"VICTORIA REGINA"

Evening Post, Volume CXXIV, Issue 146, 17 December 1937, Page 9

"VICTORIA REGINA"

ERRORS OF THE AUTHOR

Generally no objection is raised by flic War Office or the Lord Chamberlain to the use of real uniforms in a serious play in which there is_ no likelihood of its being "brought into contempt," says a writer in the "Daily Telegraph." ' The Grenadier's uniform is not the only point in "Victoria Regina" to which those familiar with Queen Victoria's Court take exception. A few days ago it was pointed out to a member of the cast that the Court ladies were making much deeper curtsies than #was usual in everyday life at Buckingham Palace. Judging from a performance which I saw this was remedied. But there were still one or two points which surprised me. In the second act "Lady Jane" has a long conversation with the Duchess of Sutherland and repeatedly addresses her as "Your Grace." This is astonishing, especially as we are told that the Duchess is her cousin. Queen Victoria herself is made to address her ladies as "Lady Jane"- and "Lady Muriel," although in fact she spoke to them by their Christian names without prefix. In the Jubilee scene the Queen's chair is wheeled in by two Indian Army officers. This was actually the duty of her Indian servants, who were dressed in white, or occasionally in salmon pink, with, the Koyal cypher on their breasts. I have never heard that the Queen's Indian Orderly. Officers, who attended her on State occasions, pushed her wheeled chair. In this connection it is surprising that Mr. Housman has not referred in any of his plays to Queen Victoria's knowledge of one sentence of Hindustani. This meant "Pick up my handkerchief." I have been told that, when visitors were present, the Queen would frequently drop her handkerchief. She would then turn to her attendant and display her knowledge of his language.