PRINCE OF WALES

Hokitika Guardian, 16 November 1932, Page 8

PRINCE OF WALES

SIX BRIDES PRESENTED

embarrassing GIFT

LONDON, October 4

. It is an,,inflexible rule 1 of the British, Royal Family that its members should not accept presents from strangersAnd one of the moat difficult of thei King George and Queen Mary and their sons is how to refuge gifts—some very valuable—offer, ed to them in ignorance of this rule,; • without' hurting the feeling of the; donors. ‘ ' : 1

As the most travelled member of the Royril Family, the Prince of <Waes‘ has i had more embarrassing gifts than prob- ! ably any other man in the world, and ' has developed a technique of his own 'for dealing with them. But- even his 'tact must have been taxed to the utmost by * the problems which 'confronted him with half a dozen dusky maidens sent him by an African chief. This was in the heart of the jungle during ■ the Prince’s last hunting' trip, and the 'bevy of damsels arrived' at life camp ■without any warning. An interpreter explained that they were sent by the chief, to'be the Prince* brides. The Prince replied that in his country a man could have only one wife, ■ and added that the girls were all so : beautiful he could not choose among them. Sending a gift to; the chief and something to each of the girls as an extra prdof of his appreciation of the hpnqur done him, the Prince was able to dispose of the awkward 1 present without causing trouble. Another problem is what to ar with some of the presents the Royal liamily are obliged to accept. Tb> lion and ■lioness presented to the King by the Emperor of Abyssinia, for' instance, had to be sent to the London Zoo for safe-keeping.