PRINCE OF WALES

Evening Post, Volume CVI, Issue 55, 14 September 1928, Page 4

PRINCE OF WALES

If STORY OF HIS LIFE £' FA_M#]S, ACCESSION FIRSf^ISTATE CEREMONY '■;'' By Walter and Leonard Townsend; edited%y Evelyn Graham. Read and approved by Sir Godfrey )i Thomas,''K.C.V.O., principal secre;t tafy to His Jtoyal Highness. CHAPTER IV. PURPIiE JROBES OF STATE. It was at.the coronation.of his father '" and mother" that Prince Edward', now Prince of Wales owing to his father's aeeession to the throne, made his first real State appearance clad in all the lobes and glamour of his Royal rank. For tho first time tho young Priueo, How a full cadet in the Royal Navy, was to don-the coronet "which belonged to his position as elder son of the roigning Sovereign, and tho mere fact, that this circlet- of gold and jewels was more elaborate than either that worn by his sister, Princess Mary, or his brothers, brought home to him tho official difference- in his station from theirs. Five of the Royal children were present at the coronation of King George and Queen Mary, the fifth son, little Prince John, being too young to he prosent. Although a little awed by all the splendour-.of the robes they wero to wear, the five • Royal children —tho Prince of Wafcs,.Prineess Mary, Prince Albert, Prince Henry, and Princo George —looked forward eagerly to the event. It had been arranged that the four Princes and tho Princess should drive unattended in one of the State coaches, and when Queen Alexandra; heard of this sho at once advised the King and Queen to send someone to supervise their conduct. It was too late, however; the arrangements had been made, and so on the great day the Princo of Wales, in his robes of rod and ermine of the Order of. tho Garter and with his heavily bejewelled coronet on- his young boyish head, staggered into tho gilt-covered State carriage, followed closely by' Princess-Mary in blue velvet, with ermine train and small coronet resting rather precariously on tho top of her; mass of. fair hair.. Princo Albert, %'igce<Henry,? arid ; Prince George, alf.rts_tleiL-d.elit, in State robes, followed. Now the Prince of Wales and Princess Mary occupied tho back seat with the three younger Princes sitting in a row opposite them. No sooner had the State carriage left Buckingham Palace than Prince Albert, Prince Henry, and Prince George began to nudge . each' other and gigglo and laugh at the decorous and upright, bearing of their elder 'brother the Prince of .Wales and. Princess' Mary. Louder and lbuder •became the;1 giggle of the three younger Prineos,'and tho faces of the Prince of Wales >aid his sister redder and redder with Sanger; at tho teasing. Princess :;Mary sharply remonstrated with :her brothers, and told them to <'behavo themselves"; but her shock.«l reproof fell on unheeding cars. ''Bertie," "Harry," and "George" were beginning to mischievously enjoy themselves. All the time the " great carriage was Aeing drawn between the lines of upright guards and tho cheertag masses of the people. Priijic'ei Georgo, sitting exactly opposite Eririceds Mary, now made an attempt .to tickle her in tho hope of destroying her proper dignity; in tho effort"!^, slipped off tho leather,.-scat to the flolor'otj tho coach;' "t""w'-?i :■:■.. j'-.-. Princci. Mary, stooping to pick him, tip, lost ;her coronet, -which rolled to the floor.: For a moment all was confusion; thee, the Princo of Wales mischieviously retrieved his sister's coronet, and placing it on her'-head, sharply told his brothers that if they did not behave themselves he would administer there i and then the .necessary chastiscme»fc.jQj. l eßiorce such conduct. Once in tho Westminster Abbey, Jiowever, the Royal children were awed/ Into the most decorous behaviour. The i£' Prince;; of" Wale, "particularly "■: cairried through his duties as heir to the throne ia the most dignified and impressive manner. Seated on the right hand of His Majesty the King the fair-haired and fresh-complexioned Prince revealed now the value of-all tho careful training in Prineeship which he owed to the clover Mr. Hansell. Not once did he falter or :fliako> prißtake, and the high officers •i|&P„i#e: present ;.said,;afterwards that by s-irft--the- most rinipr.essiyir.-mo-pent' b£%ftJ'whole'i ceremonywas when ehe yo_s£^nnee'bf'Wale. knelt before his fath!s;' K t6 render honiag- to dow__'■-""'■';';;,''■;.; '"■".'. As he' rose to touch the crown upon the King,', head, his father "embraced him affectionately, kissing him on the light cheek^-ißy :.this little human act the King- reminded his son that love and affection can. find a place amidst even the most dignified ;and formal ceremonies. '"•-.. " ■■■' - -■'■ ■■ Once outside the Alibey again tho young Princes Albert, Henry, and George regained their good spirits and recommenced the teasing of their elder brother and sister. As the great State carriage made its way up Whitehall Prince Albert and Prince Henry, finding that three on one seat was rather a crowd, unceremoniously placed their younger brother, Prince George, underneath it, and it was in this uncomfort-. able position that he had to travel back to Buckingham Palace. But for tlie bands of, the Brigade of Guards and the cheering of the crowds his cries of protest must' of a certainty been heard by the occupants of the other Royal carriages. ANOTHER ERA DAWNING. When' * Cadet Edward of Wales'' left the Royal Naval College, Dartmouth, on the eve of his sixteenth birthday to Bpeud a few days of quiet celebration at Marlborough Houße he realised but dimly that.the purple robes of State were already waiting •to envelop him in their histo.i<r folds; and that Royal tradition-was'standing by with a mask ef colourful ceremonial, behind which he was tQ.._ide all.' those pleasurps which had made, hia,boyhood so natural and happy. But already, his father had ordered letters -patent to be passed, a proclamation at onco formed a real landmark in the young Prince's life, and forcibly brought home to him the fact that he was now no longer only r ,the-son of a ruling King, but in himsolf the'possessor of an important series of titles, which carried with them dignities and obligations not lightly to be regarded.c; " It was fitting then that the King and Queen should choose this occasion as a suitable one for their son to make his bow of allegiance to. the Great Ruler and Creator of ail men, and to renew Ida solemn promise made for him in. his pamo at baptisiri. The day following his birthday the simple but solemn service of confirmation, for which he had been duly prepared by the Rev. H. Dixon Wright, R.N. (who .later was killed in the Battle of Jutland), was performed in the private chapel at Windsoi' Castle iv the presence of the King and Queen nnd other members of the Royal Family, together with a few other specially invited guests. Tho Queen mother, hoarty in her agreement with the King's intentions regarding his son, made the important event an-occasion for her first public appearance since the death of lie. beloved husband, and while at

