KINGS AT DINNER

Evening Post, Volume CXXI, Issue 23, 28 January 1936, Page 9

KINGS AT DINNER

HISTOBIC SCENE

EDWARD VIII AS HOST

(Received January 28, J. p.m.)

LONDON, January 27.

There was a historic scene at Buckingham Palace tonight, when five Kings sat down to dinner with King Edward VIII. They were King Haakon of Norway, King Christian of Denmark, King Leopold of Belgium, King Carol of Rumania, and King Boris of Bulgaria. There were also' M. Lebrun, President of France, and all the other Royal guests and heads of foreign missions, the company totalling fifty, all men.

Dinner was served in the white and gold State dining-room. The King's guests wore black knee breeches and silk stockings, with evening coats, those of King Edward and other members of the British Royal Family being decorated with gold buttons. The famous dinner service of <gold plate was used.

Thus King Edward for the first time took his place with his brother Monarchs and heads of States as their host.

In the meantime, Queen Mary dined in the Chinese room at the other end of the first floor with Queen Maud of Norway and ten other British and foreign Royal ladies, while in the household dining-room some of King Edward's suite dined with members of the foreign entourages. The six Kings after dinner joined Queen Mary and Queen Maud and the other Royal ladies, and later King Edward had formally presented to him members of the suites of foreign representatives at present in London. In giving this dinner party King Edward followed the precedent of King George, who entertained foreign Royalties who came for the funeral of King Edward VII. The arrival of the Royal visitprs earlier in the day provided the spectators with a succession of impressive spectacles at Victoria Station and elsewhere. Most of the arrivals went to Buckingham Palace, from which, at 5 p.m., five cars, in the first of which was Queen Mary, took them to Westminster Hall, where they spent twenty minutes.