THE LIFE STORY OF H.R.H. THE PRINCE OF WALES.

Press, Volume LXIV, Issue 19460, 6 November 1928, Page 5

THE LIFE STORY OF H.R.H. THE PRINCE OF WALES.

(BY WALTER AND LEONARD TOWNSEND.)

[Edited by Evelyn Graham.]

Read and approved by Sir Godfrey Thomas, K.C.V.0., Principal Private Secretary to his Royal Highness.

[ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.] fEXCLUSIVE TO THE PRESS.]

CHAPTER XIX. AT HOME WITH THE PRINCE OF WALES. When a Prince, King Edward could not, in the truest sense of the word, be called his own master. His every action was approved of and sanctioned by Queen Victoria, his mother, who watched and guarded over her son's activities with a jealousy based upon the long preserved traditions of Royalty. From the very first, however, our own Prince of Wales showed signs of breaking away from strict paternal authority, not that he has ever violated any wish of his parents or run counter to their dictates, but he has a decided mind of his own, and never hesitates from his purpose when once he has convinced himself that it is for the best. Indeed, the Prince has every respect for his father's wisdom, and seeks his advice and co-operation before taking any step of a serious, farreaching nature. On those occasions when parental opposition has to be met the young Prince does not rido roughshod over advice which does not correspond with his own ideas. There is nothing headstrong about his Royal Highness, but he is not afraid to back his opinions against those of others, and can offer reasonable and satisfactory motives for his actions that, favour opposition. Partly due to the spirit of the age; partly on account of the departure from tradition in his youthful upbringing; but more particularly owing to the innate assertiveness which is distinctly present in the Prince's character — these are the three factors which account for the change which has taken place in the attitude and outlook of our present Prinze of Wales compared with that of his predecessors.

AH this being so, the Prince's conduct when at home in London is not remarkable He employs his own methods of working; he accepts or rejects the proposals made to him on their own merits; he deviates from his original programme if circumstances warrant, and he rarely hesitates to cancel one engagement if a more important function demands his presence. During a very harassing and strenuous part of one of the Prince's tours in the east of England news reached him that his brother Prince Henry had been suddenly indisposed by an attack of influenza, and would be unable to attend and speak at a dinner for which he had made definite arrangements. On hearing this, the Prince of Wales, at great personal inconvenience, immediately motored over in time to.take Prince Henry's place .at. ; the ... dinner, and, though he did not think he would be able to return in time to complete his own ceremony, he motored back without rest, and thus kept his own overfull programme intact. the Prince of Wales has been called the best-dreßsed man in the world. This is,, of course, a vulgar exaggeration, and I am sure the Prince has no ambition N to aspire to such a title. He dresses well, of course—as well as any other English gentleman, for he 1b mindful of the fact that Englishmen have the reputation of dressing better than the men of other nations. With, it all the Prince is a worthy model to copy in the m.tter of dress, for his is the acme of good, quiet taste and gentlemanly refinement. Good taste in selecting clothes is not an exclusive attribute of Royalty, for in the past kings and queens have shown uncommonly peculiar tastes in dress. Even King Edward was guilty of deviating fro.- the soundest conventions at times, and once appeared in public with his trousers creased down the sides. A i..an, however, be ne a Eoyal Prince, or a commoner, cannot be judged too much "by the clothes he wears. Like the Prince Consort, many men have but little interest in the clothes they wear, and are content to leave the choosing of their garments to anyone who cares to take an interest in their dress which they themselves lack. The Prince of Wales, on the contrary, however, takes an intelligent and lively interest in his wardrobe, and, though he has definite ideas-of his own particular c' s and • styles—and occasionally errules.the advjee ' ■ his tailor and valet —no one can accuse hiu of too much originality on this so e. He follows his own tastes to a large extent, but a featu-e of the garments is their masc-Unity. The Prince is indeed an "ogre" for detail, and possesses a happy knack of 1 oducii „ a neat Tect in the blending of his dresß from the tip of his wellbrushed silk hat to the to-> of his patent leather brushed shoes.

Although the Prince requires the services of two valets he personally superintends his own wardrobe, and regularly inspects his clothes in order to see that they are well preserved, and that his stock is not too extensive. He does not believe in purchasing clothes above his ordinary requirements. It was the" Prince of Wales who was responsible for the resuscitation of the tall silk hat, although he selected a model more suitable and for young men than that previously worn. Moreover, he discovered a new angle at which the hat could be worn with advantage, and the jaunty angle at which he wears his hats has been copied with advantage by men all over the world.

