The Duke of Edinburgh.

Te Aroha News, Volume IV, Issue 192, 19 February 1887, Page 8

The Duke of Edinburgh.

It baa become a sort of fashion to speak of what more than one — but especially one — journal terms the "utter meanness " of the Duke of Edinburgh. His Royal Highnees occupies a poaition, ac a prince, which renders it impossible ior him to make any answer to these scarcely veiled insults, but the best answer is to be found in the opinion of those who come in daily contact with the Duke. Scarcely a night passes but the Commander-in-Chief of the Mediterranean Squadron entertains at the Palazzo Antonia in Royal style, although he is by no means called upon to do so. idle subscribes to every charity so far as hi* means allow, and it is only a few day a since he added spontaneously £25 a year to a pension of >.5O which he had already granted to the widow of one of the engineers who had died on board the Alex andra. I could add to this many instance? of the unostentatious kindness of heart of the Duke, which, although they may not be advertised to the public at home, are well known in the Navy, and aie surely rendering H.R H. one of the most popular admirals in the service. No one regretted the giving up of Eaatwell Park more than the Duke and Duchees themselves ; but a clear saving of £9,000 a year was not a matter w hich they could afford to ignore, and the Duchess — whose total annual in come is lees than £10,000— was the fi>st to sacrifice her personal comfort to the necessity of the moment.