ROYAL VISITING CARDS.

Evening Post, Volume L, Issue 48, 24 August 1895, Page 1 (Supplement)

ROYAL VISITING CARDS.

Paris has had the monopoly of supplying the monarchs of the world with visiting cards ever since they became a sooial necessity under the Second Empire. The use of the Christian name only is a prerogative whioh kings and emperors share with servants. Recently a -.Royalist in Paris showed a correspondent a visiting card insoribed "'• Philippe," under a crown. Ten thousand of that sort were ordered by the Duke of Orleans before his father's body was cold. The Emperors of Germany and of Austria on their visiting cards follow a German custom and print part of their title. According to fashion's dictum, their visiting oards should either read "Wilhelm" and " Franz Joseph," respectively, or "Duetscher Kaiser" and "Kaiser yon Oesterreich." The Prince of Wales has two sorts of cards, one reading " Albert Edward," the other " Le Prince de Galles," the French term being more often used in royal oiroles than the other. French being the universal language of royalty, all monarchs have their visiting oards for general use inscribed in the Gallic tongue. Some princes use cards whioh give their name and title in the native language, but in most oases that is done for a purpose, "The " in front of a royal or princely title denotes that the person is- a sovereign, or at least the head of a

■ family. In England it is employed in addressing a Peer ; for instance, i " the right honourable." Only one Englishman of non-royal rank makes bold use of the prefix " the " on his i visiting card, and this reads "The Duke of Argyll." His son's and daughter-in-law's cards, on the other hand, read "Marquis of Lome" and "The Princess Louise." The visiting card of the Emperor of Austria reads : " Franoois Joseph 1., Empereur d'Autriche, Koi de Hongrie." This is in the very worst taste according to the . English notions, which strictly prohibit the use of the Christian name in connection with one's title.