SOME INCIDENTS AT ROYAL LEVEES

Ashburton Guardian, Volume VII, Issue 1837, 10 May 1888, Page 3

SOME INCIDENTS AT ROYAL LEVEES

Monarohs, who have to submit to many tyrannies by which monarcha alone cju Buffer, must have an especial dread of levees and presentations. The monotony mußt be killing ; at the very beßt, irrlta ting. George IV had toe BUto ; y drearinees very much relieved On oue occasion, when a nervous gentleman was bowing and passing before him, a lord, m waiting, kindly whispered to him: "Kiss hands!' The nervous gentlemen accordingly moved on the door, turned round, and there kissed hands airily to the king by way of kindly farowell. George IV laughed almost as heartily aa hh brother, King William, did at an unlucky alderman who was at court on the only day Me Julian Young over felt himself constrained to go into the royal presence. The alderman's dresa aword Hot between his legs as ho wan backing from that presence, whereby he was tripped np aud fell backwards on the floor; King William cared not a fig for dignity He remarked §with ereat^glee to those who stood naar: "By Jove ! the fellow has caught a crab 1" and the kindly laughter was, as ,it were, poured point blank into the floundering alderman. This was not encouraging to Mr Young, who had to follow. A newlyappointad royal chaplain In Hampton Palaoe Chapel, King William had expressed a wlah to sea him at levee, and obedienco waa a duty. The chaplain had bean told by Sir Horace Seymour that he had nothing to do but follow the example of the gentleman who might happen to be before him. - The principal directions to the neophyte were : "Bow very low, »ud do not torn your baok on the king 1" The instant the chaplain had kUsed the king's hand, however, he turned his baok on hia sovereign, and hurried off. Sir Horace Seymour afterwards consoled him for this breoah of etiquette by stating that a Surrey baronet who had followed him had made a wider breach m court observance. The unluoky baronet, seeing the royal hand outstretched, instead of reverently putting his HpB to it, caught hold of it and wrung it heartily 1 The king, who loved a joke, probably enjoyed levoe3, the usual montor.y of which was relieved by auch amusing incidents as these.