PRINCE OF WALES

Gisborne Times, Volume LXV, Issue 10317, 28 January 1927, Page 3

PRINCE OF WALES

CHARACTER STUDY WRITTEN. STORY OF A~“BOMBSHELL.” DANCES WITH A SHOP GIRL. Hoav the Prince of Wales unwittingly threw a bombshell into the 'society" of a Central American republic by dancing through half the x~.ogramme at a bah given in his honour with a shop girl is reiateu hy Major F. E. Verney in a book written by him, and published under the title of “R.R.H., a character study of the Prince of Wales.” The story has its beginning in a b'all at Panama, “AA’here,” he says “the physique of most of the women Avas more prosperous than tefpsichorcan. After a few duty dances with partners who had important husbands, the Prince secured a partner Avlio was slender, graceful, and skilful, and began to enjoy himself. “Fairly soon the staff detected signs of general feminine disquiet, and the tactful deputation of three leading members of local society charged Avith conveying the grave news that the lady with whom the Prince ivas dancing, and had danced several times, was an assistant in a shop.

/THE. PRINCE’S ANSWER. “Intervention was decided upon* in the next interval. The Prince smiled cheerfully when the lady’s occupation was revealed, and remarked, ‘lt i be a jolly good shop.’ Rut when the general wave of scandalised indignation was explained to him, he became annoyed, and although he was thinking of changing his partner for the next dance, he insisted on dancing once more with the girl from the shop. ‘He soothed the lacerated feelings of society by dancing the remainder of the evening according to the calendar of local precedence.” “The Prince of Wales,” says Major Verney, “is a great ambassador. He is a terrific force in the Empire. But above all, he is an unassuming British officer. Of his position in a social sense he is only conscious in that it restricts his personal freedom, and that it inspires in many people he meets an artificiality or a lack of spontaneity which he has always to be fighting. “He is intensely keen upon the serious work of his tours, but he has no use for the splendours of his office, and never gets the vestige of a thrill out of them. His attitude is that of a business man tackling an unattractive but inevitable piece of routine work. DESIRE FOR HARD EXERCISE. “In the common activities of everyday life there are only two which give him excitement: rding to hounds on a. hot scent across country, and the close finish of a race in which he is well up to the post. - Polo is the Prince’s favourite game, and in the last two voars he has been very much attracted by golf.

“In the Prince’s inveterate desire for hard exercise there is a strong element of his temperamental restlessness. But he is also inlluenced to no small degree bv the horror lie has of putting on weight. For this reason he is always careful of his weight and eats sparingly. “It is not generally realised that the Prince has artistic tastes above the average. When he saw a certain popular revue in London in 1825. his visits were advertised to ail extent which inspired articles deploring the fact that llis Royal Highness’ interest in the theatres was confined to revues and musical comedies. At that particular time his Royal Highness was spending a period of theatre-go-ing, and at least half of the stage performances he attended Avere serious .plays.

NO PASSION FOP DANCING. “The Prince’s partiality lor .jazz is of a similar character to fiis interest in revue and musical comedy. It has the restlessness and abundant vitality of his temperament, and provides him with the utmost measure of relaxation. Contrary to popular supposition, the Prince does not read music, and plays no musical instrument. He has, however, a good ear for music, picks up a refrain with unusual ease, and can strum effectively on the ukulele.” Major Verney explodes a popular illustration about the Prince’s love of dancing. “His liking for the dance floor,” says the writer, “is advertised more widely than any other of his so-called ‘human’ traits—an aspect of publicity which has contributed largely to the lame view of him that is current among people who form their impressions on superficial evidence. “The Prince has a penchant for dancing, but no passion for it. intrinsically, it leaves him cold. The human contiguity of the dance floor, however, its utter informality, and its light-hearted inconsequence attract him. Modern dancing supplies a physical and mental demand arising out ■of the strain of his work and the nature of his daily life. Normally his nervous svstem is so constantly on the stretch that it has become nearly a physical impossibility for him to enploy an evening in inaction. To relax ruliy he must do something. Herein is the explanation of the Prince’s partiality for jazz and dancing.'’