KING EDWARD'S FOREIGN TOUR
In the spring of 1903 I was one of the suite in attendance on the
occasion of King Edward's official visits to the Capitals of France,
Portugal and Italy. The sea route having been selected, His Majesty
took the opportunity of visiting Gibraltar and Malta at the same time.
There are not wanting those who are of opinion that this expedition
was what Sir Sidney Lee, in his biographical notice, calls a "vacation
exercise." Others, including a humble spectator, such as myself, think,
on the other hand, that our subsequent happy relations with France
are mainly due to the personal characteristics and influence of King
Edward himself. At any rate every man is entitled to his own opinion,
and, having expressed mine, I go on to say that those five weeks,--more
especially the days of them that were passed in Paris,--were among the
most interesting of my life. Under these circumstances I think it worth
while to give the names of those who were in attendance during the trip.
The King embarked on board the Royal Yacht, _Victoria and Albert_, on
March 30th. The Marquis de Soveral, Portuguese Minister in London, was
a guest on board, as far as Lisbon, and the suite in attendance were
as follows:--
The Hon. Charles Hardinge (now Lord Hardinge of Penshurst),
Minister Plenipotentiary.
The late Major-General Sir Stanley Clarke, Equerry and Acting
Master of the Household.
Rear-Admiral the Hon. Hedworth Lambton (now Admiral of the
Fleet Sir Hedworth Meux), Extra Equerry and in command of the
Royal Yacht.
The late Sir Francis Laking, Physician in Ordinary.
Captain Frederick Ponsonby (now Colonel Sir Frederick
Ponsonby), Equerry and Acting Private Secretary.
The late Cavaliere de Martino, Marine Painter to His Majesty.
And another Equerry in the person of myself.
On the following day the Royal Yacht proceeded on her journey to
Lisbon, escorted by the cruisers _Venus and Minerva_; and not
encountering the best of weather, rolled very heavily on her passage
across the Bay. When approaching the entrance to the Tagus on April
2nd, our escort was reinforced by four Portuguese ships of war, which
made the procession up the river quite an imposing spectacle.
As soon as the Royal Yacht had taken up her moorings she was boarded
by King Carlos and his brother, the Duke of Oporto, and their Suites.
They arrived in a procession of Royal Barges, the leading boat being
certainly one of the most curious and beautiful craft that I have ever
seen afloat. She was built in the eighteenth century, with a huge
dragon, the arms of Braganza, as a figure-head, and pulled twenty oars
a side, each oar being double manned, which made up a crew of over
eighty, all dressed in scarlet caps and jackets. Never have I seen such
a smart turn-out afloat. The coaches, too, which conveyed the King to
the Necessidades Palace, where he took up his abode, were mainly about
two hundred years old, and magnificently horsed,--or rather, to be
accurate, "muled." Nearly all the Royal carriage work at Lisbon used to
be done by splendid mules well over sixteen hands high.
The two monarchs landed together in the forty-oared boat, and processed
through the streets of Lisbon with the usual ceremonies to the Palace,
where King Edward was received by the Dowager Queen Maria Pia. The
usual addresses inevitable on those occasions were presented, and
responded to, during the course of the visit; there was the customary
State banquet, and every hour of the day was occupied. But there
was time for a short visit to the Royal Palace of Peña, situated at
the very summit of the mountain of Cintra, which I have attempted
to describe before; and on the Sunday, after Service at the English
Church, the King took luncheon at the Legation, with the British
Minister, Sir Martin Gosselin, and his wife.
The afternoon before the Royal Yacht sailed was given up to what was
looked upon (anyhow by the people of Lisbon) as the most important part
of the whole visit, namely a bull-fight. A Portuguese bull-fight is an
extraordinarily beautiful spectacle. The bull has his horns padded,
and so good are the horses and so well are they handled that, as a
general rule, not a horse is ever touched by the bull, and the bull
is only irritated by pin pricks in the literal sense, the lances used
by the picadors having nothing more formidable at their points than a
useful-sized pin. So neither man, horse, nor bull is any the worse,
and when the latter is getting tired he is man-handled by some of the
under-strappers of the ring and taken back to his stall. But the beauty
of the spectacle really consists in its details and surroundings.