The Prince has many followers in the matter of dress, both here and on the Continent, and any little deviation he makes from the current fashion is slavishly imitatr' in many quarters. Nor does this imitation confine itself only to Europe. America, in particular, takes a keen interest in the Prince s mode of dress, and frequently copieß in- ations instituted by the young Prince in London.

As a rule Prince Edward has a horror of appearing different from other men, but in the matter of dress he can carry uncommon fashions (before they 're imitated) with perfect ease, and shows no embarrassment on those occasions when he «ppens to be dressed .differently from his companions. On one occasion when he was attending a banquet with liis father and brothers the Prince of Wales was the only person present who wore a flower in his button hole. It would have been quite.an easy matter for him to remove it without notice, but the Prince preferred to follow his own fancy, and the blossom grace' his lapel throughout the function. On another occasion the

I young Prince violated popular custom by appearing at a reception in a dinner jacket with a white vest, twhen for irany years a black vest had been considered the proper complement. Until quite recer'ly the wearing of gloves was deemed strictly essential both in the street and at social functions. Frequently, however, the Prince casts his gloves when out of doors, whilst in the ballroo or at dinner he has completely suspended the use of gloves —a procedure which has since been almost universally accepted. Once the Prince of Wales rose to dance with ia 'garette between his lips, and for a moment everyor. thought that this was the introduction of a modern fashion, but it wai a mistake on the Prince's part, of course —a mistake for which he apologised and instantly corrected. While at home there is always plenty of work to engage the Prince's attests.- When not on his tours about the country he att nds o the affairs of those bodies and institutions whose aims have appealed to him sufficiently to gain his active co-operation. On those" few days when, perhaps to the surprise of H.E.H. he finds himself with no engagements the Prince passes his time in visiting his parents and other members of the Eoyal family. Although firmly established in his own apartments he does not lose sight of his family for long, and nothing pleases him better than to accompany his partents on their tours and visits when his own official programme allows of it. , „ • With all eyes focussed on the Prince of Wales eagerly awaiting some news of his engagement to a suitable future wife, the surprise was great when the announcement was made that the Duke of York was to be married before his elder brother. A Eoyal marriage never fails to awaken enthusiasm in the hearts of every Englishman and woman, and as soon as it was know that Prince Albert was to marry Elizabeth, the daughter of the Earl and Countess of Strathmore, everyone wished eagerly for ihc day when the happy event had been arranged to take place. The wedding ceremony was performed on April 26th, 1923, the Prince of Wales acting as best man. Dense crowds had gathered to catch a glimpse of the bridegroom as, accompanied by the Prince of Wales and Prince Henry, he drove to the Abbey. Throughout the wedding service the Prince of Wales betrayed the slight nervousness which he felt, but when he handed the wedding ring to the bridegroom he seemed to have gained his sang froid. The Prince followed the newly-married pair to the vestry after the ceremony, signing the register there. The Prince's wedding gift to the happy bride and bridegroom took the form of a large, beautifully upholstered motor-car, while as a separate present for the bride he presented her with a fur stole.

From July, 1919, to November, 1927, the Prince of Wales was in separate residence at York House, commonly known as St. James's Palace. But the Prince saw very little of his establishment, for, even when in London,' his engagements were so many and varied that private leisure was the exception rather than the rule. At one time York House, a very close neighbour of Buckingham Palace, was the chief Eoyal residence in London, and is reported to have been originally designed by Holbein. Repairs and alterations have wrought great changes in the old Palace, however, and little of the real building now remains.

The Prince's bedroom at York House is a particularly small one, adjoining which is another apartment, which the Prince uses as his "den." Conspicuous on the wall of the study is a photograph of Princess Mary, while there also hangs an oil painting of his mother. In this, his own particular :ropm, the furnishings are good* but not ornate;' his large workmanlike desk striking a peculiar contrast to' the rest of the old mahogany' Chippendale furniture.

, The Prince, when at home, commences work promptly on the stroke of 10 a.m. The rooms on the ground floor of York House have been turned into a suite of offices, where work the Prince's staff. The Prince himself has a remarkably large amount of clerical work to perform. His mail, which is, as with all royalty, very large, receives immediate attention each morning, necessitating the personal attention of the Prince and his private secretary. H.R.EL keeps a strict pye upon the expenses of his household, and this enables frequent audiences with his comptroller, who attends to the financial side of the Prince's affairs.

