SOME INCIDENTS AT ROYAL LEVEES.

Temuka Leader, Issue 1737, 15 May 1888, Page 3

SOME INCIDENTS AT ROYAL LEVEES.

Monarchs, who have to submit to many tyrannies by which monarchs alone can suffer, must have an especial dread of levees and presentations. The monotony must be killing ; at the very best irritating. George IV, had the" stately dreariness very much relieved

On one occasion, when a nervous gentleman was bowing and passing ; before him, a lord, in waiting, kindly whispered to him: "Kiss hands!" The nervous gentleman accordingly moved on to the door, turned round, and there kissed hands airily to the king by way of kindly farewell. George IV. laughed almost as heartily as his brother, King William, did at an unlucky alderman who was at court on the. only day Mr Julian Toung ever felt himself constrained to go into the royal presence. The alderman's dress sword got between his legs as he was backing from that presence, whereby he was tripped up and fell backwards on the floor.

King William cared not a fig for dignity. He remarked with great glee to those who stood near : "By Jove! the fellow has caught a crab!" and the kindly laughter was, as it were, poured point blank. into the floundering alderman. This was not encouraging to Mr Young, who had to follow.

A newly-appointed royal chaplain in Hampton Palace Chapel, Ki»g William had expressed a wish to see him at levee, and obedience was a duty. The chaplain had been told by Sir Horace Seymour that he had nothing to do but follow the example of the gentleman who might happen to be before him.

The principal directions to the neophyte were: " Bow very low, and do not turn your back on the king!" The instant the chaplain had kissed the. king's hand, however, he turned his back on his sovereign, and hurried off. Sir Horace afterwards consoled him for this breach of etiquette by stating that a Surrey baronet who had followed him had made a wider breach in court observance.

The unlucky baronet, seeing the royal hand outstretched, instead of reverently putting his lips to it, caught hold of it and wrung it heartily! The king, who loved a joke, probably enjoyed levees, the usual monotony of which was relieved by such amusing scenes as these.