Thirty Years of Public Work
During the years between 1872 and the end of the century the Prince of
Wales filled a place in public affairs not unlike that of the Prince
Consort in the later and ripest period of his useful life. He grew
steadily in the faculties which make for wisdom in council and action
while retaining and developing the qualities which make for popularity
and, in a Prince, may embody the characteristics and feelings of his
nation. In those thirty years he saw much and travelled far; met many
men of varied qualities and attainments and character; learned much by
personal experience and observation and much from other people's
experience; tested almost the pinnacle of earthly splendour in his
Indian tour and learned in private something of the suffering which
comes to all individuals whether great or little. He created the
position of Heir Apparent as now understood; gave it a significance and
value never before attained to; and filled it with a tact and ability
which no detraction or misrepresentation could practically affect, and
which in time made him the admittedly most all-round popular man in the
United Kingdom.
Before his illness the Prince had carried out a good many public
engagements and helped a great number of useful objects. After that
event and the outpouring of popular sentiment which found vent in the
National Thanksgiving he became still more devoted to his round of
public duties. On July 5th 1872, His Royal Highness visited the new
Grammar School at Norwich and inspected the Norfolk Artillery Militia
of which he was Honorary Colonel. At a banquet given by the Mayor he
referred to his late illness, in expressing thanks for local sympathy,
and added: "It is difficult now for me to speak upon that subject but as
it has pleased Almighty God to preserve me to my country I hope I may
not be ungrateful for the feeling which has been shown towards me and
that I may do all that I can to be of use to my countrymen." On July
25th, he reviewed four thousand boys of the Training ships and Pauper
Schools of the Metropolitan Unions at South Kensington, and distributed
prizes. The Prince was accompanied by the Princess of Wales and his
sons. A little later, on August 11th, the Breakwater at Portland was
inaugurated, the Royal yacht being accompanied from Osborne by a
splendid fleet of fifteen ironclads. At the conclusion of the ceremony
the Prince visited Weymouth, which was gaily decorated, and where he
accepted a public banquet.
THE PRINCE MAKES A VISIT TO DERBY
The next important English function of His Royal Highness was a state
visit to Derby on December 17th. The announcement that the Prince and
Princess were coming to Chatsworth to stay with the Duke of Devonshire
and would also visit Derby created much interest and on the appointed
day brought great crowds from Birmingham, Manchester, Sheffield,
Nottingham and Chesterfield to swell the population of the city. After
driving through the decorated streets and cheering crowds various loyal
addresses were received and prizes presented at the City Grammar School.
On the evening of March 27th, 1873, the Prince presided at the annual
dinner of the Railways' Benevolent Institution. In a somewhat lengthy
little speech he explained its purposes and asked for aid in their
attainment. The result was a subscription of five thousand guineas to
which he himself contributed two hundred guineas.
A duty which was congenial in one sense and sad in another was the
unveiling of a statue of the late Prince Consort at the entrance of the
Holborn Viaduct in London on January 9th, 1874. A luncheon followed in
the Guild Hall attended by some eight hundred guests and at which the
Prince made a short speech. A few weeks later the Prince and Princess of
Wales were at St. Petersburg to attend the marriage of the Duke of
Edinburgh with the Grand Duchess Marie Alexandrovna of Russia on January
23rd. The marriage ceremony was performed in much state with the
successive rites of the Greek and English Churches--Dean Stanley
presiding over the latter. Four future Sovereigns were present on the
occasion, the Prince of Wales, the Crown Prince of Prussia, the
Czarewitch of Russia and the Crown Prince of Denmark. During this visit
the Prince and Princess were treated with great distinction by the Czar
and a grand military review was held in honour of His Royal Highness.
The anniversary festival of the British Orphan Asylum was attended on
March 25th, in London, and a speech was made by His Royal Highness
explanatory of the useful objects of the institution. The subscriptions
announced during the evening amounted to L2400. An important incident of
the year was the visit of the Shah of Persia to England and the splendid
entertainments given in honour of an Oriental Sovereign whose
friendliness was of serious import in the event of trouble between Great
Britain and Russia. The Prince of Wales devoted considerable time to the
task of welcoming and entertaining the Royal visitor and gave one great
banquet, in particular, at Marlborough House which was remarkable for
its effective magnificence.
