life.”</p>
+
+<div id="illus74" class="figcenter" style="width: 500px;">
+
+<img src="images/ill074.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="" />
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Marlborough House: the Drawing-Room</span></p>
+
+<p><i>Photograph by Ralph, Dersingham</i></p>
+
+</div>
+
+<p>As Heir-Apparent, the King gave each season a certain
+number of dinners which, though in no sense official functions,
+took the place of those which would in other circumstances
+be given at Court. Thus he very often entertained various
+members of the Opposition as well as of the Government. He
+also occasionally gave what might be called a diplomatic dinner,
+to which a number of the Foreign Ambassadors and Ministers
+were invited. On many occasions dinner-parties in honour of
+a foreign guest or Royal relation passing through town in<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_255" id="Page_255">[255]</a></span>
+semi-<i>incognito</i> have given members of London society an
+opportunity of making the acquaintance of a great foreign
+personage. When the Shahzada was in England the Prince and
+Princess of Wales gave a banquet in his honour, at which
+covers were laid for forty. On this occasion the principal
+guest was not able to take any dish in the <i>menu</i> save <i>riz à
+l’Impératrice</i>. Fortunately, however, he had brought with him
+his own provisions.</p>
+
+<p>The dining-room in which these important dinners were
+served at Marlborough House is a very fine room containing
+a considerable number of their Majesties’ wedding presents. It
+is a curious fact that in no circumstances were two knives
+together given to any guest. A great many reasons have been
+assigned for this rule, but apparently no one ever adopted the
+simple plan of asking the Royal host or hostess. It has been
+asserted that the King has the old-fashioned dislike to seeing
+knives inadvertently crossed.</p>
+
+<p>Here is a lively description of a dinner at Marlborough
+House on 6th May 1896, recorded by the late Archbishop
+Benson in his diary:&mdash;</p>
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_256" id="Page_256">[256]</a></span></p>
+<p>“Dined with the Prince of Wales. The most splendid
+company. All the Ambassadors but Russia, who is gone to
+the Coronation of the Czar. Duke of Connaught, Lord
+Wolseley, near whom I sat, with the Lord Chancellor between,
+two delightful, interesting talkers, and on my other side one
+still better, de Courcel, French Ambassador. Lucklessly after
+dinner the Turkish Ambassador asked to be presented, and he
+held me talking innocently about the Greek Bishops whom I
+knew, but for his red-handed tyrant’s sake he was the last
+person I wished for, and Harcourt came up and said, ‘What
+a picture we have been enjoying&mdash;you and the Turk in close
+alliance!’ Then Harcourt went on about our old Cambridge
+days, and in heart he is the greatest Conservative. At the
+Prince of Wales’s instigation I did my best to make Duke of
+Connaught see it was good for Church and State that Bishop
+of Peterborough should go for us, and perhaps I succeeded a
+little; he promised to do his best to make him welcome there.
+Chamberlain, Morley, Balfour, two Directors of British Museum,
+Asquith, very pleasant after his dangerous but not damaging
+assault on the Education Bill, Rosebery, Herschell, Salisbury
+of course, looking a very great man, among the Ambassadors.”</p>
+
+<p>The journey of the Bishop of Peterborough (Dr. Creighton,
+afterwards Bishop of London), to which the Archbishop refers,
+was to Russia to represent the Church of England at the Tsar’s
+Coronation.</p>
+
+<p>The King has never concealed his dislike of the immensely
+long, fatiguing banquets which were in his youth the rule rather
+than the exception; indeed, he may be said to have revolutionised
+the British dinner-party. At Marlborough House
+dinner was never allowed to last much over an hour. Occasionally
+during dinner soft music was played. Every course served
+was prepared under the direct supervision of the <i>chef</i> (the famous
+Ménager).</p>
+
+<p>Some years ago the King was rarely seen, even at dinner
+at a private house, without his favourite valet Macdonald, the
+son of the Prince Consort’s <i>jager</i>; and later, whenever the
+King dined out, one of his own servants invariably accompanied
+him and attended to him through the dinner, whether it was a
+public banquet or a private dinner-party. Indeed, the King
+very rarely enjoyed the luxury of being alone; even when walking
+up St. James’s Street, or turning into the Marlborough
+Club, he was almost invariably accompanied by one of his
+equerries; and it need hardly be said that the most trustworthy
+detectives in the London police force were charged with the
+task of watching over his personal safety, for the appearance
+of no public personage was better known to the man in the
+street than that of the Prince of Wales.</p>
+
+<p>The King has always been an enthusiastic admirer of the
+stage, and his tastes are so catholic that they range from melodrama
+at the Adelphi to grand opera at Covent Garden. When
+His Majesty had made up his mind that he would like to go
+to the theatre, the Royal box was booked in the ordinary way
+of business, and charged to the Marlborough House account,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_257" id="Page_257">[257]</a></span>
+the price not being increased from the ordinary library tariff.
+The only difference made in honour of the Royal family is that,
+if any other patron of the theatre has already engaged the
+Royal box, he is requested to waive his right. The King,
+however, is always reluctant that this should be done, and he
+generally requests his secretary to send a special note of thanks
+in his name.</p>
+
+<div id="illus75" class="figcenter" style="width: 450px;">
+
+<img src="images/ill075.jpg" width="450" height="425" alt="" />
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Garden Party at Marlborough House, July 1881</span></p>
+
+<p><i>From the “Illustrated London News”</i></p>
+
+</div>
+
+<p>Both the King and the Queen always desired to be treated
+exactly as if they belonged to the ordinary audience, and
+nothing annoyed them more than that attention should be
+drawn to them by the playing of the National Anthem or<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_258" id="Page_258">[258]</a></span> “God
+bless the Prince of Wales.” At one time the managers used
+to keep the curtain down till the Royal party arrived. The
+King heard of this, and was so greatly troubled at the thought
+of the inconvenience thus caused to the public that he gave
+strict orders that the curtain was never to be kept down
+beyond the advertised time on his account. On the other
+hand, he always makes a point of waiting till the final curtain
+has come down before rising to leave. The only occasions on
+which he ever breaks this courteous rule is when he goes to a
+theatre which has no private entrance. Then the King and
+Queen always anticipate the final curtain by two or three
+minutes, so that their departure may not disturb the carriage
+arrangements of the rest of the audience.</p>
+
+<p>London managers have reason to be grateful to the King,
+for whenever he has visited a theatre the booking sensibly
+increases, the more so that when he likes a play he goes again
+and again, and recommends it to all his friends. Even when
+he finds it impossible himself to attend the benefit of some
+well-known actor or actress, he always puts his name down for
+stalls or boxes to a substantial amount.</p>
+
+<p>At the opera the King occupied an “omnibus,” a double
+box on the ground tier, the Royal box itself being on the tier
+above; while Queen Alexandra had a box all to herself, where
+she was usually accompanied by one of her daughters. The
+King is a great music-lover, and, unlike many <i>habitués</i>, attends
+appreciatively throughout the performance. He was often
+attended at the opera by his old friend, the late Earl of Lathom,
+but he never had ladies in his box, although during the <i>entr’actes</i>
+he would often visit the Princess and his daughters in their box.</p>
+
+<p>The King’s interest in the dramatic profession is unaffected
+and sincere. Some years ago a very interesting theatrical
+dinner took place at Marlborough House, Sir Henry Irving,
+Sir Squire Bancroft, Mr. Hare, Mr. Kendal, Mr. Toole, Mr.
+Wyndham, Mr. Beerbohm Tree, Mr. Alexander, Mr. David
+James, Mr. Arthur Cecil, and Mr. William Farren being asked
+to meet the Duke of Fife, Sir Christopher Teesdale, Mr. Sala,
+Mr. Burnand, and Mr. Pinero.</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_259" id="Page_259">[259]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>His Majesty has always patronised the French plays when
+performed in London, and he is as popular with the French
+theatrical world as he is with the dramatic profession in
+London.</p>
+
+<div id="illus76" class="figcenter" style="width: 500px;">
+
+<img src="images/ill076.jpg" width="500" height="350" alt="" />
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Marlborough House: the Salon</span></p>
+
+<p><i>Photograph by Ralph, Dersingham</i></p>
+
+</div>
+
+<p>A separate chapter might almost be written about the King
+as a smoker. At Sandringham he has a large number of cigar-cases
+and tobacco-boxes, presented to him at various times by
+relatives and friends, and at Marlborough House he has an
+immense collection of silver cigar-lighters. His Majesty is as
+generous in the matter of cigars as he is in the more important
+affairs of life, and in this connection a story is told which, if it
+is not true, certainly ought to be. It is said that on one
+occasion, before his accession, when attending a big fire, His
+Majesty asked a reporter for some details, which were instantly
+given. At the conclusion of the conversation, the King offered<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_260" id="Page_260">[260]</a></span>
+his informant a cigar, which the latter immediately wrapped up
+in a page of his note-book and placed in his pocket. “Don’t
+you smoke?” asked the King. “Oh yes,” said the reporter;
+“but I am not likely ever to get another cigar from the Prince
+of Wales.” His Majesty laughed, and once more producing
+his cigar-case said, “You had better have another one, this
+time to smoke.”</p>
+
+<p>The King was at one time very fond of taking a hansom in
+the streets of London, just like an ordinary person, and it is
+said that he always paid the driver half a sovereign whether
+the distance was long or short. His Majesty is patron of the
+Cabdrivers’ Benevolent Association, and he takes a marked
+interest in these hard-worked and deserving servants of the
+public, seldom missing the annual meeting, at which, indeed,
+some of his best speeches have been delivered.</p>
+
+<p>It is hardly necessary to say that the King need never take
+a hansom except for his own amusement. The stables of
+Marlborough House are, from every point of view, models of
+what town stables ought to be. In the coach-houses are some
+interesting carriages. The State Coach, which was practically
+never used, is almost exactly like that which is kept at
+Buckingham Palace. A Russian sociable, lined with dark-blue
+morocco, was a gift from the late Tsar of Russia to
+Queen Alexandra, but it was considered too showy for the
+London streets, and Her Majesty preferred a light victoria,
+which was generally drawn by her two greys, Chelsea and Brief.</p>
+
+<p>The greatest care had to be taken both by the King
+and by the Queen in selecting the tradesmen upon whom to
+confer the undoubted advantage of their custom. Sir Dighton
+Probyn, who was Comptroller of the Prince of Wales’s Household,
+and has since been appointed Extra Equerry to His
+Majesty, was entrusted with the duty of seeing that the
+Warrants were only given to those who were worthy of
+them. A Royal Warrant is naturally considered a great
+honour by the recipient, and any firm aspiring to be a
+Warrant-Holder must supply the Household for one year in
+a satisfactory manner before becoming eligible; and should the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_261" id="Page_261">[261]</a></span>
+firm become bankrupt, or even change its name, the Warrant
+must be returned to the Comptroller of the Household.</p>
+
+<p>On the King’s birthday the Warrant-Holders were wont
+to dine together, and on the <i>menu</i> always figured some venison
+contributed both by Queen Victoria and by King Edward, who
+each sent a fine buck. On all Royal occasions of rejoicing the
+Warrant-Holders are considered to have a special right to
+present a gift accompanied by their congratulations.</p>
+
+<p>Every monetary transaction was not only recorded, but
+indexed at Marlborough House, and any tradesman who sent
+in an account twice over was never again patronised.</p>
+
+<p>The King does not confine his custom to any one London
+tailor; on the contrary, he is careful to distribute his patronage,
+and it is a mistake to fancy that His Majesty pays very
+much more for his clothes than do other people. His wardrobe
+is necessarily larger and more varied than that of a private
+individual. It need hardly be said that he dresses in perfect
+taste, and it is well known that he has no sympathy with
+the revolutionists who would abolish the frock-coat. He is,
+however, also understood to have a special fondness for the
+old-fashioned “bowler” hat. It would be difficult to overestimate
+the King’s influence as an arbiter of fashion, especially in
+America, where every trifling change in his costume is faithfully
+reported and imitated, and also on the Continent. On the
+whole, his influence in matters of dress is strongly conservative.
+He has none of the Continental love of displaying uniforms,
+and his dress is always the acme of good taste, because it is
+always absolutely suitable to the occasion on which it is worn.</p>
+
+<p>The King has an ever-increasing number of uniforms,
+military and other, which are worth quite £15,000, and are,
+of course, fully insured. It need hardly be said that the King
+has almost every Order in existence. The mere enumeration
+of them fills up a large space in Debrett.</p>
+
+<p>The King’s own favourite among his Orders used to be
+that of Malta, the Sovereign Order of St. John of Jerusalem,
+of which the badge is the well-known Maltese cross suspended
+from a black ribbon.</p>
+
+<hr class="chap" />
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_262" id="Page_262">[262]</a></span></p>
+
+<h2 id="CHAPTER_XXI">CHAPTER XXI<br />
+<span class="smaller">THE KING AND STATE POLICY</span></h2>
+
+<p>The King has on several occasions, notably in his Message to
+his People, published on his accession, expressed his resolve to
+follow in the footsteps of his late deeply-lamented mother in
+fulfilling the great and sacred responsibilities which at her
+death he was summoned to undertake. The chief of these
+responsibilities is that which relates to high State policy, and
+especially to the intricate and delicate problems arising out of
+our relations with foreign Powers.</p>
+
+<p>Now, not the least service which Queen Victoria rendered
+to her people, as Lord Salisbury said in the eloquent tribute
+which he paid to her memory in the House of Lords, was her
+constant and rigorous supervision over public affairs. The
+people saw only the result, the finished policy, associated in
+their minds with the personality of some popular Minister.
