BRIDE FOR THE PRINCE.

Taihape Daily Times, Volume XII, Issue 3636, 24 November 1920, Page 6

BRIDE FOR THE PRINCE.

BE THE LUCKY GIRL? — Vi O r "ft C J MATCH-MAKING UAMMAS. , _i v, ;>eigix!<J ; For the first time for hundredavKJfj years there is a probability of the-' heir to the British'' Throne marrying j the daughter of one of his father ’s

subjects. In pre-war days "it was taken fc granted that the Prince of Wales woul many some girl of royal rank and o the Protestant faith, and that mean > that h,e would probably have to go t( Germany for a bnds. But as a marriage with a Germar princess is now impossible., an a as a girl of royal rank is difficult to find elsewhere, the Prince may take as a bride the daughte of a commoner. The difficulties' in the way of such a marriage are considerable, but the fact remains that the future Queen of England may not be of royal rank. This possibility has set all the match-making mothers, not only in England,, but abroad, concentrating their attentions on the popular heir to the British Throne. SURROUNDED BY INTRIGUE. Thfe Prince of Wales lives in the midst of continual intrigues to secure him as a guest at the homes of ambitious mothers with one or more marriageable -daughters. A society hostess, however, even one

who has the ' entree to the Court and

who has met the Prince, cannot ask him to her house. The suggestion that he would owishr.fb visit her or to dine with her.must' proceed in the first instance .from,-the Prince, but this fact mexfttj'rtr-esnltg'in the ambitious, match- / making mother msing all he'F'innuence to the Prince to make such" a (Suggestion. The,; following story illustrates the methods of the ambitious match-maker who, cffeams 0 f her daughter becoming Queen, of .England..

When the Prince returned from his American and Canadian tour, he met at the Club an old friend'of the Soyal Family. This individual was a guileless old gentleman who was interested in ( old tapestries. He knew, that the Prince was interested in the same subject, and suggested to him that he should visit the house of a .well-known sporting baronet in thje north of England, who owned some splendid examples of sixteenth century "tapestries.

The Prince gave the old gentleman permission to arrange for a visit to the -"baronet’s house.

• Now, the fact was that the baronet’s wife had told 1 ’ the old gentleman about the tapestri&j in the hope that he would persuade- the Prince" to come to her iouse fotgectthbm. A CUNNING DECEPTION.' 114*

In reality, she had no tapestries, buF directly tho'vvifdt was .arranged' siw"f>! bought half mi dozen inferior ones to | show to the Prince. nib

Sbo !hasj fl }f(*wever, a very charming-; r(daughter, found psoj%. r jf)£eresting than- the ii^- r . p f erior .tppesjjgies,; A man of lesser pot-, • sition- mightf,|have pardoned the deception anjl a guest. at the. house a, few days. Prince, however, .was compelled by the pressure of. other effeagements to leave , , within four , hours of his arrival, not in the best of tempers, for, he had been indeed to travel ovej? T 250 miles rf a false errand. When jt in York the Prince danced t’hrdV times with a Miss ’ Scljf TVS\r r Y veter, the daughter of a copper king.] at a fiance given by the Californian j ] Club. 'lUe Prince lunched at her father’s tint the following day, with the result niaf the Americna' papers were ■ full of fumouVs of the Prince having ixoposed t'6 , "t‘Ais lady. ' 1 ®6V SILLY RUMOURS START. The plaW' truth is that the Prince annetf have the same freedom in seecting a wife as an ordinary individual. ' ■■' !

The King and Qiieeli will, of course/ .ever force him Iffnto a marriafe^with

, girl tie does not wish to marry; that 3 a certainty. Indeed, it is extremely!: 'oubtful if they could do soT Not long go the Prince of Walei~nTSt a certain rineess, a relative of a European royIty on very friendly terms with our toyal Family; '‘The .princess is a

larming girl, and there was nothing; lat would stand in the" way - of ah Iliance between heT and the heir to ie British Throne. /• The Prince liked her, and met hef •equently, but did 4 not fall in love with if, and he'told hjs parents so quit6 r ■nnkly. No more was said about the fitter, and all id°a of a marriage beveen him and this princess was abaiU med.

Here are the difficulties way of e Prince marrying outside royal rank, he were fo marry the daughter of 'a serf the then Princess of Wales would icome separated frbm her family by considerable social gulf. parents

id brothers and sisters would never eet her on an equality either at Court in general society; no member of r family would ever be asked to jet 'her at a country housey without r own consent, and none of her bro- . , .<,l- • •

thers and sisters would be sup'posea to

marry without the gonsent of the King == and the Prince of Wales. ==

For 'the Princess .of Wales to be placed in such a position would be almost - intolerable .for''her.

In such a case; considerable alterations would have to be made in the rules of Court etiquette and preced-

ence. ■ , WILL PRINCE PROPOSE

AGAIN?

1 There is one girl \among 'Princess : Mary’s friends who may yet be Queen . of England.- The Prince- has known , her intimately since- she was a little girl, and she is a member of an ancient and. honourable, family. Failing a.-royal alliance for the Prince, which Their Majesties would inxdoubtediy prefer, .this girl may ere long become Princess j of Wales, t though at the moment she and the Prince. are nothing ’more than good friends. The Prince did,, in fact, once propose to her. He was seven years old at, the time, and she some years younger.. The proposal was' made in the presence of the King' find Queen at a.children’s party at 'Atariborough' Hoxlse. “I thin'K I would likb to"marry you I when I grow'up,’’"skid tlio Prince. f “Oh!” was the repiy; “I like you very much, but I have promised to I marry Lord when I am twelve. ’ ’ Lord —— was a gentleman of forty, and a fric'iid of the Royal 'Family and of the girl’s father. The proposal- and the reply amused i the King and Queen, and the Prince i was afterwards chaffed-by ’em "Brothers j and sistter 0:1 the manner m .which his > first and so far only proposal of mar- j riage was declined. ■ If it is ever made j again it : wilt probably' moot with a dif- | fereht, answer - . ■' " U