THE ROYAL LUNCH.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XXXXII, Issue 94, 4 May 1900, Page 2

THE ROYAL LUNCH.

WHAT THE PRINCE AND PRINCESS REALLY ATE. {Daily Mail Special.) What did the Prince and Princess of Wales have for their 4|d. dinner on the occasion of their surprise visit to the Alexandra Trust Restaurant ? While the Daily Mail recorded steak pudding and vegetables as the fare, which the Prince and Princess declared to be excellent, the Daily Telegraph set out the menu in bold type as follows:—"Soup, clear vegetable; Entbeb, roast mutton (with cabbages and boiled potatoes); Sweets, plum pudding." The Daily Hews gave the option of rice pudding. The Standard mentioned merely " Soup and bread, mutton and vegetables, and sweetg," with the addition, " followed by coffee." The Manchester Despatch added confusion in the shape of " a little broth, beef and potatoes, and apple tart." To make matters worse, the Daily Chronicle included steak pudding, boiled beef, Irish stew, and steak pie, with two vegetables, a bowl of soup, bread, and pudding, and added : " All these were tasted by the Prince and Princess and pronounced excellent."

the climax was beached in the Morning Leader's assertion that the Prince and Princess had none of these things, but really dined on chicken and champagne. Later in the day the Westminster , Gazette gravely corrected these varying stories, and, after special inquiry, said that the Prince and Princess tasted nothing but soup and steak pudding, and subsequently partook of chicken sandwiches and sherry, "which Sir Thomas Lipton had thoughtfully provided."

A Daily Mail representative obtained an authoritative statement as to the Royal meal. The Prince and Princess really had

Mutton cutlets, i Beefsteak pie, Plum pudding, Kieo pudding, and Coffee. They had previously tasted the soup, and the cutlets were an '• extra," at Sir Thomas Lipton's suggestion. " This is the best lunch I have had for a long time," said the Princess to Sir Thomas, and the homely fare was heartily partaken of by their Royal Highnesses. ' One of the rules of the restaurant is for the diijer to give up the metal disc received on payment when the ro eal is served.. The Princess was reminded by Sir Tho»as

THAT SHE HAD FOBUO'iTEN to comply with this rule. " I am going to break it," said her Royal Highness, with a smile. " I mean to keep these metal dfgcfi a memento of a delightful visit and a njoat enjoyable lunch." The Prince and Princess did not afterward# take better fare with Sir Thonjas, but were entirely satisfied i with the ordinary poor irjan's dinner, I The visit will never be forgotten in St. Luke's. The people who were so fortunate as to be dining when the Prince and Princess passed round the building are the people in

London to-day. They will cherish for long the sweet smile with which the Princess brightened their dinner hour. It was no ten minutes call. Prince t and Princess remained from half-past twelve until a quarter-past two —an hour and three-quarters. They spoke to dozens of working men and girls, and carefully inspected all the building. The Prince went down and chatted with the men's bootblack in the basement, and the Princess investigated the women's portion of the building. "It was deeply touching," said Sir Thomas to a Daily Mail representative yesterday, "to see the devotion of the people to the Princess. They almost worshipped her."