“YOUR TURN NEXT.”

Gisborne Times, Volume LVIII, Issue 9671, 18 April 1923, Page 3

“YOUR TURN NEXT.”

GOSSIP ABOUT BRIDE FOR THE PRINCE.

THIS YEAR, NEXT YEAR, SOMETIME.

“Buck up, Teddy. Your turn next.” This is the refrain of the popular" writers, and the thoughts of most of the public since the announcement of the Duke. of York’s engagement to Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon (says the London correspondent of a Sydney paper). . At odd times there have been (interesting speculations regarding the matrimonial prospects of the Prince of Wales. Lately there has been a recrudescence of the gossip; and the decision of the Duke has given a fillip to the topic. Now everyone wants to know when the Heir Apparent will forsake his state ;.of happy bachelorhood, and many anil varied are the guesses about the bride to be.

For a long time a large section of t'he tipsters were ready to wager their worldly possessions she would be Lady Elizabeth, and their chagrin at the failure of their prognostications have for a moment put an end to further speculations. But there are many others brave or foolish enough to believe that they can fathom the depths of a woman’s mind and the intentions of a Prince, who do not hesitate to couple his name with certain charming and beautiful ladies, and to hint darkly that the merry music of wedding bells will soon ring out. Many popular writers are proving to their own satisfaction, if not always to the satisfaction of their readers, that the Prince should marry, and soon. They make no bones about the matter at all.

It seems to be either the privilege or misfortune of Royalty—whichever you like—to have private affairs brought under -the microscopic eye of a curious and friendly public. The most trivial doings of the Prince still form the titbits of conversation in homes throughout the country." The fashionable beauties of Mayfair and the citizens of Tooting share a common interest in the comings and goings of the most popular Prince of modern days. ' We read that a bachelor Heir Apparent is an anomaly, and many elderly writers are moved to sadness by the thought that the Prince, at the ripe age of twenty-eight and a bit, still shows no outward inclination for forsaking his single state. One lady writer boldly announces that “in no position that a man can •occupy is a wife more necessary than that of the eldest son of the Sovereign. The performance of all his social and other duties is rendered doubly difficult by the absence of a wife.

That may be the case. It is not ■for a mere man to contradict a lady on such a delicate point as the requisites of a wife, but it would seem to a casual observer that the- Prince performs his social duties with g: eat pleasure to himself and friends, who bask directly in the sunshine of his smile. Tantalising Enigma. In the ballrooms of Mayfair, the hunting field, the polo ground, at social receptions—in fact anywhere where his myriad activities and interests take him, he is a charming and satisfying guest or host. With amazing energy he throws himself into the social festivities of the moment. Pie will dance till 4 a.m.., and then, almost before the first golden rays of the sun are lighting the sky, he will be up and about preparing for the fox hunt or some other sport.

If his more immediate associates would try to fathom his matrimonial future, their task would bo difficult. He is unfailingly affable, friendly and cheerful, showing no pronounced piedilection for any of the charming daughters of his numerous hostesses, and his familiar boyish smile still flashes out with never a suggestion of inward communing or worried, cogitation.

If the Prince has been smitten by Cupid he keeps the fact a profound secret. He remains a tantalising enigma, and his happy face smiling out of the newspapers, alongside of weighty articles (“Why the Prince Must Marry”), only seems to deepen the problem. There are many people who believe that the Prince will not embark on a matrimonial venture until he has returned from his promised v’sit to South Africa; but. of course, rumor is hard at work. The Duke of York’s decision has narrowed the field down somewhat.

sMany Names Mentioned.

Gossips are now apt to associate the Prince’s name with the hnndvme Lady Rachel Cavendish, a close fiiend of Princess Mary, and kiughtar of the Duke of Devonshire, the present Secretary of State for the Colonies. Lady Mary Thynne, daughter of the Marquess of Bath, is also mentioned. Then there are all the bridesmaids (except Lady Doris) for the Duke of York’s wedding. The bridesmaids are the Princess Maud, daughter of -the Princess Royal and the late Duke of Fife; Lady Mary Cambridge, elder daughter of the Marquis and Marchioness of Cambridge; her cousin. Lady May Cambridge, the sixteen-year-old daughter of Princess Alice, Countess of Athlone; Lady Doris Gordon-Lennox, younger daughter of the Earl and Countess of March. The engagement of Lady Doris to Mr Cleve George Vyner, son of the late Lord Ahvyne Compton, was announced recently.

However, latterly, not overmuch importance is attached to the speculations about the Princess. Rumor has at various times coupled her fortune with several dashing Princes of the Continent. Because she remains single and unattached and beautiful as well, it seems the fashion to frequently regard her as a probable consort for some eligible and heart-whole Prince. There is a strong public feeling in favor of the Prince choosing a British bride. Whether he will be moved into instant and heroic action by the reams of advice and the knowledge that his subjects would rejoice to see him wed, must remain to be seen. It is safe to surmise that he will please himself and choose a lady in whose keeping his future happiness will be secure.

But when will the wedding be? Ask tho Prince!