BRIDE FOR THE PRINCE

Auckland Star, Volume LI, Issue 242, 9 October 1920, Page 17

BRIDE FOR THE PRINCE

WHO'LL BE THE LUCKY GIRL? MATCH-MAKING MAMMAS AND ; PRINCE OF WALES. |-Vr (he first lime for hundreds ot i \,■.•]■■ i u'M' i< a probability of the heir '~ i i..- Hritish Throne marrying the (i.iirL'hU-r i>l one of hi* father's subject?. In j iv-war days it was t.iken lor i-1.■ 11 1 1■. 1 lliat the Prince- of Wai is would ip ,ii :. .-nil. i' trir! of royal rank anil of Ihe I mil' li-n' faith, and tiia: meant that; lin v.i.:,hi I'l-oliably have to g-> to Cer--111 i ::v |Ur ,i bride. * Mm a< n marriage with a German j i-;;u »■ —i> now impossible, 'md as a girl ■•! ,' j:il n>nk an<l of Ihe Protestant faith j* (lilli nit tip iind elsewhere, the Prince m;i\ liil ■• .-<* a. bride the. daughter of a i'■ .! I'ii-ulties in the way or such a i!.::-.: ' are considerable, but the fact v. , ■ that the future Queen of Eng1. -i iy not be of royal rank. This j ■ !•■ lias set all the match-making in ■ . not only in England, but n!i si,:, roncentratinjr their attentions on i i< popular heir to the British Throne. srnnouxDED by intbig.uk. Tin- Prince of Wales lives in the midst of continual intrigues to eecure him as a guest at the homes of ambitious mothers with one or more marriageable daughters. A society hostess, however, even one who has the entrco to the Court and who had met tho Prince, cannot ask him to her holier. The Miggestion that he would wish to vi.-i- her or to dine with her must proii'i il in the first instance from the Prince, I'll I this fact merely results in the ambitious mutch-making mother, using all her influence to induce tho Prince to make such a suggestion. " The following story illustrates the methods of the ambitious match-maker who dreams of her daughter "becoming Quren of Kngland. When the Prince returned from his American and Canadian tour, he met at' thu Bachelors' Club an old friend of the j ftoyal Family. This individual was a 2fiiileleS(3 old gentleman who was inter- [ <«ted in old tapestries. He knew that the Prince was interested in the same subject, and suggested to him that he should visit the house of a well-known; sporting baronet in the North of England, who owned some splendid examples of sixteenth century tapestries. The Prince gave tho old gentleman permission to arrange for a visit to the 'baronet's house. Now, the fact was that the baronet's wife had told the old gentleman about tho tapestries in the hope that he would persuade the Prince to come to her house to see them. A CUNNING DECEPTION. In reality, she had no tapestries, but dircctl}' the visit was arranged ehe bought half-a-dozen inferior ones to show to the Prince. She had, however, a very charming daughter, whom tfhe Prince no doubt found more interesting than the inferior tapestries. A man of lesser position might have pardoned the deception and remained a guest at the house for at least a few days. The Prince, however, j was compelled by the pressure of other engagements to leave witjhin twentyfour hours of his arrival, not in the best of tempers, for he had been induced to travel over 250 miles on a false errand. When in Ne-w York the Prince danced three times -with a Mies Selveter, tho daughter of a cogger king, at a dance given by the Cahfornian Club. The Prince lunched at her father's flat the following day, with the result that the American papers "were full of rumours of the Prince having proposed to this lady. HOW SILLY RUMOURS START. The plain truth is that the Prince cannot have the same freedom in selecting a wife ac an ordinary individual. The King and Queen will, of course, nevei force him into a marriage with a girl he does not wish to marry; that is a certainty. Indeed, it is extremely doubtful if they could do 60. Not long ago the Prince of Wales mefe a certain princess, a relation of a European royalty on very friendly terms with our Royal Family. The princess Is a. charming girl, and there was notlhing that would stand in the way of an alliance between her and the heir to the British Throne. Tho Prince liked her and met her frequently, but did not fall in love with her, and he told his parents so quite frankly. No more was said about the matter, and all idea of a marriage between him and thij princess was abandoned. Here are the difficulties in the* , way of the Prince marrying outside royal rank. If he were to marry the daughter of a peer, the then Princess of Wales would become separated! from her family by a considerable social gulf. Her parents and brothers and sisters would never meet !her on an equality either at Court or in general society; no member of her family would ever be asked to meet her at a country house without her own consent, and none of her brothers and sisters would be supposed to marry without the consent of the King and the Prince <x Wales. For the Princess of Wales to be placed in such a position would be almost intolerable for faer. , In such a case, considerable alterations would have to ba made m the rules of Court etiquette and precedence. WILL THE PRINCE PROPOSE AGAIN? There is one girl among Princess Mary's friends who may yet possibly be Queen of England. The Prince has known her intimately since she was a littlo girl, and she is a member of an ancient and honourable family. Failing «i royal alliance for the Prince, which their Majestics —would nudoubtedly prefer, this girl aiay ere long become Princess of Wales though at the moment she and tho Priuce are nothing: more than good friends. The Prince did, in Tact, once propose to her. Ha was seven years old at the time and she some years younger. The proposal was made in the presence of the King and Queen at a children's party at Marlborough House. "1 think 1 would like to marry you when I grow up," said the Prince. "Oh!" was the reply; "1 like you very much but I have promised to marry Lord ■ when I am twelve." Lord was a gentlemen of forty, and a friend of the Royal Family and of the girl's father. The proposal and tne reply amused the King and Queen, and the Prince was afterwards chaffed by his brothers and sister on the manner in which his , first and so far only proposal of marriage was declined. If it is ever made again it will probably meet mrctn. a different answer. „