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.