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_]