THE CORONATION.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1036, 27 January 1911, Page 9

THE CORONATION.

1902 AND 1911. Writing in "Tho Times Woman's Supplement" "A Peeress" states:— Most people only woke up to the nearness of King George's Coronation when tho date, June 2i!, 1911,- was publicly announced on November 8. A few days before this, however, the peers and peeresses had been advised by the Earl Marshal,, the Duke .of Nonolk, as to tho rules and regulations relating to their attendance, aud as to tho stato and dignity, coronets and robes required of them. Aud so long ago as last July thero issued from Norfolk liouso a long list of tho important personages connected with the Royal Household and other public and official departments. At the head of the list cume the Earl Marshal himself, the chief in authority over nil matters connected with the Coronation. Tho Master of the Horse (Lord Granard) and Captain Charles Fitawilliam, who was formerly Comptroller of the Stables at Marlborough House and was promoted immediately on Kirfg George's Accession ti" tho post of Crown Equerry at Buckingham Palace, will control not only tho horsing of the State carriages but practically all the details of the reception and the conveyancing of- the foreign Royalties; while-Sir Schombcrg M'Don-. Nell, Permanent Secretary of the Office of Works, and Sir Arthur Nicolson will be responsible for their housing and personal comfort. Sir Charles Frederick, Master of the King's Household, Sir Edward Ward, who will control all tho military arrangements, and Sir Edward Henry, the head of the police, also have very responsible and arduous positions to.fill.

■ In the Royal entourage thoro will, of course, be many changes from what w-e saw iii 1902. Lord Khollys, Sir Dighton Probyn, arid Lord and Lady Suffield aro Quite certain ; to appear again in their official places in the Abbey next June. Among • the hew faces will be those of Lord and Lady Shaftesbury, Lady Bradford, Lord Crichton, Lord Annaly, Mr. and Mrs. Derek Keppel, and many others ; while the place .occupied by the Duchess of Buccleuch, Mistress of the Robes to Queen Alexandra, will bo occupied by the Duchess of Devonshire, the recentlyappointed Mistress of the Robes to Queen Mary. The pages, too, will be different. The Duke of Leinster and Lord Galedon have both passed the age of 21; aud the names of Lord' Lathom, "who is 15, Lord Garrington's only sou Lord ■■; Wendovcr, and Lord Knollys's son have all been mentioned as their probable successors in the Royal scarlet'and gold. 'Who, again, will bo the four white-robed Maids of Honour to whom the Queen Consort is entitled— though, if my memory serves mo right, only two attended Queen Alexandra at her Coronation?

Referring to the Coronation of King Edward in 1902, tho writer pvoceeds:— But now all eyes and thoughts turn to the main entrance to the- Abbey. The Royal ■ processions aro beginning to arrive. Absolute silence heralds them. Tho whole of tho vast assemblage rises and bows low as the Princes and Princesses take their seats. The Duke and Duchess of Connaught enter wit'u their two daughters, tho Crown Princess of Sweden and Princess Margaret of Corinnught. ' And hero at-last are Mie Prince and Princess of Wales—the Princess resplendent with glorious diamonds arid long ropes of pearls, the Prince-wearing the uniform of an Admiral under his Royal purple velvet robes.

Then a perfectly breathless silence; a chilly, nervous feeling, thrills through each beholder. 'And almost before we can realise it—so noiseless is tho approach— tho splendid cortege that accompanies Queen Alexandra is passing tho bowing rows; of Duchesses. Graceful, beautiful, -youthfrl as ever—indeed, never,'even -to those .who saw her nearly forty years before oh the day she entered "London as tho brido of the Prince of Wales, had Queen Alexandra appeared moro radiantly lovely.' She wore the golden' robes specially embroidered.for...her'Miso-on Corona-, tibh Day by natives of India. And from neck to foot, the whole of the long-trained Court toilette gleamed with diamonds. Aud besides the many rows of great single diamonds which -formed a high collar round her throat, -. chains, and more chains, each composed of other great Crown diamonds, fell in loops and tasselled profusion over the corsage of her' gown. Besides these, Queen Alexandra wore long chains'and loops of diamonds down the front of the skirt, as well as the marvellous, ■ twisted ropes of pearls, with tassellcd pearl ends, known as tho Georgian pearls, which had never been worn -in public since the Coronation of .Qiicen Victoria. With all this regal ning'nificence very noticeable was tho effect of tho siniple coiffure. Not a single jewel gleamed in the hair—awaiting tho moment when tho great doimond. Crown of the Queen Consort should be placed on tho bowed head. ' '

Not a word v.'as uttered—truly indeed a pin might have been heard to drop—as Queen Alexandra took her place- on the Throne set apart for her to the right of the chancel, close to tho high altar. Thou, with tho aid- of the Queen's pages, tho Duchess of Bucclcuch with her own hands arranged her Majesty's purple velvet robe over the back of her Throne. And then, at last, tha greatest moment of the day was upon us. The King himself was in our midst. Ho had reached the platform where Queen Alexandra was 'to join him after her own Coronation. He is still wearing the comparatively simplo though quaint-fashioned, Old World velvet and gold-embroidered tunic —a symbol of the greater splendour that is in store. Wonderfully impressive was tho moment when, as her husband anpreached, Queen Alexandra rose slowly from her temporary Throne in the chancel, and with' unimaginnblo graco of queenly dignity dropped the King tho lowest curtsey of any which paid hoinagi to lnm that day. Preceded by his great .officers of State he now takes his way to the steps' before the altar. . Hero wo saw hi in girt with the sword aud other emblems of sovereignty The magnificent purple velvet and drop ermine caped robe is donned over the velvet tunic. And the supreme moment of all came when wo saw his Jfajestv, crowned and robed, with the Sceptro aiid Orb in hand, slowly descend tho steps from the altar and tako his seat on the great central Throne, there to await the crowning of his Quceu.' Precisely on tho same- spot where her son and successor now sits : crowned wo had seen the great Queen Victoria, on tho conclusion of the Jubileo service of 1887 raise her son to embrace him. And where eight years.ago King Edward received tho homage of his son, next year that son crowned in his stead, will receive the homage of his,son, our future King. What we saw in 1002, that we shall see—the same, yet different—in ign • and as wo leave the silent Abbey, it is not only on the jewels'and the robes, the splendour and tho pomp that our minds linger.'