The bull-fighters arrive at the arena in a procession of delightful old
coaches, with six horses apiece and endless outriders, from which they
slowly descend with great pomp. They are all beautifully turned out,
the picadors in particular being gorgeously apparelled and splendidly
mounted. The surroundings consist in the huge amphitheatre, packed with
people, (the women being all in bright colours), and a cloudless blue
sky. When the performance begins, what with the bull charging, and the
horsemen worrying him, the cries of the spectators, and the clanging
of bands,--even the most callous spectator finds himself being carried
away, and becomes gradually roused to some slight measure of enthusiasm.
On the 7th April the visit to Lisbon terminated, and the Royal Yacht
was once more under way _en route_ to Gibraltar.
And now for the practical outcome of the visit.
Just before the King started from England a very mischievous article
had been published in a newspaper, hinting that the object of the
visit to Lisbon was the acquisition of Delagoa Bay; indeed, vague
rumours to that effect had been in circulation for some time. This
_canard_ was at once seized upon by the Anglophobe journals of the
Portuguese and foreign Press, and great capital was being made of
it. In the course of his speech, when accepting an address from the
Commercial Association of Portugal, the King took the opportunity of
saying that "Our respective countries and colonies, the integrity and
preservation of which is one of my dearest aims and objects." This
announcement absolutely put an end to all the mischief at once. The
Prime Minister of Portugal expressed his gratification to Sir Martin
Gosselin, who happened to be standing near him, for what he described
as "those golden words." In fact, in a few seconds more was done to
remove a cause of friction between two countries than could have been
accomplished in the same number of months by official correspondence.
In lovely weather the Royal Yacht made her way to Gibraltar, where
she arrived on the following day. An address of welcome was presented
by a deputation from the Chamber of Commerce, to which a reply was
duly given. There was an official dinner at the Convent given by the
Governor, who was then the late Sir George White, the stout-hearted
soldier who had so resolutely defended Ladysmith. The King, in
responding to the toast of his health, took the opportunity of
announcing his intention of promoting General Sir George White to the
rank of Field-Marshal. No announcement could have been better received,
as Sir George White, a very gallant man, and a loyal and capable
soldier, was exceedingly popular, not only in Gibraltar but throughout
the Army.
It was during the King's visit that I first had the pleasure of making
the acquaintance of Sir Arthur Nicolson, then Minister at Tangier
(since then so well known as our Ambassador in Russia, and subsequently
as Permanent Under-Secretary for Foreign Affairs. He recently became
Lord Carnock). He came over to present the Envoy of the Sultan of
Morocco, and bore a letter from His Shereefian Majesty to King Edward.
This Envoy rejoiced in a name so gorgeous that it is well worth while
to print it--Cid Abderrahman ben Abdelsadok! The Governor of Algeciras
also paid an official visit, arriving in a Spanish gunboat; but with
the exception of a review of the troops of the garrison there was
no other official function. The King was, of course, shown all the
newest work in connection with the defences of the fortress and the
developments of the dockyard, where he laid the first stone of a new
dry dock. Personally, having spent a good deal of my youth there in
frequent short visits, I was delighted to have a look at Gib. (as we
all used to call it) again.
During the Royal Yacht's stay at Gibraltar, it had been arranged that
a squadron of battleships of the Channel Fleet should be there under
the command of Rear-Admiral Curzon-Howe, but with King Edward's usual
genius for doing the right and gracious thing, at his suggestion
the squadron was ordered to Algiers in order to salute the French
President, Monsieur Loubet, on his arrival there, in connection with
some official function.
On the morning of April 13th, the Royal Yacht with her escort,
which had been reinforced by four more cruisers belonging to the
Mediterranean Station, left for Malta. _En route_ we passed near enough
to Algiers to be saluted by the shore batteries and by the Russian,
Spanish and Italian ships that were there in compliment to the French
President, and on the 16th the Royal Yacht steamed into the Grand
Harbour, Valetta.
