The Coronation
In the middle of July it was announced that the Royal patient had
recovered sufficiently to be able to fix a date once more for the
Coronation ceremony and that, with the advice of his physicians, August
9th had been decided upon. Many of the events surrounding and connected
with the central function originally proposed for June 26th had already
taken place by special wish or consent of the King. Deeply regretting
the disappointment of his people and keenly thoughtful, as he always had
been, for the feelings and anticipations of others, His Majesty had
specially ordered the carrying out of two incidents of the Coronation
festivities upon the date arranged--the Dinner to the London poor and
the publication of the Coronation honours. In both cases much
disappointment would have followed delay though it would necessarily
have been different in degree and effect. On June 26th, as already
decided upon and expected, the Honour List was made public and the names
of those whom the King desired to especially compliment were announced.
The promotion of the Earl of Hopetoun to be Marquess of Linlithgow, was
well deserved by his services as Governor-General of Australia and the
creation of Lord Milner as a Viscount by his work in South Africa. A
number might almost be called personal honours. Sir Francis Knollys, the
veteran and efficient Private Secretary became Lord Knollys; Lord
Rothschild and Sir Ernest Cassel, old friends of the King when Prince of
Wales, were made members of the Privy Council; Lord Colville of
Culross, Chamberlain to the Queen Alexandra since 1873, was made a
Viscount; Sir Francis Laking and Sir Frederick Treves, the well-known
surgeons, and Sir Thomas Lipton, the King's yachting companion upon more
than one occasion, were created baronets; the Earl of Clarendon, Lord
Chamberlain to the King, and General the Right Hon. Sir Dighton Probyn,
so long the faithful official of his Household, were given the G.C.B.;
Viscount Esher was made a K.C.B. General H. R. H. the Duke of Connaught,
brother of the King and Commanding the Forces in Ireland, was made a
Field Marshal, and H. R. H. the Prince of Wales, was created a General.
CORONATION HONOURS AND INCIDENTS
In the more general list every rank and profession was represented--the
Army and the Navy in honours conferred upon a large number of officers;
Art in the creation of Sir Edward Poytner as baronet, and the knighting
of Sir F. C. Burnand and Sir Ernest Waterlow; Literature in the
knighting of Sir Conan Doyle, Sir Gilbert Parker and Sir Leslie Stephen;
Medicine and Surgery in the same honour conferred upon Sir Halliday
Croom, Sir Thomas Fraser, Sir H. G. Howse and Sir William Church;
Science in the person of Sir Arthur Rucker; Music in that of Sir Charles
Villiers Stanford; Architecture in that of Sir William Emerson; the
Stage in that of Sir Charles Wyndham, The Colonies were amply honoured.
Australia saw knighthoods bestowed upon Sir E. A. Stone, Sir J. L.
Stirling, Sir Henry McLaurin, Sir A. J. Peacock, Sir Arthur Rutledge,
Sir John See, Sir A. Thorpe-Douglas, Sir N. E. Lewis. In New Zealand,
Captain Sir W. Russell-Russell and Sir J. L. Campbell received their
knighthoods. Sir John Gordon Sprigg of Cape Colony, received a G.C.M.G.,
as did Sir Edmund Barton of Australia. In Canada, Sir D. H. McMillan,
Sir F. W. Borden and Sir William Mulock received the K.C.M.G. The King
also announced the establishment of a new Order of Merit, restricted in
numbers and for the purpose of special Royal recognition of
distinguished and exceptional merit in the Army and Navy services, and
in Art, Science and Literature. The first list of members included Lord
Roberts, Lord Wolseley, Lord Kitchener, Lord Rayleigh, Lord Lister, Lord
Kelvin, Admiral Sir Henry Keppel, Mr. John Morley, Mr. W. E. H. Lecky,
Admiral Sir E. H. Seymour, Sir William Huggins and Mr. George Frederick
Watts.
A very important event connected with the Coronation--though not exactly
a part of it--and which proceeded in spite of the King's illness, at his
earnest desire, was the Colonial Conference composed of General Lord
Grenfell, Sir J. W. Ridgeway, Sir W. J. Sendall and Sir William McGregor
representing the lesser Colonies, Protectorates and Military posts and
the Premiers of Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Natal, Cape Colony and
Newfoundland. It was called by Mr. Chamberlain, largely as a result of
so many Colonial leaders being in London at this time, and partly
because of negotiations between Australia and Canada looking to a
discussion during the Coronation period of such questions as trade
relations between the Commonwealth and the Dominion, the establishment
of a fast mail service, the organization of a better steamship service
between Canada and Australia, the establishment of a line of steamers
from Australia to Canada _via_ South Africa, and the position of the
Pacific Cable scheme. The Conference met a few days after the King's
illness was announced and proceeded to discuss these and other questions
in secret session during the next few weeks.
A great many of the functions surrounding and forming part of the
Coronation festivities took place during the period immediately
following the Coronation day, which was to have been, and these
increased in number and brilliancy as the days of actual danger passed
away. On June 26th it was determined not to disappoint the twelve
hundred children from Orphanages and Homes who had been looking forward
for many weeks to an entertainment promised them by the Prince and
Princess of Wales in Marlborough House grounds. They were according
received on that day and another twelve hundred on the succeeding day,
and enjoyed their feasts and games to the uttermost. On July 1st, amid
perfect weather, immense and enthusiastic crowds and in the presence of
Queen Alexandra and the Prince and Princess of Wales, a parade of
Colonial troops took place at the Horse Guards. The route was lined by
Regular troops and the Colonial force of about two thousand men was
headed by General Sir Henry Trotter and the Canadian Contingent. The
Duke of Connaught commanded the whole and was supported by a brilliant
staff.
