ROYALTY’S TRADESMEN.

Patea Mail, Volume VIII, Issue 1001, 23 February 1883, Page 2

ROYALTY’S TRADESMEN.

The care of Charles Dickens has provided for visitors to London complete lists of those tradesmen who have the honour of supplying her Majesty the Queen, the Prince of Wales, and his charming consort with the various commodities they require; and so full is the information supplied that the loyal Australian who wishes to spend' his money where royalty leads the way, will find far less difficulty in providing himself with everything he can possibly want from these .purveyors than in discovering how his means may be stretched so as to cover the expenditure of a ten pound note with each of them. Those sacred to the Princess of Wales number only twenty-seven ; but her Majesty and the heir apparent are blessed with upwards of 400 in London alone. .The lists show some peculiarities which may a waken just a little surprise. Thus I find that the Prince of Wales has no less than three hairdressers—all responsible firms—and as he has no hair to speak of, and has not yet taken to wigs, as his great uncle George the Fourth did, he must be puzzled what to do with them. His plight is the more odd, as two of these gentry suffice for the Princess, and the Queen has none at all. Three dignified establishments are required to supply leather .breeches to her, Majesty, at least so Mr Dickens says, while the Prince only finds it necessary to employ four firms for that purpose, ..Nine tailors are not enough to make a royal man presentable, for the Prince has seventeen, ten of whom do not serve his august parent. But the magic number nine is adhered to by the Queen, only that one; of her ; nine tailors makes nothing but liveries. It takes seven firms to supply the Queen and the Prince with wines, and five of these are devoted solely to her Majesty, the Prince contenting himself With four, and with a share in the attendance of two others. Three brewers and two ale and beer merchants complete this department; and one musicseller is enough for all the harmony, required. To supply the Prince of Wales with tobacco and cigars, six-Wcgt-end firms are laid under contribution, besides one who merely furnishes cigarettes, and another who only purveys

snuff. The lists of jewel4errf^4ae^^pi!fftt H r grocers, fruiterers, andlvpthorf d 1 |ppf:Jha,t kiml, are too Jong tt&jquofe \vea(lreland on-^the-\\jl)o!e it nmlersj3\ri3 that need care and pains to divide even the ve ; Royal income equitably. among>the comnieroiaLibrigade that?, looks to Bucking* 1 ham Palace' andxMartiwirough • sustenance,.