Never have I seen that most picturesque of harbours looking better.
It was a day of brilliant sunshine; all the ships in the harbour were
dressed; there seemed to me to be more of those gaily painted _dhaisas_
than ever, and as for the old knight's fortifications, they were almost
black with the crowds that came to see, and acclaim, the first British
Sovereign who had ever visited their historic island.
On landing, the King was received by the Governor-General, Sir
Mansfield Clarke, and the Naval Commander-in-Chief, Admiral Sir Compton
Domville, and drove with the Governor to the palace. During the
afternoon endless deputations were received, and later in the day the
King held a levée, which was attended by the officers of the Fleet and
Garrison and the Government officials. There were the usual official
dinners at the Palace, and on board Sir Compton Domville's flagship
the _Bulwark_; a review of the troops of the Garrison, and the day
before the visit ended a review of the seamen and marines of the Fleet
at the Marsa, where I had so often played polo and raced ponies in the
days of my youth. It was a good show. Eight thousand bluejackets and
marines duly marched past, and I believe it was the first time that
Aides-de-Camp had ever been mounted on bicycles,--the "gallopers,"
consisting of a number of midshipmen on wheels. What I confess
interested me most was to see again the beautiful Gobelin tapestries
that are hung on all great occasions round the whole of the interior of
St. John's Cathedral. It is very seldom that they are all produced, but
of course for the King's visit they were very much in evidence.
The last evening at Malta was given up to a water carnival and
illuminations that had been organised by the Fleet. The feature of
the carnival was a procession of miniature ships, twelve in number,
ranging from Noak's Ark to H.M.S. _Edward VII_, which was then our
latest battleship. Some of the twelve I can remember: there was a Greek
Galley, a Chinese War Junk, a Roman Trireme, the _Revenge_ (Grenville's
flagship at the Azores), and the immortal _Victory_. Every unit of this
quaint fleet, with the crews dressed in the supposed costumes of the
various periods represented, passed by the Royal Yacht either under
oars or under their miniature sails. Evidently the details had been
carefully studied, and much loving care had been bestowed on the white
dove that flew in and out of the Ark!
And now for the practical value of this Royal visit to Malta,--and
considering the many years that I have passed, on and off, as man
and boy, in that little island, I think I may venture to claim some
slight knowledge of its inhabitants. To begin with, I like the Maltese;
even now, if I were to go back to Valetta, I am sure I should find
some old boatman, tradesman, club-servant, or horse-coper, who would
still remember, and be glad to see me. It must be realised that
Malta literally swarms with priests: indeed one of its few drawbacks
as a winter residence is the never-ending clanging of bells in the
multitudinous churches there. Small wonder, then, that there is a
strong clerical party of very extreme views, and, as usual, this party
consists not only of the members of the priesthood themselves, but also
of a large section of the Maltese nobility. These gentry,--I expect
in humble imitation of what are known as the "Papalini" in Rome,--are
violently pro-Italian and anti-English, just as the afore-mentioned
"Papalini" were, and, for all I know, are, almost to a man, pro-German
and opposed to their own Government. The result of this is, that
trouble is apt to be stirred up at Malta by the local Press. Everything
English is reviled, and an immense amount of mud is thrown at us.
But I am convinced that all the best of the Maltese upper classes,
and the entire peasantry and working classes, when not too severely
priest-ridden, are thoroughly conscious that they are extremely well
off under the Union Jack, and have not really the smallest desire to
become Italian subjects. They like, however, to flirt with the idea. As
the Irishman said when comparing Home Rule to Heaven, "Every one wants
to go there eventually, but no one had ever been met with who was ready
to go there next day."
The effect of the King's visit and his remarkable personality was
immediate. The minority, who are always there striving to stir up
disaffection, were reduced at any rate to comparative silence for some
considerable time, owing to the remarkable demonstration of loyalty and
affection that was shown towards the King by the bulk of the population.