The Queen came first on the review ground accompanied by many members of
the Royal family, and soon afterwards there appeared a glittering
cavalcade headed by the Prince of Wales in general's uniform. With him
were Lord Roberts, Commander-in-Chief, the Duke d'Aosta, the Crown
Princes of Denmark, Greece, Sweden and Roumania, the Grand Duke of
Hesse, Prince Nicholas and Prince Andrew of Greece, the Duke of
Saxe-Coburg, Prince Akihitu Komatsu of Japan, Prince Christian and
Prince Albert of Schleswig-Holstein and two Indian Princes. After the
inspection the Prince of Wales personally conferred the Distinguished
Service Order, the Victoria Cross, the Companionship of the Bath and the
Distinguished Conduct Medal upon a number of Colonial officers and men
who had won them in the South African War. The parade followed and men
from Canada and Australia, New Zealand, Cape Colony and Natal, Ceylon,
Cyprus and many other parts of the British world filed past the Queen
and the Heir Apparent--special cheers greeting the gallant Sir Edward
Brabant of Cape Colony. Well might the _Times_ in its description
express the keen regret of all at the absence of the King, and then add:
"Perhaps never in the whole history of the world has there been such a
display of Empire power as was witnessed yesterday. Here we had men of
every colour, creed, denomination and descent, all answering to the same
word of command, all performing the same manoeuvre, all animated with
the single object of paying homage to the head of the greatest Empire
the world has ever seen."
Meanwhile, on June 30th, some fifteen hundred Colonial officers and men
and one thousand Indian troops had embarked on special transports to see
the great fleet at Spithead and to obtain an insight into that mighty
naval power of England which the Coronation review was to have brought
before the world once more. In the evening a multitude of bon-fires
around the Kingdom, intended to celebrate the Coronation, were fired to
mark the King's having passed the danger-point in his illness, and they
afforded a most weird and striking effect. On the evening of July 1st a
number of important festivities took place. At the Inner Temple the
Colonial Premiers and distinguished visitors were banquetted. Amongst
the guests were the Lord Chancellor, Mr. Chamberlain, Lord Cross, Lord
Davy, Lord Macnaghten, Lord Lindley, Lord Knutsford, Lord Robertson, and
Sir Edmund Barton of Australia, Sir John Forrest of Australia, Sir
Robert Bond of Newfoundland, Sir Albert Hime of Natal, Sir West
Ridgeway, General Sir Francis Grenfell, Sir W. J. Sendall, Sir John
Carrington, Sir William MacGregor, Sir Julian Salomons, Mr. Justice
Girouard of Canada, the Hon. Arthur Peters and Hon. F. W. G. Haultain.
The Premiers of Australia, Newfoundland and Natal spoke and paid loyal
tributes to the King and the Empire. In his speech Mr. Chamberlain
referred to Sir Albert Hime's statement that the Colonies would be glad
to join the Councils of the Motherland. "If that be their feeling, I
say--and I know I speak the view of the whole of the people of Great
Britain--we shall welcome them. They have enjoyed all the privileges of
the Empire; if they are now willing to take upon themselves their share
of its responsibilities and its burdens we shall be only too glad of
their support." The Canadian Dinner, to celebrate Dominion Day, was held
the same evening; as was Lady Lansdowne's Reception. At the
first-mentioned event, the speakers included Lord Strathcona, Sir
Charles Tupper, the Hon. G. W. Ross, the Earl of Dundonald, Sir F. W.
Borden, the Earl of Minto, the Duke of Argyll, Sir W. Mulock and Mr.
Seddon.
ROYAL AND COLONIAL FUNCTIONS
Lady Lansdowne's function was given in the magnificent drawing-rooms of
Lansdowne House in honour of the special Envoys to the Coronation and
the Colonial and Indian guests of the King. Nearly all the Colonial
Premiers were present at some period during the evening and the Crown
Princes of Roumania, Sweden, Japan and Siam, Mgr. Merry del Val, King
Lewanika, the Duke and Duchess d'Aosta, the Maharajahs of Gwalior,
Jaipur, Kolapore, Bikanur, and Kuch Behar, Sir Pertab Singh, and Mr. and
Mrs. Whitelaw Reid. The Ambassadors of France, Austria, Turkey, Spain,
United States, Germany, Persia, Belgium and half the countries in the
world were also in attendance on what had been originally intended to be
a reception by the Foreign Secretary and his wife in honour of the
Coronation. After the Dominion Day banquet Lord Strathcona also held a
Reception in Piccadilly attended by a great gathering of Canadian and
other Colonial celebrities.
The Review of the Indian Coronation Contingent on July 2nd by the Queen
and the Prince of Wales was a brilliant spectacle, the enthusiasm of the
reception accorded the members of the Royal family as great as on the
preceding day, the massed crowds even larger than on that occasion, the
kaleidoscopic colour and glittering splendour of the scene even more
marked. The ordinary incidents of the parade were much the same as in
that of the day before but British officers from British countries were
superseded by a staff of native Princes blazing with gems, while the
white soldier in ordinary British uniform, with only an occasional
contingent of Houssas, or Fiji troops, or some other dark-coloured
Colonial subjects, were replaced by an Oriental combination of varied
uniform and complex colours. They numbered twelve hundred strong and the
Eastern side of the display was one which the stricken King--deeply
sensitive to the Imperial significance of the Coronation as he
was--would have greatly appreciated and understood. The _Times_
description was an eloquent one: "To those sitting in the stands it
appeared as if a great rich ornamental carpet of kaleidoscopic colour
had been suddenly unrolled across the gravel of the parade-ground; a
line of dazzling tints, before which the impressive grandeur of
Household uniforms with attendant cuirasses, bear-skins, scarlet and
bullion, dwarfed into insignificance. The front of the Asiatic line was
crested with fluttering lance pennons, and beneath these flags were
stalwart frames in vermillion, rich orange, purple-drab, French-grey,
and gold-tipped navy-blue, dressed shoulder to shoulder, making a nether
border of snow-white or orange breeching."
One after another the representatives of famous Indian regiments passed
by and no Roman Emperor, or conqueror of old, ever had such a triumphal
gathering in victorious procession through his ancient capital as this
which passed the windows of the room where the Emperor-King lay slowly
verging toward recovery. Finally, they had all passed--Rajpoot, Sikh,
Pathan, Afridi, Jat, Hazura, Gurkha, Dogra, Multani, Madrassee, Baluchi,
Dekani--and, after a great cheer for the Emperor of India and to the
strains of the National Anthem and personal cheering of another kind,
the Queen and Princess of Wales drove from the grounds followed by the
Prince and the rest of the Royal family.
