A PEACEFUL DEATH PRINCESS VICTORIA

Evening Post, Volume CXX, Issue 135, 4 December 1935, Page 11

A PEACEFUL DEATH

PRINCESS VICTORIA

MOURNED BY THE NATION

FUNEEAL OX SATUEDAY

(British Official Wireless and United Press

Association.)

(Received December 4, 11 a.m.) LONDON, December 3.

Princess Victoria, the elder of the King's two sisters, died after a brief illness this morning at her home in Buckinghamshire. She had been in indifferent health for about three weeks, but it was only in the last ten days that her condition became serious.

The King and Queen, who visited the Princess a week ago, have been constantly informed of her progress. The crisis came on Sunday evening, when her Highness developed an acute and severe hemorrhage from the stomach. A transfusion of blood was performed, ■but it had only temporary benefit, and her death occurred at 3 o'clock this morning;

Princess Victoria is mourned by the whole nation, and messages of condolence from all parts of the world have been received by the King and Queen, and by his Majesty's only surviving sister, Queen Maud of Norway, who is at present staying at Sandringham.

Princess Victoria's death was announced in a bulletin, which stated that her Highness had a peaceful death.

The Princess, who was 67 years old, was never robust, and since the death of her mother, Queen Alexandra, of whom she was a constant companion, she has led a retired life in the small Buckinghamshire village of Iver, in the affairs of which she took a lively interest. SIX WEEKS' MOURNING. The funeral will take place at St. George's Chapel, Windsor Castle, on Saturday, the service being confined to members of the Royal Family and personal friends. , Simultaneously a memorial service will be held in the Chapel Royal, St. James Palace, London. The. Court will wear mourning for six weeks for the late Princess, changing to half-mourning on December 24. Engagements of members of the Royal Family have been cancelled on account of the bereavement, and the State opening of Parliament arranged for this morning was abandoned, the King's Speech being read in the House of- Lords by the Lord Chancellor. Fifty peeresses in deep black attended the opening of Parliament, which was robbed of its colour and pageantry. Sympathetic references to the bereavement sustained by their Majesties were made in both Houses, and silent tributes to the memory of the Princess were paid at the London County Council and other meetings. More formal expression will be given to sympathy in the House of Commons tomorrow. All flags in the city are at half-mast. The Duke and Duchess of Gloucester, who returned to Buckingham Palace last night after the first part of their honeymoon, have cancelled plans to spend the second part with friends in Ulster. QUICK BLOOD TRANSFUSION. Two volunteers, a man and a woman, from the Blood Transfusion Society, whose names were kept gee-ret according to .custom, made a dramatic motor-car dash.:from London to Princess Victoria's bedside in response to a doctor's urgent telephone call. Within 20 minutes they had given more than a pint of blood, and the Princess appeared to rally. Few of the villagers knew of the Princess's illness, although she had attended a specialist for two months The King arranged for his own personal nurses to attend her and summoned Lord Dawson of Perm. The villagers were dismayed at the news, and declare that the Princess was a Eort of godmother to Iver Everyone could testify to her goodness, especially for poor children. A high Parliamentary authority states that there is no precedent for the cancellation of the State opening * ?? arliament- Owing to the lateness of the hour of cancellation, it was decided that the only course was to broadcast the news by wireless It was impossible to obtain workmen to dismantle the special seating.