* * * * *
On April 21st the Royal Yacht, escorted by the Mediterranean Fleet,
passed through the Straits of Messina and proceeded to Naples. The
Fleet must have given the tourists at Taormina a fine show, consisting,
as it did, of eight battleships and four cruisers, to say nothing
of the small craft in the shape of destroyers, with the Royal Yacht
flying the standard, leading between the two lines of battleships.
I have passed up and down those same Straits many scores of times,
during my service in the Navy, and on every occasion that I have seen
it I have been more and more obsessed by its beauty. The loveliness
of the surroundings there never palls, and one of the only advantages
of getting old is that one becomes more and more appreciative of
both artistic and natural beauties. I have stood outside the temple
at Taormina in brilliant sunshine, when a slight rain squall in the
Straits has bridged Sicily and the mainland with a perfect rainbow, and
the difficulty is then to decide whether the view of the Straits from
the land on either coast, or the view of both coasts from the sea, when
passing through the Straits, is the more magnificent. Meanwhile, the
last is generally the best, and my last passage through, up to the time
of writing, was on this particular occasion.
After having left the Straits behind us, as there were two or three
hours to spare, the Yacht and Fleet steamed slowly through the Lipari
Islands. The small volcano that exists on the crest of the Island of
Stromboli really behaved remarkably well on the occasion. Just at
dusk, when only a few hundred yards off the island, the Royal Yacht
was indulged with three successive and very considerable explosions,
formidable enough to send up clouds of flame and smoke, to say nothing
of stones, that fell hissing into the sea. Whether a volcano can be
treated in a medical way I know not, but at the time, I had a strong
personal suspicion that the leading inhabitants must have administered
some sort of emetic to the mountain to produce these happily-timed
explosions. On the other hand, it might only have been an instance
of extreme tact on the part of Dame Nature. Anyhow, it made a very
beautiful spectacle, and was at once immortalised by my friend Martino,
who made a very lovely water-colour sketch of it.
Naples was reached on April 23rd in abominable weather. This,
mercifully, did not last long, as it was the King's intention to stay
there for three or four days before proceeding on his official visit to
Rome. The Royal Yacht accordingly was berthed inside the Mole, and four
very pleasant days were spent--a welcome relaxation to all concerned,
after the continual functions.
A very old friend of mine, then Sir Francis Bertie (who, alas! as Lord
Bertie, died very recently), was then Ambassador in Rome, and he and
the late Mr. Rolfe, then still Consul at Naples--another very old
friend--were speedily on board to pay their respects. There were a
number of yachts at Naples at the time, with owners obviously lying in
wait for the King's arrival, and soon there was a considerable influx
of visitors. Queen Amelie, then Queen of Portugal, was with her son,
the present ex-King Manoel, on board her yacht. A cutter belonging
to the Duke of the Abruzzi, an enthusiastic yachtsman, and also an
old Cowes acquaintance and friend of the King's, was in the port, as
were also the yachts of the German Crown Prince, with Prince Eitel
Friedrich, and of Mr. and Mrs. Cornelius Vanderbilt. Though it was
announced that the King's visit was entirely private and unofficial,
he was most warmly greeted by the Neapolitans wherever he landed, and,
as a concession to the wish expressed by the Mayor, consented to be
present at a gala performance at the Opera.
During the next three or four days various excursions were made, one to
the Royal Palace of Caserta, which I had not seen since I was a small
midshipman, another to Posilipo, where Lord Rosebery was in residence
at his charming villa (now made over by him to the country as a summer
residence for our Ambassador in Rome). So what with excursions, and
sight-seeing, the days passed like a flash.
On the 27th the King left Naples for Rome. Admiral Lambton, who
had just been relieved of his command (of the Royal Yachts) by his
successor, Sir Berkeley Milne, travelled on with us, in attendance on
His Majesty as extra Equerry-in-Waiting.
