SIDELIGHTS ON ROYALTY

Rotorua Morning Post, Volume 3, Issue 726, 29 December 1933, Page 3

SIDELIGHTS ON ROYALTY

HER MAJESTY'S LOVE OF FLOWERS. j - - | One of Queen Mary's hohbies is flowers. Recently she visited Kew , Gardens to see the display of bluebells and rhododendrons, and, as usual, she supervised the arrangement of flowers used as decorations at Buckingham Palace on the nights when the courts were heid. Next to surrounding herself with living blossoms, the Queen enjoys having pictures of flowers about her. Recently she bought half a dozen more to he added to her already large collection, her newest acquisitions including iris pools, cherry trees and cottage gardens.

And the Queen has aiso bougnt j "flowery" china. One set shows the , woods in bluebell time; another has, a pattern in which wild roses ahound, I a third set shows large poppies with ■ long green stems and sprays of for- i get-me-nots on a deep cream ground. ' A sandwich-set in ware of a deep cream coloui', shading to deep old rose, with a large gardenia at one end of the dish, and_ each plate , formed in the shape of the flowei ^ itself, was another recent royal purchase. The Queen has also bought some dishes in apple-green and deep mauve , shaped like a half-open anemone, with orange buttercups ornamenting the basket-like handles. At Sandringham, the walls of the j Queen's private apartments resemble i a flower-garden. Here, for instance, are some of the miniature back- . grounds, which the Queen bought j • from Lady Coryndon, flower pictures J ! purchased at the Royal Amateur Art I Exhibitions, and Glehe pottery flower , 1 gardens made by Miss Madeline , Raper. i THE PRINCESS ROYAL. The Prineess Royal and the Earl of Harewood are very -keen on sport of every description, particularly upon hunting and shooting, states a writer in an overseas magazine. Her Royal S Highness at the present day hunts 1 more regularly than any other member of the Royal Family, and takes particular pride in. tlie stables where her considerable stud of hunters and i hacks are maintained. These she never fails to visit once a day. She is an excellent judge of a horse, and if one of her animals is ailing or has sustained any accident or damage, she has it paraded in front of her, uod is usually able to diagnose the trouble and suggest a suitable form of treatment. ^ ... Though the Prineess Royal takes a great interest in shooting, and her pai'ties for this sport are now famous, she takes no active part in it herself. She is very fond, however, of walking or motoring out to join the guns at lunch, and she invites those of her lady guests who are not actually

shooting to aecompany her. She gen- P? erally stays in the field for the remainder of the day's sport. Her Royal Highness likewise takes great pride in her kitchen, and visits them almost daily. These are equipped with every labour-saving device it is possible to imagine, and the Prineess is always on the outlook for any further improvements that might usefully be introduced. * There is very little that is allowed to miss her attention, and discussions with her housekeepers, chef, and others of the , domestic staff form a part of her daily routine. It has been said, with considerable truth, that she understands the art of housekeeping "from A to Z." Here the careful training of the Queen is apparent. The Prineess Royal is likewise well ' equipped both by nature and careful ' tuiti on for the purely social side of her duties as a hostess. She is a brilliant conversationalist, with a | wonderfully wide and catholic range ! | of topics. She is a very keen student ■of both people and books, and there ■ is scarcely a subject that can be brought forward upon which she has not something informative to say. wa . When she speaks she is worth listening to, since as a rule she provides material for future consideration. ^ Music is one of the principal after- I dinner recreation at Harewood. Her | , Royal Highness is an excellent 1 | musician, and is the possessor of a I sweet, if not exactly powerful, voice. When one recalls that Melba was among those who taught her to sing, one can easily realise where the Prineess acquired the knowledge of technique that she undoubtedly possesses. j

THE DUCHESS OF YORK. The Duchess of York is reported to have set a fashion for larger breakfast cups. She has recently bought a set of honey-buff-coloured cups, large cups, each containing nearly a pint. • "I shall not fill them more than once, -even for men!" she explained to the Duke. Her Royal Highness also selected two teapots to go with the cups — one for a house party and a smail one for breaicfast en famille. Tho Duke and Duchess prefer tea to . coffee for bre&kfast, and the Duchess likes to pour the tea herself. She . prefers an eartlienware teapot lather ■ than china or silver. Her Royal Highness has purchased several breakfast- ; in-bed sets for guests — pale blue and buff with a green band to match the colour schemes of the bedrooms. PRINCESS SYBILLE. Prineess Syhille, of Sweden, is a ' great success in her new country. The Swedes have taken her to their hearts — and she, with ready adaptability, has absorbed all their predilections and customs. Her charming flat at Haga Castle_ has already become a centre of social activities, and even her young husband, who is the most retiring of the Swedish royal princes, has shed some of his shyness in the pleasure of playing host.