A dinner was given on March 31st by the Lord Mayor of London to
Major-General Sir Garnet Wolseley--afterward Field Marshal, Viscount
Wolseley--on his return from the successful Ashantee expedition and the
Prince of Wales made a tactful speech on the occasion expressive of the
thanks of the nation for the services of officers and men in that
arduous campaign. On April 22nd the Prince presided over a dinner in aid
of the funds of the Royal Medical Benevolent Hospital. The leading men
of the profession were present and, after a speech from the Prince,
donations of L1780 were announced by the Secretary with the usual one
hundred guinea subscription from the Royal chairman. A different kind of
function was His Royal Highness' attendance at a dinner of the Benchers
of the Middle Temple on June 11th. The Master of the Temple, the Rev.
Dr. Vaughan, presided and others present were the Archbishop of
Canterbury and the Lord Chief Justice. The Prince, as a Bencher, wore
the silk gown of a Queen's Counsel as well as the riband of the Garter
and made a brief speech in which he expressed the modest opinion that it
was a good thing for the profession at large that he had never been
called to the Bar. On August 13th the new Municipal Buildings and Law
Courts at Plymouth were opened by the Prince after a formal reception at
the hands of the Mayor and a procession through the artistically
decorated and densely packed streets of the city.
FIRST STATE VISIT TO BIRMINGHAM
An interesting event of this year and one which created considerable
discussion and comment was the first state visit of the Prince and
Princess of Wales to Birmingham. For half a century that city had been a
centre of Radicalism, of extreme democratic opinion and, in earlier
days, of Chartist turbulence. The Mayor, in 1874, was Mr. Joseph
Chamberlain who was then noted for democratic views which were supposed
in many quarters to extend to the full measure of republicanism. Doubt
was even expressed as to whether the Royal reception would be as cordial
as might be desired or the Mayor as courteous, in the sense of loyal
phraseology, as was customary. The visit took place on November 3rd and
a most cordial welcome was given by all classes of the people. Mr.
Chamberlain presented an address in the Town Hall and at a subsequent
luncheon spoke of the Queen as "having established claims to the
admiration of her people by the loyal fulfillment of responsible
duties." In reference to this and other speeches which he made as
chairman the London _Times_ of the succeeding day declared that
"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." They were described as being
couched in a line of "courteous homage, manly independence and
gentlemanly feeling."
The annual dinner of the Royal Cambridge Asylum was presided over by His
Royal Highness on March 13th, 1875; the Merchant Taylors' School in the
Charterhouse was visited on April 6th; the German Hospital annual
banquet was presided over ten days later and donations of L5000 to its
funds announced during the evening--including one hundred guineas from
the Prince; the installation of the Heir Apparent as Grand Master of the
English Freemasons took place on April 28th. On June 5th he presided at
the yearly banquet of the Royal Agricultural Benevolent Institution for
providing pensions or annuities for persons ruined by agricultural
depression. The Earl of Hardwicke in proposing the Royal chairman's
health said that "the position of the Prince of Wales is not one of the
easiest. He has no definite duties, but the duty he has laid down for
himself is of a very definite nature. It is to benefit, to the best of
his power, all his fellow-creatures." In the course of his speeches the
Prince made an earnest appeal for aid to the purposes of the institution
with the result that L8000 was announced as the total donation of the
evening--including the usual one hundred guineas from the chairman.
The next important event in his public life was the visit of the Prince
to India in 1875-6. On his return the Royal traveller received many
demonstrations of popular esteem and the City of London entertained him
at a great banquet and ball and an address of welcome, in a golden
casket of Indian design, was presented. During the remainder of the year
the Prince took a much-needed rest and interested himself largely in
matters local to his own county of Norfolk. He took in hand the
necessity existing at Norwich for a new Hospital and a large sum of
money was soon subscribed for this purpose. Later in the year he visited
Glasgow and laid the foundation of a new Post Office in that city. In
the spring of 1877 what may be termed the moral courage of the Prince
was put to a test in his invitation to preside at the annual banquet of
the Licensed Victuallers' Asylum. There were many protests made and at
least two hundred petitions presented urging His Royal Highness not to
patronize or help the liquor interest. He decided, however, that the
charity was a useful one and the widows and orphans of licensed
victuallers as deserving of succour as those of other classes in the
community, and that he could quite well afford to patronize an
institution in succession to his own father, the late Prince Consort.
Earl Granville was present, three Bishops and many members of the Houses
of Lords and Commons and the proceeds of the occasion were over L5000.