The Royal train arrived at Rome in the early afternoon, and the King,
after being received at the station by the King of Italy, who was
accompanied by the Royal Dukes of Genoa, of Aosta, of the Abruzzi, and
the Count of Turin, proceeded to the Quirinal Palace where His Majesty
and the whole of his suite were lodged.
As always, during the three days that the official visit lasted, there
was no rest for the King, every hour of the day and evening being fully
occupied. Official visits had to be paid, a deputation of the British
Community was received at the British Embassy, Foreign Ambassadors and
Chefs de Mission were received; there was a gala dinner at the palace,
a gala performance at the Opera, and the review of a large number of
Italian troops. In reality, far the most interesting incident was the
visit the King paid to the Pope. I regretted at the time, and I regret
still, that I was not one of the suite present on that occasion. Though
I am not particularly wrapped up, in what the French call _la calotte_,
Pope Leo XIII was such a very remarkable personality, as well as such
a great Pope, that I should like to have the recollection of having
seen him, and his royal guest, together at the Vatican. The visit was,
naturally, rather a delicate matter. The Government of England, in
their eternal terror of the Nonconformist conscience, and their natural
love of the line of least resistance, were of course against it. There
were also difficulties of etiquette as to His Majesty visiting the
Vatican whilst a guest at the Quirinal Palace. Moreover, the King
was anxious that, though his visit should be considered private and
informal, it should be made on the initiative of the Pope, to the
extent of a letter being sent to the Ambassador acquainting him with
the fact, that the Holy Father expressed a desire to see the King, if
it were His Majesty's pleasure to pay him a visit. All the details were
settled, I believe, at an interview between Cardinal Rampolla and Mr.
Hardinge, and any awkwardness that might arise from being in residence
at the Quirinal, was got over by starting from the Embassy in Sir Frank
Bertie's private carriage. As usual, the King was right. His visit to
the Pope was accepted by the King of Italy and the Italian Government
as a matter of course. It was popular in Italy and, naturally, with all
King Edward's Catholic subjects, and the entire Italian Press, of all
shades, commented most favourably on it.
And so ended the Italian visit. It was a complete success and gave
pleasure to all classes in Italy from the King and Pope down to the
small tradesmen and _contadini_.
The Royal train left Rome on the morning of April 30th on its way to
Paris. The only feature of interest on the journey was that at Pisa,
where the train made a short stop, the Duchesse d'Aosta took advantage
of this delay to board the train and pay a short farewell visit to the
King. As Princesse Hélene d'Orleans she had, of course, lived a great
deal in England before her marriage, and was extremely intimate with
our Royal Family.
At Dijon next morning the official visit to France really commenced,
for there the train took up, as additional passengers, Sir Edmund
Monson, British Ambassador in Paris, who was accompanied by the Naval
and Military Attachés of the Embassy, Captain Charles Ottley, R.N.,
now so well known as Sir Charles Ottley, who served for some time as
Secretary of the Defence Committee, and the present General the Hon.
Edward Stuart Wortley, then a Lieutenant-Colonel. With them arrived
the French officers who were attached to the King during his visit--le
Vice-Admiral Fournier, le Général de Lacroix, and an old friend of
mine, and a very popular personage in Paris Society, le Commandant
Chabaud, belonging to the Military household of the President.
After leaving Dijon, the Royal train ran straight through to the
station of the Bois de Boulogne in Paris, where the King was met by
the President of the Republic, (Monsieur Loubet), the Presidents of
the two Chambers, and all the highest Military and Civil Authorities
of the Capital. The customary presentations having been made, His
Majesty and Monsieur Loubet entered the President's state carriage and,
followed by the carriages conveying the suite, the personnel of the
British Embassy and the French Ministers, moved off in a procession to
the British Embassy in the Rue du Faubourg St. Honoré, that beautiful
house, formerly the residence of the great Napoleon's sister, Pauline
Borghese, which was acquired for our nation by the first Duke of
Wellington.
