THE FIRST LADIES

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LII, Issue 386, 11 May 1910, Page 7

THE FIRST LADIES

OF THE EMPIRE. THE NEW QUEEN AN INTERESTING ACCOUNT. An article entitled ''The Real Princess" in M.A.P. gives an interesting insight into the character of the Princess of Wales, our new Queen:— A DEVOTED MOTHER. Some little time ago this Royal ladywas requested to lend her patronage and (presence to a certain charity entertainment. She consented, making the stipulation that the performance, cmmencing at three, should be well over by halfpast four. For this she had two good reasons. One is that her taste for music is not so strongly developed as that of many members of the Royal house; the other, and more important, that, except when circumstances render it absolutely impossible, she makes it a rule to have afternoon tea. with her children. It is the one hour of the day which the little Princes and Princess can count upon as their very own with their mother, and they guard it with pardonable jealousy. A VICTIM OF SHYNESS. The Princess of Wales, like the Prince, often confesses that Nature equipped her indifferently well for her role in life. The coldness and stiffness of her .public manner, the comparative infrequency of her smiles, so often attributed to hauteur, are in reality the result of exceeding shyness. As. a girl she was nervous to a painful degree, but since her marriage placed her in a position of such extreme responsibility she has unceasingly combated the inclination to shrink from public life. When one remembers mat the Princess Royal has allowed the same kind of shyness to keep her in almost complete retirement, the magnitude of the effort made by the Princess of Wales is more completely realised. She takes the Queen as her model in most things, even to the colors she wears, the style of her hats, and her method of hairdressing, knowing that the Queen has always been the ideal woman of the populace. HOUSEWIFELY ARTS. ,

Given the power to follow her own inclinations, the Princess of Wales would have been wife, mother, and home-maker first, and the purely social would have ■played little part in her scheme of things. She is the staunchest friend in the world, kindly and generous to a fault, and her household and servants and children adore her. Her ideas about

charity are strongly individual, and, although she will never consent to open "bazaars or sales of work, she subscribes lavishly to many, ori,cn furnishing a stall with garments she has made. Needlework is her favorite rest-cure, she is skilled in the use of the sewing-ma-chine, and thinks so 'highly of knitting and crocheting as occupations that her sons, as well as her daughter, have been trained to turn out mittens, .stockings, and the simpler kinds of lace. She understand* the art of cooking, theoretically at all events., and is fond of looking to the ways of her household. Every room prepared for visitors, for instance, is personally inspected to see that flowers-, an abundance of reading matter and writing materials, good fires (in winter), and other essentials to comfort and enjoyment a*re at hand. METHODS WITH HER CHILDREN. The Princess likes pretty materials, hut is not an extravagant dresser, and many a middle-class woman has a larger milliner's bill. Her children, too, are clothed and fed with a simplicity that would be bitterly resented in the average middle-class home. No sweets are allowed before the age of ten, and very few afterwards; and the little ones are never permitted to ask. for things at table; they must take what is proffered. These circumstances have doubtless something to do with their perfect health. Absolute obedience is exacted; but in all legitimate ways the children are encouraged to have a good time, and they are taken about freely in order that shyness may be a trouble unknown to them. Those who know, say the Princess Mary of Wales bids fair to be the most accomplished Princess in Europe, and her education is being reared on a foundation of solid common sense. TASTES AND TALENTS.

With all her fondness for housewifely pursuits, and her performance of a thou sand public duties, the Princess of Wales finds time to cultivate her considerable mental powers. She is a tremendous reader, her taste lying in the direction of the historical, and the library of Windsor Castle is one of her joys. A genuine appreciation of pictures was fostered during her years in Italy, and she rarely misses an exhibition of any importance at the London galleries. She is something of an authority on china and old glass, her opinions on plays are highly regarded! by members of the Royal Familv, and she can sinn realily well. THE ROYAL WIDOW j DEVOTED MOTHER, WIFE AND QUEEN. UNTOUCHED BY" SCANDAL. Her Majesty the Queen, Alexandra Caroline Marie Charlotte Louise Julia, wife of King Edward VII., is the eldest daughter of King Christian of Denmark, and was born in Copenhagen on Decern-1 ber 1,1844. Her marriage with the*-then Prince of Wales in ISC3 was highly pleas-1 ing to the English people 'as a genuine love match, and her deep sympathy] for all distress, her kindness and gentleness, her affection for the members of her own family, and true womanliness in the fullest sense of the word have since endeared her to the nation's heart in a very special manner. The Court of Denmark was not by any means a rich one, and Queen Alexandra, as a girl, was taught the value of economy and the pleasures of a simple life. "Why may not Dagmar and I wear muslin dresses?" she is said to have asked once when a child, and the answer eame very promptly from her mother, "Because your father is not a rich man, and muslin dresses cost so much to be got up." The iPalace boasted few servants, and the young princesses had to dust their own rooms wind make themselves useful at meal times. A guest of Prince Christian recalled long afterwards how, at the simple family lunch- j eon, the future Queen of England was| sent by her mother to fetch in more but-1 ter for the table. . J

COURTSHIP AND MARRIAGE. The King's courtship makes a pretty story. While he was still a Cambridge student, one of his friends who had recently become engaged showed him a portrait of an exceedingly charming young girl. At first the young Prince thought that this was his friend's fiancee, and interest was aroused when he was told that it was Princess Alexandra 01 Denmark. Soon afterwards, while on a visit to Germany, the Prince, accompanied only by an equerry, chanced to be viewing the Cathedral of Worms. His eyes soon fell upon a lady similarly engaged. It was the lady of the portrait, the Princess Alexandra, accompanied .by her father. The Prince fell in love with her at once, meetings were arranged, and on September 0, 1802, the engagement was announced. English and Danes alike were delighted with the newis. The Princess received a gift of 100,000 kroners, known as the •'People's Dowry," and other presents flooded in upon her from all classes of the British nation. The Princess ordered that 2000 thalers should be distributed araong six poor Danish brides during her wedding year.

