THE ROYAL CHEIFTAIN

Shannon News, 4 December 1925, Page 3

THE ROYAL CHEIFTAIN

_ ROMANTIC HOLE OF KING GEORGE. The King assumes his moat roman„ tic rolo when .he sojourns at his Highland Castle. He. then becomes the chieftain of the Royal clan on Peeside, and exchanges the silk hat of London wear for the glengarry, the plaid and the kilt. He gets porridge "to his breakfast," and trout cooked In oatmeal, and knows how to relish a haggis.. He has been ac. * customed to the "hamely" fare of , Scotland from his earliest days, when he sailed his toy craft on the. Dee at Abergeldie. He dines to the music of the pipes, and in earlier years could "foot it" with the best (writes Sarah A. Tooly in the Daily Chronicle). The Royal chieftain finds diversion in mountaineering, fishing, and deer stalking, and watching the Highland sports. On the Sabbath he worships with the Queen and his tamily at the Preobyterian Church at Crathie, among his clan. Balmoral, of course. is as great a contrast domestically s it. is scenically to marble staircases and resplendent State Buckingham Palace. Instead of the apartments, Balmoral has to the minutest - particular the distinctive features of a Highland home. Trophies of the chase which have fallen to the guns of sportsmen of the Royal house surround the en. trance hall. Scottish scenery and Scottish historical events, largely by national artists, are the subjects of pictures in the various rooms and corridors. The furniture is upholstered in silk tartan. The ballroom Is a fit setting for reels and strathspeys. It is decorated with a design of the thistle and upon the walls are hung stags' heads, plaids, claymores, and pouches. The Royal balls are as national in character as the room, the nances being almost exclusively Scottish, and in these the Prince of Wales and his brothers dance with spirit.