The streets were lined with troops, and there was a large escort of
Cuirassiers of the Garde Republicaine. An immense crowd had collected
in the streets, and the windows and balconies of the houses on the
route were crammed with spectators, but, in the interests of truth, I
am compelled to state that, though not unfriendly, the reception was
distinctly chilly.
There was not room in the Embassy for the whole of the suite, so a
portion of it, of which I was one, was quartered at the Hôtel Bristol
in the Place Vendôme, which was conveniently near our "Headquarters."
After the usual ceremonial visit to the President at the Élysée,
the next official function was the reception of the President and a
Deputation of the British Chamber of Commerce in Paris by the King, and
in his reply to the address presented by the Deputation, one of the
first steps forward was taken towards the establishment of an Entente
between England and France. In the course of his speech the King made
use of these words:--
"A Divine Providence has designed that France should be our near
neighbour, and, I hope, always a dear friend. There are no two
countries in the world whose mutual prosperity is more dependent
on each other. There may have been misunderstandings and causes of
dissension in the past, but all such differences are, I believe,
happily removed and forgotten, and I trust that the friendship and
admiration which we all feel for the French nation and their glorious
traditions may in the near future develop into a sentiment of the
warmest affection and attachment between the peoples of the two
countries. The achievement of this aim is my constant desire, and,
gentlemen, I count upon your institution, and each of its members
severally, who reside in this beautiful city and enjoy the hospitality
of the French Republic, to aid and assist me in the attainment of this
object."
The most favourable impression was made in Paris, by the immediate
publication of the King's speech.
The first evening in Paris was a comparatively quiet one, but after a
small private dinner at the Embassy, the King and his suite went to the
Théâtre Français to see Maurice Donnay's play, _l'Autre Danger_, the
President and Madame Loubet being also present.
Next morning the President came round to the Embassy at nine, and the
King left in the President's carriage in his company for Vincennes,
where the review was held. The greeting he received from the crowd
was noticeably far warmer than on his arrival the previous day. The
review was admirably conducted. There was an unusually large force
of cavalry on the ground, and I, personally, was much impressed with
the quality of the horses, and the admirable horsemanship of the men.
A very few years later I happened to be present at a large manœuvre
review of troops near Breslau, and, to my mind, there was no comparison
between the cavalry of the two nations, France and Germany. In every
way, the French, except no doubt in point of numbers, were infinitely
superior. As an instance of the way in which some of the crack cavalry
corps were mounted, I noticed at Vincennes that the same man, was
riding the same horse, in that part of the escort that was close to
the carriage of which I was an occupant. For a troop-horse to carry a
heavy man (probably in his full kit putting up some eighteen stone)
at a fast trot for the best part of eighteen miles, even with a good
interval of rest while the review was taking place, will, I am sure, be
acknowledged by any English cavalry officer as being no inconsiderable
performance, testifying, as it does, alike to excellence and good
condition.
On his return journey to the Embassy, after the termination of the
review, the King stopped for a few minutes at the Hôtel de Ville, where
he was received by M. Deville, the President of the Municipal Council.
In answer to the toast of his health, the King replied in the following
words, which merit being quoted in full, the concluding sentence doing
more, perhaps, to complete the success of his visit than any other
utterance that was made in Paris:--
"Je désire vous exprimer combien je suis vivement touché de vos bonnes
paroles. Il aurait été fâcheux, en passant par votre belle ville, de
ne pouvoir m'arrêter a l'Hôtel de Ville. Bien sincèrement, je vous
remercie de l'accueil que vous m'avez fait aujourd'hui.
"Je n'oublierai jamais ma visite à votre charmante ville, et je puis
vous assurer que c'est avec le plus grand plaisir que je reviens à
Paris, où je me trouve toujours comme si j'étais chez moi."
After the return to the Embassy, the President took leave of the King,
and His Majesty entertained a few of his old friends at luncheon,
before attending a race-meeting that was to take place at Longchamps
in the afternoon.
