THE KING AND THE ARTIST.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXIII, Issue 77, 2 April 1902, Page 2

THE KING AND THE ARTIST.

A SECRET OF POPULARITY.

Mr Julian Story, Who painted a portrait of King Edward when he was Prince of Wales, has many pleasant recollections of the Prince's visits to -his studio. When, be says, \ saw the Prince he referred "me for arrangement of the sittings to General Ellis, his equerry. After my conference with the General I despaired of ever painting the portrait. He had shown me a book in which the Prince's engagements were written. For days ahead every half hour was taken, blocked out from nine o'clock in the morning until almost any hour in the night. Not a half hour was left free. The prospect of gettins any good sittings seemed rather discouraging. The next morning I received a letter from General Ellis naming two days ahead for the first sitting. The Prince had struck out conflicting engagements to arrange for it. He came klone in a brougham to my studio in Albert Road, smoking a big cigar. Nothing could have been more simple, more frank, or more gracious than his manner. Realising the difficulty for him to spare time, I set about my work with the greatest energy. While he would walk about once in a while to rest his muscles I painted ahead on the background at some details, never putting down brushes or palette. My thumb went to sleep. I was pulling it to get the blood into circulation when he saw me. In reply to his question I said: "I haven't put my palette down, sir." "Couldn't you do something to make it more comfortable ?—have it cut out a bit.?" he asked. The next morning- 'he came in apologising for being five minutes late. I had become quite accustomed to people, some ladies, for instance, being half an hour late, and then considering themselves quite punctual. "I didn't sleep very well last night," he said, "and Z thought of you. I was worrying about that palette of yours. Couldn't you have the thumb-holes in it padded?" In the midst of a busy season he gave me eight sittings. I used to have the King's Order of the Garter, and his robes, lying about my studio. Rather a responsibility against relic hunters. In the' great press of affairs, it being in addition about the time of the Princess Maud's marriage, many of the wedding arrangements were made with an equerry In my studio- while I worked on the portrait. "Are you coming to the wedding?" he asked one day. I said "No," that I believed it was impossible to get a place to view the procession. "But I meant to invite you to the wedding," he returned. "I will have an invk tation sent you." I went Marlborough House on that occasion, and the next time he came for a sitting I thanked him. "Were you there?" he said. "I didn't see you: I wondered." He must have seen many thousands of people t-hat day as he passed to and fro m the procession, yet here was this evidence of thoughtfulness. And it is this thoughtfulness that constitutes one of his chief ohaxms. I know of no one who Is more royal, and at the same time more kindly. When one once knows the man one realises why he is so loved.