ANECDOTES OF THE BRITISH COURT.

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 148, 18 March 1920, Page 7

ANECDOTES OF THE BRITISH COURT.

s ' WINDSOR CASTLE ETIQUETTE. A plentiful crop of anecdotes about the British Court in the (lays of Queen Victoria and King Edwaid is mattered through the panes of Baron von Eckardstein's "Liebenseriimcrungeii." Baron von Eckardstein, ivlio ■ married the daughter of Sir J. Blundell iUapio and was divorced by her, was a member ol' the Gorman Embassy for several years during thoso reigns, mid ho was in a position to know much. Jlis'attitude to England is friendly. Ha severely criticises Bismarck and the ex-Kaiser and gives some startling new facts as to tho Kruger telegram ajid German activities on the evo of tho Boer war. • The "grey eminence" who was responsible for the war, he mivm, is Holstein. of tie l German Foreign Office, who sowed suspicion of Great Britain systematically. | He ridicules the common German theory that Groat Britain hated Germany and shows—what is the truth—that King Edward was no enemy of hers but only wanted to prevent war. He tells much of Queen Victoria's almost whimsical hatred of tobacco. When King Albert of Saxony went-, to Windsor ho was warned that smoking was forbidden in the ca6tlo. None the less he lighted a long cigar and went up the great staircase with it, when it was conveyed to him that his conduct was "shocking." " At a later date Prince Henry of Battenberg induced the old Queen to allow smoking in the billiards-room, but it bud to be accomplished in desperate haste and to be followed by eating cachous to hide the smell. Count Hatzfeld, the German Ambassador, when he went to Windsor, was reduced to lying on his stomach before the fire and puffing tho smoke up tho chimney. King Edward when .Prince of Wales did not get on well with the ICaiser. Oil one occasion lie was racing his yacht near Cowes against the Kaiser's yacht; when it fell calm. As there «was to be a State dinner that night at Osborne in tho Kaiser's honour the Prince of Wales signalled to the Kaiser, "Propose to you to give up the race, land at Sundown, and return by train sn as to be punctually at Osborne." The Kaiser replied, "Am against that; we must fight out tho race whatever time we get to Cowes." They both arrived at Osborne nearly two hours late, and the Queen was not a little indignant. The Prince complained that "the regatta at Cowos used to be a pleasure and a recreation to me, but now, since the Kaiser lias taken charge of it there is no room for mo." On his part the Kaiser was not very respectful to his uncle. Ho spoke of him to a large gathering, among whom were not a few Englishmen, as "an old peacock." There was more trouble at Queen Victoria's funeral, where the German suggestion was that the Crown Prince should lead all the heirs to the throne of Europe in the procession as the eldest. grandchild of the Queen. Francis Ferdinand of Austria flatly refused to walk behind him, whereupon, apparently, the project was dropped, Tin secret history of the Kaiser's telegram encouraging Kruger in the Jameson Kaid is given fully. It was not, as the German Government pretended, an impulsive act, but was deliberately framed by the. Kaiser jn Council, though on« passage in it, which the Kaiser thought 'too strong, was struck out. It was_to have been followed by action whicn would have brought war. German seamen were to have been landed at Delagoa Bay from German cruisers an'd several hundred German troops from East Africa we to have accompanied them and marched to Pretoria. But the Mnrrniis of Roveral, then the Portuguese Pririie Minister, refused to allow this plan to be carried out.