Queen Victoria at the Circus

New Zealand Listener, Volume 4, Issue 97, 2 May 1941, Page 5

Queen Victoria at the Circus

"]_ ORD "" GEORGE SANGER once took his famous circus to Windsor, and the Queen watched the procession. It was in the courtyard of the Castle where Sanger paraded his show, Her Majesty saw the grand parade from her carriage and liked it so well that she had it repeated, and remember, she was a little old lady of eighty at the time.

The Queen’s secretary escorted the circus proprietor to the Royal carriage when the second parade was finished, where he was presented to his monarch. In that high, clear and penetrating voice for which Queen Victoria was famous she said: "So you are Mr. Sanger?" "Yes, Your Majesty," was the reply. Then with a smile and a

twinkle in her steadfast eyes, "Lord George Sanger, I believe." "Yes, if Your Majesty pleases!" stammered Sanger. "It is very amusing," was the Royal lady’s answer, "and I gather you have borne the title very honourably?" "Thank you, Your Majesty," said Sanger, " your gracious kindness overwhelms me!" The great old showman had really no right at all to call himself "Lord" George Sanger. Then why did he do it? Years before he had a rival in the pérson of Buffalo Bill, who used to call himself the Honourable William Cody, and at other times Colonel Cody. This probably got on Sanger’s nerves, and he said to himself: "If he can be an ‘Honourable’ why can’t I be a ‘Lord?’" and-there and then he called himself "Lord" George Sanger, and altered all the posters and the names on the caravans, cages and lorries. Actually, Sanger was the son of a travelling showman called James Sanger.-‘" This and That, trom Ebor’s Scrapbook: ‘ Lord’ George Sanger," 2YA, March 31.)