ROYAL GARDEN PARTY.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVI, Issue 204, 29 August 1935, Page 14

ROYAL GARDEN PARTY.

LAST EVENT OF SEASON. (By NELLE M. SCANLAN.) LONDON, July 27. The brilliant season of this memorable jubilee year closed as it began, in magnificent sunshine. The Royal garden party at Buckingham Palace draws the curtain across the social stage, aftei which the King and Queen, the Royal family and, indeed, the whoie world that is embraced by that term "society" depart from London. This week-end will see the beginning of the great exodus from town. Older people are seeking a rest and taking the cure at some English or Continental spa. Here they will diet to counteract the effects of too many banquets, dinners and luncheons, and drink the waters to ease their rheumatism. The younger people are flying hither and thither to cool mountain resorts, to the Balkans or to sun-bathe and swim at fashionable Lidos. It is the restless season, the holiday season, and with August on the horizon, not only society, but workers in every grade of life will be on the move. Townspeople go to the country and country people come to town. On the Twelfth, the opening of the shooting season, house parties will begin to gather at famous country homes. From house to house, from county to county, the sporting element will" move until autumn's chill drives them back to London for the little season. It has been a marvellous year and one that will long be remembered. One feature that has struck everyone is the fact that not one Royal event has been marred by bad weather, though we have had some bad patches of wind and rain and thunderstorms. But not since the first great jubilee celebration early in May has there been such perfect weather as "blessed the Royal garden party yesterday. The sky was blue, the sunshine brilliant, but a faint bree/.e kept us from sweltering. It is said there were 12,000 guests at Buckingham Palace and I quite believe it. The Palace gates are opened at 3.15 p.m., but before that hour there were queues of guests, men in top hats and women in lovely gowns, waiting outside. Some went in by the front entrance from the Mall, others from the smaller gate at Hyde Park Corner, while the privileged members of the Diplomatic Corps arrived by the side gates. The Royal Family. Members of the Royal family arrived a few minutes before 4 p.m. and assembled under the large oak tree facing the east door of the Palace, from which the King and Queen come out. The first to arrive were Prince Arthur of Connauglit with Princess Arthur, a neat figure in dull pink crepe, rather short, and a hat of darker tone. With them was their son, Lord MeDtifT, now a grown-up young man. Princess Helena Victoria was there and also the aged Duke of Connaught, who is now 85. The Prince of Wales and the Duke of Kent came together; the Duchess of Kent was not present, but the Duchess of York, in white georgette and a shady white hat with pink roses, accompanied the Duke of York, and Princess Elizabeth, in pink muslin cam« with them. This made four generations of the Royal family, the Duke of Connaught being the oldest and Princess Elizabeth the youngest member. Princess Elizabeth seemed very proud of her white suede gloves, aiul her tiny hand was always ready to be shot out in greeting when her parents spoke to friends. Princess Alice of Athlone. one of the best-dressed of the Royal family, wore a lovely gown of pale beige lace, and was accompanied by the Karl of Athlone, and the Hon. Alexander Ramsay was with hie wife, Princess Pat, who wore a gown of crepe de chine in brown and cream, with a large hat in parrot green with a wreath of tiny flowers. I also saw Lady May AbelSmith, and Princess Helen of Rumania and her sister, Princess Irene of Greece, both wearing frocks of figured crepe de cliino. As Big Ben struck four the King and Queen, accompanied by their Lords and Ladies-in-Waiting and the Duke of Gloucester came from the east door. The QueenV; dress was one which repaid a closer view. At the distance it looked like cream lace, but it was made of a magnificent material. The tone was such a pale pink that it appeared almost cream, and was a bold pattern of flot."Ors in taffeta appliqued on to net, with a drape at one side. And her toque of silver and palest pink had a high feather mount. Twenty tall men. looking taller in their old-fashioned frock coatis the Geiitlenien-in- waitI ing, accompanied members of the Royal family, as they divided into, separate groups, and passed among the guests. The King went one way, the Queen another, and the Duke and Duchess of York yet another. The Prince oT Wales was with his mother. "Please stand back a little —just a little more," and the Gentlcmen-in-waiting came ahead to open a way through the packed mass of guests for the King and Queen. "Just a little more, the Queen is coining," 1 heard one of them say. "If you don't give her more room, she nays she'll go home again,' , and he smiled as a tall woman with a huge hat yielded another half inch. But there is no pushing or shoving here. A wide aisle opened for the Royal passage, and the King and Queen stopped here and there to speak to old friends, or to <p-eet some overseas visitor who was presented. New Zealanders Honoured. At a long tented buffet at one side, the guests were served with tea, iced coffee, fruit drinks, cakes, sandwiches and the raspberries and cream that form part of the Royal fare on this occasion. And there were the largest gooseberries I have ever seen; they were the size of huge plums. The Diplomatic Corps has a special tea tertt, and the Royal family had tea in another pavilion, in front of which i<s the scarlet and gold Durbar canopy under which, after tea, important people are presented to the King and Queen. Four New Zealaii'lers .shared this honour. Sir Cecil and Lady Leys, Mr. G. Shirtcliffe and Dr. Ada Paterson. Among the first people I met were Lord and Lady Bledisloe, the latter wealing a lovely gown of lettuce green chiffon and lace, with a hat and parasol to match. The previous day when I was motoring back to London through the Forest of Dean, I stopped at the Old Speech House in the forest. This is now a guest house, but part of the buildI ing. which was built by Charles 1., as j a shooting box, is still used by the i Yerderers, who control the Forest of Dean, a council of which Lord Bledisloe is the president. Lord Bledisloe told me that he i« the fourth of his family ' to occupy the position.