ON BEING PRESENTED AT COURT

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 358, 19 May 1928, Page 24

ON BEING PRESENTED AT COURT

The Debutante Clutches Her Card, Hopes Piously There Is Nothing Wrong With Her Dress, Moves Along In The Queue . . .

This amusingly informative article is specially written for THE STS by Mr Horace W yndham, the well-known author.

DEBUTANTES (and others) who aspire to be ‘‘Presented at Court” have to take the preliminary steps a long way ahead. This is because, although the actual ‘‘Courts” are not held until May and June (two in each month), the lists of quests are completed much earlier. Once these lists are filled up, it is almost impossible to appear in them. How, then, to get on “the Hist?” That is the problem that confronts many a woman anxious to “make her curtsey” to Royalty at Buckingham Palace. Well, there are difficulties. Still, for those who go the right way to work, they are not insuperable. The first thing to bear in mind is that nobody, whatever her rank or position, has a right to attend a ‘‘‘Court/* It is a privilege, and the invitation comes from their Majesties. As the number who wish to receive it is always much larger than room can be found for, the invitations have jo be restricted to those who are considered most eligible. They are issued in the form of a “summons” by ihe Lord Chamberlain. , Hence, it is To this authority that the initial application has to be addressed. Securing a “Summons/* A debutante can only be “presented” >y a married woman who has herself jlready received this social imprimatur. If she is willing to undertake the responsibility (a very real one), jhe writes to the Lord Chamberlain i-s soon after January 1 as possible. }n doing so, she must request permission to attend a “Court” and to “present” the girl whose name she gives, md for whose eligibility she is prepared to vouch from personal knowledge. Only one “presentation” can >e made at a time, and it is not etiquette for a chaperon to submit such '■* request more than once in three pee.ps. If all goes well, in due time there arrives an official envelope with the coveted “summons cards/* These Lfcate that “the Lord Chamberlain is

commanded by their Majesties to summon—To the Court to be held on—/* Their receipt has to be acknowledged promptly. If, for any unforeseen cause, it is impossible to attend, a full explanation is required. If none is submitted, the fact is remembered, and the offender is automatically struck off the list of “eligibles.” Certain classes of people have, naturally enough, more chance than others of being hidden to a “Court.” Among such are peeresses, and the wives and daughters of high functionaries in the naval, military, civil, and diplomatic services, etc. The King and Queen also make specially welcome distinguished women visitors from the Overseas Dominions, as well as from America and other countries, desirous of being presented to them. Such presentations are regarded as “official,” and are held earlier in the evening than are those of the “general circle.’* Invitations to Buckingham Falace are not to be had merely for the asking. Very far from it. The list of applicants is subjected to a severe scrutiny; and anyone whose conduct has ever been called in question stands no chance of setting foot within the Palace. But this is as it should be, for a “presentation” is not an empty honour. It implies that

those Who havp -°~riTr<;~ u. ; worthy ot meeting then- v.-YJ A period of feverish ■the arrival of the -'summon; There are a thousand thini with not. too much time First, of all. there is the i»L2?< matter of getting the dr=s^^* , ' , strict rules govern cut, pattern ' tenal. length of train, etc lS' =*• should re committed. The a,™!!?* designs can be seen beforot, I ' P^Te<! the Lori! C hamberlain's office* * anxious dowagers and debutant*, there, to assure themselves everything is just as it shcnldT Still, a good deal is i eft „ wearer’s individual taste. tc dead white is no longer in.isr»a - for colour; and soft JS? are permitted. Veils and t..!?- 4 however, are regulation." tm, ’ must be of white tulle, with ostrich feathers above it T>-e 1 c accessories are a jewelled hand wreath of flowers, gloves. and /jT quet or fan. etc. The hour for a ‘’Court” l s 10 . But. as this is the moment wten King and Queen enter the Thm?* Room, the company have to j.JA at the Falace much earlier. If not, they would stand no chanc'/* getting there until the end cf e vei? thing, for the approaches are Wt.lt a solid mass of cars I i° Ci °ck. The period of waiting ig I ■to be something of a trial of I temper. This is because, during h. I continuance, the general nnhh ; swarms round the cars, stares , abashed into the windows, and/k jects their occupants to frank criM ctsms. Fond Parents hold „p 3mir children, and bid them “Look at th pretty lady!" and ribald youths *,! dignified chauffeurs if thev ar© "hire! Iby the month.” etc. To exhibit anno” ance, or threaten to ct 11 the police, i, ;* n f rror - Tl, e repartee of the London (Cockney can be positively devastator The entrance to the Palace is hr t v. front quadrangle. Here the general company are received bv liveried rants, who direct them to rooms where wraps, etc., are deposited. They th»n pass tip the Grand Staircase, flanked on either side by stalwart Gentlemen-at-Arms and picturesquely clad Tec men of the Guard. Progress is slow for there is bound to be a dense throng. Still, the top is eventuallr reached, and the first-comers fed themselves in a series of drawinc rooms. Here they sit on gilded chain and pass the lime, chatting and com’, paring notes. The rule at a “Court” is "first come, first served." or. rather, first sented.” By degrees, the occupants of the front rows of chairs are sum moned by a Gentleman Usher to step into the adjoining Picture Gallery. This means that the great moment is at hand. In "the Presenoe.” Clutching her precious “summon card” and offering up a devout hope that there is nothing the matter with her dress, the debutante moves alowlr forward in a lon* queue. As she reaches the head of it, a Page of Honour spreads out the train she has been holding, and takes her card. This is handed up to the Lord Chamberlain, who stands at the door of the “Presence Chamber.” He gives a swift glance at it, to memorise the name inscribed there. Then, with a reassuring nod to the bearer, he (#!■ out in a resonant voice, “Miss , Presented by !” This really is the Great Moment of the evening. Conscious that every eye is watclung to remark how she will acquit herself, the debutant? crosses the threshold. In front oi her are seated their Majesties, the King and Queen, on gilt chairs, with members of the Royal Family on their left, and the “Great Officers of the Household” standing in a semi-circle behind them. As her Dame is called, the newcomer takes three steps forward and curtseys, first to the Hint and then to the Queen, who smile theiacknowledgments wtih a reassuring bow. Having done this, she leaves the C'hambe r by a door at the farther enc, etiquette demanding that she shall walks backwards from "the Presence.” A “Court” is a Cinderella affair. By 12 o’clock the guests are expected to j have left. Ten minutes before the hour strikes, wraps are “eclaimed ant everybody is streaming into the hall. Soon the last car has driven from the quadrangle. The tread of sentr!e< keeping their watch and ward, is th» only sound heard. One by one. the ’lights flicker and disappear. Buckintham Palace is wrapped in shuttered ! | darkness. The “Court” is over. Authors’ Club, j London.