QUEEN ELIZABETH IS AN EXCELLENT HOSTESS AND A DEVOTED MOTHER

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 13, 30 January 1937, Page 18

QUEEN ELIZABETH IS AN EXCELLENT HOSTESS AND A DEVOTED MOTHER

There is a general idoa that Eoyal personages know nothing about the way their homes are. run — that thej have so many "retainers" that everything is done without their having. any idea about it. ' Of course? it is necessary that the ordinary routine arrangements should not fall on their shoulders, as they have so many duties of a different kind. Nevertheless^ our new Queen liappens to be one of those who does to a very great extent isupervise the domestic side of her life, writes a close friend of the Queen in an English journal. Whether it is due to her «arly training at home in Seotland, or to a natural bent in that direetion, it is a fact that, when Duehess of York, Queen Elizabeth had been in the habit of going down to the kitchen floor to look into the larder and discuss every detail of the day's meals with the fcook at 145 Piccadilly. A housekeeper is in charge of the general round of work in the house, but the Duehess alwayis kept her iingers on the strings. In the matter.of making out the daily menus the Duehess invariably ran her eye over the bill-of-fare submitted. Although the King now enjoys very good health, in his younger days, even when Duke of York, he had a certain amount of trouble which necessitated careful diet. This has always 'been the DuchesB's speeial care.

The question of the food of her children is of paramount interest to the Queen. Often when in the nurseries she has given a supervising eye to the food cooked in the little kitchenette, which, like most nurseries of to-day, is part of the nursery suite. Sometimes, when a few spare moments have been available, the Queen, just like any other mother, has delighted in showing her little daughters how cakes and scones — in the Scots' manner, of co.urse — are made. An unusual arrangemenfc which comes into force when the Duke and Duehess have given their big dinner parties at 145 Piccadilly is that a transformation is made in the way of dining room. The morning room is used. This means a good deal of rearrangement, but the room which they use for their own meals, which is at the front of the house, is not big enough for more than about six covers. I Queen Elizabeth is recognised by all who have the pleasure and privilege of meeting her at home as being in the firSt rank of hostesses. This is due largely to the fact that her interests are so varied. Even before travelling round (the world she has always found life full of sidelights which attracted her.

If the Duke found himself next to someone at a dinner who, for example, had speeial knowledge of a particular I subject, he would say: " Oh, I mu'st tell my wife about that, and I want you to meet her and expJain all about it, as she will ,be so interested.". . For formal dinner partios of her own Queen Elizabeth has always taken tremendous trouble over the menus and the floral arrangements, for which she has a real gift. Queen Elizabeth is a most devoted mother, and the public are quite accuatomed to seeing her going about with her children on every possible occasion. In this she is following Queen Mary's custom, for she used to be seen everywhere with her sailor-clad boys looking so spruce in their white duck outflts in the summer. It is no exaggeration to say that every spare moment of the Queen has been Bpent in the nursery or seeing her children in their own room, or in that cheerful morning room which looks on to the green of the gardens of Hamilton Place. Queen Elizabeth will inevitably have less of these spare moments now, but it is certain that she will make timo for as many as possible. She has none of those old-fashioned ideais that chil- ! dren should be kept to a rigid rule of life, wich chills and cramps their warmest feelings. These little girls are fortunate indeed in their parents. Queen Elizabeth has always had a tidy rnind. This has made it possible for /her movements to be as free as possible. She plans her life carefully and is never flurried or rushed. Whichever lady-in-waiting is on duty meets hor in the early morning, when correspondence is attended to and the diary arranged. Then the question of dress has to be gone into, with due regard to the functions which the Duehess has to attend, sometimes necessitating several changels during the day. The Queen is one of the growing number who think tea-time infinitely a more cheerful hour than the cocktail one. It is essentially a "homey" one. And Queen Elizabeth is a real homelover.