+What they did not know was how far that policy had been
+modified, perhaps even completely recast, by the sagacious
+counsels of their Sovereign, or what pitfalls had been avoided
+by her warnings, frankly offered, yet never obstinately pressed
+upon the chosen representatives of her beloved subjects. “Let
+us have the Queen’s opinion,” said Lord Clarendon, one of the
+shrewdest of her Foreign Ministers. “It is always worth
+hearing, even if you do not agree with it.” And Lord
+Kimberley confessed that when he was at the Foreign Office
+he had a difference of opinion with Queen Victoria in regard to
+an important matter. After discussion Her Majesty, though<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_263" id="Page_263">[263]</a></span>
+unconvinced, yielded to her Minister; but the event proved
+that she was right and the Minister wrong.</p>
+
+<p>Such glimpses of the inner working of the great machine of
+Government illustrate for us the path which King Edward has
+marked out for himself. Our polity has been called a crowned
+Republic&mdash;a phrase which, in spite of its exaggeration, expresses
+tersely the fact that the constitutional Sovereign of
+this realm has constantly to reconcile duties which seem far
+apart, and even sometimes inconsistent. King Edward succeeds
+to a Monarchy possessing great theoretical powers,
+which, however, have been by the slow growth of custom
+practically restricted to the exercise of an indirect, advisory
+influence on State affairs, though, as Mr. Balfour said in the
+House of Commons, this influence shows a tendency to increase
+rather than to diminish. Queen Victoria was once compared
+to a Permanent Under-Secretary of State, who sees Ministers
+come and go, succeed and fail, but himself remains. The
+comparison is not a bad one, except that the work of a
+permanent Under-Secretary is confined to one department,
+whereas the Sovereign is concerned, not only with every
+branch of the public service, but also with many matters of
+importance which cannot pass through the hands of any State
+department.</p>
+
+<p>It is easy to see the great responsibilities, as well as the
+great opportunities, which are inseparable from the British
+Crown, and perhaps it is not impertinent to point out how well
+King Edward VII. is fitted to meet them. The extraordinary
+tact which characterises His Majesty is most clearly illustrated
+when we consider his relations towards the policy of the State.
+There was a time in the history of England when the Prince
+of Wales allied himself with one of the political parties in the
+country, and that not the one in which his father had confidence.
+The tradition of constitutional monarchy established by our
+late beloved Queen necessarily inaugurated a different <i>régime</i>.
+No political party was ever able honestly to claim the Prince
+of Wales as an adherent, or even as a platonic sympathiser.
+On the other hand, not his severest critics ever accused him of<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_264" id="Page_264">[264]</a></span>
+apathy to British interests. In that higher sphere of patriotism
+which rises superior to the din of party politics he thoroughly
+earned the title of the typical Englishman.</p>
+
+<p>All through the years which succeeded the death of the
+Prince Consort the Prince of Wales discharged the duties of
+his position in such a way as to win the confidence of every
+section of the nation. He included among his friends the
+principal men of both the great political parties, and with such
+delicacy of feeling was this done that no one could justly say
+which he really preferred. Indeed, so nice was his feeling that
+he was accustomed to distinguish&mdash;if he made any distinction
+at all&mdash;those statesmen who happened to be in Opposition at
+the moment, rather than those who were enjoying the sweets
+of office.</p>
+
+<p>The King did not escape the penalty of irresponsible gossip.
+He undoubtedly displayed a great liking for Ireland, and for
+the Irish people, but it would be absurd to call him on that
+account a Home Ruler. Similarly, it is an interesting fact that
+both His Majesty and Queen Alexandra distinguished Mr. and
+Mrs. Gladstone by some special tokens of friendship, but it is
+not justifiable on that account to assert that their Majesties
+are Liberals. The truth is that throughout his career His
+Majesty has succeeded, while deeply interesting himself in
+politics, in steering steadily clear of party politics.</p>
+
+<p>It would be wearisome to enumerate all the statesmen and
+politicians on whom His Majesty has conferred various marks
+of his favour. Mention may, however, be made of Mr. Cecil
+Rhodes, for whom he entertains a strong admiration which he
+has never cared to conceal. Indeed, he removed his own name
+from the Travellers’ Club when Mr. Rhodes was blackballed&mdash;a
+course which he has never seen fit to take in any other
+instance.</p>
+
+<p>The political emancipation of the Jews in England evidently
+had the King’s warm sympathy. It now seems a long time
+ago since his presence at the marriage of Mr. Leopold de
+Rothschild caused much satisfaction and some sensation in
+Jewish circles, for no British prince had visited a synagogue<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_265" id="Page_265">[265]</a></span>
+since 1809, when three of the Royal dukes were present at
+a Jewish service. The Rothschild family have long been
+among His Majesty’s personal friends, both in England and on
+the Continent, and among his intimates was the late Baron
+Hirsch, with whom he stayed in Austria, notwithstanding the
+intense anti-Semitic prejudices of the Austrian Court. The
+King has thoroughly studied the question of the Russian Jews,
+and has interested himself on their behalf in such a way as
+should earn for him the gratitude of every Jew in Europe and
+America. Nevertheless His Majesty’s liking for the Chosen
+People has been sometimes misinterpreted, and ascribed to not
+very creditable motives. People were at one time fond of
+saying that the King was up to the neck in debt, but, when
+the question was directly asked, Sir Francis Knollys replied
+that the King had no debts worth speaking of, and that he
+could pay any moment every farthing he owed; also, that there
+was not a word of truth in the oft-repeated tales of the mortgage
+on Sandringham, and that the whole story was a fabrication
+and was on a par with similar tales representing the King
+as being assisted by financiers of more or less doubtful honesty.</p>
+
+<p>In the sphere of foreign relations His Majesty’s indirect
+influence has undoubtedly been considerable, though, of course,
+the time has gone by when dynastic considerations used to
+dictate the policy of empires. It is well known that his nephew,
+the Tsar, entertains for him a strong personal regard; while of
+the feelings which subsist between His Majesty and the Kaiser,
+the son of his favourite sister, the country has had the most
+significant illustrations. There can be no doubt, too, about
+the feelings of esteem which are entertained for His Majesty
+by the French nation as a whole. Furthermore, the King has
+always shown his desire to become personally acquainted with
+the principal statesmen of Europe; and it is probable that few
+of the men who now control international relations have not at
+one time or another fallen under the influence of His Majesty’s
+gracious and winning personality. The sum of all this must
+count for a good deal in facilitating the conduct of our foreign
+relations.</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_266" id="Page_266">[266]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>For Americans the King has shown a strong liking, but
+it is absurd to assert that his favour has been confined to those
+American men and women whose social position has been
+entirely purchased by their wealth. He has frequently gone
+out of his way to show special courtesy to distinguished
+American visitors, whether rich or poor; and the diplomatic
+representative of the United States in London has always
+found a specially cordial welcome at Marlborough House. This
+was particularly the case with James Russell Lowell and with
+T. F. Bayard. Indeed, it will be remembered that on Mr.
+Bayard’s giving up the post of American Ambassador, the
+King broke his rule and accepted Mr. Bayard’s invitation to
+dinner, thereby paying a signal compliment to the whole
+American people. The King’s telegram to the <i>New York
+World</i>, during the war-scare which followed President Cleveland’s
+Venezuelan Message, will be remembered as having
+done much to calm the public anxiety in both countries.</p>
+
+<p>American women who have married Englishmen can rely
+on receiving from the King and Queen Alexandra the most
+tactful consideration and courtesy. This was conspicuously
+shown in the cases of Lady Harcourt, the daughter of Motley,
+the great American historian; of Mrs. Joseph Chamberlain;
+and of the young Duchess of Marlborough.</p>
+
+<p>It is no slight testimony to His Majesty’s political insight
+that at a time when the Colonies were not fashionable, and
+when they were actually regarded as a source of weakness
+rather than of strength to the Mother Country, he did all that
+he could&mdash;so far as the traditional restrictions of his position
+would allow&mdash;to foster a different view of Britain’s relations
+with her daughter-States. Since those days he exerted himself
+to promote the success of the Colonial and Indian Exhibition;
+and his interest in the Empire was yet more strikingly
+demonstrated in the foundation of the Imperial Institute. His
+Majesty’s gracious Message to his People Beyond the Seas
+further illustrates his interest in his Colonial dominions, but
+assuredly the crowning testimony is his consent to part with
+his son and his daughter-in-law for many months that they<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_267" id="Page_267">[267]</a></span>
+might inaugurate the Australian Federal Parliament and visit
+the other important States of the Empire.</p>
+
+<p>His Majesty’s interest in India, too, is strong, and his
+knowledge of Indian affairs is very wide. Every new book of
+any importance which is published on any Indian subject is
+added to His Majesty’s library, which is by this time extremely
+rich in works relating to the vast Eastern territories over
+which he is now Emperor. His Majesty’s visit to these great
+kingdoms and provinces, to which he made graceful allusion
+in his Message “to the Princes and Peoples of India,” was paid
+at the express wish of his mother, who saw with characteristic
+foresight how valuable it would be in promoting peace and conciliation
+among the various creeds and races of Hindustan.</p>
+
+<hr class="chap" />
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_268" id="Page_268">[268]</a></span></p>
+
+<h2 id="CHAPTER_XXII">CHAPTER XXII<br />
+<span class="smaller">THE KING AND THE SERVICES</span></h2>
+
+<p>Only three days after the irreparable loss of his much-loved
+mother, King Edward wrote Messages to the Navy and the
+Army, which demonstrated how great is his pride in both the
+services, and how deeply he has their interests at heart. The
+Message to the Navy, which was ordered by the Lords of
+the Admiralty to be read on the quarter-deck of every ship
+in commission, in the presence of the ship’s company, was as
+follows:&mdash;</p>
+
+<div class="blockquote">
+
+<p class="right">“<span class="smcap">Osborne</span>, <i>25th January 1901</i>.</p>
+
+<p>“I am desirous of expressing to the Navy my heartfelt
+thanks for its distinguished and renowned services during the
+long and glorious reign of my beloved mother the Queen, to
+whose Throne I now succeed.</p>
+
+<p>“Her Majesty, ever proud of the great deeds of her Navy,
+the protector of our shores and commerce, watched with the
+keenest solicitude its vast progress during her reign, and made
+it the profession of my late lamented brother, as I also chose
+it for the early education of both my sons.</p>
+
+<p>“Watching over your interests and well-being, I confidently
+rely upon that unfailing loyalty which is the proud inheritance
+of your noble service.</p>
+
+<p class="right">“<span class="smcap">Edward, R. et I.</span>”</p>
+
+</div>
+
+<div id="illus77" class="figcenter" style="width: 450px;"><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_269" id="Page_269">[269]</a><br /><a name="Page_270" id="Page_270">[270]</a></span>
+
+<img src="images/ill077.jpg" width="450" height="650" alt="" />
+
+<p><span class="smcap">The King as Admiral of the Fleet</span></p>
+
+<p><i>From a Photograph by Russell</i></p>
+
+</div>
+
+<p>On the publication of the official March Navy List&mdash;there
+was no issue for February 1901&mdash;it was seen that the words
+“The King” appeared at the head of the Service. This had
+been done before in lists published by private enterprise,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_271" id="Page_271">[271]</a></span>
+but never before in the list published “by authority.” The
+circumstance that, while in the Army List Queen Victoria
+appeared as the head of the land forces, a similar course was
+not taken in the Navy List had always been regarded as
+curious, especially considering that the sea service is designated
+the “Royal” Navy, while the Army is not so described.
+When an official Navy List was first issued in January 1814
+there was no indication in it of the monarch’s existence. The
+Duke of Clarence appeared as the only Admiral of the Fleet
+with a commission dated 27th December 1811, and he continued
+to appear in each list as it was issued quarterly up to
+March 1830. In the next list, dated in June of the same year,
+by which time he had succeeded as William IV., his name had
+disappeared, and for all the lists tell us he might have entirely
+severed his connection from the Navy.</p>
+
+<p>The introduction of the King’s name into the official Navy
+List did not of course mean any diminution of the power and
+authority conferred on the Lords Commissioners for executing
+the office of the Lord High Admiral, but merely that His
+Majesty desired to associate himself personally with the Navy,
+of which he had become the head. The change simply emphasised
+the fact that the Royal Navy and the Royal Marines
+are the loyal and devoted servants of the King, and it is another
+instance of that gracious tact for which Edward VII. is renowned.</p>
+
+<p>Debarred by the tradition of his House from himself
+entering our first line of defence, the King nevertheless&mdash;as
+indeed he says in his gracious Message&mdash;chose the Navy for
+the early education of both his sons. In other ways he has
+never failed to demonstrate in every possible way his love of
+the sea, of which indeed he has had a pretty wide experience.
