QUEEN ALEXANDRA

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIV, Issue 65, 7 September 1911, Page 6

QUEEN ALEXANDRA

INVITED TO NEW ZEALAND. A REGRETFUL REFUSAL. The Prime Minister (Sir Joseph Ward) announced at the Women's Social and Political League gathering that he had, on .behalf of the Government and people of New Zealand, invited Queen Alexandra to visit the Dominion. He sent the following letter to the Under-Secretary of State for the Col'onies: Hotel Cecil, ' July 5, 1911.

Dear Mr. Harcourt.,— Would you .be so good as to convey to Iler Majesty Queen Alexandra a cordial invitation from-the Government and people of New Zealand to visit the Dominion as the guest of the country? The women of New Zealand especially would be proud indeed if Her Majesty were to bestow such a favor. I may say I spoke to Ilis Majesty the King on the matter, and lie expressed his concurrence in my extending the invitation to his Royal mother.—Yours sincerely, J. G. WARD. THE REPLY. The reply to this communication, read by Sir Joseph Ward, was as follows: Marlborough House. Pall Mall, S.W., July 10, 1911. Dear Sir Joseph Ward, — Mr. Harcourt has forwarded to me your letter to him of the sth inst., which I have, as requested, submitted to Queen Alexandra, and I am ■ now charged by Her Majesty to deliver you the following reply:— Queen Alexandra is deeply touched at receiving the invitation from the people of New Zealand to visit the Dominion. Nothing would have given more pleasure to Her Majesty than to accept—had it been possible—the invitation to visit a part of the British Dominion of whose kindly feeling and warmth of sentiment to th'e Mother Country she has seen so many proofs. It has always been her sorrow i that she was never able to visit the oversea Dominion with her beloved Consort in his lifetime; and she feels now that it would be too painful to her to undertake so important a journey as this is, deprived of the presence of one by whose side for forty-seven years, all such visits were made. Queen Alexandra feels sure that, the kind-hearted people v of New Zenland will understand this and will forgive her for -not accepting the in' i vitation she so greatly appreciates. I remain, Dear Sir Joseph Ward, Very faithfully vows, S. M. PROBYN, General, Comptroller to H.M. Queen Alexandra. Sir Joseph declared that he did not believe there could have been anything more acceptable to the women of this country than to have seen the gracious woman who for forty-seven years was the wife t>f the great King who passed away only a year or so ago. Had it been possible for that beautiful woman to have come to New Zealand, he was sure that the women from end to end of the country would have shown by their hearty welcome their admiration for the fine womanly attributes she had shown both in the home, in social life, and the high and dignified position she occupied for nine years as Queen of England. (Applause.)