Amongst some of those present at the luncheon were Prince d'Arenberg,
Duc de la Force, Général le Marquis de Gallifet, the Marquis and
Marquise de Jaucourt, Mr. and Mrs. Standish, Admiral Duperré, Prince
Mohamed Ali, and the Marquis de Soveral, who was on a private visit to
Paris.
The race-meeting was an enormous success. It was a lovely day and all
Paris was there. The King's reception, instead of being chilly, was
enthusiastic. The races were all named after some of the King's most
famous horses, and for one of them, the Persimmon Stakes of £1000, he
had offered a splendid gold cup as an additional prize. The greater
part of the time was spent by him in the Presidential box, with his
official host and hostess; but towards the end of the afternoon he
passed a few minutes with some of his old friends in the Jockey Club
stand.
Rarely have I witnessed such friendliness and enthusiasm as was evinced
by this huge crowd, and, moreover, there were not a few Frenchmen
present who were secretly delighted at being able to shout "Vive le
Roi" without being arrested by a policeman!
The evening was given up to the official dinner at the Élysée, followed
by a gala performance at the Opera.
Once more the best possible impression was conveyed by the King's
speech in answer to the toast of his health, and in toasting the
President of the Republic and drinking to the prosperity and grandeur
of France.
In the course of his speech he touched his audience by a phrase he
used: "Je connais Paris depuis mon enfance; j'y suis revenu bien
des fois, et j'ai toujours admireé la beauté de cette ville unique
et l'esprit de ses habitants,"--while, later on, he used the words:
"Notre grand désir est que nous marchions ensemble, dans la voie de la
civilisation et de la paix."
There was a very representative company at the banquet. I heard
that there were over 130 guests present,--amongst numberless other
celebrities an old acquaintance of mine, M. Victorien Sardou, the
dramatist, was there; M. Carolus Duran and M. Saint-Saëns were also
pointed out to me.
In connection with the King's speech on this occasion, I remember that
two or three of the leading representatives of the Press came to see
Fritz Ponsonby and myself after our return from the races, and asked
us kindly to supply them with the King's speech in writing, as it was
very important that, having to be published broadcast, and telegraphed
all over the world, it should be absolutely word perfect. We could only
tell them in answer to their request that it was quite impossible. We
had no knowledge whatever of what the King was going to say; that,
probably, he would not even write it himself, as he habitually spoke
without notes unless he had to deal with a mass of figures. Polite
incredulity was visibly expressed in their faces, but obviously there
was nothing more to be done for the present, so they withdrew. After
the gala they came round again, and this time we had to produce
something. By appealing to the King himself, and by pooling our joint
memories we succeeded in evolving what was probably quite an accurate
version, but a copy was impossible, for the speech had never been
written. The astonishment of those worthies was prodigious; they were
really _épaté_--to use their own expression--at the King's nerve and
confidence in himself, in being able to make one of the most important
speeches of his life, (except for the careful thought that no doubt
preceded it), in this extempore fashion.
The next day was Sunday. The King and his suite, and the personnel of
the Embassy, duly attended Divine Service at the little English Church
in the Rue d'Aguesseau, that stands almost opposite the Embassy.
After Church there was a huge luncheon at the Ministry for Foreign
Affairs. All the Foreign Ambassadors and Ministers were present, and
altogether there were something like a hundred guests. After luncheon
I remember that the King had a long conversation with M. Waldeck
Rousseau; but I have no further knowledge of anything else that
happened on that afternoon, for Prince d'Arenberg, one of the leading
racing men in France (I think he was the President of the Jockey Club),
came up to Hedworth Lambton and myself and suggested that, if we could
decently slip away, he would drive us down to Longchamps where there
was a good day's racing on. The King, with his usual good nature,
readily assented, so away we went, and spent a very pleasant afternoon
with our many French racing friends. It was delightful to hear the
enthusiasm with which they, one and all, spoke of our King, and of the
wonderful success of his visit.
