The Prince and His Family
The home life of the Prince and Princess of Wales was never an
absolutely private one. It was lived in the light of an almost ceaseless
publicity. Not that the actual house of the Royal couple was, or could
ever be, unduly invaded; but that every visitor was a more or less
interested spectator and student of conditions and that every trifling
incident, as well as the more important matters, of every-day life were
remembered, repeated, or recorded as they would never be in an ordinary
household.
HOME LIFE OF THE ROYAL COUPLE
Memoirs of British statesmen, leaders in art, or literature, or
religion, or the Army and the Navy, teem with references, during forty
years, to the life of the Heir Apparent and his wife at Sandringham or
Marlborough and, without exception, they convey the impression of honest
domestic happiness and unity. Gossip during that long period there had
been, of course; unpleasant inuendoes had been uttered in a small and
unpleasant section of the press; peculiar and, for the most obvious
reasons, impossible stories had been cabled from time to time across the
Atlantic; but they were patiently borne by those who were the easy
victims of silly statements and they were more than controverted by the
tributes published from men who have lived on terms of intimacy with the
Royal family and whose death lifted, occasionally, the seal of secrecy
from their natural reserve and made the expression of their opinions and
experiences possible.
The steady growth of the Prince and Princess in popular favour and the
fact that even the most irresponsible or unscrupulous purveyor of news
to such sheets as Mr. Labouchere's _Truth_ had never dared to reflect
upon the Princess of Wales' beauty of character and life sufficed long
before the accession of His Royal Highness to the Throne to kill even
the surreptitious stories which always float upon the surface of society
regarding persons in Royal positions. In this connection may be quoted
the interesting reference to the subject made by Mr. G. W. Smalley, the
well-known American writer who for so many years acted as London
correspondent of the New York _Tribune_. He was dealing, under date of
January 17th, 1892, with the premature death of the young Duke of
Clarence and, after referring to the freshness of affection which
prevailed throughout the Royal family, he proceeded in these words: "It
is known to be strong and pure in all three generations--indeed there
are now four--which together make up the Royal family of England. * * *
The domestic traditions were followed just as faithfully at Marlborough
House as at Windsor. The Prince of Wales's has been not merely a good
but a devoted family. The Princess, whose whole life has been beautiful
is in nothing more beautiful than in her love for her children. She
passed from the bedside of her second son whose life she helped to
save--they say that Prince George never rallied till his mother returned
to nurse him--to the bedside of her first-born by whose grave she has
now to stand."
Sandringham Hall in Norfolk was the real home of the Royal couple and it
was there that the children of their marriage spent much of their
younger days and received much of the training which was to fit them for
lives of more or less public duty and the responsibilities which go with
public position. Marlborough House, in London, was the social centre,
the official environment, the public residence, of the Prince and
Princess of Wales. But the former place was always the one where they
liked to be, where the heart of the Princess always rested with most
interest and affection, where the enjoyment of the comforts of country
and home life came with most force to the Prince and to his children.
Around Sandringham the grounds and woods and park were not allowed to be
spoiled by art--the latter was used in just such a degree as would help
nature. The house, or palace, was concealed from view until the visitor
was quite close to it and its home-like simplicity has always been a
much-described quality. There was no elaboration of decoration, or
straining after an appearance of stately luxury. Comfort seemed to be
the aim and it was most certainly attained. The hall was designed
somewhat after the style of the old-fashioned banquetting halls, the
various rooms were arranged for convenience and comfort, the decorations
were beautiful without being gorgeous, the objects of interest, ornament
and curiosity in the drawing-rooms and elsewhere were, of course, simply
countless.
Above the porch in front of the Hall was the quaint legend: "This house
was built by Albert Edward, Prince of Wales, and Alexandra his wife, in
the year of our Lord 1870". The place was originally purchased for
L220,000--saved from the revenues of the Duchy of Cornwall by the Prince
Consort's management--but further large sums had to be spent in order to
make the mansion comfortable and the estate the model which it
afterwards became. The former was practically rebuilt in 1870 but not
until every cottage or farm-house on the property had been first
rebuilt, or repaired. The house contained, particularly, the great hall
or saloon decorated with trophies of the chase in all countries and with
many caskets of gold and silver containing some of the addresses
presented to the Prince from time to time; the dining-room with its high
oak roof and great fire-place, walls covered with tapestry given the
Prince by the late King of Spain and a side-board covered with racing
and yachting prizes in gold and silver; the chief drawing room with
hangings of dull gold silk, furniture brocaded in soft red and gold,
large panel mirrors and quantities of exquisite Sevres and Dresden
china; the conservatory where tea was often served; a great ball-room
and handsome billiard and smoking rooms. The boudoir of the Princess has
been described as a dream of grace and simple beauty and everything
about the place was arranged with a view to combining comfort with charm
of appearance. The hundred servants employed in or out of the house had
everything that could make their lives pleasant and happy.