In one of his speeches the Royal chairman referred to the petitions
received from Temperance Societies and remarked: "I think this time they
rather overstep the mark because the object of the meeting to-night is
not to encourage the love of drink but to support a good and excellent
charity."
Early in 1878 the Prince unveiled at Cambridge (on January 22nd) a
statue of his late father, who for years had been Chancellor of the
University. On June 28th, together with the Princess of Wales, he
visited the Infant Orphan Asylum at Wanstead and presided at the
luncheon which followed and at which were Her Royal Highness, the Duke
and Duchess of Manchester, the Bishop of St. Albans and Mrs. Claughton,
and a large gathering. In his speech the Royal chairman reviewed the
history of the institution and afterwards gave one hundred guineas to
its funds. As a result of his interest in naval matters the Prince had
already placed his sons on the training ship _Britannia_ and, on July
24th of this year, he and the Princess consented to distribute the
annual prizes and medals. An address was presented from the City of
Dartmouth, on board the Royal yacht _Osborne_, which had been
accompanied into the estuary of the River Dart by a large number of
war-ships, yachts, steam-launches and boats. Flags were flying
everywhere on sea and shore and in the evening the illuminations were
striking. At the _Britannia_ the Royal visitors were received by Mr. W.
H. Smith M.P. First Lord of the Admiralty and a distinguished gathering
amongst whom were Lord and Lady Charles Beresford and Sir Samuel and
Lady Baker. In his speech the Prince referred to the personal expression
of confidence in the institution by the Princess and himself in sending
their two sons to be trained there and expressed the hope that the
latter might do credit to the ship and to their country. A visit to
Dartmouth followed and then Prince Edward and Prince George were taken
home for their holidays.
THE DEATH OF PRINCESS ALICE
During this year the Heir Apparent had the misfortune to lose his
much-loved sister the Princess Alice, Grand Duchess of Hesse, to whose
careful nursing he had owed so much in his own serious illness and the
sad features of whose death--as a result of nursing her children through
an attack of malignant diphtheria--had proved such a shock to the
British public. The Prince and Princess spent some months in retirement
after this occurrence and had also to mourn the death of the gallant
young Prince Imperial of France, in whose career they had taken a deep
personal interest--not only on account of his loveable qualities, but
because of the long friendship between the Royal house of England and
the widowed Empress Eugenie, to whose lonely hopes and pride the loss
was so terrible. The Prince of Wales helped the stricken lady in the
details of the funeral, acted as the principal pall-bearer and showed
his sympathy in many ways, of which the wreath of violets sent from
Marlborough, with the following inscription, was an incident: "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." His Royal Highness strongly
supported the proposal to erect a Memorial in Westminster Abbey, but
even his great influence could not overcome the international prejudices
which the suggestion aroused and he had to wait till January, 1883, when
the "United Service Memorial" was erected at Woolwich, and, accompanied
by his two sons and the Dukes of Edinburgh and Cambridge, he was able to
unveil the statue and fittingly eulogize the Royal French youth who had
fought and died for the country which had been so kind to his parents.
[Illustration: QUEEN ALEXANDRA
The Queen Consort of Edward VII]
[Illustration: ATTEMPTED ASSASSINATION OF EDWARD, PRINCE OF WALES, AT
BRUSSELS, APRIL, 1900]
[Illustration: FLEET STREET, LONDON
This is one of the most interesting thoroughfares of London. On all
great state occasions it is beautifully and lavishly decorated. In the
distance is seen the dome of St. Paul's Cathedral, where a great
memorial service was held, attended by the Corporation of London, great
numbers of officials and great throngs of mourning people.]
[Illustration: ST. GEORGE'S CHAPEL, WINDSOR]
On May 5th, 1879, the Prince of Wales presided at the annual banquet of
the Cabdrivers' Benevolent Association. On May 23, 1880, he presided at
a dinner in aid of the funds of the Princess Helena College and the
result of his patronage and the careful speech delivered was a total
donation of L2000, to which he contributed his customary one hundred
guineas. On June 17th of the same year he visited the new Breakwater and
Harbour at Holyhead and, during the visit, there were loyal
demonstrations on sea and land and a banquet attended by gentlemen
representing most of the leading English and Irish railway companies.
