PRINCE AND CHILDREN

Greymouth Evening Star, 4 January 1934, Page 7

PRINCE AND CHILDREN

TALKS AND GAMES IN HOSPITAL

“I want to play with the children. That, was the simple reason given by the Prince of Wales for his private visit recently to the Princess Louise Kensington Hospital for Children. The Prince, who was accompanied by his aunt, Princess Louise 1 Duchess of Argyll, president of the hospital, spent over three quarters of an hour in the wards chatting to • the fiftyeight children and playing games with many of them. The children were not told oi ms coming until the Prince entered the building. Suddenly he walked into a ward unannounced, and stopping at the first bed, said, “Hallo, little girl, how are you?” . , 1 “O-o-oh!” exclaimed the astonished child as she gazed at the Prince and realised who he was. The news of his visit quickly spieuci and the children who were well enough sat up in their beds, gasping with excitement at. tlfe idea of the Prince of Wales himself coming to play with them. “You must hurry up and get weil. he said to one little boy. “It’s nearly Christmas time, you know.” “I shall now, sir, answered the boy, his eyes bright with pride. One little girl was nearly in tears through disappointment, but the Prince’s tact saved the situation. “Would vou like to hear our gramophone, Prince?” she asked, proud of the ward gramophone. “[ should love to,” the Prince replied heartily. Then it was found that the gramophone could not be played. The child’s face lengthened. Tears were verv near. •

“Well, let’s play with this, instead.” said the Prince, producing an ingenious toy like a rabbit from his pocket. He sat on the bed, and the little girl’s face changed to a big smile. “Isn’t that lovely?” she said, and soon she was telling the Prince as between friends, exactly what she was going to tell Mummy about it all when she came on her next visit. The Prince played a hand at. “Snap” with a small boy, for whom he laughingly admitted he was no match, and had" Sympathetic words for some of the little sufferers, too ill to sit up and play games at all.