+We have seen how often he took passage in various warships
+on his travels, and it will be remembered that the <i>Hero</i>, in
+which he returned from visiting Canada and the United States,
+was driven by a storm out of her course and the Royal party
+were reduced to salt fare. His Majesty thus early made
+acquaintance with the hardships as well as with the pleasant
+side of a sailor’s life.</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_272" id="Page_272">[272]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>King William IV. once said: “There is no place in the
+world for making an English gentleman like the quarter-deck
+of an English man-of-war,” and his great-nephew, King
+Edward, evidently took the same view. It was in 1877 that
+an important step was taken in regard to the education of the
+King’s two sons, which had long been the subject of anxious
+thought and care to both their parents. It had not hitherto
+been the custom to send Princes in the direct line of succession
+into the Navy, that service being no doubt considered too
+hazardous. But the strong affection subsisting between Prince
+Albert Victor and Prince George made their father unwilling
+to separate them, and so in June 1877 they entered the
+<i>Britannia</i> together as naval cadets. The decision significantly
+showed how highly His Majesty appreciated the naval service
+as a mental and moral training school.</p>
+
+<p>It will be remembered that in that eventful year, 1887, His
+Majesty was appointed an Honorary Admiral of the Fleet;
+and later on, the marriage of his daughter, Princess Maud,
+to Prince Charles of Denmark, who was a Lieutenant in the
+Danish Navy, gave His Majesty peculiar gratification.</p>
+
+<p>The King’s Message to the Army, contained in a special
+Army order, was as follows:&mdash;</p>
+
+<div class="blockquote">
+
+<p class="right">“<span class="smcap">Osborne</span>, <i>25th January 1901</i>.</p>
+
+<p>“On my accession to the Throne of my ancestors I am
+desirous of thanking the Army for the splendid services which
+it has rendered to my beloved mother the Queen during her
+glorious reign of upwards of sixty-three years.</p>
+
+<p>“Her Majesty invariably evinced the warmest interest in
+her troops, especially when on active service, both as a
+Sovereign and as the head of her Army, and she was proud
+of the fact of being a soldier’s daughter.</p>
+
+<p>“To secure your best interests will be one of the dearest
+objects of my heart, and I know I can count upon that loyal
+devotion which you ever evinced towards your late Sovereign.</p>
+
+<p class="right">“<span class="smcap">Edward R.I.</span>”</p>
+
+</div>
+
+<div id="illus78" class="figcenter" style="width: 450px;">
+
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_273" id="Page_273">[273]</a><br /><a name="Page_274" id="Page_274">[274]</a></span>
+
+<img src="images/ill078.jpg" width="450" height="650" alt="" />
+
+<p><span class="smcap">The King as Colonel of the 10th Hussars</span></p>
+
+<p><i>From a Photograph by F.G.O.S., published by Gregory</i></p>
+
+</div>
+
+<p>A further honour was in store for the Army, for the <i>London
+Gazette</i> announced:&mdash;</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_275" id="Page_275">[275]</a></span></p>
+
+<div class="blockquote">
+
+<p class="right">“<span class="smcap">War Office, Pall Mall</span>, <i>26th February 1901</i>.</p>
+
+<p>“The King has been pleased to confer upon the undermentioned
+Regiments the honour of becoming their Colonel-in-Chief
+on his accession to the Throne:&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>“10th (Prince of Wales’s Own Royal) Hussars, of which
+Regiment he has been the Regimental Colonel since the year
+1863.</p>
+
+<p>“Grenadier Guards.</p>
+
+<p>“Coldstream Guards.</p>
+
+<p>“Scots Guards.</p>
+
+<p>“Irish Guards.”</p>
+
+</div>
+
+<p>This was felt by the whole Army to be a special honour,
+for the four regiments of Foot Guards had previously had only
+Colonels commanding, not Colonels-in-Chief. It will be
+remembered that the 10th Hussars was the regiment in which
+the late Duke of Clarence and Avondale served.</p>
+
+<p>The connection of His Majesty with the Army has, in
+accordance with precedent, been extremely close and long
+continued. Among the earliest recollections of his childhood
+is the Crimean War, which undoubtedly made a deep and
+lasting impression on his mind. On attaining the age of
+eighteen His Majesty was gazetted a Colonel in the Army.
+Four years later he was promoted to be a General; and in
+1875 he was created a Field-Marshal. The mere catalogue of
+his Colonelcies and Honorary Colonelcies would be tedious;
+but it may be mentioned that he is Colonel-in-Chief of the 1st
+and 2nd Life Guards, the Royal Horse Guards, and the Gordon
+Highlanders. His Majesty is also Colonel of a large number
+of distinguished foreign regiments. These latter, however, are
+naturally formal distinctions, which, in these days, are not of
+military so much as diplomatic significance. The interest
+which the King takes in military matters is undoubtedly chiefly
+centred in the British Army.</p>
+
+<p>The King’s military service at the Curragh has been described
+in an earlier chapter. His mind was also undoubtedly
+influenced by the companions whom his parents selected to be<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_276" id="Page_276">[276]</a></span>
+with him when he set up a separate establishment. Of these,
+two were soldiers of conspicuous bravery&mdash;Major Teesdale,
+afterwards Sir Christopher Teesdale, who had greatly distinguished
+himself at Kars; and Major Lindsay, V.C., afterwards
+Lord Wantage. King Edward’s keen interest in all
+that concerns the art of war is well exemplified by his careful
+survey of the battlefields of the Crimea, and by his visiting,
+during his tour in India, the places rendered for ever memorable
+by the Mutiny.</p>
+
+<p>The deep interest which His Majesty took in the Boer War
+will be fresh in the recollection of everybody. Accompanied
+by the Duke of Cambridge, he said good-bye, on 14th October
+1899, to Sir Redvers Buller, departing to take up the command
+in South Africa. Later on, accompanied by his brother, the
+Duke of Connaught, he saw Lord Roberts off on that cold
+winter morning when the Commander-in-Chief, in the midst
+of his own bitter private grief, left for South Africa, sped by
+the deep sympathy and encouragement of His Majesty. It
+will be remembered, too, how frequently the King inspected
+battalions ordered to the front, encouraging them with his
+outspoken interest and admiration; and it will be remembered
+not less vividly how his gracious Consort cared for the wounded
+and invalided soldiers, whose sufferings are the inevitable price
+of victory. The <i>Princess of Wales</i> Hospital Ship will never
+be forgotten by a grateful nation.</p>
+
+<p>The King and Queen Alexandra were among the earliest
+subscribers to the Mansion-House funds for the relief of the
+Transvaal refugees and of the sufferers from the war. The
+death of their nephew, Major Prince Christian Victor, who was
+stricken down by disease in October 1900 while on active
+service in South Africa, was a deep grief to their Majesties.
+The beginning of the year 1901 was signalised by the return
+of Lord Roberts and by Queen Alexandra’s special appeal on
+behalf of the Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Families Association, which
+brought relief to many a stricken family whose head had fallen
+at the front.</p>
+
+<div id="illus79" class="figcenter" style="width: 500px;">
+
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_277" id="Page_277">[277]</a></span>
+
+<img src="images/ill079.jpg" width="500" height="650" alt="" />
+
+<p><span class="smcap">The King and the Duke of Connaught</span></p>
+
+<p><i>From a Photograph by F.G.O.S., published by Gregory</i></p>
+
+</div>
+
+<p>In the reception of Lord Roberts the King took a prominent
+part. Accompanied by Queen Alexandra, and their son and
+daughter-in-law and Princess Victoria, His Majesty, as representing<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_278" id="Page_278">[278]</a></span>
+his Royal Mother, presided at the State luncheon
+at Buckingham Palace in honour of the Commander-in-Chief,
+while only a few days before Queen Victoria’s death the King
+took the chair at the great banquet at which the United Service
+Club entertained Lord Roberts.</p>
+
+<p>The services of the Colonial contingents in South Africa
+made a profound impression on the King’s mind. He showed
+this in the most significant manner when, brushing aside all
+antiquated War Office precedents, he not only inspected
+Strathcona’s Horse in the garden of Buckingham Palace and
+gave them the South African Medal in advance before its
+general issue, but actually presented the regiment with a colour.
+That such honour should be conferred on a corps of irregulars
+doubtless shocked military pedants, but it caused intense pride
+and gratification to the gallant Canadians, who in their modesty
+refused to believe that their services had been anything out of
+the common.</p>
+
+<hr class="chap" />
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_279" id="Page_279">[279]</a></span></p>
+
+<h2 id="CHAPTER_XXIII">CHAPTER XXIII<br />
+<span class="smaller">THE KING AND FREEMASONRY</span></h2>
+
+<div class="smaller">
+
+<p><i>For the information contained in this chapter the author is
+indebted to an authority on the subject.</i></p>
+
+</div>
+
+<p>After the King’s accession His Majesty reluctantly decided
+that he could not hope to find time to fulfil the duties of the
+high offices in Masonry to which he had been called as Prince
+of Wales, namely Grand Master of English Freemasons
+and Grand Master of the Mark Degree. At the same time
+King Edward was unwilling to cut short his long official connection
+with Masonry. Accordingly, His Majesty graciously
+intimated, in a letter read at Grand Lodge on 15th February
+1901, that, following the precedent of King George IV., he
+would, on his retirement from the office of Grand Master, take
+the title of “Protector of English Freemasons.” Similarly,
+at a Grand Lodge of Mark Master Masons held four days later,
+it was announced that His Majesty would assume the title of
+“Patron of Freemasons of the Mark Degree.”</p>
+
+<p>The King was succeeded in both his Grand Masterships
+by his brother, the Duke of Connaught, whose consent to
+serve gave great satisfaction to the brethren of the craft.</p>
+
+<p>Undoubtedly Freemasonry has been one of the most
+absorbing interests of the King’s life. Yet very few foreign
+princes are Masons; and though the Duke of Kent was one,
+the Prince Consort always refused to associate himself with the
+craft. Of course it must be remembered that British Freemasonry
+is a very different thing from what the term is<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_280" id="Page_280">[280]</a></span>
+supposed to imply on the Continent, where it is associated in
+the public mind with atheism and even anarchism.</p>
+
+<p>As far back as March 1870 the King presided at the
+anniversary festival of the Royal Masonic Institution for Boys.
+This was not very long after his initiation, and in his speech
+he expressed his pride at being so heartily received by the
+company as a brother Mason, and his determination to follow
+in the footsteps of his grand-uncles, who were so long connected
+with the craft. The King continued:&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>“Much has been said against Freemasonry by those who
+do not know what it is. People naturally say they do not
+approve of secret societies; but I maintain that the craft is free
+from the reproach of being either disloyal or irreligious.…
+I desire to remind you that when, about seventy years ago, it
+became necessary for the Government of that day to put down
+secret societies, my relative, the late Duke of Sussex, urged in
+his place in Parliament that Freemasons’ lodges ought to be
+exempt from such a law, and the force of his appeal was
+acknowledged. From that time Freemasonry has been devoid
+of politics, its only object being the pure and Christian one of
+charity.”</p>
+
+<p>In May of the following year the King presided at the
+annual festival of the Royal Masonic Institution for Girls, and
+announced that Queen Alexandra had consented to become the
+Patroness of the institution. His Majesty also expressed his
+thanks to the brethren for their sympathy with him on the
+death of his infant son in the preceding month.</p>
+
+<p>It is interesting to record, in view of the King’s present
+title of Patron of Freemasons of the Mark Degree, that His
+Majesty, who was already Patron of the Order in Scotland, was
+installed as Patron of Free and Accepted Masons in Ireland on
+the occasion of his visit to that country in August 1871. The
+installation was attended with great ceremony, and in the course
+of his reply to the address of welcome presented to him the
+King said:&mdash;</p>
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_281" id="Page_281">[281]</a></span></p>
+<p>“It was a source of considerable satisfaction to me when I
+was elected a member of the craft, and I think I may, without
+presumption, point to the different Masonic meetings which, since
+my initiation, I have fraternally attended. As a proof of the
+interest I take in all that relates to Freemasonry, I can assure
+you that it has afforded me great gratification to become the
+Patron of the Most Ancient and Honourable Society of Free
+and Accepted Masons in Ireland, and that an opportunity has
+been given to me by my visit to Ireland of being installed here
+to-day.”</p>
+
+<p>The Grand Master then clothed the King with the collar,
+apron, and jewel as Patron. The brethren, according to
+ancient custom, saluted him as Patron of the Order in Ireland,
+the Grand Master himself giving the word, and His Majesty
+then said:&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>“I have now to thank you heartily and cordially for your
+fraternal reception, and for the honour you have done me, and
+I beg to assure you of the pleasure I feel on having been
+invited to become the Patron of the Order of Freemasons in
+Ireland. It is a source of considerable satisfaction to me to
+know that my visit to this country has afforded this opportunity
+of meeting you, brethren, in Lodge, and so interchanging these
+frank and hearty greetings. It is true I have not been a Mason
+very long. I was initiated, as you perhaps know, in London, a
+few years ago, after which I visited the Grand Original Lodge
+of Denmark, and a short time afterwards I had the signal satisfaction
+of being elected a Past Grand Master of the United
+Grand Lodge of England. Last year I had the honour of
+being elected Patron of the Order in Scotland; and, brethren,
+though last, not least, comes the special honour you have conferred
+on me. I thank you for it from the bottom of my heart.
