Royal Birthday

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 680, 4 June 1929, Page 9

Royal Birthday

NOBLE PAGEANT AT LONDON Guards’ Brilliant Ceremony British Official Wireless Received 11 a.m. RUGBY, Monday. TODAY the King’ celebrated his 64th birthday. Bells were rung in Windsor, and a salute of 21 guns was fired in front of the castle. At the Naval ports, battleships, battle-cruisers and cruisers in full commission were dressed, and ships in reserve commission also hoisted masthead flags.

Royal salutes were fired at noon by all the saluting shix>s iu London. The annual birthday ceremony of the trooping of the colours took place on the Horse Guards’ parade. As usual, this brilliant picture of ceremonial was watched by a huge crowd. In the absence of the King, his uncle, the Duke of Connaught, took the salute. He was accompanied by the Prince of Wales, the Duke of York, and Viscount Lascelies, the King’s son-in-law. The military attaches of the foreign Powers took part in the pageant, and the officers and men on parade numbered fully 2,000, consisting of two troops of the Life Guards, one guard of the first battalion of the Grenadier Guards, one guard from each of the three battalions of the Coldstream Guards, two guards from the first battalion • of the Scots Guards, two guards of the second battalion of the Scots Guards, and the massed Guards’ bands. The elaborate ceremonial was performed with the superb precision

which invariably characterises it, and which makes it London’s greatest military spectacle of war. His Majesty received congratulations from all parts of the Empire. ILLNESS OF THE KING The King, W'hose condition today is reported to be quite satisfactory, 'has sent the following telegram to the Lord Mayor of London, Sir Kynaston Studd, in response to tile birthday greetings which Sir Kynaston, on behalf of the citizens of London, addressed to him: “Gratefully remembering, as I do, the affectionate sympathy evidenced by the citizens of London during my long illness, their greetings, which I have received through you, by Lord Mayor, are more than ever welcome. On the anniversary of my birthday please express to the citizens my grateful appreciation of their repeated assurances of loyalty and devotion to me and my family.” The Prince -of Wales and Princess Mary visited the King in his sickroom during the day.