ROYAL ROTARIAN.

Auckland Star, Volume LVIII, Issue 133, 8 June 1927, Page 7

ROYAL ROTARIAN.

SPEECH EY KING ALBERT. BRUSSELS, Jun-j 0. Ten thousand Rotarians of both sexes from most of the countries in the world enthusiastically cheered King Albert? speech in English at the opening of the conference at Ostend. His Majesty said he was most delighted to join the organisation as ythe only Rotarian in his line of business."'

Albert, King of the Belgians, was born j in April.. 1875, and succeeded his uncle, Leopold 11., of unhappy memory, in 1900. ; His reign lias been a welcome contrast to that of bis predecessor. King Albert's manly heroism won the admiration 01, Europe during the war, and his Queen, born Elizabeth of Bavaria, has won the loyal and affectionate regard of her sub-1 jects. For a reign-, ing monarch Kin;:! Albert has travelled , extensively. A note-: worthy visit was ] when he Hew with his Queen to London in 1918. to con-1 gratulate King George and Queen Mary on their • silver wedding. In. 1919 he visited the i United States of! America, where lie I wild acclaim. ]n July. 1921, he' received a tumul-j tous welcome in London, where he was; made Field Marshal of the British Army. j In 1925 he visited India. His son. the l Crown Prince Leopold, recently married j Princese Astrid of Sweden. His secondson, Prince Charles, is now 24 years of age, and th.e Princess Marie Jose is 21. The two latter were educated in England! during the most disturbed years of the war. I Founded in February. 1905. by I'aul P.! Harris, of Chicago, the Rotary Club, movement has extended throughout the world. The London Rotary Club v.-inj started in 1911. with headquarters at thel Hotel Cecil. Strand. There are now overj 20 Rotary C'luhs in Britain, with a con-i