Beforo work for the day commences the Prince takes his daily ride in the park or in the grounds of Buckingham Palace, performs his course with the Indian clubs, returning to York House for a light breakfast. The staircase leading to the first floor of his residence is broad and intricately carved, and forms a marked change from the stiff, modern apartments of the ground floor. On the first floor, where the Prince has his living rooms, there is a more cosy atmosphere, for here is the scene of the Prinee's private life, where he can sit at ease in his own armchair, reading his book or paper, and enjoying a quiet hour free from the strain of his many functions. There is nothing spectacular about the Prince's life at-York House — it is quiet, s:iriple, and homely. Quite a large portion of the Prinee's spare time is spent in carefully perusing the newspapers, for, although the Prince holds no brief for scandals, gossip, or sensational news, it is imperative that he should keep a sharp eye on the national events, economic situations, political crises, and so forth, in order that he can better carry on his work. Like every other man the Prince has his private interests, and chief amongst his hobbies is the collecting of silver pieces. Occasionally the Princo purchases new books in order to keep his library up-to-date. In the quiet of the evenings the Prince enjoys nothing better than a quiet hour listening to his new records —which he keeps remarkably up-to-date. Amongst his repertoire are many old-fashioned songs, although the major portion of hiß records comprise dance tunes. Occasionally the Prince amuses himself on the piano—a gift from Queen Alexandra —although he is but an indifferent player, not having the requisite time to devote to practice. A banjo, a guitar, and a ukulele are amongst the Prince's collection of musical initruments.

The Prince is not without a lively sense of humour, and as is only natural, takes a keen interest in the gossip, which from time to time centres round himself. Every man is, at the bottom of him, a little curious, and H.E.H. would not be human if he did not wish to know what people thought about him. He keeps an album containing cuttings of his own activities, and which constitutes a supplement to his own private journal.

Seated in his easy chair with his favourite pipe between his teeth (the Prince does not favour cigarettes as a rule), and a good mystery story in his hand, there is not a happier man in the world than the young Prince, fle has a fair library at his disposal, and although the names o most of the great writers appear o his shelves the Prince prefers good sea yarns, adventure stories, and detective fiction. He ia by no means regardless, however, of the profit to be obtained from studying heavier literature, but the persual of this type of reading is left for working hours. The Prine6 believes ia

having a thorough rest when he is off duty. Photography has a fascination for the Royal bachelor, and he can show many interesting snaps of out-of-the-way corners of the globe, as well as many of the beauty spots of England, and especially the district round Balmoral, Scotland. The album in which these snaps are kept is a wonder of neatness and classification, each photograph being fully described beneath. The Prince also possesses a wireless set, which is installed in a separate room at York House, commonly known as the "workshop." The set was made entirely by the Prince hi iself, and he takes an almost boyish interest in this comparatively new science. In his workshop the Prince carries out all his experiments of a mechanical nature, and anything which "works" by electricity is sure to claim his immediate and sustained attention.

It has been said that the Prince's multifarious interests is one of the reasons why he does not get married. .This is a poor argument really, for most married men havo hobbies, and indeed their, wives encourage them to possess one or more.

Some little surprise has been expressed by not a few people, that the Prince does not turn his energies to literature and produce either works of fiction or travel. There is no doubt that the Prince could do justice to either of these forms of authorship, but he has nc inclination in this direction, fie professes wonder at the method in which writers work, and admits that he does not know how they "do it." In any case, however, he has s little time that original literary composition is beyond the Prince's scope. He makes up for this, however, by his stories. The Prince is a born story-teller, much in the same manner but vet different from R.L.S. The Prince can create a vivid word-picture, and accompanied by restrained gestures can enthral his audience, yet you must catch him in the right mood, for, generally speaking, the Prince is not loquacious by any means.

To sum up the Prince's private and leisure life, takes but a few seconds. The very atmosphere of his. apartments is one "of simplicity, and a shrewd observer might at once see the lack of a feminine hand in its furnishing and display of manly bric-a-brac. Everywhere are reminders that the Prince

of Wales is not, strictly speaking,- a stay-at-home man. Nevertheless, uninterrupted as he generally is when staying in his bachelor quarters, the Prince is happy enough when afc* home, and perhaps it is the knowledge of the limited time which he can spend off duty, which makes his leisure hours so valued by- himself. »Of one thing, however, there is no doubt. The bachelor Price is in no way different from the energetic Prince which the people know only too well, except perhaps when at home he is just a little more self-indulgent than usual. The Prince of Wales has the greatest affection for his bachelor home, and some of his happiest mov ments are spent in the seclusion of his own "den" at York House—with his pipe, his books his gramophone, and his terrier. "Coro."