PRINCE’S “RESTFUL” HOLIDAY.

Hawera Star, Volume XLVIII, 1 November 1924, Page 12

PRINCE’S “RESTFUL” HOLIDAY.

PLAYING HIDE-AiID.-SEEK. LONDON, September 9. Even in such.a dramatic country as America the price of a Royalty’s personal popularity must be paid, and the Prince of YY ales himself couid not logically have, expected that every movement of his would remain unnoticed and unchronicled. His desire for a “quiet” an d. “restful” holiday could never be realised in a country whose citizens have been, on the alert to see again for themselves this Prince Charming as pictured in their own papers, and it is no wonder that crowds have swarmed everywhere trying to get a glimpse of their welcomed and appreciated R, vr.l guest. The Prince himself has entered intothe sport of trying to play hide-and-seek with the yearning girls, the hosts of would-be entertainers, and the crowd of sportsmen who wished to catch a personal glimpse of him at play. When lie sat on a fence to watch the polo match, hoping to be unnoticed, the crowd flocked through the field, and the Prince then climbed back over the rail and disappeared. At the same time the Prince lias been enjoying the holiday, in spite of dodging the Press and the camera men, and if his idea of, a quiet holiday is to play polo during the day and to dance into the small hours of the night, then his wishes have been fulfilled. At the same time he may not have thought that all America wou Id be wishful to learn the names of everyone of his dancing partners, though he must nave teen prepared to find that all the details of his dress would be printed as an affair of the most important sartorial interest. At the very wonderful party given in the Prince’s honour by Mi- Clarence Mackay at his country home, Harbour Pill, Long Island, where 85 guests sat down to. dinner and a thousand more attended -the subsequent ball, it was noticed that the Prince asked the orchestra at 2.30 a.m. to play “Leave Me Alone.” and then at once disappeared. There is no doubt, of course, that the Prince appreciated the immense pains taken by his host to please his Royal guest, and the n agmfieent lighting effects on that oeeasren have never been surpassed even in the annals of Long Island. Despite his own wish to ; void publicity as much as possible and his almost amusing attempts to defeat the Press in their endea- ours to ehioniric his every movement, the Prince on more than one occasion has .-hown his real kindliness of heart to yards those whose business it is to satisfy the desire of the public. On the occasion wnen the Prince scored a goal for his side at the polo match, he was waylaid by a photographer • nxious to snap him. Ihe Scotland Yard man on duty threatened, however, to put his loot through the camera if the pliotugripher did not go away, but the Prince n tervened, and remarked, '‘Never mine, I don’t object.” The- American papers have boon lull of the views of their readers as re the desirability or not to give so much publicity to the doings of the Pnnie Some of the writers of the letters that flood the napers on this ? üb'iect express a sort of humiliation over the efforts of the crowds to swarm round the p: im o whenever he appears m public, v line others declare that it is only ihe natural wish of most Americans to see their guest, and the tuioj pnrtv express a certain democratic disanorobntion of all that pertains to royalty. The Prince, however, continues to enjoy his polo, but will not i.ostpone his departure for Canada, even if a ihiid ma-tch is necessary in the international polo match. In a few davs he will he off to his ranch near Alberta, where last year he was so. pleased that his desire for privacy was generally recognised, and he was able to enjoy the kind of holidav that he ready likes.