A GRACIOUS LADY

Evening Star, Issue 22578, 20 February 1937, Page 26

A GRACIOUS LADY

QUEEN ELIZABETH AT HOME THE CHEERFUL TEA HOUR There is a general idea that Royal (personages know nothing about the; way their homes are run —that they have so many “ retainers ” that everything is done without their having any idea about it. Of course, it is necessary that the ordinary routine arrangements should not fall on their shoulders, as they have so many duties of a different kind. Nevertheless, our. new Queen happens to be one of those who does to a very great extent supervise the domestic side of her life, writes a close friend of Queen Elizabeth in the London ‘ Star.' Whether it is due to her early training at her home in Scotland or to a natural bent in that direction, it is a fact that, when Duchess of York, Queen Elizabeth had been in the habit of going down to the kitchen' floor to look into the larder and discuss every detail of the day’s meals with the cook at 145 Piccadilly. Of course, there is a housekeeper in charge of the general round of work in the house, but the Duchess always kept her fingers on the strings. In the matter of making out the daily menus the Duchess invariably ran her eyes over the bill of fare submitted. Although the King now enjoys very good health, in his younger days, even when Duke of York, he had a certain amount •of trouble which necessitated careful diet. This has always been the Duchess’s special care. In the Nursery Kitchenette. Then- the question of the food of her children is of paramount interest to her. Often when in the nurseries she has given a supervising eye to the food cooked in the little kitchenette, which, like most nurseries of to-day, is part of the nursery suite. Sometimes, when a few spare moments have been available. the Duchess, just like any other mother, has delighted in showing her little daughters how cakes and- scones—in the Scots manner, of course!—are made, for, as I have mentioned before, the Duchess is quite good at these things. An unusual ~ arrangement which comes into forco.Awhen the Duke and Duchess have give,n their big dinner parties at 145 Piccadilly, is that a transformation is made in the way of (lining room. The morning room is used.

This means a good deal of rearrangement, but the room which they use for their own meals (which is at

I the front of the house) is not big enough for more than about six covers. Lacking in Pretension. Now can one imagine any other important hostess being satisfied with this sort of ‘ arrangement ? It just shows how lacking in pretension this Royal pair are. They really are very simple, and, though they realise that their position entails formality and ceremony, in their private 1 lives they dispense with it as much as possible. Queen Elizabeth is recognised by all who have the pleasure and privilege of meeting her at home as being in the first rank of hostesses. This is due largely to the fact that her interests are so varied. Even before travelling round the world she has always found life full of sidelights which attracted her. If the Duke found himself next to someone at a dinner who, for example, had special knowledge of a particular subject, he would say: “Oh, I must tell my wife about that, and I want you to meet her and explain all about it, as she will be so interested.” And, after dinner, he would take along his fellow-guest and present her to the Duchess. The Duchess would eagerly ask questions and show that she was all eyes and ears to learn about that particular subject. This -eager light shows itself in her eyes, which are among the brightest and most intelligent I have seen. For formal dinner parties of her own Queen Elizabeth has always taken tremendous trouble over the menus' and the floral arrangements, for which she has a real gift. After dinner guests may play cards. Though they are not particularly fond of cards, the King and Queen join in, but for very small stakes. Queen Elizabeth is a most devoted mother. This point really scarcely needs mentioning, for the public are quite accustomed to seeing her going about with her children on every possible occasion. In this she is following Queen Mary’s custom, for she used to be seen everywhere with her sailor-clad boys looking so spruce in their white duck outfits in the summer. It is no exaggeration to say that every spare moment of the Duchess has been spent either in the nursery or seeing her children in her own room, or in that cheerful morning room which looks on to the green of the gardens of Hamilton Place. Queen Elizabeth will inevitably have Jess of these spare moments now, more’s the pity. Rut I feel sure that she will make time for as many as possible She has none of those oldfashioned ideas that: children should be kept to a rigid rule of life, which chills and cramns their warmest feei-

ings. These little girls are fortunate indeed in their parents! “ A Tidy Mind.” Queen Elizabeth has always had a tidy mind. This has made it possible for her movements to be as free as possible. It is well known that the busiest people have often the most time to spare. This means that they plan out their life carefully, and therefore are never flurried or rushed. This is the case with Queen Elizabeth. Whichever lady-in-waiting is on duty meets her in the early morning, when correspondence is attended to and the diary arranged. Then the question of dress has to be gone into, with due regard to the functions which the Queen has to attend, sometimes necessitating several changes during the day. And if it is found that there is an hour unoccupied—not too often, I fear —then a last-moment plan may mature, such as taking the children to a matinee or on a shopping expedition. But always, if at all possible, the children meet their parents at teatime, when they romp about just like any lesser ones.

The Queen, I may say, is one of the growing number who think tea-time infinitely a more cheerful hour than the cocktail one. It is essentially a “ homey ” one. And Queen Elizabeth is a real home-lover.