During the same month the King of Greece visited England and the Prince
had an opportunity of returning some of the many hospitalities which he
had received from His Majesty and of presenting him to the Corporation
of London at a great banquet of welcome. As Duke of Cornwall he also
laid the first stone of Truro Cathedral in this month. Writing of this
and other functions on June 18th the _Times_ declared that the
representative duties of British royalty were heavier than the private
functions of the hardest-worked Englishman. "In these scenes and a
hundred like them a Prince's function cannot be discharged
satisfactorily unless he be at once an impersonation of Royal state and,
what is harder still, his own individual self. He must act his public
character as if he enjoyed the festival as much as any of the
spectators. He must be able to stamp a national impress upon the
solemnity yet mark its local and particular significance."
DISTRIBUTES PRIZES, PRESENTS AND COLOURS
New colours were presented to the Royal Welsh Fusiliers by the Prince as
they were embarking from Portsmouth for India, on August 16th. On May
24th, 1881, he presided at the festival dinner of the Royal Hospital for
Women and Children in London, contributed one hundred guineas to its
funds and was able to announce donations totalling L2000. At King's
College, London, on July 2nd, His Royal Highness, accompanied by the
Princess, distributed the annual prizes and pointed out the history and
merits of the institution. On July 18th the Prince, accompanied by the
Princess of Wales, laid the foundation of a City and Guilds of London
Institute, established for the technical training of artisans, and
delivered a speech of considerable range and length. He also accepted
the Presidency of the Institute. The seventh annual meeting of the
International Medical Congress was formally opened by the Prince,
accompanied by the Crown Prince Frederick of Prussia, on August 3rd. He
was received by a Committee composed of distinguished medical men such
as Sir W. Jenner, Sir William Gull, Sir James Paget and Sir J. R.
Bennett and, during the ceremony, spoke upon the progress made in late
years by medical science.
The death of Dean Stanley on July 18th of this year was felt as a
personal and severe loss by both the Prince and Princess. The former had
no warmer or wiser friend; the latter no greater admirer in the highest
sense of the word. It was fitting, therefore, that His Royal Highness
should take the lead in raising a suitable Memorial to the distinguished
Churchman and he attended and spoke earnestly at a meeting called in the
Chapter-house of Westminster Abbey, for that purpose, on December 13th.
Dean Bradley presided and there were also present Archbishop Tait of
Canterbury, the Marquess of Salisbury, Earl Granville, the Duke of
Westminster, the Marquess of Lorne, Mr. J. Russell Lowell, the American
Minister, Lord Chief Justice Coleridge and others. In his speech the
Prince spoke of his intimate friendship with Dean Stanley over a period
of twenty-two years, of their association in the East and of the great
charm of his companionship. "As the Churchman, as the scholar, as the
man of letters, as the philanthropist and, above all, as the true
friend, his name must always go down to posterity as a great and good
man and as one who will make his mark on a chapter of his country's
history."
During the next few years the public events of the Prince's career
continued along very much the same lines, varied by some rapid trip to
the continent, or visit to the country home of some noble friend, or a
shooting excursion to some place where game was plentiful and companions
congenial. The central events, aside from his promotion of the Fisheries
and other Exhibitions, were the visit to Ireland in 1885, the support
given to an Empire policy by his patronage of the Imperial Institute and
similar concerns, his active connection with the Masonic Order and his
conduct of the Jubilee of 1887. The International Fisheries Exhibition
grew out of a comparatively small affair at Norwich in which the Prince
of Wales had taken an active interest. In July 1881, as a result of his
initiative, a meeting was held in London, a committee was formed and the
preliminary work done. In February 1882 a second meeting occurred and
further organization was effected with the Queen as Patron, His Royal
Highness as President and the Duke of Richmond as Chairman of the
General Committee. The Exhibition was finally opened on May 13, 1883, by
the Prince of Wales, who had around him most of the members of the Royal
family, the Foreign Ambassadors, Her Majesty's Ministers and other
distinguished persons, His address defined the reasons for the
enterprise in a sentence: "In view of the rapid increase of the
population in all civilized countries, and especially in these sea girt
kingdoms, a profound interest attaches to every industry which affects
the supply of food; and in this respect the harvest of the sea is hardly
less important than that of the land." In results he thought the
Exhibition should enable practical fishermen to acquaint themselves with
the latest improvements in both their working craft and life-saving
systems. It was a great success. The total visitors numbered 2,703,051
and there was a financial surplus of L15,243. Of this, two-thirds was
put aside to assist the families of fishermen who had lost their lives
at sea, and L3000 was used to organize a Fisheries Society in order to
keep up the interest in the subject and encourage the study of ways and
means to help the fishermen.