+I may, I think, refer with some pride to the number of Masonic
+meetings I have attended in England since my initiation as a
+proof of my deep attachment to your Order.</p>
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_282" id="Page_282">[282]</a></span></p>
+<p>“I know&mdash;we all know&mdash;how good and holy a thing Freemasonry
+is, how excellent are its principles, and how perfect
+the doctrine it sets forth; but forgive me if I remind you that
+some of our friends outside are not as well acquainted with its
+merits as we are ourselves, and that a most mistaken idea
+prevails in some minds that, because we are a secret society,
+we meet for political purposes, or have a political bias in what
+we do. I am delighted, brethren, to have this opportunity of
+proclaiming what I am satisfied you will agree with me in&mdash;that
+we have, as Masons, no politics; that the great object of our
+Order is to strengthen the bonds of fraternal affection, and to
+make us live in pure and Christian love with all men; that
+though a secret, we are not a political body; and that our
+Masonic principles and hopes are essential parts of our attachment
+to the Constitution and loyalty to the Crown.”</p>
+
+<p>No doubt the most impressive Masonic ceremony ever
+attended by the King was his installation as Grand Master of
+English Freemasons in the Royal Albert Hall on 28th April
+1875, to which office he was elected on the resignation of the
+Marquis of Ripon. The scene was striking in the extreme.
+The platform usually occupied by the choir was transformed
+into a daïs, on which the throne was placed, the space around
+being large enough for four or five hundred Provincial Grand
+Masters, Past Grand Officers, and visitors of distinction. The
+throne was the one in which King George IV. was installed
+when he was Prince of Wales. It was covered with rich
+purple velvet, and the floor was laid with a magnificent
+Oriental carpet, a century old, lent for the occasion by a
+member of the Westminster and Keystone Lodge. Behind
+the throne the banner of Grand Lodge and other flags were
+placed; in front a wide aisle was formed right across the area
+to the Royal entrance. This was laid with a rich carpet of
+velvet pile, woven expressly for the occasion. The ground was
+blue, enriched alternately with the arms of Grand Lodge and
+Prince of Wales’s feathers.</p>
+
+<p>It is recorded that when the King entered the hall the
+enthusiasm of the brethren was so great that the proper order
+of the ceremonial was forgotten, and the Grand Master Elect
+was greeted with extraordinarily vehement, but quite irregular
+plaudits.</p>
+
+<p>In returning thanks after his installation, His Majesty delivered
+an appropriate speech, in the course of which he said:&mdash;</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_283" id="Page_283">[283]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>“It is difficult for me to find words adequate to express my
+deep thanks for the honour which has already been bestowed
+upon me&mdash;an honour which has, as history bears testimony,
+been bestowed upon several members of my family, my predecessors;
+and, brethren, it will always be my most sincere
+and ardent wish to walk in the footsteps of good men who
+have preceded me, and, with God’s help, to fulfil the duties
+which I have been called upon to occupy to-day. The various
+duties which I have to perform will frequently, I am afraid,
+not permit me to attend so much to the duties of the craft as
+I should desire; but you may be assured that when I have
+the time I shall do the utmost to maintain this high position,
+and do my duty by the craft and by you on every possible
+occasion. Every Englishman knows that the two great watchwords
+of the craft are Loyalty and Charity. These are their
+watchwords, and as long as Freemasons do not, as Freemasons,
+mix themselves up in politics, so long I am sure this high and
+noble Order will flourish, and will maintain the integrity of
+our great Empire. I thank you once more, brethren, for your
+cordial reception of me to-day, and I thank you for having come
+such immense distances to welcome me on this occasion. I
+assure you I shall never forget to-day&mdash;never!”</p>
+
+<p>The last sentence, obviously an impromptu, was uttered with
+much emphasis and evidently deep feeling.</p>
+
+<p>At the banquet which followed in the evening the King, in
+proposing the health of the King of Sweden and Norway, said:&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>“It affords me especial pleasure to propose this toast, as
+seven years ago I became a member of this craft, initiated by
+the late King, the brother of the present one. Thereby I
+consider I have a more special interest in Sweden.”</p>
+
+<p>As a matter of fact, in spite of his numerous other duties,
+the new Grand Master did find time to attend a considerable
+number of Masonic functions. Not the least interesting of
+these was his laying the foundation stone of Truro Cathedral
+on 20th May 1880, of which the late Archbishop Benson, then
+Bishop of Truro, wrote the following vivid description, quoted
+in that prelate’s <i>Life</i>:&mdash;</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_284" id="Page_284">[284]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>“The ceremonial of the Freemasons, which some regarded
+with suspicion and dislike, was satisfactory and refreshing from
+its simple exposition of symbolism as an element in life, quite
+apart from ecclesiasticism. I had, upon the first mooting of
+the question by the Prince, taken the opinion of the Rural
+Deans as representative of the clergy, and their unanimous
+opinion was that it was even desirable to use an old guild in
+this way, provided that the Church Service and order were in
+no way interfered with. And the Prince, both through Lord
+Mount Edgcumbe, and at Marlborough House himself, said
+that nothing should be done except in full accord with my own
+arrangements as Bishop and the usual forms.… The dignity
+and the simplicity and naturalness with which the Prince
+poured the corn and wine and oil over the stone added much
+to the ceremony, and the force and clearness with which he
+delivered the impressive little sermon, ending with an excellent
+passage of Ezra, chosen by Lord Mount Edgcumbe, rang out
+of a really serious spirit.… The colours of the Masons, which
+look quaint on the individual, looked very soft in the mass.</p>
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_285" id="Page_285">[285]</a></span></p>
+<p>“The most striking moment was when the procession of
+military and naval authorities and deputy lieutenants came
+sweeping in with a great curve, leading the Princess and her
+boys. She was received by our tall Mayor in his stately new
+furred gown and me, and taken up to her throne. At the end
+she was led to the newly-laid stone and seated by it, while a
+long train of girls brought their purses and laid them before
+her, after the little Princes had each presented £250 in behalf
+of Miss Goldsworthy Gurney, who wished thus to memorialise
+her father’s invention of the steam jet. The Prince of Wales
+was timidly asked whether he would approve of this, and said,
+‘Oh, why not? The boys would stand on their heads if she
+wished!’ The younger of the boys is a bright-coloured, cheery
+lad, but the elder, on whom so much may depend, is pale, long-faced,
+and I can’t help thinking, <i>for a child</i>, like Charles the
+First&mdash;it is a very feeling face. At night when they were sent
+to bed between 12 and 1, having been allowed to sit up as a
+special privilege to the ball, the Princess said to me as they
+pleaded for a little longer, ‘I do wish to keep them children as
+long as I can, and they do want so to be men all at once.’
+May she prevail!”</p>
+
+<p>The mallet which was used by His Majesty on this occasion
+was the one with which King Charles II. laid the foundation-stone
+of St. Paul’s Cathedral. It was presented to the old
+lodge of St. Paul by Sir Christopher Wren, who was a
+member.</p>
+
+<p>The King, who was of course then Duke of Cornwall, was
+also present at the consecration of Truro Cathedral on 3rd
+November 1887, and Archbishop Benson records an instance
+of His Majesty’s religious feeling:&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>“There was a nice incident in the consecration. Just as
+the Bishop was signing the sentence of consecration, Bishop of
+Salisbury whispered to me, ‘Shouldn’t the Prince of Wales be
+asked to sign it?’ I sent him to Bishop of Truro to suggest
+it, who sent him on to the Prince’s daïs. The Prince assented,
+but instead of waiting for the parchment to be brought up,
+instantly came down from his place and went up the altar steps
+and signed it there on the little table set in front of the altar&mdash;a
+real little bit of reverence.”</p>
+
+<p>Another interesting ceremony was His Majesty’s consecration,
+in his official capacity as Grand Master of England, of the
+Chancery Bar Lodge of Freemasons in Lincoln’s Inn Hall.
+The King sat in the Grand Master’s chair, wearing the full
+regalia of his office; at his left sat the Earl of Lathom, Pro-Grand
+Master, and at his right, the Earl of Mount-Edgcumbe,
+Deputy Grand Master.</p>
+
+<p>Many curious incidents have occurred in connection with
+the King’s interest in Freemasonry. At one dinner at which
+the King of Sweden was present, the list of subscriptions
+announced amounted to the enormous sum of £51,000, probably
+the largest amount ever raised at a festival dinner in the history
+of the world.</p>
+
+<p>On two occasions the King has presided as Grand Master
+of English Freemasons over remarkable assemblies in the
+Royal Albert Hall. The first was in celebration of Queen<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_286" id="Page_286">[286]</a></span>
+Victoria’s Golden Jubilee in 1887, when the tickets for admission
+produced £6000, a sum which was divided among the three
+great Masonic charities. Very similar was the Diamond
+Jubilee assembly of Freemasons, at which eight thousand
+members were present. The King spoke admirably, the Duke
+of Connaught moved the adoption of the address to Queen
+Victoria, while Earl Amherst aroused unbounded enthusiasm
+when he alluded to Her Majesty as<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_287" id="Page_287">[287]</a></span> “the daughter of a Freemason,
+the mother of Freemasons, and the patron and benefactress
+of our Order.”</p>
+
+<hr class="chap" />
+
+<h2 id="CHAPTER_XXIV">CHAPTER XXIV<br />
+<span class="smaller">THE KING AS A PHILANTHROPIST</span></h2>
+
+<p>One of the first occasions on which King Edward and Queen
+Alexandra appeared in support of a charitable institution was
+on 24th June 1863, when their Majesties opened the new
+buildings of the British Orphan Asylum at Slough. From
+that day forward both the King and Queen have unceasingly
+demonstrated their keen personal interest in every genuine
+form of charitable endeavour. It would be impossible to
+estimate the total sum of human misery and suffering which
+has been relieved as the direct result, not only of their
+Majesties’ own exertions, but also of the powerful example
+which they have consistently set before the wealthy and
+leisured classes. The mere catalogue of the charitable meetings
+and dinners at which the King has presided would occupy
+many pages of this book.</p>
+
+<p>But His Majesty has never contented himself, as he might
+so easily have done, with allowing his own subscription and
+the fact of his patronage to open the purse-strings of the
+charitable public. The word “genuine” has been used above
+advisedly. The King has no sort of admiration for careless,
+slovenly charity, which often does more harm than good.
+Long ago he realised that to give money is not enough, but
+that it is a sacred duty to see that the money is expended to
+the best advantage and really reaches the persons for whom
+it is intended. Hence it is not surprising to find that His
+Majesty was from the first a strong supporter of the old
+Mendicity Society, and has continued to give his countenance<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_288" id="Page_288">[288]</a></span>
+to the Charity Organisation Society, which, in return, has been
+of the greatest service to him.</p>
+
+<p>It will readily be understood that it is not so much the
+actual sums subscribed by His Majesty and his gracious
+Consort to a particular charity which are valued&mdash;though the
+aggregate amount which they have given away since their
+marriage represents a very large sum&mdash;but it is the guarantee
+afforded by the mere fact that their Majesties have subscribed
+at all. Great precautions are taken to prevent a Royal subscription
+from being given to a fraudulent or unworthy object,
+and that is no doubt why a comparatively small sum, perhaps
+only £50 or £100 from the King or Queen Alexandra,
+stimulates the generosity of the public to the extent of many
+thousands.</p>
+
+<p>Charitable work, however, as those who have engaged in
+it know only too well, is only a palliative. By his active interest
+in the problem of the housing of the poor, which has been
+described in a previous chapter, the King has endeavoured
+to strike at one of the chief causes of vice and crime. We
+have seen that on various occasions His Majesty has made
+pointed observations regarding the provision of decent cottages
+for agricultural labourers, and there can be no doubt that the
+example he has set on his Sandringham estate has been of
+the greatest value. The King took the earliest opportunity
+after his accession, in his reply to the address presented by
+the London County Council, of emphasising his interest in the
+housing of urban populations also. It must not be forgotten
+that the question is, at any rate in some of its aspects, a
+political one, and the King has therefore been obliged to
+exercise all his well-known tact and discretion in dealing
+with it.</p>
+
+<p>With regard to medical charities, the precise value of which
+is fortunately not a subject of political difference, the King
+has enjoyed practically a free hand. Twice in his life His
+Majesty has realised in his own person the incalculable benefits
+of skilled medical and surgical treatment and trained nursing,
+being indeed on the first occasion literally snatched from the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_289" id="Page_289">[289]</a></span>
+jaws of death. Though the King’s active support of hospitals
+dates from an earlier time in his life, these experiences
+doubtless strengthened his keen desire to render the benefits
+which he had himself enjoyed available for the poorest classes
+of the community. Perhaps His Majesty’s interest in medical
+science dates from a visit which he paid when quite a boy
+to the great school, mainly for doctors’ sons, at Epsom. At
+any rate there can be no doubt about the steady development
+of that interest, which may be said to have culminated in
+“The Prince of Wales’s Hospital Fund for London,” established
+as a memorial of Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee.</p>
+
+<p>Probably only those who are concerned in the practical working
+of this fund have an adequate idea of the good which it has
+already done and will do in the future. It is not merely, as was
+erroneously supposed at first, a machine for collecting money
+which might as well be sent direct to individual hospitals. No
+one who appreciates the practical bent of the King’s mind
+could ever have believed that he would give his name to such
+a scheme as that.</p>
+
+<p>The fundamental idea of the fund is the giving of personal
+service, the money collected being used as a means of raising
+the standard of work done in the various hospitals. Before the
+fund existed there was no regular systematic inspection of the
+London hospitals, which in consequence presented very varying
+degrees of efficiency, some institutions being admirably conducted,
+while in others the funds were to a greater or less
+extent frittered away owing to the lack of good business
+management. It never occurred to the great majority of
+business men to associate themselves in the practical work of
+hospital administration, though they subscribed most generously
+to the hospital funds. The King’s plan was to enlist the
+personal service of the most competent and representative
+business men, who should form, in conjunction with certain
+eminent physicians and surgeons, and a number of peers and
+members of Parliament of tried ability, a visiting committee to
+inspect thoroughly every London hospital. On the reports of
+this committee, grants from the fund were to be made immediately,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_290" id="Page_290">[290]</a></span>
+or promised subject to conditions, or in extreme
+cases altogether withheld.</p>
+
+<p>The moral effect of this ingenious scheme has been extraordinary.