When she landed at Gravesend to meet the Prince, the Lords of the Admiralty and dignitaries of the borough received her, an address Mas presented expressing the gratification of the little town at the honor it had received, and from the populace she received a tumultuous welcome. Thousands of well-wish-ers cheered the Princess' progress to London, where she Avas welcomed wrth tremendous popular enthusiasm. On March 10, 1803, the marriage was celebrated in St. George's Chapel, Windsor with great magnificence. Queen Victoria, in widow's weeds, was present. Regarded as a work of art, the ceremony was admitted to be perfect. The honeymoon was spent at Osborne, while bridal banquets were held in every town of note in the Kingdom, and illuminations on an unprecedented scale expressed the popular rejoicing at the event. Speaking of the wedding ceremony, the Spectator said: "The thousands ov pecple collected had been brought to--gether by a desire to see the I'rincess. They saw her, and were content. The popular verdict was unmistakable. The J Princess does not need the conventional courtesy extended to all Royal personages'. She is a genuinely beautiful girl, of the true Saxon type, with a face far more expressive than the best photograph, and a manner which, already winning, though immature, will one day be royally gracious." j VISITS ABROAD. • |

The Princess accompanied her husband on several of ins foreign trips, visiting Ireland with him in 18G5 and 1885. The second visit aroused much interest and some concern. Although the Nationalist party had failed in their attempts, to excite hostility, the dynamitards in New York had held a meeting, at which it was agreed ''That the Prince of Wales ■was an alien invader, and if he set foot in Ireland, merited death." Within a fortnight of the threat the Prince and 'Princess 'were received in Ireland with the warmest greetings of the people. At Conk'and Mallow efforts were made to exdte a rabble against them, which only brought into relief their genuine popularity with all classes in the Emerald Isle.

Queen Alexandra, who is an accomplished musician, was honored at Dublin with the degree of Doctor of Music. The Princess explained that she received it with ■ pleasure at the hands of the University, "not only because she felt that it was an honor to herself, but because she, greatly approved of the action of the ladies of Ireland in accepting facilities for education which the University afforded them."

Queen Alexandra accompanied her husband, prior to his accession, on many of his journeyings for philanthropic ends, and with her own hands has kid many foundation stones, and conferred innumerable prizes on successful students. She is a frequent visitor to and benefactor of the hospitals for women at Chelsea and Soho, Queen Charlott's Hospital, and the various children's hospitals., AN ANXIOUS TIME. The almost mortal illness of the Prince of Wales in 1871 brought out the noblest qualities of his wife, who watched and tended him unceasingly, and by her unremitting devotion drew, forth, if that were possible, a deeper love from the people than they had given her before. The death of her eldest son, the Duke of Clarence, in 1592, was a terrible blow to the Princess, who retired after this event from public and social life to her home at •Sandrmgham, ' where her pathetic figure was often seen riding slowly and sadly over the wide moors, or walking among the lanes. Her only relief from sorrow at this time was in performing acts of thoughtfulness for others in distress. An old woman, bent under a heavy load of packages which she was taking to the railway station, touched the compassion of the Princess on one of these occasions. "Why are you carrying these things yourself?" she asked. The dame replied, with tears, that her son Jack, who used to carry them, had died. The Princess expressed her sympathy, and <a few days later a trim little donkey cart was sent to the old woman's door' by the Royal lady who had also lost a son. The Princess was formerly a clever and intrepid horsewoman. Five' years after her marriage, when with the Prince she visited the Duke of Sutherland at Trentham, Lord Ronald Gower wrote as follows of her riding prowess: "The Princess looked very lovely on her horse King Arthur, and rode like a bird. . .

The Princess took the hurdles beautifully; she has simply no sense of nervousness.' Returning from the hunting field after dark, riding- through the woods where these hurdles were, she leapt them again, although both the Prince and Stafford had avoided them." She is said to be an enthusiastic -angler, loves dogs and some kinds of poultry, and used to keep a model dairy at Sandringtam, which was a feature of the estate. A ROYAL PHILANTHROPIST. At the two great Jubilee demonstrations of Queen Victoria's reign, the Princess chose the part of providing dinners for the poor of London. Her appeal for subscriptions received a generous response, and the Princess added largely to the contributions from her private purse. She also drove from Marlborough House herself to join in the feast she bad provided. During the Egyptian war she collected large sums for the sick and wounded, and her care and pity for the sufferers in the recent Boer war will be remembered. Starting with a surplus of £9OOO left over from the Egyptian fund, which she supplemented very largely out of her own income, she organised a fund to organise and equip with every comfort and medical convenience a hospital ship, named after herself. She also made a personal visit to Tilbury to inspect this ship be-