THE PRINCE ENCOURAGES EXHIBITIONS
In replying to an address from the Executive Committee at the closing of
the Exhibition, on October 31st, the Prince had suggested that other
Exhibitions might very well be held dealing with the three great
subjects of Health, Inventions and the Colonies. The first subject dealt
with was that of Health. Owing to the death of his brother, the Duke of
Albany, on March 28th, 1884, the Prince could not do much more than
initiate the project but it was carried on by the Duke of Buckingham as
Chairman of the Committee. Its active progress was marked by the
inauguration of the work of the International Juries by the Prince of
Wales on June 17th. Like the Fisheries and the "Colinderies" which
followed it in 1886, the "Healtheries" proved ultimately a great
success. Meanwhile, minor incidents were occurring. On March 1st, 1882,
as Colonel of the Corps, the Prince presided over the 21st anniversary
dinner of the Civil Service Volunteers and spoke at some length upon the
importance of the Volunteer force. Others present on the occasion were
the Dukes of Manchester and Portland, Viscount Bury, Lord Elcho and
Colonel Lloyd-Lindsay. On March 10th, 1883, the Duke of Cambridge,
Commander-in-Chief, called a meeting in London to consider what could be
done with the neglected British graves in the Crimea and the Prince of
Wales, who had felt the matter keenly during his visit of years before,
moved a Resolution declaring that immediate steps should be taken in the
matter. He spoke with earnestness, contributed L50 toward the project
and was supported by General Sir W. Codrington, Admiral Sir H. Keppel,
General Sir L. A. Simmons and Lord Wolseley.
The new City School of London, on the Thames Embankment, was opened by
His Royal Highness on December 12th, 1882, accompanied by the Princess
of Wales. On May 21st 1883 crowded memories of his Indian tour were
revived by the opening of the Northbrook Club for the use of Native
gentlemen from the East Indies. In his speech the Prince referred with
gratitude to his "magnificent reception" in India and expressed his
strong approval of the establishment of a place where natives of that
Empire could meet together for purposes of relaxation and intercourse.
The City of London College, intended chiefly for young men who could
only attend evening classes, was inaugurated on July 8th of this year.
The Princess was also present. In the House of Lords on February 22nd,
1884, the Prince made one of his very few speeches in that
Chamber--although a frequent attendant at its sessions. It was in
connection with a motion presented by Lord Salisbury for the appointment
of a Royal Commission to inquire into the housing of the working
classes. His Royal Highness declared that a searching inquiry was very
necessary, expressed his pleasure at having been named a member of the
Commission, referred to his own experiments at Sandringham, and
expressed the hope that measures of a drastic and thorough kind would
result. Three days later, accompanied by the Princess, their three
daughters, and Her Royal Highness the Marchioness of Lorne, the Prince
of Wales visited the Guards' Industrial Home at Chelsea Barracks and
distributed the annual prizes.
On March 15th, not for the first time, he presided at the annual meeting
of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution and spoke strongly of its
valuable and important work. Other speakers were the Dukes of Argyll and
Northumberland, Admiral Keppel and Lord C. Beresford. The Guilds of
London Institute was opened on June 25th and the speech made by the
Prince was more elaborate than usual. He was well supported by Lord
Carlingford and Mr. A. J. Mundella, M.P. An important and interesting
incident of this year was the action of the Prince of Wales in presiding
over a densely-crowded meeting in the Guild Hall, London, called to
celebrate the Jubilee of the abolition of slavery in British countries
and to consider the past and present work of the Anti-Slavery Society.
On the platform were many distinguished men in every sphere of the
national life and the speech of His Royal Highness was probably the
longest he had ever delivered. It was a succinct history of the
abolition of slavery in various countries and colonies and contained
many expressions of warm approval toward those who had worked to that
end--the extension of "the sacred principle of freedom." Sir Stafford
Northcote, Archbishop Benson of Canterbury, Mr. W. E. Forster, M.P.,
Cardinal Manning and others spoke, and it was afterwards announced by
the Lord Mayor that the Prince had consented to become Patron of the
British and Foreign Anti-Slavery Society.
