Royal Gala Banquet.

Hokitika Guardian, 1 July 1922, Page 4

Royal Gala Banquet.

A AiAGNIFICENT SOF.NI

BRUSSELS, May 10.

There was a gala dinner at the Royal Palace this evening given to King George and Queen Alary by King Albert and Queen Elizabeth. It was the chief event of the day, and in the old phrase, was a right royal sight. • There were 230 guests. They drove .past steel-helmeted sentries at the cc gales and between lines ft troops, scarlet liveried footmen helped them to alight, and they were directed to the foot of the stair of honour. This is a. French term, and a most befitting one. Imagine a staircase broad a s a room, the walls stand sheer beyond it to a groat height, but at some considerable distance, so that in the huge well of air and light- for it was brilliantly lit—the great stair rises m its way w'itli something of the deliberate majesty of the mountains. Up this processional way, shining with jewels and orders, slowly moved the mass of guests. There wore splendid windows and mural de. orations to framo the scene. The stair itself 'at half i‘.s heigKE divides into two, and the two parts sweep round towards its foot and thus meet the tipper floor, so that between tl>e malachite and gold rails which border’' it all the way up astonishing magnificence caught: a glimpse of crossing magnificence and felt something of the thrill of its own

pageantry. Those bidden to the banquet passed into a long room more like a hall, an enormous ante-chamber sparsely but splendidly fitted with seats of crimson brocade and crimson and gold couches. To the end of ibis room came the two loyal parties when everything was ready and moved from there in procession to the great ballroom where the banquet was laid. ■

As they entered the banquet room all its lights were flashed on. Two thousand lights at least sprang out amid chandeliers hanging from the roof over the tables—ehandeliews so magnificent that they wore like hanging gardens of crystal arid amid others only a degree less splendid fixed to the walls, and from flowerv brackets, and tall wax candles in silver sconces upon the table themselves.

By n signal and unusual honour King George and Queen Mary ivere placed by their royal hosts side bv side, so that the British Sovereigns together formed the centre point and nucleus of the brilliant assembly. The King of the Tic Igians sal by our King, and next to him tv ns Cardinal Mercier, besides whom were the young daughter of the Belgian royal house, Princess Mario Josephine - Princess Marie .lose, as she is affectionately termed by everyone in the kingdom. But sixteen years of age, it only her second state banquet. On her other side was Lord Beatty. BRITISH WELCOME.

The day which ended in splendour be--gan for the King and Queen with a quiet simple ceremony. In the morning they received the representatives of the British colony. There is something touching about the. intense devotion of 'these British colonies scattered .all over the world to Iheir King, and the British in Belgium are as devoted as any. So great was the volume of cheers yesterday as Ihe procession passed the point where, they were massed that 1 believe the royal suite in their carriage could not hear each other speak.'

This morning also, under the leadership of Mr Martin Gurney, our Consul. General at Antwerp; of A[r Stuart Bleakney, the Canadian trade commissioner; and Mr G. F. Stmird of the Foreign Office, a number of British offi. (•ials were, also pi fsented to the King. In their address, presented to the King h.v Air George Potts, president of the Chamber of Commerce, the British community affirmed "its sincere and devoted loyalty to your Majesty's person, throne and family,” and spoke of the generous hospitality of the Belgian nntion to the Britons in its midst.

In the afternoon the King and Queen left Brussels on a visit; to the Colonial -Museum at Tervueren, about 6 miles outside the city and placed in a lovely xvoeded estate, a mass of lofty trees dad to-day with spring foliage as light and tenuous as feathers. The visit was made without ceremonv.