THE DUTIES OF THE QUEEN'S PRIVATE SECRETARY.

Evening Post, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 143, 14 December 1889, Page 1 (Supplement)

THE DUTIES OF THE QUEEN'S PRI V ATE SECRETARY.

" It may not be here out of place," writes Mr. Clement Scott (who has succeeded Mr. L. Engel as editor of " Our Celebrities "), "to correct an erroneous view, ignorantly held, that the post of private secretary to the Sovereign is a well-paid sinecure, or that the Queen of England is not one of the hardest worked of the highest officials of the realm. The daily clerical work required from Her Majesty would astonish some of her subjects who complain of their arduous duties. Apart from the Queen's own private correspondence, and the management of her estates and intimate affairs, there is scarcely a Government office of the first importance that does not 'send down every day to the palace at which Her Majesty may be residing boxes of 'documents, orders, warrants, and directions requiring the royal sign manual and instant attention ; and there is scarcely a question of precedent, etiquette, change of uniform in the army, or detail of the various military and civilian orders and decorations, that does not come under the immediate and personal supervision and direction of the Queen. Not a day passes without the published ' Court Circular ' beiog carefully edited, revised, and corrected by the Queen's own hand ; and this im- j portant document is a model of accuracy in every detail. Her Majesty I neglects nothing ; the punctuality of the return of documents submitted for signature is a marvel to anyone who has ever been employed in a confidential position in a Government office, and it is needless to say that the drudgery of all this inevitable detail, and the minuteness of the questions involved, is considerably lightened by the possession of an officer ao experienced, so trustworthy, and so distinguished for tact as General Sir Henry Ponsonby. TJn like many Court officials when harassed and pestered, he has ever a kind word for all who consult him, and he has never been kuown to depart from his cheerful rule of geniality and welcome courtesy. All who are occupied in the difficult task of moJern journalism, and who, whilst studying the interest of their employers and the public, are not indifferent to go id taste and would respect the feelings and privacy of those in high places, find in the Queen's private secretary both a courteous adviser and a friendly counsellor. To say ' No ' gracefully iB one of the most difficult arta to accomplish, and, as may be imagined, the private secretary to a reigningSovereign has to deal extensively in negatives, und to despoae insistency

on the one hand and instrusion on the other with a light and graceful but withal firm and dignified hand."