QUEEN MAUD’S ECONOMY.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXXVI, Issue 3994, 26 July 1913, Page 7

QUEEN MAUD’S ECONOMY.

.“The Sun.

Queen Maud of Norway, the younger sister of King George, does not spend half as much on her clothes as might naturally be expected. In fact, she is said: to be the most economically attired Queen in Europe. Without being extravagant, the Queen of Norway might easily spend a thousand a year on gowns, although, as tho Norwegian Court is a quiet one, there are low great receptions and State functions held there. Visits from other European Sovereigns are also rare. But, even taking the quiet character of her Majesty’s Court into account, tho Queen of Norway’s expenditure on dresses is extremely low, for it seldom exceeds arSQO per annum. That may seem a large sum to ordinary people, but, as a matter of fact, it is not much for a queen. Yet the Queen of Norway is never anything but extremely well, though usually simply, dressed. Her Majesty keeps about adozen tailor-made dresses of different tweeds in her wardrobe, for which she pays eight guineas, and buys, perhaps, eight or nine in the year. For more elaborate morning and afternoon gowns the Queen of Norway pays from ten to fifteen guineas, but does not buy more than twelve of these in the year, and wears each a couple of dozen times before it is put out of her wardrobe room.

The Queen of Novway has tiro services of a very efficient chief dresser, who is a trained modiste, and this .clever lady has a good deal to do with her mistress’s economy in dress. She can alter a gown so deftly and cleverly that it becomes practically a new one, with the result that it can be worn many more times than would otherwise be possible. Thanks to her dresser’s aid, the Queen of Norway is often able to wear an evening gown quite twenty times before having it put out of her wardrobe. For her evening dresses her Majesty pays from twenty to thirty guineas, buying not more than twelve or so in the year, and sometimes not

so many. The Queen of Norway always orders her dresses personally at her modiste’s and finds out what the cost will be before giving her order. Her Majesty buys a good many of her dresses in London, aud personally visits her modistes whom she patronises when ordering her gowns. A few years ago her Majesty went with a lady-in-waiting to a dressmaker in the West End who had only recently started in business, and to whom the Queen of Norway was recommended by a- lady at the English Court. The dressmaker had no idea of the rank of her new customer, and, after taking her order, she asked for her name and address, and then said : “As a rule I get a deposit or a reference from new customers.” “I think you are right,” said her Majesty. “I am the Queen of Norway, and I am staying at Buckingham Palace, and if you send in your account to my treasurer, it will be paid at once.”

Of course, the dressmaker apologised, but she had not offended her Royal customer in tho least.