THE Wairarapa Age MORNING DAILY. FRIDAY, DECEMBER 27, 1907. ROYAL ETIQUETTE.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXX, Issue 9014, 27 December 1907, Page 4

THE Wairarapa Age MORNING DAILY. FRIDAY, DECEMBER 27, 1907. ROYAL ETIQUETTE.

It is one of the principles of the British Constitution that the Sovereign reigns but does not govern. But, writes Mr H. W. Lucy, the Sovereign insists on strict observance of a ceremonial which makes the principle seem inoperative for the moment. We read in Queen Victoria's Letters how peremptorily she resented any publication of administrative action yr decision .'before the documents bearing on the question had been seen and affirmed by herself. Lord Palmerston frequently offended by sending away despatches agreed to by Cabinet, before they had been seen by the Queen. Lord Granville, a great favourite with the Queen, once mentioned to colleagues and friends the drift of a conversation he had had with the Queen, on a matter of urcent public interest. Delaine, of "The Times," heard of this and made it the basis of a leader, and Lord Granville, the gentlest of men, was promptly reprimanded by his Royal mistress. Mr Lucy says there was more than one casein which an honour which she had intended to confer as the reward of merit was cancelled, simply because announcement of the intention appeared in the papers before her signature was attached to the patent. Edward VII. insists even more strictly on the same formality. The secretary of the Amalgamated Society of Servants, getting away from the conference at which the railway agreement was drawn up in time to dine with the Sphinx Club at the Hotel Cecil, was unable to tell the company what everybody Wanted to know. He could I not fill that thrilling role, the bearer

of important news. The parties were under a bond ndt to disclose particular^bf^t.he' ■settlements until the document had been seen by his Majesty. A messenger was despatched to Sandringham by special express train, to which all traffic gave way, to convey the news to his Majesty, and arrived there about midnight. The Board of Trade knew the time he would take to make the journey, and when this had elapsed, copies of the agreement were sent to the news- ■ papers. Many a sub-editor must have blessed Royal etiquette on being handed at midnight two or three columns which he might have had a couple of hours before. His Majesty has proved more exacting than the late Queen in the matter of forecasting his speech from, the Throne on the opening of Parliament. Up to his accession the editors of the Lon-

don mornin.y journals were, accustomed to have the broad lines of the speech communicated to them from leaders in office or in the Opposition. When King Edward came to the Throne he decreed that the earliest news communicated to the public should be current only when he had completed the reading of his speech.