EDUCATION OF THE ROYAL FAMILY
Amidst these surroundings the sons and daughters of the Royal couple
were brought up. Upon the education of the boys the Prince of Wales
utilized his own knowledge of life as well as the traditions of his
father's training of himself. He is said to have believed that the study
of men and the ways of the world had not been sufficiently considered in
his own case and that he wished his sons, while escaping the
nervousness, constraints and adulation which surrounded the Court,
should also avoid the sycophancy and flattery which might be expected in
their cases at a public school--even of the highest. He therefore
decided that a training ship in early youth and the fresh air, vigorous
life and wholesome discipline of the Navy in immediately following years
would be the best system of education. Prince Albert Victor and Prince
George were, consequently, placed on board the _Britannia_ training ship
in 1870 and there they spent two years under conditions of study, work,
training, mess, discipline and dress exactly similar to those of their
shipmates. Their only dissipation was an occasional visit from their
parents and the usual holiday period at home. During the two years spent
on this ship they learned carpentering, the details of a ship's rigging
and a certain amount of engineering.
At the end of this period it was decided by the Prince to send his sons
for a prolonged cruise around the world as midshipmen on H.M.S.
_Bacchante_. They were to have the same duties and treatment as the
other midshipmen--except perhaps that their teaching would be more
careful and their studies more severe. Special instructors in
seamanship, gunnery, mathematics and naval conditions were appointed,
with the Rev. J. N. Dalton, M.A., as Governor, in charge while they were
on shore and with supervision over their ordinary studies when at sea.
Lord Charles Scott, Captain of the war-ship, was, of course, supreme
when the Princes were on board his vessel. The cruise of the _Bacchante_
commenced in September, 1879, and terminated in August, 1882. During
that period it traversed over fifty-four thousand miles and the Royal
midshipmen saw and visited Gibraltar, Madeira, Teneriffe, the West India
Islands, Bermuda, the Cape Verde Islands, Monte Video, the Falkland
Islands, Cape Colony, Western Australia, South Australia, Queensland and
Brisbane, Victoria and Melbourne, New South Wales and Sydney, the Fiji
Islands, Japan, Hong-Kong, Shanghai, Canton, the Straits Settlements,
Ceylon, Egypt and the Holy Land, Athens, Crete, Corfu and Sicily. In
1886 two handsome volumes, carefully edited by the Rev. Mr. Dalton, and
comprising the private journals and diaries of the young Princes, were
published in London and were found to contain many sensible reflections
and much garnered information upon the many countries visited during
this circumnavigation of the globe. It was not all serious study and
work, however, during this period, and in almost every place touched at,
where the Princes had anything like a chance, there is still to be found
some cherished anecdote of Royal jokes or pranks--especially on the part
of Prince George.
Meanwhile great care and thought had been devoted to the education of
the three daughters. From the nursery they passed into a school-room in
which French and German, music, history and mathematics were the studies
most interesting to their father, while the learning of dressmaking and
sewing in various branches, cooking, dairy work, the superintending of a
garden and the management of a house were carefully watched over by the
Princess of Wales. The Princess Victoria was said, in the days following
the completion of her education, to have the most domestic turn of mind
of the three sisters, together with a pronounced artistic taste.
Latterly she had taken over much of the supervision of household matters
at Sandringham and Marlborough from her Royal mother and is, in 1902,
the only unmarried member of the family. The Princess Maud was, as a
girl, merry, pretty and clever; a capital all-round sportswoman and fond
of horses, dogs, birds, yachting and riding; possessed at home of the
nick-name "Harry," and said to be the Prince's favourite daughter; fond
of _incognito_ experiences, charities and amusements. The Princess
Louise was a quieter and less striking character, and, like her younger
sister, was afterwards allowed to marry the man of her choice, although
he did not possess the high position which the Royal father might
naturally have desired.