In the evening a ball was held at the Crystal Palace, the proceeds of
which were to go to King Edward's Hospital Fund, as a sort of Coronation
tribute to His Majesty's well-known interest in this subject. The
function, which had been managed by Mrs. Arthur Paget, Lady Maud
Wilbraham and others was a great success. During the same day Mr. W. H.
Grenfell M.P. entertained the Colonial Premiers and visitors, on behalf
of the British Empire League, at a water-party on the Thames and a
luncheon at Taplow Court. The King's Dinner to the poor people of London
took place on July 5th and constituted probably the most remarkable
event of the kind in all history. A statistician estimated that six
hundred thousand persons sat down at ninety miles of tables served by
eighty thousand voluntary waiters. The cost of the occasion was about
_L_30,000 and how the guests enjoyed their substantial meal of meat,
potatoes, bread, cheese, pudding, beer, lime-juice, chocolate,
cigarettes and tobacco can be better imagined than stated. There were
eight hundred separate feasts and eighteen thousand people entertaining
the guests while thirteen members of the Royal family devoted themselves
to representing the King and giving the pleasure of their presence to
the crowded and happy multitudes.
The day was beautiful, the arrangements, which had been so largely in
the hands of Sir Thomas Lipton, were excellent, and the assistance
abundant. The Coronation mugs gave tremendous pleasure and it would be a
problem in psychology to say why the mere sight of Royalty should give
the intense satisfaction which it unquestionably afforded the
crowds--especially the women. Decorations were everywhere and the Prince
and Princess of Wales drove in semi-state all through East London. The
final climax to the day was the physicians' announcement from the
Palace that the King was out of danger. Princess Christian, the Duke and
Duchess of Connaught, the Duke and Duchess of Fife, the Prince and
Princess Charles of Denmark, the Duchess of Albany, the Duke and Duchess
of Argyll did more than their duty in visiting the various points and
giving the feasters a glimpse of those who represented, even indirectly,
their Royal host. On the following day Lord Knollys wrote the Lord
Mayor, by command of the King, expressing the greatest satisfaction at
the success of the affair and at the energy, foresight and skill
displayed by those who had taken it in hand. "I am further commanded",
he wrote, "to repeat how sincerely His Majesty regretted his inability
to be present at any of his dinners and how deeply also he has been
touched by the loyal and kind feeling so universally displayed when the
bulletin of yesterday morning was read at the various dining-places."
On the following day and at various times and places in the succeeding
weeks the Queen entertained thousands of young servants at tea. Mayors
and other officials or prominent persons presided, and each guest, after
listening to a musical programme, was sent away happy with a box of
chocolate bearing Queen Alexandra's portrait in colours. A function of a
different character was the great state dinner given by the Prince and
Princess of Wales at St. James's Palace on July 8th in honour of the
Colonial guests and visitors. The leading members of the suite during
the late Empire tour were present together with the Countess of
Hopetoun, the Earl and Countess of Onslow, the Earl and Countess of
Minto, the Lord and Lady Lamington, the Lord and Lady Strathcona, Mrs.
Chamberlain, Sir Wilfrid and Lady Laurier, Sir Edmund and Lady Barton,
Mr. Seddon, Sir Gordon and Miss Sprigg, Sir Albert and Miss Hime, Sir R.
Bond, Sir John and Lady Forrest, General Sir Edward Brabant, Sir W.
Mulock, the Hon. Mr. Fielding and Hon. Mr. Paterson. During this week
the Countess of Jersey gave three garden parties at Osterley Park in
honour of the visitors, and Lady Howard de Walden entertained the
Colonial and Indian dignitaries at a reception and concert on July 7th.
Three days later the Queen opened the Imperial Coronation Bazaar which
was held on behalf of the Ormonde St. Hospital for Sick Children. Her
Majesty was accompanied by Princess Victoria, the Duke and Duchess of
Connaught, the Princess Christian and other members of the Royal family,
and the occasion was successful despite a storm of wind and rain. In the
evening the Prince and Princess of Wales held a Reception of some nine
hundred more or less distinguished people at St. James's Palace in
honour of the Colonial visitors. Most of the members of the Royal family
were present as well as Royal representatives of Roumania, Denmark,
Greece and Mecklenburg-Strelitz, and the Colonial Premiers and other
officials or visitors from the outside Empire. It was a really brilliant
function, delightful in its surroundings, decorations and illuminations,
and elaborate in its final incident of supper. On the preceding day a
detachment of troops from Australia and New Zealand, under arrangements
made by Lord Carrington and the Duke of Argyll, visited Windsor Castle
and were given luncheon in the town with the former nobleman as host.
About the same time twelve thousand Kensington school-children were
entertained under the auspices of Princess Louise, Duchess of Argyll,
and revelled in a pleasure such as had perhaps never come before to the
most of them.
There were various functions and incidents of interest in the second
week following the postponed Coronation. One of the most picturesque
scenes ever witnessed in London occurred on July 3rd, when the Fijian
soldiers, who had come to the Empire capital for the great event, were
being driven around the city. On reaching Buckingham Palace they
expressed a wish to sing an intercessory hymn for the King. With their
bare heads, legs and feet, their long and frizzy hair, their white
cotton skirts and quaint tunics, they made a most unique appearance as
they turned toward the Palace and chanted words of which the following
is a rough translation:
"The King is great, and noble, and good.
May he find favour in the sight of the Ruler of Kings;
May he wax strong and stay the tears of us all, for his people are sad.
Mighty is the King and his people shall be glad."
