STORIES OF QUEEN VICTORIA

Evening Star, Issue 17793, 15 October 1921, Page 12

STORIES OF QUEEN VICTORIA

Heinrich Angeli, known ns the painter of Royalties, now eighty-one, and living in Vienna, has told a correspondent ol the ‘Daily Telegraph’ some anecdotes about his visits to Windsor Castle during the reign of Queen Victoria^ “In the year 1875,” said Angeli, I ■was called for the first time to Windsor by Queen Victoria, and afterwards she summoned me a number of times, about a dozen altogether. I had to paint her pud the members of her family each time, sometimes singly, sometimes Jn family groups. The first year Her Majesty made it a condition that I should not paint anyone else in England, but aftenvart-o she withdrew it. “ Her Majesty was always extremely gracious, and I‘'gratefully remember how she provided for my welfare, so that my sojourn in the Royal palaces always was a very agreeable and comfortable one, and in no way restricted by Court etiquette. When, on my first visit, one of the Court officials showed ine to my rooms, I lighted a cigar, and ho drew my attention to <the fact that in Windsor Castle smoking was allowed only in the billiard room. ‘ Very well,’ I answered, ‘then I will go to an hotel- to smoke, for I cannot live without, my cigar.’ Her Majesty hoard of this, atid soon afterwards the Court official told mo that Her Majesty did not wish me to leave the castle to be able to smoke, Hie consequence was that henceforth many of the gentlemen of the Court frequently visited me in order to smoke in my room, and it was often dense with tohaco iumes, ‘‘Another wish of mine was also fulfilled by Her Majesty. I did not find it agrees b)e to d ress for dinner when tired after having worked all day, and I therefor begged Her Majesty for permission to dine with Mr Sahl, her German secretary, in the luncheon room. Her Majesty readily gave her consent to this. But Mr Sphl and I did not remain alone long; gradually other gentlemen of the Court also came there in order to avoid’ the compulsion' of dressing for dinner. However, one day Her Majesty said to me: ‘ lily dear Angeli, this cannot go on. Tiro ladies complain that the gentlemen no longer come to dinner. It must stop.’ ‘■lt was a great pleasure to chat with Her Majesty, for she was unusually intelligent; she had a very practical mind and a correct judgment of men and matters. It is certain that she could not easily he deceived. At a sitting I ohee said to her: ‘ I should not want to be a King- j>uir Majesty.’ ‘Why not?’ asked Her Majesty, in surprise. I answered; ‘Because monarchs do not know whether they have true friends or not; they rarely hear the truth, because no one venturer to say anything unpleasant to them, nor can anyone who is not called appear before a monarch.’ Her Majesty smilingly replied : ‘As a general thing you are right; put there are persons who make use of au apparently favorable moment to tel! me a disagreeable truth; from this they deduce the right to lie to me for the rest of their live.?.’ ”