HOW LEVEES ARE HELD

Hokitika Guardian, 7 May 1930, Page 2

HOW LEVEES ARE HELD

ST. JAMES’ PALACE CEREMONIES.

“PASSING THE PRESENCE.”

Following the usual and long established custom, a number of Levees will be held this year at St. James’. Palace during the spring and early summer. The idea"of these functions is to enable officials and private gentlemen of dis-i tinction to.make the acquaintance of His Majesty the King, or the member of his family who may be deputising for him.

LEVEE LAWS

A levee is limited to the male sex, and is thus to a man very much what a “Court” is to a woman. Thus, it.gives him the opportunity of coming into personal contact with his sovereign. For this reason it has its own pageantry and etiquette, and special regulations govern the matter of attending. Officers (other than those of, the Indian and overseas forces, .the Brigade of Guards and the Household-' Cp.vMry)j submit their application; to the 1 Admiralty and the War, Office; officers of the Indian Army. an^-JiHfeqyor,se^fe; forces to the India Office and the Colonial Office: and officers of.the Fqot Guards, and the Household Cavalry to the Lord Chamberlain. Members of the Civil Service apply to the heads of theii resepective departments; peers, bishop lord-lieutenants, members (jf Parliament ond private gentlemen to the Lord Chamberlain ; judges and King’s Counsels, to the I ord Chancellor.' and Lord Mayors and sheriffs etc., to the Home Secretary.

If the application is approved (and it is only in the rarest instanc.es that it is not,) a. card of admission is forward ed. If. by any chance, it is subsequently discovered that admission has been improperly obtained, the authorities act very sharply; end a notice appears in the ‘(London Gazette”' to the effect that “the ; presentation of- at the Levee held ion is cancelled.” The last instance of this step being adopted was ; when a professional bookmaker managed to hoodwink the Lord Chamberlain and receive a card. In the “good old days,” however, precautions were so little observed that there seem to have been many such rms haps. Thus, the Duke of Wellington once recognised an ex-convict mingling with the throng at the Palace; and Townsend, the Bow Street “runner” nctuallv arrested a notorious pickpocket in the throne room itself.

FINE FEATHERS,

The sartorial regulations require officers to wear full dress uniform, and private gentlemen to wear Lefee dress. This latter term implies a black velvet suit, with buckled shoes, cocked hat-, sword, and white gloves complete. As the average civilian’s wardrobe dots not often contain such items (the cost of which is about. £7O) the custom is to hire them from, firms that make? % speciality of Ah is service. The result is not always, satisfactory, in resect *.o fit Still, these'are days' when economy has to be studied. V-’ " ...

If only by reason of the great variaty of uniforms worn, a Levee is full of picturesque touches. Indian. Princes, membersof the Corps Diplomatique Cabinet Ministers, and lords-lieutenant and sheriffs, together with naval and military officers, and a sprinkling of judicial, civil and ecclesiastical dignitaries, are all to he encountered there. Men who have grown grey in the public service mingle with voutbs standing on •he threshold of it, all drawn together in a common bond of homage to the sovereign. The gathering is thus an epitome of Empire.

“POMP AND CIRCUMSTANCE.”

A levee is timed to begin at 12 noon. Everybody, however, makes a point of reaching St. James’ Palace by 11 o’clock. The general public, who regard the ceremony, as one of the “free sights” of London, assemble on the pavement, as near the entrance as the police will let them, an hour earlier. There is plenty to se ennd hear. A Juards Band plays in the Friary Courtfield marshals, admirals, ambassadors bishops and judges, well-known figures in the worlds of art and literature, f ance, and politics and society arrive every few minutes .and challenge from toe interested rowd. But only a fleeting glimpse can be caught of them, for they slip swiftly through a narrow door and vanish into the Palace.

As a preliminary the throng assemble in a long, red-walled, crimson carpeted loom on the ground floor. Then, proceeding up a broad staircase, lined with Yeomen of the Guard, the company enter another room, the walls of which are hung with trophies and weapons. -This leads into a tapestiied ante-room, and the ante-room in turn into the Throne Boom.

The Throne Boom at St. James’ nlace is a splendid apartment, big and .square and lofty, the walls covorecjl with red silk panels and hung with portraits. At the upper end, in front of n crimson velvet curtain is the Throne itself, standing on a dais. , Surounding it is a semi-circle o ifliigh officials the principal of whom is the Lord Chamberlain. Other officials of the Household are grouped near him to keep a watchful eye on the company to see that all goes smoothly.

EVERYTHING “ON WHEELS.”

All goes smoothly and with, clockwork precision. As it comes to the turn of each member of the throng to advance, his card is taken from him. The Lord Chamberlain reads out the name o nit and nods meaningly. This is the signal. The bearer steps forward and hows. There is a gracious acknowledgment from 'the figure on the Throne ,and the “presentation” is effected.

That is all. No hurry. No seramb idling,and no fus's. Everything on wheels,” as it were. In fact, a levee is a triumph of organisation and good, management. ■ ‘"Without a hitch an average total of one thousand individuals'“pass the Presence” in the compass of little more than an'hour. While there is no actual compulsion to attend a levee, established custom has none the less ordained that certain people shall make a point of doing so from time to time. Thus, all officers are expected to attend on first appointment, and again afterwards on being, promoted in rank. Similarly, members of any Government Service or holders of important positions under the Crown as well as any privets gentleman who aspires to h°. as behig within the ranks of “Society.” Where the latter are concerned attendance is looked upon as a social passport. It renders the recipient of Gio honour eligible for invitatiops +o State .f.\ui(jffqils ail'd' admission to. the Royal Enclosure at Ascot/, etc. ;jf In fact, a letee'iis,to a p'ni.pi vsiat aLVCourt” .is to a member of the opposite sex. Hav:;pjig ityfen’i “out,” as it were. " 1 .