Other parties of West African and Indian troops were driven up and
cheered the bare walls of the Palace with fervour. The Duke of
Connaught, and afterwards the Duke of Cambridge, visited the Indian
troops at Hampton Court. On July 9th, Colonel Lord Binning and the
officers and men of the Royal Horse Guards provided an entertainment for
the Colonial contingents at the Albany Barracks. Entertainments for the
Colonial Premiers were almost continuous. The Duke and Duchess of
Westminster gave an afternoon party in their honour at Grosvenor House;
Lady Lucy Hicks-Beach gave a garden party at the official residence of
the Chancellor of the Exchequer; parties of the King's Indian guests
were taken at different times by Lord Esher and Lord Churchill to see
Windsor Castle; Sir Gilbert Parker gave a dinner in honour of the
Premiers of Australia and Canada; Lady Wimborne gave a dinner and
reception for the Colonial Premiers; the Constitutional Club on July 7th
entertained the guests from the Colonies at a banquet presided over by
the Duke of Marlborough. Sir Wilfrid Laurier, in the course of his
speech, made a notable declaration: "The bond of the British Empire, let
me tell you this my fellow-countrymen, and accept it from a man not of
your own race, the bond of union of the British Empire is allegiance to
the King without distinction of race or colour." The Primrose League in
London entertained the visiting Premiers at a banquet; and the
Fishmonger's Company did the same. An interesting incident was the visit
of Mr. R. J. Seddon, Premier of New Zealand, and his wife and daughters
to Windsor Castle whence, on July 3rd, they were driven to Frogmore
Mausoleum and placed a wreath of lilies and rosebuds on the tomb of the
Queen and on behalf of the people of New Zealand.
The Empire Coronation banquet was the great event of these weeks in the
way of dining and speaking, although Mr. Chamberlain's unfortunate
accident and absence created a serious void. The Earl of Onslow
presided, and amongst the speakers were Sir Wilfrid Laurier, the
Maharajah of Kolapore, Sir Gordon Sprigg and Sir Edmund Barton. Earl
Cromer and Lord Lansdowne, Lord Minto, Lord Kelvin and the Maharajahs of
Bikanur and Cooch-Behar were also present together with a distinguished
array of Colonial dignitaries.
An event of historic importance occurred on July 11th when the Marquess
of Salisbury waited upon the King and tendered his resignation of the
post of Prime Minister. The fact that His Majesty was able to receive
him and deal with the questions involved also served to indicate his
progress toward recovery. Mr. A. J. Balfour was at once sent for and,
after an interview with Mr. Chamberlain, accepted the task of forming a
new Ministry. It had been pretty well understood that Lord Salisbury
intended to resign when peace had come and the Coronation ceremonies
were disposed of. Delay had naturally occurred owing to the King's
illness, but His Majesty's progress toward recovery and the fact of the
principal Coronation functions having been disposed of--outside of the
event itself--induced the Premier to feel that he could now lay down his
burdensome position. Mr. Balfour was received again by the King on July
12th and a little later in the day General Lord Kitchener, after passing
in triumphal procession through the streets of London on his return from
South Africa, was also admitted into audience by the King and
personally decorated from his couch with the special Coronation
honour--the new Order of Merit. Lord Kitchener then dined with the
Prince of Wales, as representing His Majesty, at St. James's Palace.
Meanwhile, the King had been winning golden opinions from all sorts and
conditions of men. His plucky conduct at the beginning of the illness,
his thoughtful consideration for others through every stage of its
continuance, his evidently strong place in the hearts of his subjects,
combined to increase the personal popularity of the Sovereign at home
while enhancing or promoting respect for him abroad. As the New York
_Tribune_ put it on the day before the Coronation: "The King is showing
himself 'every inch a King' in some of those respects which are most
prized and cherished by all men of his race, and which unfailingly
command admiration among all men and all races. Those are the qualities
of unselfishness, and indomitable and uncomplaining pluck." He had
struggled long and earnestly against the malady--not for his own sake,
because safety and ease would have early been found in surrender to its
natural course. When that became finally necessary, and recovery then
succeeded the period of suspense, his whole desire seemed to be the
re-assuring of the popular mind and the relieving of public
inconvenience. On August 6th the King and Queen Alexandra had landed at
Portsmouth from the Royal yacht and proceeded to London. The stations
were profusely decorated, and dense crowds were awaiting their arrival
in the capital. At the Metropolitan station the King walked easily to
the end of the platform and to his carriage, helped the Queen to enter,
and followed himself without any apparent difficulty. The route to
Buckingham Palace was lined with great throngs of people, and His
Majesty acknowledged the continuous cheering with a most cheerful
expression and by frequently raising his hat. He was described as
looking better than for a long time past--while the Queen appeared
positively radiant. On the evening of August 8th, the King issued an
autograph message of thanks and appreciation to the nation, through the
Home Secretary, couched in the following terms:
"To My People:--On the eve of my Coronation, an event which I look
upon as one of the most solemn and most important in my life, I am
anxious to express to my people at home and in the Colonies and
India, my heartfelt appreciation of the deep sympathy they have
manifested towards me during the time my life was in such imminent
danger.
"The postponement of the ceremony, owing to my illness, caused, I
fear, much inconvenience and trouble to all those who intended to
celebrate it, but their disappointment was borne by them with
admirable patience and temper.
"The prayers of my people for my recovery were heard, and I now
offer up my deepest gratitude to Divine Providence for having
preserved my life and given me strength to fulfil the important
duties which devolve upon me as Sovereign of this great Empire.
EDWARD R. I."
While this tactful and sympathetic letter was being written by the
Sovereign, his people in London were preparing for the great event of
the morrow. The streets were crowded with moving masses of people; the
decorations, though not as numerous or imposing as in June, were
nevertheless effective; the streets were illuminated to a considerable
extent, and the stands were nearly all sold out of their seating
capacity. During the afternoon the King walked in the grounds of
Buckingham Palace and held an Investiture, at which he gave the Order of
the Garter to the Dukes of Wellington and Sutherland and of the Thistle
to the Duke of Roxburghe and the Earl of Haddington. A little later, he
received in audience Ras MaRonnen, the Abyssinian Envoy. Two interesting
announcements were also made at this time--that Lord Salisbury was
unwell and would be unable to attend the Coronation, and that Bramwell
Booth had been granted special permission by the King to appear at
Westminster Abbey in Salvation Army garb. The first incident marked the
closing of an era of statecraft; of an age marked by the name and fame
of Queen Victoria and her Ministers. The other illustrated the tact of
the Sovereign as it proved the existence of a religious toleration and
equality characteristic of the new period in which the new reign was
commencing.