The unveiling of the statue of Charles Darwin in the Museum of Natural
History on June 9th, 1885, evoked a brief speech and a reference to "the
great Englishman who had exerted so vast an influence upon the progress
of branches of natural knowledge." On July 4th the Prince and Princess
attended the opening of the new building of the Birkbeck Institution in
London and the former spoke upon its objects and character. On July 5th
of the previous year he presided at the annual dinner in aid of the
Railway Guards' Friendly Society and referred in his speech to its
nature and valuable work. More than L3300 was subscribed, to which the
Royal chairman gave his usual contribution. The Convalescent Home at
Swanley was opened on July 13th 1885 and the Prince was accompanied by
his wife and daughters. A visit was paid two days later to Leeds and the
Prince and Princess stayed at Studley, the seat of the Marquess of
Ripon. Various addresses were received at the Town Hall and from thence
the Royal visitors went to the Yorkshire College, which the Prince duly
inaugurated amid much state. At the succeeding luncheon he spoke of the
great importance of the industrial educational work which this
institution was carrying on. "I have for a long time been deeply
impressed with the advisability of establishing in our great centres of
population, colleges and schools, not only for promoting the
intellectual advancement of the people, but also for increasing their
prosperity by furthering the application of scientific knowledge to the
industrial arts."
The sad news of the gallant death of General Gordon affected the Prince
of Wales as only the loss of a friend who is greatly and personally
admired can do. He took much interest in the Committee which was formed
to promote a Memorial and finally summoned a special meeting at
Marlborough House, on January 12th, 1886, to promote the collection of a
fund looking to the permanent establishment of a Gordon Boys' Home.
Speeches were made by General Higginson, the Duke of Cambridge and Lord
Napier of Magdala, and ultimately the enterprise was fairly placed upon
its feet. A little later, with Prince Albert Victor and Prince George,
His Royal Highness went to stay with the Duke of Westminster at Eaton
Hall. From thence, on January 20th, they visited Liverpool and the
Mersey Tunnel was formally inaugurated after a drive through the city
and the reception of the usual addresses and popular welcome. A banquet
was also received and several speeches made by the Prince. The
Institution of Civil Engineers entertained the Prince of Wales at dinner
on March 27th and the Royal guest was accompanied by his eldest son and
the Duke of Cambridge. Sir Frederick Bramwell presided. On June 28th,
following, he laid the foundation-stone of the Peoples' Palace amidst
evidences of unbounded personal popularity in the East End of London;
with ten thousand people around him--including one thousand delegates
from the various Trade, Friendly and Temperance Societies in East
London; and with representative persons in attendance such as Dr. Adler,
the Chief Rabbi, Cardinal Manning, Archbishop Benson and Mr. Walter
Besant.
As a result of his deep and practical interest in agricultural matters
the Prince of Wales held a sale of Shorthorn cattle and Southdown sheep
at Norwich on July 15th of this year. The sale was a most interesting
and successful event from a technical as well as general standpoint and
fully proved the right of the Royal owner of Sandringham to be called a
farmer and to act as President of the Royal Agricultural Society of
England. A luncheon given to the agricultural celebrities of England
followed the sale. On March 12th, 1887, the Prince presided at the
Jubilee banquet of the London Orphan Asylum and defined its objects and
work while urging more financial assistance to its projects. Amongst
those present were the Duke of Abercorn, the Earl of Clarendon, General
Sir Donald Stewart and Sir Dighton Probyn. The subscriptions announced
during the evening were L5000, including one hundred guineas from the
Prince.
On March 30th he opened the new College of Preceptors in London,
accompanied by the Princess of Wales and the Princesses Victoria and
Maud. The opening of the Manchester Exhibition followed on May 3rd and
the Prince and Princesses came to the city from Tatton Hall, where they
had been staying with Lord Egerton. The usual hearty welcome was given
along the crowded route. On May 22nd the London Hospital's new buildings
were inaugurated, the Prince being accompanied by his wife and two
daughters and the Crown Prince of Denmark. Six days later Tottenham was
visited and the new portion of the Deaconesses Institution and Hospital
opened. The Shaftesbury House, or home for shelterless boys, was
inaugurated on June 17th and on November 3rd His Royal Highness visited
Truro, accompanied by the Princess and his two sons, attended the
consecration of the new Cathedral by the Primate of England and spoke
afterwards at a luncheon given by the principal residents of the Duchy
of Cornwall. On the following day he presented new colours to the Duke
of Cornwall's Light Infantry at Devonport.