Windsor visited the resting-place of the late monarch and placed a wreath on his coffin. After the Royal party had partaken of lunch in the State dining-room at the castle they slowly filed into the private chapel and took their seats immediately before the altar. The King and Queen,' Princess Mary, and Prince Albert sat on the Prince's light, with tho Queen mother and Empress Marie on tho left. After Sir Walter Parratt, .Master of the King's Musick, had played a few opening bars on the organ the service commenced with the singing of that vital Christian hymn, "Fight the Good Fight. ' The Archbishop of Canterbury, assisted by the Dean of Windsor and Canon Dalton, then read the office, and the young Prince answered those well-known questions in that same firm, convincing voice which today marks him as such a good public speaker. Then,.in stirring, impressive words, the Prelate offered an inspiring message, emphasising th<? nne'l for lofty chivalry in everyday life and indefatigable service to both God and man. The Prince listened-with rapt attention, and joined .fervently in that appropriate hynin, "0 Jesus, I Have Premised," which closed the inspiring service. After tho Benediction had been pronounced the Royal party left the chapel. The following day the Prince received his first celebration of Holy Communion. The confirmation of a young boy is usually considered to be of a private nature, but in the caso of Princo Edward it could not altogether remain so —the eyes and earß of the whole country were with Mm in that little chapel, for was he not swearing allegiance to the National Church and Christian vows? RETURN TO DARTMOUTH. Tho . Princo of Wales returned to Dartmouth with happy memories of his birthday still in his thoughts. Apart from the gifts of his parents—a gold watch from his father and a camera from his mother, the Queen —Queen Alexandra and other members of the Royal Family, there had been scores of congratulatory telegrams, each of them a loyal admission that his progress and movements were being followed by the whole nation. ■ But there waa a more wistful side to all this celebration—the knowledge that;he was no longer looked upon as a boy Prince,-but as a member of the State, with serious work awaiting him in tho near future. And Prince t Edward had no wish to grow up yot. What lad at school has? "David" experienced for a little while that unreal, unsettled confusion of'mind which the public schoolboy invariably feels when told by his parents that a berth in the city or some other profession awaits him at'the end of his prosent school term. -...Studies, games, and school life take on ah added attractive: ness which they never-;held before. ■•'•; Prince Edward found, too, .'that a subtle barrier had arisen between himself and his colleagues. Since ho had been at Osborne tho Prince had sought companionship with others on a more or less equal footing* but now there was more respect and deference shown to him. than had been necessary when he was Cadet Edward of Wales, and this "difference" robbed the hitherto* care-free life at college of much; of its charm. The Prince found" it irksome to be left out of the fun merely on accgunt of his titles, when the boy himself had so little altered his outlook. But not for long did the Prince dwell upon such problems. School life ivas all-absorbing, and ho found himself attending to his studios with his customary zeal. Except for a slight diversion, when he left school for a few hours and joined his parents at Torbay to witness spectacular demonstrations by: a part of the Fleet, the Prince's studies were uninterrupted until holidays began in early August. A few days then were spent at Marlborough House, prior to a short vacation in Scotland, at Balmoral Castle, white'- granite; towers have always exercised a> fascination for the Prince. Whilo there he was a frequent visitor at nearby Mar Lodge, where lived the Princess Royal. Prince Albert and Princess Mary were also at home, and tho young trio, happy to be together again, spent the days in London following divers pursuits. On one occasion "David" and his sister visited tho Japan-British Exhibition, finding there many things Both to instruct,ahd: interest them. Chapter IV will be continued to-mor-row. <> ■■■'-'■'"■" ■■•'•