On August 9th the great ceremony finally took place. Though shorn of
some of the International splendour of the first arrangements and
without some of the military and naval glory which would have then
surrounded the event its Imperial significance was in some respects
enhanced and there was a deeper note in the festivities and an even more
enthusiastic tone in the cheering than would have been possible on the
26th of June. The solemn ceremony in the ancient Abbey--which had not
been used or opened to the public since that final practice of the
choir--was brilliant in all the colours and shadings and dresses and
gems and uniforms of a Royal function while it presented that other and
more sacred side which all the traditions and forms of the Coronation
ceremony so clearly illustrate. The enthusiasm of the people in the
streets can hardly be described but the spirit and thought and feeling
were well summed up in the words of a Canadian poet--Jean Blewett:
"Long live the King!
Long live the King who hath for his own
The strongest sceptre the world has known,
The richest Crown and the highest Throne,
The staunchest hearts, and the heritage
Of a glorious past, whose every page
Reads--loyalty, greatness, valour, might."
The day opened with brilliant promise and bright sunshine, but became
overcast and gloomy by the time the Royal progress from the Palace had
commenced. The crowds gathered early, and soon every seat in the many
stands were filled with expectant and interested people who numbered in
the end fully half a million. Picked troops, chiefly Household Cavalry
and Colonial and Indian soldiers of the King, to the number of 30,000,
guarded the route, with a picturesque line of white, black, brown and
yellow men of many countries and varied uniforms. When the King and
Queen appeared in their gorgeous state coach from out the gates of
Buckingham Palace they were greeted with tremendous cheers from the
multitude, and these cheers continued all along the way to the Abbey. In
the Royal procession were the Prince and Princess of Wales with
thirty-one other members of the Royal family. The Princess was beautiful
in a long Court mantle of purple velvet trimmed with bands of gold and a
minever cape fastened with hooks of gold over a dress of white satin
embroidered in gold and jewelled with diamonds and pearls. Then followed
Lord Knollys and Lord Wolseley and Admiral Seymour, Lord Kitchener and
General Gaselee and Lord Roberts, with many other notabilities. The
Indian Maharajahs, who acted as Aides-de-Camp to the King, were
brilliant in red and white and brown and blue and gold and jewels.
Immediately in front of the King was the Royal escort of Princes and
Equerries with a body of Colonial and Indian troops. The arrival at the
Abbey was marked by great enthusiasm in the massed multitudes
surrounding the famous building and seated in the crimson-covered stands
which had been built on every side.
The scene in the interior was indescribable. The blend of many colours
in costume mixed with the time-mellowed harmonies of shade and substance
in the mighty structure, while the air was permeated with the solemn
sounds of the recently sung Litany and the slowly pealing bells of loyal
welcome. Around were the greatest men and noblest and most beautiful
women of Great Britain, and in the stalls was a veritable roll-call of
fame in a world-wide Empire. Lord Salisbury was practically the only
British personage of historic repute who was not present while the
veteran Duke of Cambridge appeared as one of the two living links
present between the Coronation which had marked the beginning of the
Victorian era and that which was now to illustrate the birth of a new
period. Into this scene of splendour and revel of colour came the King
and the state officials of his realm.
The procession as it passed from the west door of the Abbey through the
standing and brilliantly-garbed gathering was one of the most stately
spectacles recorded in history. First came the Clergy of the Abbey in
copes of brown shot with gold, the Archbishops in purple velvet and
gold, the gorgeously-clad officers of the Orders of Knighthood, and the
Heralds. Then came the Standard of Ireland, carried by the Right Hon.
O'Conor Don, the Standard of Scotland by Mr. H. S. Wedderburn, the
Standard of England by Mr. F. S. Dymoke and the Union Standard borne by
the Duke of Wellington. Various great officials and nobles followed, the
coronet of each borne by a beautifully dressed page. They included the
Lord Privy Seal, the Lord President of the Council the Lord Chancellor
of Ireland, the Lord Archbishop of York, the Lord High Chancellor, the
Lord Archbishop of Canterbury. Then came the Earl of Gosford as Lord
Chamberlain, Lord Harris carrying the Queen's regalia and the Duke of
Roxburghe carrying Her Majesty's Crown. The Queen herself followed in
robes of exquisite character and splendour and looking as only the most
beautiful woman in England could look. On either side of her were the
Bishops of Oxford and Norwich with five gentlemen-at-arms to the right
and left of them and Her Majesty's train was borne by the Duchess of
Buccleuch assisted by eight youthful personages of title or heirship to
aristocratic position. The Ladies of the Bedchamber followed and then
came the King's regalia, carried by the Earl of Carrington, the Duke of
Argyll, the Earl of Loudoun, Lord Grey de Ruthven, Viscount Wolseley,
the Duke of Grafton and Earl Roberts.
The next personage in this splendid procession of rich-robed noblemen
and gorgeously-clad officials was the Lord Mayor of London and then came
the Marquess of Cholmondeley, as Lord Great Chamberlain, the Duke of
Abercorn as High Constable of Ireland, the Earl of Erroll as High
Constable of Scotland, the Earl of Shrewsbury as Lord High Steward of
Ireland, the Earl of Crawford as Lord High Steward of Scotland (Deputy
to the Duke of Rothesay and Prince of Wales), the Duke of Norfolk as
Earl Marshal of England, the Marquess of Londonderry carrying the Sword
of State, and the Duke of Fife as Lord High Constable of England.
Following these high officers of state came central figures in the
procession--the Duke of Marlborough as Lord High Steward carrying St.
Edward's ancient Crown, the Earl of Lucan carrying the Sceptre, and the
Duke of Somerset bearing the Orb. The Bishop of Ely followed bearing the
Patina, the Bishop of Winchester bearing the Chalice, the Bishop of
London carrying the Bible and then, behind him came the Sovereign of the
mighty little Islands and of an Empire girdling the world in power and
wealth and service to civilization.
His Majesty was clad in Royal crimson robes of state and wore the Order
of the Garter. His train was borne by the Earl of Portarlington, the
Duke of Leinster, the Marquess Conyngham, the Earl of Caledon and Lord
Somers, with Viscount Torrington and Hon. P. A. Spencer, as Pages of
Honour and Lord Suffield, Master of the Robes. On either side of the
King walked the Bishop of Bath and Wells and the Bishop of Durham and
beside them again ten gentlemen-at-arms. Following the bearers of the
Royal train came Admiral Sir Michael Culme-Seymour, the Duke of
Portland, General Lord Chelmsford, the Duke of Buccleuch, Earl
Waldgrave, Lord Belper, various Lords-in-Waiting, Lord Knollys, Sir D.
