SOUVENIRS FROM THE PRINCE

Auckland Star, Volume LI, Issue 73, 27 March 1920, Page 17

SOUVENIRS FROM THE PRINCE

"A BARRAGE OF BEAUTY." Souvenir hunters pursued the Prince of Wales relentlessly across Canada and back. No Royal traveller has ever been watched more" closely by members of this industrious tribe", and their efforts to secure a memento of his stay in the Dominion has resulted in more than one laughable episode (writes Percival Phillips in "The" Daily Express"). If all the cigarettes known as "the Prince's cigarettes" which have been carefully preserved by relic hunters were placed end to end they would reach part of the way across the Pacific. Ninetenths of them have no more -association with the Prince than the three feathers stamped on them by an enterprising maker. The Canadian Pacific Railway, which showed marvellous thoroughness in organising the tour, furnished a special brand of cigarettes for occupants of the royal train, bearing like the en-gravcd-in-gilt letter paper —the Prince's crest. Whenever a recipient of these cigarettes handed one to a friend at one of the halting places the latter usually looked at the crest, then carefully put away the precious bit of tobacco. Smoke it? Not much. It was at Sicamous, on the Shushap Lakes, 8.C., that I met the triuihphant young man who treasured a "real' Prince's cigarette. "He went down the railway line for a walk just now," he said, by way of introduction. "Just at lie passed ine he threw away his ciga rette. I got it before it went out. I'm sending it to my girl at Vancouver.' Sin will be pleased." It was at Saskatchewan early in Oc tdber that the regrettable incident o: the undershirt came to light. ; Th< Prince went for a long run before break fast. Somehow the shirt disappearec after he returned and changed. Th< mystery was never cleared up, but s little light was shed on it by the quarre of two local servants, one trf whom ac cused the other of "not playing fair 1 in dividing a "souvenir" they hac "found." Two chambermaids at the Roya Alexandria Hotel. Winnipeg, quarrellec for possession of the Prince's soap. Thi loser was found in tears. Servant; swarmed into the Royal suite the mo ment he left and searched the rooms foi mementoes. Laundry girls entrustef 'with the royal washing during the first ■ Winnipeg visit were sorely temptet (they confessed as much) to abstract < handkerchief or an odd sock as a famih heirloom. The washing went back in tact, thanks as much to the vigilance o: an overseer as the strength of mind o the workers. For some days latei they affected a certain superiority, due in part to the interviews they gave a loca paper on the Princes taste in underwear Autograph fiends were kindly treated Until the Prince's right hand was shakct nearly to a pulp, he submitted to mane demands for his signature. Daring young women boarded hi motor-car in earlier stages of the tour At Montreal he suddenly disappears behind a moving barrage of beauty jus |as he arrived on -Mount Royal for lunch I The watchful police escort was helpless Beauty would not he dislodged unti the Prince had scrawled his name acros j her proffered cards.