A NEW HOME.

Press, Volume LXIV, Issue 19200, 5 January 1928, Page 4

A NEW HOME.

MARLBOROUGH HOUSE.

gkttim; ready for this PRINCE. Marlborough House is now nearly ready as the new home for tiic Prince of Wales. The whole place has been thoroughly modernised and brought into line with modern ideas and requirements. but (says Mr Howard tlensman in the "Women's Magazine") it is not the intention of his Royal Highness to occupy the whole of this building, which is ol very considerable size, and what may be described as a "home within a home" has now been provided lor liiui. This has laken the form of the provision of an entirely new suite ot apartments on the lirst floor of tho garden front of tho house looking towards the Mall. Most of the rooms m Marlborough House in the past have bvn of very considerable size, and, in order to render these more eosv and home-like for the Pritice, several of tlieui have been converted into much smaller apartments. They occupy a portion of the rooms formerly used by King Edward, when Prince of Wales, and Queen Alexandra. The largest of these rooms is what may be described as a combined library and study, where his Royal Highness will deal with what may be termed the routine work of his position. This is of a far heavier and more exacting character than many might be disposed to imagine, and it often takes the Prineo several hours a day to deal with.

Simple in His Tastes. The. Prince's bedroom almost directly adjoins this, with a dressing-room and a bathroom opening from it. These arc almost Spartan in their decoration and furnishing, since the Prince is very simple in his tastes and habits and greatly dislikes anything that savours in any way of ostentation. His smoking-room has a particularly attractive appearance, and it is here that he will entertain his friends after dinner. It contains a piano, and so soon as his Royal Highness's private possessions are transferred from his present bachelor quarters in York House it is to be imagined that his favourite ukelelc will find a prominent place here. He is a very skilful player on this instrument, which has considerable attraction for him.

Another important apartment of this new suite is the Prince's dining-room. This is rather a spacious apartment, though not to be compared with the groat State dining-room on the ground floor of Marlborough House, and will hold a considerable number of guests with case.

The suites for the use of the principal members of the Prince's household will directly adjoin his private apartments, and he will be able to summon any of these whom he requires with ease by. means of, a new- internal telephone system that has been installed, which will enable him to communicate with any portion of his residence,- including the new garage that has been built on the former site of the old stables.

By express desire ,of his Royal Highness the State apartments of Marlborough House have been left in precisely the same conditions as they were during the life-time of the late Queen Alexandra. A Beautiful Apartment. The principal, of these is the saloon, a very, beautiful apartment, with a floor of black and white marble, partially covered with Oriental rugs of rare colouring, wliile upon the walls is hung a wonderful set of Gobelin tapestry of a value that can only be vaguely estimated. The richly carved and gilded mirror that surmounts the massive marble mautel-piece here bears on the top the date upon which King Edward and Queen Alexandra first took possession of what was for so many happy years their London home. On either side hang oval paintings of the lato King and Queen. Another room at Marlborough House that is to remain in much the same condition as it has always been is situated close to this boudoir, and was known to King Edward as his "business room," since it was here that a© attended to all his manifold duties during the many years that he was Prince of Wales. The principal feature here is the huge writing-desk that his Majesty favoured in preference to the smaller beautiful old French writing-table that was a present to him from Queen Alexandra. This desk is of the "rolltop" fashion, and is plain almost to the point of austerity—as, indeed), is the whole of this spacious apartment. It is not difficult to see whence the Prince of Waies derives his extremely simple tastes.

The room has bookcases, well filled, all round it, while at ono end is a largo stick-ease that holds the remarkable collection of walking-sticks of all countries and ages that his Majesty collected, logether with a screen covered with a very large number of favourite photographs of King Edward. Theso include portraits of the Earl of Benconsfield, Mr Gladstone, and the late Marquess of Salisbury.

CLASSES FOR TRADESMEN.

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