M. Probyn and Major-General Sir Arthur Ellis.
The services and ceremonies in the Abbey were beautiful and impressive
in the extreme. Enriched with a thousand years' traditions, moulded upon
ancient forms of a sacred and essentially religious character,
symbolizing and expressing a solemn compact between the Sovereign and
his subjects, registering by forms of popular acceptance, homage and
ecclesiastical ritual the final consecration of the King to the
government of his nation, it was a ceremony of exceeding solemnity as
well as of impressive splendour. The great Abbey had been transformed by
tier above tier of seats, covered with blue and yellow velvet, and so
arranged as to form one dazzling mass of brightness and colour when
filled with the peers in their gorgeous robes and peeresses in their
crimson velvet mantles, ermine capes and beautiful gowns. As the King
and Queen entered the Abbey on this eventful day and moved toward their
chairs the choir of trained voices sang with exquisite feeling and sound
the anthem: "I was glad when they said unto me, we will go into the
house of the Lord." The King at different times during the ceremonies
was clad in vestments combining an ecclessiastical character with Royal
magnificence. The dalmatic was a robe of cloth of gold, the stole was
lined with crimson cloth and richly embroidered, the alb, or sleeveless
tunic of fine cambric, was trimmed with beautiful lace. The whole effect
was one of harmonized colour and splendour.
After brief prayer, kneeling on faldstools in front of their chairs, the
King and Queen took their seats and then the Archbishop of Canterbury
turned north, south, east and west and, while the King stood, he said to
the people: "Sirs, I here present unto you King Edward, the undoubted
King of this Realm; wherefore all you who have come this day to do your
homage, are you willing to do the same?" Ringing acclamations of "God
save the King," to the sound of trumpets strongly blown, greeted this
part of the ceremony. The Bible, Patina, Chalice and Regalia were then
borne to the Altar, and the Communion service of the Church of England
proceeded with. Then followed the taking of the Coronation Oath, the
Archbishop of Canterbury first asking His Majesty if he was willing to
do so and receiving an affirmative reply. The questions and answers were
as follows, the King holding a Bible in his hands:
_Archbishop._ Will you solemnly promise and swear to govern the
people of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, and the
Dominions thereto belonging, according to the statutes in
Parliament agreed on and the respective laws and customs of the
same?
_The King._ I solemnly promise to do so.
_Archbishop._ Will you to your power cause law and justice, in
mercy, to be executed in all your judgments?
_The King._ I will.
_Archbishop._ Will you to the utmost of your power maintain the
laws of God, the true profession of the Gospel, and the Protestant
Reformed religion established by law? And will you maintain and
preserve inviolably the Settlement of the Church of England and the
doctrine, worship, discipline and government thereof as by law
established in England? And will you preserve unto the Bishops and
Clergy of England and to the Church therein committed to their
charge, all such rights and privileges as by law do, or shall
appertain to them or any of them?
_The King._ All this I promise to do.
His Majesty, when he had said these words passed to the Altar, knelt
down and with his hand on the Bible said: "The things which I have here
before promised I will perform and keep. So help me God." After signing
the Oath the King returned to his chair. A hymn, a prayer by the
Archbishop and an anthem followed. Meanwhile His Majesty, after being
relieved of his crimson robes by the Lord Great Chamberlain and of his
cap of state, proceeded to King Edward's Chair, near the Altar and, and
while four Knights of the Garter in their magnificent robes and
insignia--the Earl of Rosebery, Earl of Derby, Earl of Cadogan and Earl
Spencer--held over him a Pall of golden Silk, the Archbishop, assisted
by the Dean of Westminster, anointed him with holy oil on the crown of
the head, on his breast and on his hands. His Grace of Canterbury
concluded this part of the ceremony with the words: "And as Solomon was
anointed King by Zadok the Priest and Nathan the Prophet, so be you
anointed, blessed and consecrated King over this People whom the Lord
your God hath given you to rule and govern. In the name of the Father,
and the Son and the Holy Ghost, Amen." The King, after a brief prayer by
the Archbishop then resumed his place in King Edward's Chair and was
robed by the Dean of Westminster with cloth of gold and symbolic girdle.
INCIDENTS OF THE CEREMONY
Various typical or symbolic functions were then performed. The Lord
Great Chamberlain touched the King's feet with a pair of golden spurs as
constituting the ancient emblems of Knighthood; a Sword of State, with
scabbard of purple velvet, was then handed with elaborate ceremony to
the Archbishop who, after placing it upon the Altar and delivering a
short prayer proffered it to His Majesty about whom it was girt by the
Lord Great Chamberlain, His Grace of Canterbury giving the following
injunction: "With this sword do justice, stop the growth of iniquity,
protect the Holy Church of God, help and defend widows and orphans,
restore the things that are going to decay, maintain the things that are
restored, furnish and reform what is amiss and confirm what is in good
order; that by doing these things you may be glorious in all virtue; and
so faithfully serve our Lord Jesus Christ in this life that you may
reign for ever with him in the life that is to come." The King then
placed the Sword upon the Altar from which it was presently taken and
held drawn from the scabbard before him during the rest of the
ceremony. The Dean of Westminster then invested His Majesty with the
Armilla, or gold bracelets, and with the Imperial mantle of cloth of
gold, while the Archbishop presented the Orb of Empire--a golden ball,
made originally for Charles II. with a band covered with gems and a
cross set in brilliants. As he did so His Grace said: "Receive this
Imperial Robe and Orb; and the Lord your God endow you with knowledge
and wisdom, with majesty and with power from on high; the Lord clothe
you with the robe of righteousness and with the garments of salvation."
