A Son Of The Prince Consert

Waikato Times, Volume 107, Issue 17973, 19 March 1930, Page 14

A Son Of The Prince Consert

INCE the death of King Edward VII. a growing interest has been taken in all the details of the surprisingly royal and domestic lifo of Queen Victoria’s household.

Though they may smile, the Bright Young Things of to-day read on with avidity; there was more in the characters of the Queen and of the Prince Consort than ever Mr Lytton Strachey bargained for.

In his new book “H.R.H. The Duke of Connaught and Strathearn,” Major-Gen-eral Sir George Aston tolls many more intimate stories of the family and finks us up through the life of the Duke with that astonishing personality, his father, the Prince Consort. Prince Albert’s Chorale.

The Duke was the third son of Queen Victoria and the Prince Consort. Out of compliment the baby was named after flic Duko of Wellington, who is said to havo remarked that “this gave him more pleasure than ail his military decorations.’’ At the christening ceremony a chorale which

had been specially written and composed by the indefatigable Prince Albert was sung with great fervour. It began: In life’s gay morn, e’er sprightly youth By vice and folly is enslaved. Oh may thy maker’s glorious name Be on thy infant mind engraved!

“In somewhat marked contrast,” says ‘.he biographer, “to the dignified simplicity of the Prince’s poem we can quote a doggerel broadsheet published by E. Hodges of Seven Dials, and hawked in Hie London streets on the chistening morning:—

Here’s to the Queen and Albert gay And all the children too, huzzav, May another come the first of May For another Royal Christening.

Simple Yet Dignified Life of Royal Family.

Domestic and Royal

Tho Queen and her Prince Consort, it is well-known, had very clear ideas about tho training of children: — Believing that all children—even those destined to fill exalted positions—should have some training in practical matters, Her Majesty made over to her children in 1854 the delightful Swiss Cottage which, with its own gardens, is in the grounds of Osborne. Hero the girls were taught cooking and housekeeping, not in theory but in practice, and tho boys carpentering and gardening. Occasionally the Queen would visit the cottage and be entertained by the children The young Princesses made the cakes for the tea-parties and acted as hostesses for the meal, while it was a recognised thing that the boys should present their mother with baskets of garden produce, which Queen Victoria would solemnly bear back to the house. Queen Victoria’s special genius was her gift for being mother of a family and Bmppros s of India at the same time. If Queen Victoria could not nurse her babies she could and did bath them; the last new baby was always bathed by her own bands, and only very pressing matters were allowed to interfere with this ceremony. Prince Albert, who took bis parentage, as he took mast things, very seriously, was often present. A Vulgar Crowd. Prince Arthur grew. At his fifth birthday a great children’s ball was held at Buckingham Palace. Ho wore a kilt, just as his big brothers had done at his own christening. Then in September they all went to Balmoral in a special train. This, as Sir George Aston says, was far from being the rapid and easy matter it is to-day :

The axles were faulty, and it was feared that the wheels might take fire. So serious was the danger that the train had frequently to be stopped. One of these delays occurred at Darlington, and here a great- crowd, which had assembled to see the royal train pass, behaved rather badly. They climbed up and peered into the windows, their faces within a foot of the inmates. Little Arthur took the matter philosophically. He asked why the people did that” and when he was told it was because they wanted to see his pa-r----ents, he gravely remarked : “It is kind of the. engine-driver to stop where they could see us°best !” But this point of view his Roval mother did nor- share.

It was natural that a godson of the Duke of Wellington should be destined for soldiering. He played with wooden soldiers, built forts, and sometimes drilled his sisters in the park : He owned a small terrier, and one morning, while he and his dog were out for a run in the grounds, they encountered one of the stable cats, which attacked the dog and threatened to maul him badly. Prince Arthur rescued his pet but got severely scratched in the process. When he was carrying the dog back to the house he met his governess, who was much dismayed by his condition. “What have you done?’’ she cried. “How is it you aro hurt ?’’ “Wounded,’’ was the proud and dignified reply, “wounded in the execution of my duty.” At fifteen he was travelling with his tutor, and chafing to begin his military career at Woolwich, which he entered at sixteen. _ . . He was no sooner out of his training than he had to begin his travelling. He was sent to Ireland, to Canada, to Gibraltar, where he resided for several months. The Prince of Wales (King Edward Vn.) visited Gibraltar during that stay, and met an old woman there whom he recognised as having been an employee at Osborne. She still cherished a deep reverence for the Queen. He stopped to speak to her and ask how she was getting on : , The woman dropped him a gratified curtsey and told him she was getting on well. She was doing some of the soldiers’ washing and on occasion had actually been washerwoman to his brother the_ Duke. “Ah, your highness,” she sa.u, “you don’t know what a difference your noble brother makes to me being here.’ ” “Indeed,” said the Prince, gravely. “Yes,” she went on, “for wherever he goes the band plays ‘God save your deal nu !’ ” A Mother's Advice. At the age of 28 he fell in love with Princess Louise of Prussia. He said nothing about it, however, until he c'anie and mentioned it to the Queen. Iho Queen (according to her diary) said she did not like Prussians, and told him ho should see others first, but he said it would make no difference. He assured me he liked her better than anyone ho had seen, but that he would not do anything without my consent, and looked so sad and earnest, yet so dear and gentle, that having heard nothing but good of the girl I could not object. So after a year Princess Louise came to England and they were married. Sir George Aston only records one disagreement in their long married life. It was soon after the wedding, when the Princess (now the Duchess) was still not quite acclimatised. The Duke said he liked the bagpipes, and the Duchess said she did not:

“You know,” the Duke explained to her, “to appreciate these bagpipes you ought to hear them coming towards you over the hills in the Highlands.” “No doubt,” replied the Duchess, with a touch of humour, “but I appreciate them best when they are going over the hills away from me!” Of the Duke’s military and political achievements there s necessarily long and honourable record in Sir George Aston s book.