+Not only have weak hospitals been brought into
+line, but the better-managed institutions have been improved,
+while as regards individuals the effect has been to encourage
+every competent hospital official and to minimise as far as
+possible the harm done by the incompetent. At first it was
+thought that the investigations of the visiting committee, which
+are necessarily extremely thorough, might be resented as inquisitorial
+and un-English, but the visiting committee found
+that the authorities of almost every institution were eager to
+afford all possible information. The income of the fund and
+the amount annually distributed show a steady increase, which
+has been greatly fostered by the Order of the League of Mercy
+instituted by the King in 1899. This decoration is bestowed
+only as a reward for special personal service in the cause of the
+hospitals. The hospital stamp, too, which brought in so much
+money to the fund, was, if not actually designed, at any rate
+suggested by His Majesty, the central figure being Sir Joshua
+Reynolds’s “Charity,” which is to be seen in the famous
+Reynolds window at New College, Oxford.</p>
+
+<p>Perhaps the most often quoted observation ever uttered by
+the King is his famous saying about preventible diseases&mdash;“If
+preventible, why not prevented?” His Majesty is an eager
+supporter of every properly authorised medical discovery which
+promises to be of value to humanity in the alleviation of disease.
+For example, both the King and Queen Alexandra have taken
+the greatest interest in the “light treatment” for lupus introduced
+by Dr. Finsen, a Danish <i>savant</i>, which Her Majesty had
+installed at the London Hospital, and as we have seen His
+Majesty experienced in his own person the value of the Röntgen
+rays for purposes of diagnosis.</p>
+
+<p>The King has long been deeply impressed with the ravages
+of consumption and other forms of tuberculosis, and when,
+comparatively recently, an association for the prevention of
+this terrible scourge was established, he not only became its<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_291" id="Page_291">[291]</a></span>
+president, but took an active part in its deliberations. Moreover,
+not long before the death of Queen Victoria he consented
+to preside at a great National Congress on Tuberculosis to be
+held in London in the course of 1901, and to be attended by
+delegates from all parts of the British Empire.</p>
+
+<p>As far back as 1863 the King became a patron of the
+Brompton Hospital for Consumption, and in 1879 he laid
+the foundation-stone of the new wing by which its accommodation
+was largely increased. A few years afterwards he
+showed his continued interest in the same subject by presiding
+at a festival dinner in aid of the Royal Hospital for
+Diseases of the Chest, in the City Road, which brought in
+nearly £5000 to the funds of the hospital. Until comparatively
+lately, consumption was regarded as practically incurable, and
+it says much for the King’s clearheadedness and insight that
+he unhesitatingly placed himself at the head of the crusade
+against the disease. The historian of the future will reckon this
+as not the least of the services he has rendered to his people.</p>
+
+<p>As may be imagined from the diversity of his interests, the
+King’s correspondence of late years rivalled that of Queen
+Victoria, and His Majesty is always eager to acknowledge
+the debt he owes to his private secretary, Sir Francis Knollys.
+The correspondence is reduced by the private secretary to
+three distinct sections&mdash;the private letters, the business letters,
+and the miscellaneous letters. Among the latter are those
+written by lunatics, begging-letter writers, and so on. The
+private letters are sent up to the King unopened, the others
+are all read through by Sir Francis and again subdivided, the
+larger section to be replied to in a formal and official way,
+the others to be submitted to the King before they are dealt
+with.</p>
+
+<p>Some of His Majesty’s correspondents evidently have a
+touching belief in his power of righting wrong. They implore
+him to take up their cause when they are injured, and it may
+be stated that no <i>bona fida</i> epistle was ever sent to the King
+without being answered, often with marvellous celerity, and
+ever with the greatest courtesy and kindness.</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_292" id="Page_292">[292]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>At Sandringham there is a post office inside the house for
+the use of the Royal Household, but at Marlborough House
+the huge letter-bags are sent over to the St. James’s Street
+post office at regular intervals throughout the day.</p>
+
+<p>The King has long been a subscriber to the National
+Telephone Company, and he is said to spend over £1000 a
+year in telegrams alone, for the popular idea that Royalty’s
+letters are franked, and that parcels sent by them are forwarded
+free of cost, is a delusion.</p>
+
+<div id="illus80" class="figcenter" style="width: 285px;">
+
+<img src="images/ill080.jpg" width="285" height="400" alt="" />
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Sir Francis Knollys</span></p>
+
+<p><i>From a Photograph by Russell</i></p>
+
+</div>
+
+<p>Sir Francis Knollys’s duties as secretary are not confined
+to what are generally called secretarial duties. He has to act
+as his Royal master’s supplementary memory. He keeps the
+list of all the King’s engagements, and, what is a more
+arduous task, arranges every item of the Royal journeys.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_293" id="Page_293">[293]</a></span>
+Princess Charles of Denmark is said to have once observed
+that she felt sure that if Sir Francis were suddenly awakened
+in the middle of the night and asked what were the King’s
+engagements eight days forward, he would immediately begin
+to recite the entire list.</p>
+
+<p>Be that as it may, the position of Sir Francis Knollys is
+a very responsible one, and even his most intimate friends
+marvel how he can get through the enormous amount of work
+he has to do. Occasionally his labours are enormously
+increased, especially at times of public calamity or Royal
+mourning. During the Tranby Croft case well-intentioned
+folk all over the British Empire sent books and pamphlets
+pointing out the evils of gambling, and in most cases these
+were courteously and kindly acknowledged.</p>
+
+<p>Sir Francis writes every important letter with his own
+hand, for typewriters have, so far, never been used in Royal
+correspondence. He has two assistant secretaries, who attend
+to the routine work, but even then many of the letters written
+by them are signed by him, and in all cases he looks them
+over and sees that they are as he would wish them to be.
+There is also a staff of clerks.</p>
+
+<p>In 1865 His Majesty attended his first public dinner in his
+capacity as president of the Royal Literary Fund, and ever
+since he has taken the greatest interest in the unobtrusive
+work done by this institution in relieving distressing cases
+among those men and women of letters who have fallen on
+evil days.</p>
+
+<p>The King is a warm friend of the coffee palace movement;
+in this connection it is interesting to recall the Alexandra
+Trust, founded by Sir Thomas Lipton at the instance of Queen
+Alexandra, for the purpose of supplying well-cooked and
+nourishing food to the populace at an inclusive charge of 4½d.
+It will be remembered that the King and Queen paid a surprise
+visit to the Alexandra Trust Restaurant in St. Luke’s, in the
+East End of London, on which occasion the various London
+papers circulated the most amusingly inconsistent stories of
+what their Majesties really ate. As a matter of fact they<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_294" id="Page_294">[294]</a></span>
+were satisfied with the ordinary poor man’s dinner, and were
+not entertained&mdash;as was alleged&mdash;by Sir Thomas Lipton with
+“chicken and champagne.” It was their Majesties’ great
+desire to be treated exactly as ordinary diners. But the
+Queen did break one rule&mdash;that which ordains that the metal
+check, received on payment of the 4½d., should be given up
+on leaving. The Queen insisted on keeping the disc, as she
+said to Sir Thomas Lipton, “as a memento of a delightful
+visit and a most enjoyable lunch.” Their Majesties remained for
+nearly two hours; they spoke to large numbers of working men
+and girls, and carefully inspected all the cooking arrangements,
+and it is recorded that the King chatted with the men’s bootblack
+in the basement. Sir Thomas Lipton’s comment was:
+“It was deeply touching to see the men’s devotion to the
+Princess; they almost worshipped her.”</p>
+
+<p>The public are aware that, like his father, the late Prince
+Consort, the King takes a keen personal interest in exhibitions
+of all kinds, but it is not generally known that he himself
+suggested the Fisheries Exhibition, which was visited by
+2,750,000 people, and which brought in £10,000 for the families
+of drowned or disabled fishermen. Altogether 16,000,000
+people visited the four exhibitions over which His Majesty
+presided&mdash;the Fisheries, the Healtheries, the Inventories, and
+the Colinderies.</p>
+
+<p>His Majesty has always been a great ally of the London
+cabby. Although the stables at Marlborough House are
+magnificently appointed, he frequently takes a hansom for his
+own amusement, always over-paying the driver. For years
+he has been patron of the Cabdrivers’ Benevolent Association,
+the funds of which he has done much to increase.</p>
+
+<p>The King’s exertions in the cause of public philanthropy
+are so great and widespread that it might be supposed that he
+would have no time for private acts of benevolence. But this
+is by no means the case, and an example which is not generally
+known may be given here. An officer of the Grenadier Guards,
+a regiment in which the King is particularly interested, fell
+into serious money troubles and had to leave the service,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_295" id="Page_295">[295]</a></span>
+ultimately becoming almost destitute. The Prince, as he then
+was, heard of the case, and soon the poor ex-officer received
+a letter from a firm of solicitors asking him to call on them.
+He did so, and was given, to his amazement, a considerable
+sum of money, together with the offer of a good appointment
+abroad. The Prince’s name was not disclosed, by His Royal
+Highness’s express command, but a plausible story was told of
+an old comrade who wished thus anonymously to recompense
+former acts of kindness.</p>
+
+<p>Better known, perhaps, is the story of a large silver inkstand
+which Queen Alexandra particularly values, though it does not
+belong to her, but to the King. It bears the inscription: “To
+the Prince of Wales. From one who saw him conduct a blind
+beggar across the street. In memory of a kind and Christian
+action.” The incident occurred in Pall Mall at a busy time of
+the day, and the beggar, with his dog, was vainly trying to
+cross in safety when the King, who chanced to be passing at
+the moment, took the poor fellow by the arm and guided him
+to the other side. A few days afterwards the inkstand arrived
+at Marlborough House, with no card or letter or other clue to
+the donor’s identity, which, indeed, has never been revealed to
+this day.</p>
+
+<p>In conclusion it may be mentioned that His Majesty’s large-hearted
+philanthropy includes even those often unfortunate
+people who are expiating in prison the crimes they have committed
+against society. On one occasion His Majesty visited
+Portland, spent a long time in inspecting the infirmary, and
+tasted the food supplied to the convicts.</p>
+
+<hr class="chap" />
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_296" id="Page_296">[296]</a></span></p>
+
+<div id="illus81" class="figcenter" style="width: 500px;">
+
+<img src="images/ill081.jpg" width="500" height="225" alt="" />
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Mr. John Porter and Mr. Richard Marsh, the King’s Past and Present
+Trainers, and John Watts, his Jockey</span></p>
+
+<p><i>From Photographs by Elliott and Fry, and Clarence Hailey</i></p>
+
+</div>
+
+<h2 id="CHAPTER_XXV">CHAPTER XXV<br />
+<span class="smaller">THE KING AS A SPORTSMAN</span></h2>
+
+<div class="smaller">
+
+<p><i>The author is indebted to an authority on sport for kindly revising this chapter.</i></p>
+
+</div>
+
+<p>An account of the King as a sportsman begins, appropriately
+enough, with the sport of kings, though this is by no means
+the only pastime with which His Majesty has identified himself.