The next incident was the placing of a gold ring--carried off by James
II. in his flight, and afterwards recovered in Rome by George IV.--upon
the fourth finger of the King's right hand with an Episcopal injunction
to receive the ring as "the ensign of kingly dignity and of defence of
the Catholic faith." Then came the presentation of the Sceptre by the
Archbishop as the ensign of kingly power and justice, and the rod of
equity and mercy, while the Duke of Newcastle as Hereditary Lord of the
Manor of Worksop, had the privilege or right of placing a glove upon the
King's hand. Following this came the central and most dramatic feature
of the ceremonies--the placing of the Crown upon His Majesty's head by
the Archbishop of Canterbury. As the action was performed the venerable
Abbey shook with the acclamation of "God Save the King" while the
trumpets blared and the scene, already brilliant with varied splendours,
flashed in added beauty when the Peers and Peeresses put on their
glittering coronets. A brief prayer and the presentation of a copy of
the Bible by the Archbishop followed with a benediction ending in the
words: "The Lord give you a fruitful country and healthful seasons;
victorious fleets and armies and a quiet Empire; a faithful Senate, wise
and upright Counsellors and magistrates, a loyal nobility and dutiful
gentry; a pious and learned and useful Clergy; an honest, industrious
and obedient community."
After the _Te Deum_ was sung by the choir, His Majesty for the first
time took his place upon the Throne surrounded by the leading officials,
nobles and clergy, and listened to a brief exordium from the Archbishop,
ending with the hope that God would "establish your Throne in
righteousness that it may stand fast for evermore." Then came the
impressive ceremony of Homage. First the Archbishop of Canterbury,
kneeling in front of His Majesty with all the Bishops in their places,
repeated an oath of allegiance. Then the Prince of Wales, taking off his
coronet, knelt in front of the King and the other Princes of the blood
royal knelt in their places and repeated the quaint mediaeval formula in
which they swore "to become your liege man of life and limb and of
earthly worship, and faith and truth I will bear unto you, to live and
die against all manner of Folks." At this point occurred an abbreviation
of the ceremony as well as an _impromptu_ change in the proceedings. As
the Prince rose from his knees touched the Crown on his father's head
and kissed his left cheek in the the formal manner prescribed, the King
rose, threw his arms round his son's neck for a moment and then took his
hand and shook it warmly. After the homage of the Heir Apparent each
Peer of the realm should have followed the traditionary form in the
order of his rank and touched the Crown and kissed the King's cheek.
This was modified, however, so as to enable each grade of the nobility
to perform the function through its representative of oldest patent--the
Duke of Norfolk, the Marquess of Winchester, the Earl of Shrewsbury, the
Viscount Hereford and the Baron de Ros. After this had been done the
trumpets once more sounded their acclaims and the audience joined in
shouting "God save King Edward."
A short but stately ceremony of crowning the Queen then followed. The
Archbishop of York officiated and four Peeresses upheld the Cloth of
Gold over Her Majesty as she was anointed upon the head. A ring was
placed upon her finger with a brief prayer, and a sceptre in her hand
with the following words: "Grant unto this thy servant Alexandra, our
Queen, that by the powerful and mild influence of her piety and virtue,
she may adorn the high dignity which she hath obtained, through Jesus
Christ our Lord." Her Majesty was then escorted from the Altar to her
own Throne, bowing reverently to the King as she passed him to take her
place.
The King and Queen then passed to the Altar together, taking off their
Crowns and kneeling on faldstools and His Majesty formally offered the
Sacrament of Communion to the Archbishop. After thus indicating his
headship of the National Church, the King returned with his Consort to
their chairs and listened to some brief prayers. Thence they returned to
the Altar, received Communion from the Archbishop of Canterbury and then
passed into the Chapel of Edward the Confessor accompanied by a stately
procession. There they were arrayed in Royal robes of purple and velvet,
in place of the mantels previously worn, and passed with slow and
stately dignity down the nave, out to their carriage and thence through
masses of cheering people to Buckingham Palace.
There were several incidents in connection with the Coronation
ceremonies which deeply impressed the onlookers. One was the spontaneous
and obvious sincerity of the King's affectionate greeting to his son.
Another was the enfeebled condition of the aged Archbishop of
Canterbury. With his massive frame, brilliant intellect, and piercing
eyes Dr. Temple had lived a life of intense mental activity and
religious zeal, but in these declining days the massive form had become
bent and trembling, the memory and the eyes found difficulties in the
solemn words of the service, and his shaking hands could hardly place
the Crown upon the head of his King. But the latter's solicitude and
anxious care to save the Primate any exertion, not absolutely essential,
were marked and noticed by all that vast assemblage. The Royal patient
was transformed, by kindly sympathy, into a guardian of the Archbishop's
weakness. When tendering his homage as first of all the subjects of the
King, the aged Primate almost fainted and was unable to rise from his
knees until His Majesty assisted him. Prior to the actual Coronation,
Mr. Edwin A. Abbey, R.A., who had been commissioned by the King to paint
a picture of the historic scene, was allowed to take note of the
surroundings. Another incident of the event was the presence of the
Duchess of Mecklenburg-Strelitz--placed by desire of Queen Alexandra in
a seat at the exact spot which she had held during the Coronation of
Queen Victoria.
On the day following the great event a final bulletin was issued by Sir
F. Laking and Sir F. Treves, which stated that "His Majesty bore the
strain of the Coronation ceremony perfectly well, and experienced but
little fatigue. The King has had a good night, and his condition is in
every way satisfactory." Being Sunday, special services were held in the
St. James's Chapel Royal, at St. Paul's Cathedral, in Marlborough House
Chapel, and at St. Margaret's, Westminster. On Monday, a Royal message
to the nation was made public through Mr. Balfour, the Prime Minister.