MEMORIES OF PRINCE ALBERT VICTOR
Following the return of the two Princes from their cruise, Prince Albert
Victor was taken by his father to Cambridge, in 1883, and duly installed
as an undergraduate of Trinity College. There he read regularly for six
or seven hours a day, made himself thoroughly familiar with French and
German, and associated himself in a most marked way with the men of
intellect and character who were around him--nearly all his companions
afterwards becoming distinguished in one way or another. Always modest
and retiring he liked to entertain very quietly and to enjoy any
possible musical occasion which presented itself. Hockey, polo and a
little riding were his outdoor amusements. He came of age in 1885, the
University conferred upon him the honorary degree of LL.D., and, during
the next few years, he worked as an officer in the Army. It was on the
attainment of his majority that Prince Albert Victor received a most
interesting letter, under date of January 7th, from Mr. Gladstone. In it
the veteran statesman said to the prospective Sovereign: "There lies
before Your Royal Highness in prospect the occupation--I trust at a
distant date--of a throne which, to me at least, appears the most
illustrious in the world, from its history and associations, from its
legal basis, from the weight of the cares it brings, from the loyal love
of the people, and from the unparalleled opportunities it gives, in so
many ways and so many regions, of doing good to the almost countless
numbers whom the Almighty has placed beneath the sceptre of England." He
went on to express the earnest hope that His Royal Highness might ever
grow in the principles and qualities which should adorn his great
vocation.
During the Session of Parliament in 1889, the Prince of Wales was voted
L36,000 annually in trust for the use of his children, and at about the
same time it was decided to send Prince Albert Victor on a visit to
India. On the way thither, at Athens, on October 20th, the latter was
present at the wedding of his two cousins, the Duke of Sparta and the
Princess Sophia of Prussia, daughter of the Empress Frederick. In the
great Eastern Empire he remained until April, 1890; visiting Hyderabad,
Mysore, Madras and Calcutta, and meeting with a cordial reception which,
however, lacked the great state and ceremony of his Royal father's
famous tour. Lord Lansdowne was Viceroy and made a most admirable host
and mentor. On May 24th, following, the young Prince was created Duke of
Clarence and Avondale and Earl of Athlone, and commenced to take his
place in public life as Heir Presumptive to the Throne. In November of
the year 1891 Prince George who had, meanwhile, been pursuing his
vocation in the Navy, was taken ill at Sandringham. The Princess was
away but, pending her return, his father nursed him personally with care
and devotion. Typhoid--the disease which had carried off the Prince
Consort and so nearly killed the Heir Apparent, developed and the family
anxiety was very great. At this point, on December 8th, the engagement
of the Duke of Clarence to his cousin, the very popular and beautiful
Princess May of Teck, was announced amidst general congratulations.
DEATH OF THE DUKE OF CLARENCE
Then came one of the saddest events in the history of the British Royal
family. The young Duke had only been engaged a few weeks and
preparations had been commenced for the stately ceremonial of his
marriage, when it was announced that he had caught cold at the funeral
of Prince Victor of Hohenlohe and was confined to his room. With but
little notice pneumonia developed, the constitutional weakness of his
system was unable to throw it off, and within a few days he was
dead--January 15th, 1892. Prince George, in the meantime, had recovered,
but those who saw the Prince of Wales walking beside his eldest son's
body from Sandringham Church to the station, say that his obvious grief
was almost pathetic. As to the mother she never really got over the
sadness of that death and the removal of her favourite son. If there
was, at times, a sad expression in her eyes, years after the event, it
was no doubt due to the sudden shock and great loss which then came to
her.
Five days afterwards, the following telegram to Sir Francis Knollys was
made public: "The Prince and Princess of Wales are anxious to express to
Her Majesty's subjects in the United Kingdom, the Colonies, and in
India, the sense of their deep gratitude for the universal feeling of
sympathy manifested toward them at a time when they are overpowered by
the terrible calamity which they have sustained in the loss of their
beloved eldest son. If sympathy at such a moment is of any avail, the
remembrance that their grief has been shared by all classes will be a
lasting consolation to their sorrowing hearts, and, if possible, will
make them more than ever attached to their dear country." The affection
of Queen Victoria for this grandson, whom the _Times_ of January 19th
described as possessing "modesty, affectionateness, kindness, love of
order, the desire to render every man his due, and reverence for age and
greatness," is well-known to have been intense, and from Osborne, on
January 26th, Her Majesty issued the following letter:
"I must once again give expression to my deep sense of the loyalty
and affectionate sympathy evinced by my subjects in every part of
my Empire on an occasion more sad and tragical than any but one
which has befallen me and mine, as well as the Nation. The
overwhelming misfortune of my dearly-loved grandson having been
thus suddenly cut off in the flower of his age, full of promise for
the future, amiable and gentle, and endearing himself to all,
renders it hard for his sorely-stricken parents, his dear young
bride and his fond Grandmother to bow in submission to the
inscrutable decrees of Providence."