+Still, at any rate during his later years as Prince of Wales, he was
+chiefly associated in the public mind with racing, and his colours&mdash;purple,
+gold band, scarlet sleeves, and black velvet cap with
+gold fringe&mdash;were familiar at all the principal meetings. After
+his accession His Majesty leased his horses to the Duke of
+Devonshire for the season of 1901, but it was understood that,
+following the example of several of his predecessors, the King
+intended to resume his active connection with the Turf later
+on. Although His Majesty has been a member of the Jockey
+Club for over thirty years, his personal interest in racing is
+a matter of later growth, for it was not till July 1877 that
+Queen Alexandra honoured Newmarket with her presence to
+see her husband’s colours carried for the first time. On that
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_297" id="Page_297">[297]</a></span>occasion the King had no luck, his horse Alep, a pure-bred
+Arab, which started favourite, being beaten by Lord Strathnairn’s
+Arab Avowal by twenty or thirty lengths. Five years
+later the King won the Household Brigade Cup at Sandown
+with Fairplay.</p>
+
+<div id="illus82" class="figcenter" style="width: 500px;">
+
+<img src="images/ill082.jpg" width="500" height="400" alt="" />
+
+<p><span class="smcap">The Egerton House Training Stables, Newmarket</span></p>
+
+<p><i>From a Photograph by Clarence Hailey</i></p>
+
+</div>
+
+<p>The King is generally agreed to be a very good judge of a
+horse. When at Newmarket he makes it a point to watch the
+early morning gallops, and at one time he was very fond of
+attending sales. His Majesty has also given a great impetus to
+horse-breeding in the United Kingdom. Many years ago he
+started a thorough-bred stud, a half-bred stud, and a shire-horse
+stud&mdash;works of real public utility, which can only be
+undertaken, be it remembered, by those who have wealth and
+leisure, combined with intelligence and a real desire to forward
+the interests of the British farmer.</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_298" id="Page_298">[298]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>The King’s great successes on the Turf during recent years,
+including two famous Derbys, have been due to the introduction
+to the Sandringham stables of Perdita II., bought by Mr. John
+Porter for £900. The union of this mare with St. Simon
+produced Florizel II., and from that time the King’s fame
+as an owner and breeder increased until it became second to
+none.</p>
+
+<p>It was in 1890 that His Majesty put his racers under John
+Porter, but his total winnings were only £624. The next year,
+however, the King won £4148; in 1892, £190; in 1893, £372;
+in 1894, £3499; and in 1895, £8281; and in the last-named
+year His Majesty’s name stood tenth in the list of winning
+owners. This satisfactory result was undoubtedly greatly
+owing to Lord Marcus Beresford, who was entrusted with the
+management of the King’s racing stable in 1890. The King’s
+horses were removed from Kingsclere to Egerton House,
+Newmarket, in 1892, and since then they have been under
+Marsh’s care. Persimmon was sent there as a yearling from
+Sandringham in 1894.</p>
+
+<p>The King’s most memorable triumph was his first Derby
+in 1896, when Persimmon won. This fine horse is a bay by
+St. Simon, and own brother to Florizel II., who was, by the
+way, the first really good horse that ever carried the Royal
+colours, and is the sire of several very promising animals.
+Persimmon was never beaten by any horse except his own
+half-brother, St. Frusquin, who twice defeated him, and Omladina,
+who finished in front of him in the Middle Park Plate.
+He was bred by the King and trained by Marsh at Newmarket.
+He made his first appearance in the Coventry Stakes at Ascot
+as a two-year-old, and, starting favourite, won the race. On
+the occasion of his next appearance, in the Richmond Stakes at
+Goodwood, he was again favourite, and again won by a length.
+In the Middle Park Plate, though favourite, he was beaten by
+St. Frusquin, but in the Derby of 1896 he beat his half-brother
+by a neck. At the Newmarket First July Meeting he gave
+3 lb. to St. Frusquin, and was beaten in the Princess of Wales’s
+Stakes. He won the St. Leger by a length and a half; and in
+the Jockey Club Stakes at Newmarket on the 1st October he
+won by two lengths from Sir Visto, the Derby winner of 1897.</p>
+
+<div id="illus83" class="figcenter" style="width: 650px;">
+
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_299" id="Page_299">[299]</a><br /><a name="Page_300" id="Page_300">[300]</a></span>
+
+<img src="images/ill083.jpg" width="650" height="450" alt="" />
+
+<p><span class="smcap">The King’s Derby, 1896</span></p>
+
+<p><i>Reproduced by permission from the copyright Painting by G. D. Giles</i></p>
+
+</div>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_301" id="Page_301">[301]</a></span>Persimmon was ridden to victory in the Derby of 1896 by
+John Watts. The race was witnessed by an extraordinarily
+large concourse of all classes, including a considerable number
+of distinguished foreigners. Never was there a more popular
+victory, and the enthusiasm all over the country was almost as
+great as at Epsom. It was the fourth time in the history of the
+Turf that the race had been won by a Royal owner. In 1788,
+eight years after its foundation, the Prince Regent won with
+Sir Thomas; and the Duke of York won with Prince Leopold
+in 1816, and with Moses in 1822.</p>
+
+<p>Altogether, in 1896, nearly £27,000 in stake money was
+won by horses from the Royal stables at Newmarket. Among
+the King’s notable successes in that year may be mentioned
+the One Thousand Guineas, won by Thais, by St. Serf
+out of Poetry, which also ran second to Canterbury Pilgrim in
+the Oaks.</p>
+
+<p>The King won the Derby again in 1900 with Diamond
+Jubilee, which, like Persimmon, is by St. Simon&mdash;Perdita II.
+It is an extraordinary thing for a mare to produce two Derby
+winners, but that they should be by the same sire is believed
+to be a record in the annals of the Turf. Perdita II. died soon
+after her very promising filly Nadejda&mdash;also by St. Simon&mdash;was
+foaled.</p>
+
+<p>The Derby-Day dinner is certainly one of the most important
+functions held at Marlborough House during the year, and
+it is now difficult to believe that it was only inaugurated
+comparatively few years ago. Something like fifty invitations
+are sent out, and the guests, who are all men, are expected to
+wear evening dress, not uniform. The great silver dinner-service
+ordered by the King on his marriage, which cost some
+£20,000, is always used on this occasion, and on the side
+buffet are to be seen His Majesty’s racing cups, hunting
+trophies, and gold and silver salvers, for everything in the
+strong rooms which is associated with sport is brought out.</p>
+
+<p>In addition to the Derby, Diamond Jubilee also won in<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_302" id="Page_302">[302]</a></span>
+1900 the Two Thousand Guineas, the Newmarket Stakes, the
+Eclipse Stakes, and the St. Leger, and was second in the
+Princess of Wales’s Stakes. Giving 12 lb. to Disguise II.,
+Diamond Jubilee was unplaced in the Jockey Club Stakes.
+In his five great victories Diamond Jubilee won £27,985
+in stakes, and so placed the King at the head of the list of
+winning owners.</p>
+
+<p>In 1900 also the King won the Grand National with
+Ambush II., and so carried off the biggest flat-race and the
+biggest steeplechase&mdash;double honours which no other owner
+had ever before gained, much less in the same year.</p>
+
+<p>From the sport of kings we pass by a natural transition to
+the Royal and ancient game of golf. It is well known that
+golf was the favourite pastime of some of the Stuart kings of
+Scotland, and Mary Queen of Scots, her son, James I. of
+England, Charles I., and James II. all played. But from the
+death of James II. to the accession of Edward VII. none of
+our sovereigns were themselves golfers, though William IV.
+and the lamented Queen Victoria gave their patronage to the
+game.</p>
+
+<p>The King learnt to play on the Musselburgh Links years
+ago when he was pursuing his scientific studies at Edinburgh,
+and Tom Brown, who had the honour of being His Majesty’s
+caddie, still lives in hale old age. In 1863 the King became
+Patron and then Captain of the Royal and Ancient Golf Club
+of St. Andrews, and in 1882 he accepted the office of President
+of the Royal Wimbledon Golf Club, to which the late Queen
+had granted the title “Royal.” His Majesty has played several
+times at Cannes and on the private links of the Grand Duke
+Michael, and his love of the game is notably shared by the
+Duke of Cornwall and York, the Duchess of Fife, and the
+Duke of Connaught.</p>
+
+<p>The King has lived to see the extraordinary development
+of cricket, and its promotion to the rank of the typically
+national game which Englishmen take with them to the ends
+of the earth. We may be sure that the indirect political
+influence of the great contests between England and Australia,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_303" id="Page_303">[303]</a></span>
+for example, and of the tours of Indian, South African, and
+West Indian teams, did not escape his quick intelligence.
+Certainly His Majesty has always supported cricket, though
+he never became so keen a player as the late Prince Christian
+Victor, for instance.</p>
+
+<p>The King played at Oxford, and occasionally for I. Zingari.
+In 1866, at the Park House, Sandringham, His Majesty played
+against the Gentlemen of Norfolk for the Sandringham Household.
+He has frequently visited Lord’s to see the Eton and
+Harrow matches, and in 1899 he went there with the Duke
+of Cornwall and York when the M.C.C., of which club His
+Majesty is patron, played the Australians. He has also seen
+the Australians play at Sheffield Park. Kennington Oval
+being on the London estate of the Duchy of Cornwall, the
+King, when he was Prince of Wales, was ground landlord, and
+allowed the Surrey Club the use of the ground at a nominal
+rental. The Surrey Club has benefited greatly through the
+King’s generosity in this matter, and recently the Duchy of
+Cornwall granted the club a thirty years’ lease at a very low
+rent, considering the value of the property.</p>
+
+<p>The King was for many years patron of both the Rugby
+Union and the Football Association, and after his Accession
+he was approached by both bodies with a view to his graciously
+continuing to grant them his patronage. The game under
+neither code was played much until the King had reached
+middle life, but he showed his interest in the popular winter
+pastime by visiting the Oval in March 1886 on the first
+occasion of a charity festival organised by the Rugby Union
+and Football Association.</p>
+
+<p>There can be no doubt that the King owes his remarkable
+bodily vigour and healthy appearance to his love of all outdoor
+sports, for he was never so content as when enjoying a long
+day’s tramp over the stubble at Sandringham, or when deer-stalking
+in a soft Highland mist. His Majesty’s life as a
+sportsman began early. When he was quite a child he used
+to accompany Prince Albert on deer-stalking expeditions round
+Balmoral; somewhat later he hunted with the harriers, and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_304" id="Page_304">[304]</a></span>
+when he was fifteen he could claim to be the best shot in his
+family.</p>
+
+<p>Although the King has been a plucky and fearless rider
+from early childhood, he has not been so fond of hunting as of
+some other sports, and during the last few years he has seldom
+been seen following the hounds. When an undergraduate at
+Christ Church, he constantly hunted with Lord Macclesfield’s
+pack, and was then considered a very hard rider; and it need
+scarcely be said that the meets which take place at Sandringham
+are the most popular in Norfolk, and give both the King and
+Queen many opportunities of showing gracious and kindly
+hospitality, both to their wealthy and to their humble neighbours.
+The King is a firm friend to the hunting of the fox,
+and it is understood that a pack of fox-hounds is to be established
+in place of the Royal Buckhounds. In 1888 the members
+of the West Norfolk Hunt presented to the King and Queen
+Alexandra a beautiful silver model of a fox in full gallop as
+a memorial of their Majesties’ silver wedding, and in returning
+thanks the King said:&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>“I can assure you that no present which has been offered
+for our acceptance has been received by us with more pleasure
+than the one which you have given us to-day&mdash;a model of the
+wily animal that we are all so fond of following. Norfolk has
+always been considered to be a shooting county; that may be so
+to a great extent, but I feel convinced that the hunting is quite
+as popular, and I sincerely hope that it will long remain so.
+There may be difficulties in preserving foxes, but I feel sure
+that where there’s a will there’s a way. For twenty-five years
+we have enjoyed hunting with the West Norfolk Hunt, both
+the Princess and myself; and our children have been brought
+up to follow that Hunt. I sincerely hope that for many long
+years we may be able to continue to do so.”</p>
+
+<p>Before the King had been at Sandringham six months he
+made it quite clear that his country home should be in every
+sense a good sporting estate, and it has been one of his chief
+pleasures to entertain parties of keen sportsmen each autumn
+in Norfolk. Perhaps the best shooting season Sandringham<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_305" id="Page_305">[305]</a></span>
+has ever seen was that of 1885-86. The total bag was 16,131
+head, including 7252 pheasants. The best day of that season
+was the last day of the year 1885, when ten guns killed
+2835 head, including 1275 pheasants. The rabbit-shooting
+at Sandringham is also first-rate, and it need hardly be said
+that the foxes are watched over with the most tender anxiety.</p>
+
+<div id="illus84" class="figcenter" style="width: 325px;">
+
+<img src="images/ill084.jpg" width="325" height="500" alt="" />
+
+<p><span class="smcap">The King as a Sportsman in 1876</span></p>
+
+<p><i>From an Engraving published by Henry Graves and Co.</i></p>
+
+</div>
+
+<p>Over ten thousand pheasants are annually reared at Sandringham,
+partly by incubators and partly by the assistance of a<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_306" id="Page_306">[306]</a></span>
+thousand ordinary hens. The lake near Sandringham affords
+wild duck, teal, and widgeon shooting. The King has the
+largest game-room in the United Kingdom. It holds between
+six and seven thousand head, and was built not very long after
+the King bought the estate. After each day’s sport the game
+is spread for inspection, and a careful record is made of the
+numbers that have fallen to each gun. It is in the game-room
+that the game is packed after a big <i>battue</i> to be sent off in
+hampers to hospitals and to friends. It need hardly be said
+that none of the King’s game is ever sold. A good deal is
+kept for the use of the house, and a share is also given to the
+tenants, to the <i>employés</i> on the estate, and to London tradesmen
+connected with the Royal Household.</p>
+
+<p>The King’s shooting-parties rarely number more than ten
+guns, each of whom is assigned his place in the shoot by his
+Royal host himself. All the beaters at Sandringham wear a
+very becoming uniform composed of a Royal blue blouse, low
+crowned hat, and long brown gaiters. Each bears on his left
+arm a number by which he may readily be identified, and after
+each day’s shooting every one of the beaters is allowed to take
+home a hare and a pheasant.</p>
+
+<p>The King is not often seen going north for the opening
+weeks of the grouse-shooting season. Still, in the early years
+of his married life, he and Queen Alexandra often entertained
+shooting-parties at Birkhall. The King generally puts in a
+certain number of days pheasant-shooting in Windsor Great
+Park. The preserves swarm with ground game. His Majesty
+is also fond of shooting with the Duke of Devonshire at Chatsworth,
+and at Wynyard, Lord Londonderry’s seat in Durham.