The last evening was spent at the Embassy, where the King gave a great
dinner to the President and Madame Loubet, to the members of the French
Government and their wives, and the heads of Foreign Missions. After
dinner there was a concert, the music being provided by some of the
artists of the Opera, and this, practically brought the Paris visit to
a conclusion.
The next morning the King started for home via Cherbourg. The train
left, after a very cordial leave-taking with the President, at eleven
o'clock, and arrived at its destination in the evening. There was
the usual official reception on arrival, and subsequently the King
entertained all the principal Naval, Military, and Civil Authorities
at dinner on board the Royal Yacht, and left the next morning for
Portsmouth.
As so ended this journey of five weeks.
I have already commented on what I believe to have been the useful work
done at the other Capitals that were visited. To my mind, the visit to
France was infinitely the most important, and the most fruitful, of
them all. For many preceding years I had spent weeks, if not months, of
every year in France, and I knew well, since Fashoda, how strained the
relations between the two countries had become;--naturally, I am only
speaking from the point of view of a very ordinary spectator. It was
evident to me that, though not actually uncivil, one's old friends in
Paris, and on the Riviera, were anxious to avoid one, when they could
decently do so. Probably the estrangement there was between individuals
was also existing quite as strongly amongst the officials of the two
countries; but from the time of the King's visit onwards, there has
certainly been steady improvement, culminating in the alliance that has
held together during the years of the lately finished war. I venture to
maintain that, though this same result might have been brought about
gradually by the politicians of the two countries, only one man in the
world, and that man was King Edward, could have established, what was
almost an immediate _rapprochement_, between our two great nations. The
difference between the civil, but chilly, welcome that was extended to
him on his arrival, and the enthusiastic reception that he received
everywhere, in an increasing measure, during the last days of his
visit was due to his personality, charm, and tact. As an instance of
the change in the feeling of Parisians for Englishmen that took place
during those few days, I can give a personal experience. Owing to some
oversight in the giving of an order, on the evening of our arrival,
those of us who were lodged at the Bristol found ourselves later on,
standing outside the hotel, waiting impatiently for a carriage in
which to drive round to the Embassy. There was a huge crowd in the
Place Vendôme, and the neighbouring streets, and to walk round was
impossible. Meanwhile, those of the crowd who were in our vicinity,
quickly realising our embarrassment, manifested the greatest delight,
and almost openly jeered at us. Eventually the carriage arrived, and
while it was forcing its way slowly through the crowd, some of them
put their heads close to the windows and raised the cry of "Vivent
les Boers." I am afraid I could not resist the very obvious repartee,
"Vivent les Boers, pourquoi pas? ce sont nos sujets maintenant."
Three days later there was again some delay about the carriage, and we
were once more waiting outside the hotel. If anything the crowd was
even denser, but instead of being treated with discourtesy, we met, on
the other hand, with the greatest kindness. A French gentleman detached
himself from the crowd, and said that he had noticed our difficulty,
but fortunately he could come to our assistance, and begged us to make
use of his own carriage, which was waiting round the corner. When the
hour arrived for the King to leave the French Capital I shall never
forget the enthusiasm of the French crowds that lined the streets to
bid him farewell before his journey home. That he had always been
popular in Paris from his youth up, is quite true; but at no time was
he more so, than when this official visit came to an end on the 10th of
May, 1903.
Mr. Charles Hardinge, who acted as Minister Potentiary in attendance
on His Majesty during the trip, wrote an admirable little book in the
shape of a _Short Record of the King's Journey, March 30th-May 5th_,
1903. This little work was completed by June 5th of the same year, and
so was written when everything that occurred was fresh in the memory of
the writer.
With his kind permission, I will, while thanking him for the assistance
his book has been to me in writing my recollections of that time, quote
the sentence with which he concludes:--
"Honour to whom honour is due. It only remains for the writer of
this record to respectfully state his conviction that the success of
the King's journey and the happy results which may be confidently
anticipated therefrom, are entirely due to his Majesty's own
personality, to his courteous tact, to his frank and genial manner, and
to his unrivalled knowledge of men and of the world."