Meantime, on June 27th, 1889, the marriage of the Princess Louise had
taken place. Her engagement to the Earl of Fife was somewhat of a
surprise to a social world which does not like to be surprised. Though
the Princess was twenty-two and the groom forty they had known each
other for years and Lord Fife had been a frequent and welcome guest at
Sandringham, while the Prince and Princess of Wales had long been on
terms of intimacy with his parents. His was the only bachelor's house at
which the Princess of Wales had ever been entertained. It could not, of
course, be supposed that this first marriage in his family--the children
of which might be very close to the Throne--was quite as lofty a match
as the Royal father might wish, yet when he found that the matter was
settled so far as the couple were personally concerned, he accepted the
situation and asked the Queen's consent to the engagement. The wedding
was duly celebrated at Buckingham Palace in the presence of the Queen,
the Prince and Princess of Wales and their children, the King of the
Helenes, the Crown Prince of Denmark, and the Grand Duke of Hesse. Lord
Fife, who was personally very wealthy, was created Duke of Fife and
Marquess of Macduff, and his wife shared in the subsequent special grant
given to the Heir Apparent for the proper maintenance of his children.
Afterwards, on the birth of the first child of the Duke and Duchess it
was decided that she should not assume Royal rank but be known by the
courtesy title due to her father's place in the Peerage. This
child--Lady Alexandra Victoria Alberta Edwina Louise Duff--was born on
May 17th, 1891, and on April 3rd, 1893, the Lady Maud Alexandra Victoria
Georgia Bertha Duff was born. Meanwhile an interesting event had
occurred on March 10, 1888, in the celebration of the Silver Wedding of
the Prince and Princess of Wales. Illuminations in London and a ball at
Buckingham Palace marked the event.
Prince George of Wales was now Heir Presumptive to the Throne and upon
him were devolved the more or less arduous duties of that position.
Following his brother's death he gave up active service in the Navy and
on May 24th, 1892, was created Duke of York, Earl of Inverness and Baron
Killarney. The importance of his marriage was now obvious and a year and
a quarter after the death of the Duke of Clarence the engagement of his
brother to the Princess May of Teck was officially announced. The
wedding took place on July 6th, 1893, and there could be no doubt by
that time of the popularity of the young couple and of the national
pleasure at their union. The decorations in London eclipsed those of the
Queen's ubilee and the crowds were equally great. The ceremony was
performed at the Chapel Royal, St. James's, instead of at St. George's,
Windsor, where the Queen, the Prince of Wales, the Princesses Helena and
Louise and the Dukes of Albany and Connaught had been wedded. Amongst
the great gathering present at the ceremony were Her Majesty and the
Royal family as a whole, the Duke and Duchess of Teck, Lord Salisbury,
Lord Rosebery, Mr. Morley, Mr. Bryce, Mr. Chamberlain, Sir W. V.
Harcourt, Lord Ripon, Lord Spencer, Lord Herschell, Mr. Balfour, Mr.
Goschen, the Dukes of Argyll, Norfolk and Devonshire, Mr. Gladstone, the
Hon. T. F. Bayard, American Minister, several Indian Princes and many
others. The _Times_ of July 7th had the following comment upon the
event:
"Few Royal weddings of our time aroused such unusual enthusiasm as
the union of the Duke of York with the bride of his choice--an
English Princess, born and bred in an English home, endeared to all
hearts by the now softened memory of a tragic sorrow and richly
endowed with all the qualities which inspire the brightest hopes
for the future. Fewer still have ever been celebrated with happier
omens, or in more auspicious circumstances than that of yesterday.
The pomp of a brilliant Court, the acclaim, at once tumultuous and
orderly, of the mightiest of cities, spontaneously making holiday
and decking itself in its brightest and bravest, the simultaneous
rejoicing of a whole people, the sympathy, unbought and yet
priceless, of a world-wide Empire, the radiant splendour of an
English summer day--all these combined to make the ceremony of
yesterday an occasion as memorable as that of the Jubilee itself."
[Illustration: KING EDWARD AND HIS FAMOUS RACE HORSE MINORU, WHICH WON
THE DERBY IN 1909.
Minoru (Herbert Jones up), Mr. Richard Marsh (Trainer to
the late King), Lord Marcus Beresford (Manager of the late King's
thoroughbreds), King Edward.
King Edward was not only a great King, but a great sportsman as well. He
had a typically British love of outdoor pastimes as an active
participator and not a mere looker-on. At various times he was
associated with nearly every form of British sport. Yachting and
shooting were two of his favorites, but it was his close connection with
the turf which most appealed to the general public. Probably no other
breeder of thoroughbreds ever had such a trio of equine giants as
Florizel II, Persimmon and Diamond Jubilee. And in one year, 1909, he
won over L29,000. When his horse Minoru won the Derby in 1909, the
people in their enthusiasm surged all over the course after the race,
but the King went down amongst them, and himself led his horse in to the
paddock.]
