SIR CLIVE WIGRAM HOLDS JOB REQUIRING TACT AND CAPABILITY

Rotorua Morning Post, Volume 2, Issue 319, 5 September 1932, Page 2

SIR CLIVE WIGRAM HOLDS JOB REQUIRING TACT AND CAPABILITY

WHENEVER triplets are born in any part of Great Britain — tlms entitling the motlier to the "Royal bounty" of £5 — and when ever a great disaster occurs at home or abroad, King George's message of congratulation or condolence is drafted by Colonel Sir Clive Wigram And whenever tlie sovereign gets a ietter from an entliusiastic individual who can prove that the earth is II at, or a petition urging that the Bank of Engiand be removed from Thread needle Street to Hyde Park, it is Sir Clive Wigram who replies tactfully to writer or petitioner. Por Sir Clive is tlie new principa) private secretary to the King, having been appointed to tlie post that was held for more tlian 30 years by the late Lord Stamfordham. Not only does the King's principal private secretary handle the sovereign's correspondence and keep track of his almost endless engage-

rnents; lie is the "man behind tlie throne," the repository of a thousand State secrets, and, perhaps most tmportant of all, the recognised channel of communication between Buckingliam Palace and Downing Street, Particularly at times of political erisis has he difficult and delicate duties to perform. For instance, it became the duty of Lord Stamfordham, as private secretary, almost to hreak the heart of the late Lord Curzon by telling him. after the fall of the Lloyd George Coalition Government, tliat the King had decided to ask not him but Stanley Baldwin to form a new Ministry, thns shattering Curzon's lifelong dream of becoming Prime Minister. All of which means that the King's private secretary has to be mucb more tlian a courtier; he must be possessed of infinitely more than mere tact and courtesy He has, in fact, to be a tlioroughly capable man of affairs. Sir Clive Wigram is regarded as a man of exoeptional character, Intelligence and savoir faire. and he has, one might say, been in training for his post for nearly 25 years. Now 58, he lias been assistant private secretary and equerry-in waiting to the King for 21 years, or ever since King George V came to the throne, in 1910. Before that he was aide-de-camp to Lord Curzon throughout the latter's vice-Royalty of India. And in his still earlier days he was aide-de-camp to the King, tlien Prince of Wales, when he made his first tour of India in 1905. The King's private secretary is head of the department that really controls the eourt life. When it is necessary for the sovereign to issue an official order, it is signed by either the Lord Chamberlain or the Earl Marshal; but when King George issues a private message to his people, or replies to any communication that requires his personal attention, it is the pi-ivate secretary who drafts the letter, submits it for approval and finally gives directions for its publieation. The private secretary's department is perhaps the most interesting of all those comprising the Royal household and the one that is least lcnown It consists of 13 persons — the private secretary liimself, five assistant private secretaries, an official who is lcnown as the secretary to the private secretary's office, a press secretary and five women clerks. King George's "office" is on the first lloor of Buckingham Palace, on what is known as the "garden front" of the Royal residence, and was formerly used by King Edward VII, being close to the room in which he died.

It is a simply furnished room. Toward the end of his reign, when King Edward found that the duties of £tate were more than he could carry out, a large roll-top deslc was placed here for the use of the then Prince of Wales. This desk is still used by the King, and a large "knee-hole" table at which King Edward passed so many of his working hours is still in much the same condition as he left it. On the other side of the room is another desk, that of Sir Clive Wigram, while the King's assistant secretaries and the other members of the department are close at hand. All letters addressed to the King and Queen are sent direct to whichever of the Royal residences they are occupying from the General Post Office in London in specially sealed bags, writes a correspondent in the "New York Times." In the case of Buckingham Palace the bag, as a rule, arrives just as the King is finishing dinner and is received by the secretary on duty, who opens it and sorts its contents. Such letters as will ultimately demand the personal attention of King George are placed before him the same night, but it is not often that he deals with them immediately unless the matter is definiely urgent. The King glances through the com munications, makes a few brief notes on them, and they are then placed under lock and lcey until he is ready for them the following morning. He has barely had time to deal with them before breakfast is served, and almost simultaneously an even larger bag of correspondence arrives. Few people have any conception of the vastness of Royal mail bags, the contents of which often range from a private communication from the Emperor of Japan or the President of France, to a letter from some person who considers that his claim to the British throne is stronger than that of King George. By the organisation of an almost perfect system. how ever, the correspondence is dealt with in a remarkably short time. The prin cipal private secretary, should he be on duty, opens all communications. and, glancing at each. places it in one of a series of large leather baskets. Requests that the King shall undei take public functions of one kind and another go into one basket, charitable appeals into another. the official re ports of the two Houses of Parlin ment into a special basket, letters of a personal or semi-personal character into a fourth receptacle, and so on. At the finish there is a small but highly important pile left. This is composed of letters from rulers of icther States, personal reports from I Great Britain's Ambassadors abroad

and communications from his Majesty's Ministers. These never for a moment leave the custody of the person entrusted with the task of opening them. There is a special box for them, fastened with a patent lock ct which only the King and the priacipal private secretary have key*. These are the first letters presented to the King every morning, together with a memorandum reminding him of the duties of the day. In many cases the King elects to write letters in his own hand, but should this not be convenient, he sends for one of the assistant secretaries., He dictates his reply very slowly, for he likes to ponder every word. In this respect King George presents a curious contrast with his father, who would reply to the most important letter in a few minutes and rarely or never revise anything. Careful record is kept of every letter written by the King in person and in due course these records are sent down o Windsor to be added to the private archives.