Dated on Coronation Day, it described the Osborne House estate, on the
Isle of Wight, as being the private property of the Sovereign, and
expressed his wish to establish this once favourite residence of the
late Queen as a National Convalescent Home for Officers of the Army and
Navy--maintaining intact, however, the rooms which were in her late
Majesty's personal occupation. "Having to spend a considerable part of
the year in the capital of this Kingdom and in its neighbourhood, at
Windsor, and having also strong home ties in the County of Norfolk,
which have existed now for nearly forty years, the King feels he will
be unable to make adequate use of Osborne House as a Royal residence,
and he accordingly has determined to offer the property in the Isle of
Wight as a gift to the nation." Following the Coronation came multitudes
of editorial comments upon the event, and one of the most concise and
expressive was that of the London _Times_: "The significance of the
Coronation ceremony on Saturday lay in its profound sincerity, as a
solemn compact between the Sovereign and his subjects, ratified by oath,
and blessed by the highest dignitaries of the National Church. It was a
covenant between a free people, accustomed for long centuries to be
governed according to statutes in Parliament agreed on, and their
hereditary King, and a supplication from both to God that the King may
be endowed with all princely virtues in the exercise of his great
office. Though the details of the ceremony do not mean to us all they
meant to our forefathers, the ceremony itself is a no less strong and
enduring bond between the King and subjects. The most striking feature
of the Coronation was that it was the first to be attended by the
statesmen of self-governing Colonies, and by the feudatory Princes of
India."
With the event also came an Ode from Mr. Alfred Austin, entitled "The
Crowning of Kingship." On August 11th the King held a Council at
Buckingham Palace, attended by the retiring and new members of the
Cabinet; invested many distinguished personages with their Coronation
honours; and gave an audience to Sir Joseph Dimsdale, Lord Mayor of
London, who presented the City's Coronation gift of $575,000 toward the
King Edward Hospital Fund, in which His Majesty had so long taken so
deep an interest and to which, on this occasion, there was contributed
20,000 penny donations from the poorest quarters of London.
Various functions of a Coronation character or connection ensued. On
August 12th some 2000 Colonial troops who were present at the event, in
a representative capacity, from British dominions beyond the seas, were
received by the King on the grounds of Buckingham Palace. Under the
Royal canopy were the Queen and the children of the Prince of Wales, and
in attendance were Earl Roberts, Lord Kitchener, Mr. Chamberlain and
various Colonial Premiers, including Sir Wilfrid and Lady Laurier. After
the march past, the King pinned a Victoria Cross on the breast of
Sergeant Lawrence, and the Prince of Wales conferred Coronation medals
upon the officers and men. His Majesty then addressed the troops as
follows: "It has afforded me great pleasure to see you here to-day and
to have the opportunity of expressing my high appreciation of your
patriotism and the way you distinguished yourselves in South Africa. The
services you have rendered the Mother-Country will never be forgotten by
me, and they will, I am sure, cement more firmly than ever the union of
our distant Colonies with the other parts of my great Empire."
On the following day the Indian troops sent from the great Eastern realm
to honour the Coronation of its Emperor were reviewed at the same place.
His Majesty wore a jewelled sword which cost some $50,000, and had been
presented to him on the previous day by the Maharajah of Jaipur. The
scene was a most brilliant and picturesque one. The British notables
present wore military or Levee dress; the great lawn of the Palace was a
splendid spectacle in red, yellow, green and blue; the Eastern Princes
were gorgeous in jewels and many-coloured raiment, and the little
Princes Edward and Albert of Wales constituted themselves Aides of the
King and brought several general officers up to have an audience. After
the march past and the distribution of medals at the hands of the Prince
of Wales, His Majesty addressed the troops in the following words: "I
wish to convey to all ranks the high satisfaction it has given me to see
this splendid contingent from India. I almost feared, owing to my
serious illness, that I would be prevented from having the advantage of
seeing you, but I am glad to say that by God's mercy I am well again. I
recognize among you many of the regiments I had the advantage of seeing
at Delhi during my tour of India." During the next few days various
minor functions took place, and the Colonial leaders especially were
feasted and entertained in every possible way.
On August 17th the final event occurred in connection with the
Coronation. It was the mighty greeting of a great fleet to the Sovereign
of a wide-flung realm. It was the inspection of a naval force which a
generation before could have dominated the seas of the world and put all
civilized nations under tribute. Gathered together from the Home
Station, the Channel squadron and the Cruising squadron; without the
detachment of a ship from foreign waters or Colonial stations, it
included 20 battleships, 24 cruisers and 47 torpedo crafts, with an
outer fringe of foreign vessels contributed in complimentary fashion to
honour the occasion. From Spithead to the Isle of Wight the horizon was
black with great grim vessels of war decked out with flags, and as the
King's yacht approached the first line of ships, a hundred Royal salutes
made a tremendous burst of sound such as probably the greatest
battle-fields of history had never heard. As the King, in Admiral's
uniform, stood upon the deck of his vessel and passed slowly down the
lines, a signal given at a certain moment evoked one of the most
impressive incidents which even he had ever encountered--a simultaneous
roar of cheers from the powerful throats of 50,000 enthusiastic sailors.
The sound rolled from shore to shore, and ship to ship, was echoed from
100,000 spectators on land and sea, and repeated again from the
battleships. The King was deeply moved by this crowning tribute of
loyalty, and at once signaled his gratification to the fleet and an
invitation to its flag officers to come aboard his yacht and receive a
personal expression of his feelings. In the evening electric and
coloured lights of every kind and in countless number combined with
flashing searchlights to illuminate the great fleet and to cast a
glamour of fairy land over the splendid scene.
Meanwhile, in the morning, His Majesty had received on board his yacht
the celebrated Boer Generals, Botha, De Wet and De la Rey. Afterwards,
in company with Lord Kitchener and Earl Roberts they had returned to
London greatly pleased with the cordiality of their reception and
especially gratified at the kind manner of Queen Alexandra. Following
the official Naval Review, the King on the next day visited the fleet in
a stormy sea and watched it go through certain manoeuvres of a
practical kind before being dispersed to its different local stations.
On his return to London he found the Shah of Persia a guest of the
nation and awaiting formal reception at the hands of its Monarch. And
thus King Edward took up again his unceasing round of duty and
ceremonial and high responsibility. In the past year or two he had gone
through every variety of emotional experience and official work and
brilliant ceremony--his mother's death and the consequent mourning of a
nation and empire; his own assumption of new and heavy duties; the
special labours of an expectant period; the time of serious illness and
the anxieties of complex responsibility to a world-wide public; the
realization of his Coronation hopes; the change from an old to a new
period stamped by the change in his national advisers and the presence
of his Colonial Premiers. He now entered upon his further lifework, with
chastened feelings in a personal sense but, it is safe to say, with high
and brilliant hopes for the future of his own home country and its
far-flung Empire.