[Illustration: FAMILIAR SNAPSHOTS OF KING EDWARD AS HIS SUBJECTS BEST
KNEW HIM.]
[Illustration: KING EDWARD'S MOST INTIMATE FRIENDS.
1. Lieutenant-Colonel George L. Holford, C.I.E., C.V.O.,
Equerry-in-Waiting to the late King. 2. Lord Burnham, K.C.V.O.,
principal proprietor of the "Daily Telegraph." 3. Count Albert D.
Mensdorff-Pouilly, the Austro-Hungarian Ambassador. 4. Lord Suffield,
P.C., G.C.V.O., K.C.B., Lord-in-Waiting to the late King. 5. Mr. Alfred
C. de Rothschild, C.V.O., Austro-Hungarian Consul-General. 6. Mr. Arthur
Sassoon, M.V.O., a member of a famous Anglo-Indian family. 7. The
Marquis de Soveral, G.C.M.G., G.C.V.O., the Portuguese Minister. 8. Lord
Allington, K.C.V.O., a great Dorsetshire landowner. 9. Sir Ernest
Cassel, G.C.B., G.C.M.G., G.C.V.O., the well-known financier and
philanthropist. 10. Lord Farquhar, G.C.V.O., Extra Lord-in-Waiting to
the late King, and formerly Master of the Household.]
[Illustration: KING EDWARD'S MOST INTIMATE FRIENDS.
1. Lord Esher, G.C.V.O., G.C.B., Deputy Governor of Windsor Castle. 2.
Lord Marcus Beresford, Extra Equerry and Manager of King Edward's
thoroughbreds. 3. Earl Howe, G.C.V.O., Lord-in-Waiting to the late King
and Lord Chamberlain to Queen Alexandra. 4. The Rev. Canon Edgar
Sheppard, D.D., C.V.O., Domestic Chaplain to the late King. 5. Sir
Donald Mackenzie Wallace, K.C.L.E., K.C.V.O., Extra Groom-in-Waiting to
the late King. 6. Lord Ilchester, who has written some delightful books
of biography. 7. Mr. William James, J.P., D.D., C.V.O., the well-known
traveler and landowner. 8. Sir Thomas Lipton, Bt., K.C.V.O., the
well-known sportsman and yacht-owner. 9. Lieutenant-Colonel F. Ponsonby,
Equerry to the late King. 10. Captain Sir David N. Welch, R.N., formerly
commander of the royal yacht.]
The bridesmaids were all relations of the young couple--the Princesses
Victoria and Maud of Wales, Victoria Melita, Alexandra and Beatrice of
Edinburgh; Margaret and Victoria Patricia of Connaught; Victoria of
Schleswig-Holstein; Victoria and Alexandra of Battenberg. The Duke of
York wore a simple Captain's uniform and was supported by his Royal
father and the Duke of Edinburgh. The bride was described in the papers
of the time as wearing silver and white brocade, with clustered
shamrocks, roses and thistles. On July 10th the Queen addressed one of
her usual tactful and gracious letters to the nation expressive of her
personal sympathy with the people and of theirs with her and her family.
The eldest child of this marriage--Prince Edward Albert Christian George
Andrew Patrick David--was direct in succession to the Throne after his
father and was born on June 23, 1894. The second child was Prince Albert
Frederick Arthur George, born on December 14, 1895. Princess Victoria
Alexandra Alice Mary, was born on April 25th, 1897, and Prince Henry
William Frederick Albert on March 31, 1900. The Prince of Wales was
greatly attached to his grandchildren and nothing in these later years
gave him greater pleasure than having around him the youthful scions of
the House of Fife, or that of York, and giving them presents and other
means of enjoyment. On July 22, 1896, his third daughter, the Princess
Maud, was married to Prince Charles, second son of the Crown Prince of
Denmark. The ceremony was performed in the private Chapel of Buckingham
Palace, by the Archbishop of Canterbury, in the presence of the Queen
and most of the members of the Royal family. The Duke and Duchess of
Sparta, the Crown Prince and Princess of Denmark, Mr. and Mrs. Gladstone
and Mr. and Mrs. Chamberlain were amongst the guests. The bridesmaids
were Princesses Ingeborg of Denmark, Victoria of Wales, Victoria of
Schleswig-Holstein, Thyra of Denmark, Victoria Patricia of Connaught,
Margaret of Connaught, Alice of Albany and the Lady Alexandra Duff.