+The King has, however, shot more or less all over England.
+He was frequently the guest of Lord James of Hereford when
+the latter had Shoreham Place, where one valley on the farther
+side of the park is locally known as “The Valley of the Shadow
+of Death,” from the tremendous slaughter of game that annually
+takes place there.</p>
+
+<p>Like his father, the late Prince Consort, the King has
+always been a keen deer-stalker, and when he is staying at<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_307" id="Page_307">[307]</a></span>
+Balmoral most of his time is entirely devoted to this sport&mdash;in
+fact, deer-stalking is what first brought him into close connection
+with his present son-in-law, then the Earl of Fife, who possesses
+Mar, which is one of the two largest forests in Great Britain,
+being over 80,000 acres of cleared ground. Balmoral is situated
+in the heart of the deer country, being within reach of a good
+number of forests adjoining each other, and extending without
+a break into five counties. The King is well known to prefer
+“stalking” to driving, but of late years he has taken an active
+part in the drives organised at Mar. His marksmanship is
+universally agreed to be excellent. At one time he was owner
+of Birkhall, in Glenmuick, but it was purchased for him by
+Prince Albert, and he had no voice in its selection. Still the
+King kept it till 1885, when he sold the property, which was
+very extensive, to Queen Victoria.</p>
+
+<div id="illus85" class="figcenter" style="width: 500px;">
+
+<img src="images/ill085.jpg" width="500" height="400" alt="" />
+
+<p><span class="smcap">The “Britannia”</span></p>
+
+<p><i>From a Photograph by Adamson, Rothesay</i></p>
+
+</div>
+
+<p>King Edward has been extremely fortunate as a yachtsman,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_308" id="Page_308">[308]</a></span>
+and probably one of the events to which he most looks
+forward each year is the Regatta at Cowes. The King first
+won the Queen’s Cup, annually presented to the Royal Yacht
+Squadron at Cowes, in 1877, with his schooner <i>Hildegarde</i> of
+198 tons. He won the Cup again in 1880 with the <i>Formosa</i>,
+cutter, of 103 tons, and again in 1895 and 1897 with the famous
+cutter <i>Britannia</i> of 151 tons.</p>
+
+<div id="illus86" class="figcenter" style="width: 285px;">
+
+<img src="images/ill086.jpg" width="285" height="400" alt="" />
+
+<p><span class="smcap">The King as a Yachtsman</span></p>
+
+<p><i>Photograph by Debenham, Cowes</i></p>
+
+</div>
+
+<p>The Royal Yacht Squadron, as is well known, was founded
+as “The Yacht Club” so far back as 1815. It early enjoyed
+the patronage of Royalty, among the past and present members
+being numbered the Prince Regent (afterwards George IV.),
+the Duke of Clarence (afterwards William IV.), Queen Victoria,
+the Prince Consort, the Tsar Nicholas I., Napoleon III., the
+German Emperor, and Prince Henry of Prussia. The King
+became Commodore in 1882 on the death of Lord Wilton, and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_309" id="Page_309">[309]</a></span>
+he is Commodore of nine other Royal yacht clubs, as well as
+President of the Yacht Racing Association.</p>
+
+<p>The King generally takes the chair at the annual dinner of
+the Squadron held at the old castle at West Cowes, built as a
+fort by Henry VIII., which became the headquarters of the
+club in 1858. This festivity is the great event of the year for
+all well-known yachtsmen. There is an interesting display of
+plate, including the Queen’s Cup, the Nelson Vase, and the
+beautiful model of the <i>Speranza</i>, which once belonged to Lord
+Conyngham. His Majesty presented a few years ago twenty-one
+cannon to the club-house at Cowes. They were taken by
+him from the <i>Royal Adelaide</i>, the toy warship placed by William
+IV. to guard the artificial ocean of Virginia Water. Now they
+are used for firing salutes.</p>
+
+<p>It need hardly be said that the King is the owner of many
+splendid prizes won at Cowes and elsewhere. Both His
+Majesty and Queen Alexandra are extremely fond of the sea,
+and he early made himself acquainted with the less technical
+side of navigation. The King is very fond of spending a
+certain number of days each year at Cannes, and when he is
+there in April he generally takes an active part in the Battle
+of Flowers, and he entertains large parties of his English and
+foreign friends on board the <i>Britannia</i>.</p>
+
+<hr class="chap" />
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_310" id="Page_310">[310]</a></span></p>
+
+<h2 id="CHAPTER_XXVI">CHAPTER XXVI<br />
+<span class="smaller">DEATH OF QUEEN VICTORIA&mdash;THE KING’S ACCESSION</span></h2>
+
+<p>On 19th January 1901 it was officially announced that Queen
+Victoria had not been lately in her usual health, and on the
+same day King Edward and Queen Alexandra arrived at
+Osborne. His Majesty returned to London with his son to
+meet the German Emperor, whose instant departure in the
+midst of the bi-centenary celebrations of the Prussian monarchy
+to the sick-bed of his venerated grandmother deeply touched
+the feelings of the British people.</p>
+
+<p>The mournful story of the days which followed is well
+known. Queen Victoria passed peacefully away, at half-past
+six in the evening of 22nd January, surrounded by her children
+and grandchildren.</p>
+
+<p>Then every one turned in their grief to His Majesty King
+Edward VII. Hardly for a moment could he be simply the
+devoted son weeping by the death-bed of his beloved and
+venerated mother. He was now the ruler of a great Empire,
+and bravely did His Majesty meet what must have seemed the
+almost impertinent intrusion of State business and State ceremonial.
+Yet it had to be done, and it may even be that, as
+has been the experience of humbler mortals, the anguish of the
+King’s great personal bereavement was to some extent mitigated
+by the urgent necessities of action that were laid upon him.
+On the following day the King held his first Council at St.
+James’s Palace, when His Majesty made a declaration which
+is thus described in the quaint official language of the <i>London
+Gazette</i>:&mdash;</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_311" id="Page_311">[311]</a></span></p>
+
+<div class="blockquote">
+
+<p class="right">“<span class="smcap">At the Court at Saint James’s, the 23rd day of
+January 1901</span></p>
+
+<p class="center"><i>Present</i></p>
+
+<p>“The King’s Most Excellent Majesty in Council.</p>
+
+<p>“His Majesty being this day present in Council was pleased
+to make the following Declaration:&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>“‘Your Royal Highnesses, My Lords, and Gentlemen, This
+is the most painful occasion on which I shall ever be called
+upon to address you.</p>
+
+<p>“‘My first and melancholy duty is to announce to you the
+death of My beloved Mother the Queen, and I know how
+deeply you, the whole Nation, and I think I may say the whole
+world, sympathise with Me in the irreparable loss we have all
+sustained.</p>
+
+<p>“‘I need hardly say that My constant endeavour will be
+always to walk in Her footsteps. In undertaking the heavy
+load which now devolves upon Me, I am fully determined to
+be a Constitutional Sovereign in the strictest sense of the word,
+and as long as there is breath in My body to work for the good
+and amelioration of My people.</p>
+
+<p>“‘I have resolved to be known by the name of Edward,
+which has been borne by six of My ancestors. In doing so I
+do not undervalue the name of Albert, which I inherit from My
+ever to be lamented, great and wise Father, who by universal
+consent is I think deservedly known by the name of Albert the
+Good, and I desire that his name should stand alone.</p>
+
+<p>“‘In conclusion, I trust to Parliament and the Nation to
+support Me in the arduous duties which now devolve upon Me
+by inheritance, and to which I am determined to devote My
+whole strength during the remainder of My life.’</p>
+
+<p>“Whereupon the Lords of the Council made it their humble
+request to His Majesty that His Majesty’s Most Gracious
+Declaration to their Lordships might be made public, which
+His Majesty was pleased to Order accordingly.</p>
+
+<p class="right">“<span class="smcap">A. W. FitzRoy.</span>”</p>
+
+</div>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_312" id="Page_312">[312]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>His Majesty’s selection of King Edward VII. as his
+“style and title” proved extremely popular, for it is an
+essentially English name, and is bound up with so many
+historical associations, especially with the glorious memory
+of King Edward I. At the same time the King’s tribute
+of filial piety to his much-loved father deeply touched
+the hearts of his subjects. All over the British Empire
+King Edward was proclaimed amid rejoicings which were
+tempered only by a vivid sense of the common bereavement
+under which His Majesty and his subjects were alike
+suffering.</p>
+
+<p>The marvellous and unprecedented outburst of sorrow for
+her late Majesty, which showed that not only the British
+Empire but the whole of the civilised world shared in King
+Edward’s grief, undoubtedly brought His Majesty some
+consolation, which was increased by the decision of the
+German Emperor, who had been joined by his eldest son,
+the Crown Prince, to remain for the funeral.</p>
+
+<p>This magnificent ceremonial, in which was exemplified the
+lamentation of an Empire, lasted from Friday, 1st February,
+to Monday, 4th February. It was both naval and military in
+character, as befitted the funeral of the Sovereign who set so
+much store by her position as head of the services. The
+Royal Yacht <i>Alberta</i>, bearing her precious burden, passed
+from Cowes to Portsmouth along a line of warships which,
+reinforced as they were by foreign vessels sent by friendly
+Powers, seemed typical of the firm yet peaceful policy of the
+great ruler who was being borne to her last resting-place.
+The pageant through London, distinguished as it was by the
+presence of four reigning Sovereigns, the German Emperor,
+the King of the Belgians, the King of the Hellenes, and the
+King of Portugal, as well as numerous other representatives
+of foreign States, will never be forgotten by the vast crowds
+who saw it pass along its appointed way. It is perhaps worthy
+of mention that the Countess of Ranfurly represented New
+Zealand, her husband being Governor of that Colony, and thus
+the funeral of the great woman Sovereign is believed to have<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_313" id="Page_313">[313]</a></span>
+been the first public occasion on which a State of the Empire
+has been represented by a woman.</p>
+
+<p>The stately and yet simple dignity of the whole ceremonial
+was marred by only one mishap, which is recorded here because
+a number of incorrect versions of what happened were current
+at the time. The funeral <i>cortège</i> did not arrive at the Great
+Western Railway Station at Windsor till some time after it
+was expected, the result being that the artillery horses, which
+were in waiting to draw the gun-carriage bearing the coffin to
+St. George’s Chapel, became chilled. Just as the procession
+was about to start one of the horses on the off-side&mdash;that is,
+one of those that had no rider&mdash;reared and plunged, and
+eventually stood up on its hind legs. This started the next
+pair, and they also began to kick, and the situation became
+both dangerous and painful. So restive, in fact, were the
+horses that an officer on the Staff approached the King and
+received permission to remove them from the gun-carriage.
+It was at this juncture that Prince Louis of Battenberg
+respectfully called the attention of His Majesty to the naval
+guard of honour drawn up close by, and suggested that the
+seamen should draw the coffin to the chapel. The King at
+once ordered that this should be done, and Prince Louis,
+sending for Lieutenant Boyle, who commanded the guard of
+honour, gave instructions to that effect. The traces, made
+of chain covered with leather with a hook at each end, were
+taken from the horses and were easily connected up by the
+seamen into two long drag ropes. There was a brake on the
+gun-carriage, but in descending the hill this was found to
+be insufficient for the weight&mdash;upwards of two tons&mdash;and a
+party of selected petty officers manned the wheels and eased
+the carriage down the declivity spoke by spoke.</p>
+
+<p>His Majesty was afterwards pleased to express his gracious
+approbation of the conduct of the naval guard of honour and
+their promptitude in executing his orders. Later on the King
+conferred the Victorian Order on the officers, and the Victorian
+medal on the men. The incident seized the imagination of
+the British people, who were quick to recall other occasions<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_314" id="Page_314">[314]</a></span>
+on which the sea service had similarly risen to a great
+emergency.</p>
+
+<p>Few besides the members of the Royal Family were present
+at the actual depositing of the remains of Queen Victoria in
+the sarcophagus at Frogmore, there to sleep by the side of
+her tenderly-loved husband, to whom she had addressed the
+infinitely touching inscription, “Vale desideratissime! Hic
+tecum requiescam, tecum demum in Christo resurgam!”</p>
+
+<p>It was on that most solemn day that King Edward wrote
+those admirable Messages to his People, to the Colonies, and
+to India, which revealed to all his subjects how completely he
+possesses his lamented mother’s marvellous gift of human
+sympathy, combined with a full realisation of his kingly dignity.