On May the 8th, 1888, the Prince and Princess of Wales opened the
Glasgow Exhibition and the former spoke interestingly of the industrial
development of the time. The statesman whose advice and knowledge had
been so greatly appreciated by the Prince during his Indian tour was
fittingly commemorated by the statue on the Thames Embankment which His
Royal Highness unveiled on June 5th following. Sir Bartle Frere was
described in the speech accompanying the act as "a great and valued
public servant of the Crown and a highly esteemed and dear friend of
myself." On July 6th a new Gymnasium for the Young Men's Christian
Association was opened in London; on May 9th the Prince and Princess
visited Blackburn and were enthusiastically received; on May 14th His
Royal Highness, accompanied by his wife and daughters, Prince Charles of
Denmark and Prince George of Greece, opened the Anglo-Danish Exhibition
at South Kensington; on July 17th he inaugurated the new buildings of
the Great Northern Hospital at Islington and in the autumn of the year
paid a visit to Austria and some of the countries in Southern Europe.
The purely public events of following years may be briefly and partially
summarized. In June, 1889, the Prince and Princess of Wales visited the
Paris Exhibition in a semi-private capacity, and were present at Athens,
on October 27th, at the wedding of the Duke of Sparta and Princess
Sophia of Germany. The great Forth Bridge was opened by the Prince in
March, 1890, and a short time spent with Lord Rosebery at Dalmeny; a
visit was paid to Berlin, accompanied by Prince George, on March 21st; a
statue of the Duke of Albany was unveiled at Cannes on April 6th; a new
nave in the ancient Church of St. Saviour, Southwark, was inaugurated on
July 24th; the new Town Hall at Portsmouth was opened on August 9th; the
City of London Electric Railway was inaugurated on November 4th. On
November 9th, 1891, the theatrical managers of London presented His
Royal Highness with a large gold cigar-box in honour of his fiftieth
birthday. In 1892 the Prince visited the Royal Agricultural Society at
Warwick with the Duke of York, laid the foundation-stone of the
Clarence Memorial addition to St. Mary's Hospital, Paddington, and
supervised the re-building of Sandringham after the fire which had
consumed a portion of it. One of the events of 1894 was a visit to
Coburg in April and attendance at the marriage of his niece and nephew,
the Princess Victoria of Saxe-Coburg and the Grand Duke of Hesse.
Another was the opening of the Tower Bridge, London, in June, by the
Prince and Princess on behalf of the Queen.
On May 16, 1895, the Prince of Wales reviewed the Warwickshire Yeomanry;
on July 8th he laid the foundation-stone of new buildings at the Epsom
Medical College; in July he reviewed Italian and British fleets off
Portsmouth; on July 22nd he opened the new building of the Royal Free
Hospital, Grey's Inn Road, London; in November he presided at a lecture
in the Imperial Institute. In 1896 he was formally installed as
Chancellor of the University of Wales, and stayed at Balmoral in
September during the visit of the Emperor and Empress of Russia to the
Queen. In January, 1897, the Prince visited the Duke of Sutherland at
Trentham Hall; on May 22nd he opened the Blackwell Tunnel; in June he
participated in all the Jubilee functions, was created Grand Master of
the Order of the Bath and gave a banquet, in honour of the appointment,
to all living Knights Grand Cross of the Order, which was a unique
gathering of men distinguished in diplomacy, statesmanship, in the Army
and Navy, and in Imperial and civil administration. During the following
year he distributed prizes in June at Wellington College and laid the
foundation-stone of new buildings at University College Hospital; on
December 23rd he attended the opening service of a restored church at
Sherbourne. On June 19, 1899, His Royal Highness held a Levee at St.
James's Palace; on July 6th he received the freedom of the City of
Edinburgh; and on September 18th he presented new colours to the Gordon
Highlanders.
Such was the general character and scope of the Prince's public life.
There would have been little object served in elaborating the
description of these ceremonial events. They are of value and necessary
to a clear comprehension of the position and manifold duties of the
Prince of Wales, and quite enough have been given for this purpose.
During all these thirty years the work of the Heir Apparent increased in
its importance and multifarious character until every interest and
element in the population found a place in its performance. It was
arduous and unceasing, but the Prince never showed weariness and always
appeared with the same unaffected _bonhomie_ and natural dignity
whatever the extent of his work or the character of the function. The
end of it all was a popularity as unique as it was thoroughly and well
deserved.