+The Messages, which are all dated from Windsor Castle, 4th
+February 1901, are as follows:&mdash;</p>
+
+<div class="blockquote">
+
+<p class="center">“<span class="smcap">To My People</span></p>
+
+<p>“Now that the last Scene has closed in the noble and ever
+glorious life of My beloved Mother, The Queen, I am anxious
+to endeavour to convey to the whole Empire the extent of
+the deep gratitude I feel for the heart-stirring and affectionate
+tributes which are everywhere borne to Her Memory. I wish
+also to express My warm recognition of those universal
+expressions of what I know to be genuine and loyal sympathy
+with Me and with the Royal Family in our overwhelming
+sorrow. Such expressions have reached Me from all parts of
+My vast Empire, while at home the sorrowful, reverent, and
+sincere enthusiasm manifested in the magnificent display by
+sea and land has deeply touched Me.</p>
+
+<p>“The consciousness of this generous spirit of devotion
+and loyalty among the millions of My Subjects, and of the
+feeling that we are all sharing a common sorrow, has inspired
+Me with courage and hope during the past most trying and
+momentous days.</p>
+
+<p>“Encouraged by the confidence of that love and trust
+which the nation ever reposed in its late and fondly mourned
+Sovereign, I shall earnestly strive to walk in Her Footsteps,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_315" id="Page_315">[315]</a></span>
+devoting Myself to the utmost of My powers to maintaining
+and promoting the highest interests of My People, and to
+the diligent and zealous fulfilment of the great and sacred
+responsibilities which, through the Will of God, I am now
+called to undertake.</p>
+
+<p class="right">“<span class="smcap">Edward, R.I.</span>”</p>
+
+</div>
+
+<div class="blockquote">
+
+<p class="center">“<span class="smcap">To My People Beyond the Seas</span></p>
+
+<p>“The countless messages of loyal sympathy which I have
+received from every part of My Dominions over the Seas
+testify to the universal grief in which the whole Empire now
+mourns the loss of My Beloved Mother.</p>
+
+<p>“In the welfare and prosperity of Her subjects throughout
+Greater Britain the Queen ever evinced a heartfelt interest.</p>
+
+<p>“She saw with thankfulness the steady progress which,
+under a wide extension of Self-Government, they had made
+during Her Reign. She warmly appreciated their unfailing
+loyalty to Her Throne and Person, and was proud to think
+of those who had so nobly fought and died for the Empire’s
+cause in South Africa.</p>
+
+<p>“I have already declared that it will be My constant
+endeavour to follow the great example which has been bequeathed
+to Me.</p>
+
+<p>“In these endeavours I shall have a confident trust in
+the devotion and sympathy of the People and of their several
+Representative Assemblies throughout My vast Colonial
+Dominions.</p>
+
+<p>“With such loyal support I will, with God’s blessing,
+solemnly work for the promotion of the common welfare
+and security of the great Empire over which I have now been
+called to reign.</p>
+
+<p class="right">“<span class="smcap">Edward, R.I.</span>”</p>
+
+</div>
+
+<div class="blockquote">
+
+<p class="center">“<span class="smcap">To the Princes and People of India</span></p>
+
+<p>“Through the lamented death of My beloved and dearly
+mourned Mother, I have inherited the Throne, which has
+descended to Me through a long and ancient lineage.</p>
+
+<p>“I now desire to send My greeting to the Ruling Chiefs<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_316" id="Page_316">[316]</a></span>
+of the Native States, and to the Inhabitants of My Indian
+Dominions, to assure them of My sincere goodwill and affection,
+and of My heartfelt wishes for their welfare.</p>
+
+<p>“My illustrious and lamented Predecessor was the first
+Sovereign of this Country who took upon Herself the direct
+Administration of the Affairs of India, and assumed the title
+of Empress in token of Her closer association with the Government
+of that vast country.</p>
+
+<p>“In all matters connected with India, the Queen Empress
+displayed an unvarying deep personal interest, and I am well
+aware of the feeling of loyalty and affection evinced by the
+millions of its people towards Her Throne and Person. This
+feeling was conspicuously shown during the last year of Her
+long and glorious reign by the noble and patriotic assistance
+offered by the Ruling Princes in the South African War, and
+by the gallant services rendered by the Native Army beyond
+the limits of their own Country.</p>
+
+<p>“It was by Her wish and with Her sanction that I visited
+India and made Myself personally acquainted with the Ruling
+Chiefs, the people, and the cities of that ancient and famous
+Empire.</p>
+
+<p>“I shall never forget the deep impressions which I then
+received, and I shall endeavour to follow the great example
+of the first Queen Empress to work for the general well-being
+of my Indian subjects of all ranks, and to merit, as She did,
+their unfailing loyalty and affection.</p>
+
+<p class="right">“<span class="smcap">Edward, R. et I.</span>”</p>
+
+</div>
+
+<p>The King’s anxieties during the trying period which followed
+the death of his beloved mother were much increased
+by the state of health of his only surviving son. The Duke of
+Cornwall and York fell ill with German measles, and, to his
+lasting regret, it was absolutely impossible for him to attend
+the funeral of his venerated grandmother. His Royal Highness,
+however, thanks to the devoted nursing of his wife, made
+steady progress towards convalescence.</p>
+
+<p>In the midst of his own bitter grief the King displayed<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_317" id="Page_317">[317]</a></span>
+all his customary consideration and desire to gratify others.
+Even before the funeral His Majesty found time to bestow
+the Victorian Order on some officers of the late Queen’s
+Guard at Osborne. To the Imperial and Royal personages
+who attended the late Queen’s funeral His Majesty showed
+significant marks of his gratitude. Queen Victoria had intended
+some time before her death to invest the German
+Crown Prince with the Order of the Garter with her own
+hands, and King Edward hastened to carry out his beloved
+mother’s design. The ceremony took place at Osborne, and
+after the investiture the King addressed his great-nephew in
+the following terms:&mdash;</p>
+
+<div class="blockquote">
+
+<p>“<span class="smcap">Sir</span>&mdash;In conferring on your Imperial and Royal Highness
+the ancient and Most Noble Order of the Garter, which was
+founded by my ancestor many centuries ago, I invest you
+with the order of knighthood, not only as the heir to the
+Throne of a mighty empire, but also as a near relation. It was
+the wish of my beloved mother the Queen to bestow it upon
+you as a mark of her favour, and I am only carrying out her
+wishes, and am glad to do so to the son of my illustrious relation,
+the German Emperor, to whom I wish to express my
+sincere thanks for having come at a moment’s notice to this
+country and assisted in tending and watching over the Queen,
+and remaining with her until her last moments. I desire to
+express a hope that my action in conferring upon you this
+ancient Order may yet further cement and strengthen the good
+feeling which exists between the two great countries, and that
+we may go forward hand in hand with the high object of ensuring
+peace and promoting the advance of the civilisation of
+the world.”</p>
+
+</div>
+
+<p>The King also paid a high compliment to his nephew,
+Prince Henry of Prussia, which was thus announced in the
+<i>London Gazette</i>:&mdash;</p>
+
+<div class="blockquote">
+
+<p class="right">“<span class="smcap">Admiralty</span>, <i>5th February 1901</i>.</p>
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_318" id="Page_318">[318]</a></span>
+<p>“His Royal Highness Prince Albert William Henry of
+Prussia, K.G., G.C.B., Vice-Admiral in the Imperial German
+Navy, has been appointed Honorary Vice-Admiral in His
+Majesty’s Fleet.”</p>
+
+</div>
+
+<p>For the German Emperor himself, who was already a
+Knight of the Garter, the King had reserved a special sign
+of his affection, which the <i>London Gazette</i> announced in the
+following terms:&mdash;</p>
+
+<div class="blockquote">
+
+<p class="right">“<span class="smcap">War Office, Pall Mall</span>, <i>27th January 1901</i>.</p>
+
+<p>“The King has been pleased to appoint His Majesty
+William II., German Emperor, King of Prussia, K.G.,
+G.C.V.O., Colonel-in-Chief 1st (Royal) Dragoons, Honorary
+Admiral of the Fleet, to be a Field-Marshal in the Army, on
+the occasion of the Anniversary of His Majesty’s Birthday.</p>
+
+<p>“The Commission dated 27th January 1901.”</p>
+
+</div>
+
+<p>In telegrams to Lord Salisbury and Lord Roberts, announcing
+that this honour had been conferred on him, His
+Imperial Majesty demonstrated the great gratification which it
+afforded him. Not long afterwards the German Emperor conferred
+on Lord Roberts the Order of the Black Eagle, the
+highest decoration in his power to bestow.</p>
+
+<p>The honour bestowed on the King of Portugal is particularly
+interesting, as it is believed to be the first instance in which a
+foreign Royal personage has been appointed Colonel-in-Chief
+of a line regiment. It was thus officially announced:&mdash;</p>
+
+<div class="blockquote">
+
+<p class="right">“<span class="smcap">War Office, Pall Mall</span>, <i>19th February 1901</i>.</p>
+
+<p class="center">“The Oxfordshire Light Infantry.</p>
+
+<p>“His Majesty Charles I., King of Portugal and Algarves,
+K.G., to be Colonel-in-Chief. Dated 20th February 1901.”</p>
+
+</div>
+
+<p>Of the other Royal personages who attended the funeral of
+Queen Victoria, the Grand Duke Michael Alexandrovitch of
+Russia, the Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria, and the
+Crown Prince of Sweden and Norway were appointed
+Honorary Knights Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath, and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_319" id="Page_319">[319]</a></span>
+Prince Charles of Denmark was made an Honorary Knight
+Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order and an Honorary
+Lieutenant in the British Navy. Prince Christian, the Duke
+of Teck, Prince Louis of Battenberg, the Duke of Argyll,
+and the Duke of Fife became Knights Grand Cross, and the
+youthful Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, better known as
+the Duke of Albany, became an Honorary Knight Grand
+Cross, of the Royal Victorian Order.</p>
+
+<p>On his accession the King became <i>ipso facto</i> head and
+Sovereign of all the great orders of Knighthood, and the
+position of Great Master of the Order of the Bath, to which
+His Majesty had been appointed in 1897, was therefore
+vacated. The King was unwilling that this interesting office,
+which had been specially created by his lamented mother,
+should lapse, and so he appointed his brother, the Duke of
+Connaught, to succeed him in it. His Majesty also appointed
+Rear-Admiral the Duke of Cornwall and York and Captain
+Prince Louis of Battenberg to be his personal Naval Aides-de-Camp.</p>
+
+<p>But unquestionably the most interesting of all the appointments
+made by the King was his creation of Queen
+Alexandra a Lady of the Garter. The announcement was
+made by the <i>London Gazette</i> in the following form:&mdash;</p>
+
+<div class="blockquote">
+
+<p class="right">“<span class="smcap">Marlborough House</span>,<br />
+<i>12th February 1901</i>.</p>
+
+<p>“The King, as Sovereign of the Most Noble Order of the
+Garter, has been graciously pleased to command that a Special
+Statute under the Seal of the Order shall be issued for conferring
+upon Her Majesty The Queen the title and dignity of
+a Lady of that Most Noble Order, and fully authorising Her
+Majesty to wear the Insignia thereof.”</p>
+
+</div>
+
+<p>The wording of this intimation shows how exceptional was
+the honour conferred on the gracious Queen who has long
+possessed the hearts of the British people. As a matter of fact,
+the distinction was without precedent for 400 years. Queen<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_320" id="Page_320">[320]</a></span>
+Victoria, even, was never a Lady of the Garter; she was
+Sovereign of the Order in her capacity as Queen regnant.</p>
+
+<p>The State opening of Parliament by their Majesties followed
+on 14th February, the national mourning being partially laid
+aside for that day. The reception of the King and Queen by
+the loyal crowds which lined the route to St. Stephen’s was
+enthusiastic in the extreme. In the House of Lords His
+Majesty delivered the Speech from the Throne in a firm, clear
+voice, which only faltered a little when he came to the passage
+referring to the Duke of Cornwall and York’s Colonial tour.
+It was undoubtedly hard for the King to part from his much-loved
+son, the only son now left to him, for so many months,
+but it is not by any means the first occasion in which His
+Majesty has put aside his private feelings in order to gratify
+and benefit his loyal subjects.</p>
+
+<div id="illus87" class="figcenter" style="width: 125px;">
+
+<img src="images/ill087.jpg" width="125" height="150" alt="RRC PRINTERS EDINBURG. (colophon of R &amp; R Clark)" />
+
+</div>
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+<pre>
+
+
+
+
+
+End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of His Most Gracious Majesty King Edward
+VII, by Marie Belloc Lowndes
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+</pre>
+
+</body>
+</html>
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author	nfenwick <nfenwick@pglaf.org>	2025-02-05 23:30:55 -0800
committer	nfenwick <nfenwick@pglaf.org>	2025-02-05 23:30:55 -0800
commit	809a9f9e0b88631f322f665c2e203b6ee522ea65 (patch)
tree	d8a89278d821569b1ba025e9d2e8aae5c596a9b3