THE PRINCE OF WALES

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume LIII, Issue LIII, 10 April 1908, Page 2

THE PRINCE OF WALES

A CHARACTER SKETCH

(By "Vindex.") I It is not easy to decide in what pro- j portion the facilities which the King \ exhibits for convening the persons of illustrious princes, and for harmonising the interests of many nations are j due respectively to environment and temperament. The brilliant marriages which have been made by junior members of bis family have of course conduced to give him an authoritative situation in those princely conferences which, veiled under the pleasant form of joyous family gatherings, must be calculated to exercise a weighty influence in shaping the destinies of European Government, while the constitutional character of the British monarchy enables the monarch to be the chosen spokesman of his people, and chief .promoter of their welfare, without incurring the responsibility which attaches to an autocrat. n It must be remembered that tor 4U years King Edward served a peculiar apprenticeship of "eldest son." From the day when he attained his legal majority until the day when he mounted the Throne he occupied a position i unique in the annals of English history. It was not only that he reversed the attitude of hostility towards the Sovereign, which had been adopted by successive heirs to the Throne, but that he was called upon to perform almost all "the social functions attaching to sovereignty without once stepping outside the character of subject. STUDENT OF HUMAN NATURE. Throughout his whole period the delight of the then Prince of Wales lay in the study of human nature, as exhibited in every phase of life, and in every corner of Europe. His possession—in almost superabundance— of that undefinable quality of sympathy here stood him in good stead. It was a matter of pleasure rather than of duty to make himself acquainted— at first hand, if possible— with the views, the personality, and the peculiarities of every individual invested with any degree of public importance. It mattered not what their profession or social status; provided they were interesting people, who in their turn interested themselves in matters affecting the welfare' of their fellow men, Albert Edward, Prince of Wales, neglected no of getting into touch: with them-, and of eliciting from them information with which to equip himself for his high calling. The fluency with which the King speaks foreign languages, and the • meirnry for which he is justly famous, | facilitated largely the methods he em- , ployed for deriving knowledge of incal- ' calculable value from the fountain i head.

I On one occasion, at the house of a foreign princess in France, the King recognised a lady who had been presented to him in Madrid twelve years j previously, and whom he had not seen '\ since. He was familiar with all her family history, and remembered exactly when he had met her. The curious point was that the lady wholly failed to recognise the then Prince of Wales, although she quite remembered the incident of her presentation. King Edward'^ interest in details, his frank delight in ceremonial, and his intense respect and veneration for authority and tradition were never for a moment forced or assumed. The opportunities which his position and personality afforded him were freely used and richly enjoyed, and have resulted in giving him a place in the heart of his people which has certainly not been enjoyed by any King since Charles 11. CONTRASTED WITH THE KING. It has been the fashion lately in certain circles to contrast the character of the present Prince of Wales with that of his august father, and to accentuate different status which each has enjoyed in his capacity of Heir to the Throne. There is no question but that the responsibilities and duties — both social and official — of the Prince of Wales are less multiform and onerous than those which had to be undertaken by his predecessor while Heir-Apparent. The entertainments at Maryborough House need not be nearly so frequent as in former years, the close association with the interests, and internal ar- ! rangements of the services of the Crown is not required; the semi-regal j state so frequently a part of the King's j former duties has but rarely to be assumed ; while as regards purely domestic matters, the Prince of Wales is not burdened with the upkeep of an expensive and extensive country estate. So long as health lasts, it is certain that the present Sovereign will himself discharge every function associated with sovereignty, and his son must therefore be relegated to a place which, however exalted, is distinctly of secondary importance. Nor is there the slightest evidence to show that the Prince of Wales in any way resents or regrets the situation. Like his father, he refrains from any sort of political bias, but, unlike his father, he apparently makes little effort to finger those socio-political threads, which often weave themselves into a texture of domestic and international importance. The Prince of Wales' circle of friends is far smaller and lej3s representative ' than that which for nearly half a century has constantly surrounded the King ; his personal sympathies and touch with the peoples and interests of other European nations are less accentuated ; his aptitude for familiarising himself with new faces and new circumstances is less extraordinary, and, in a word, it may be conceded that the future ruler of our Empire does not possess in so marked a degree those abilities and facilities — natural or acquired — which have carried his illustrious parent to the highest pinnacle of European popularity. HIS SOCIAL POWER. But the very limitations suggested may in themselves be valuable elements in composing the character of a Prince whose career has to be identified with British interests. There exists just now a widespread, and perhaps salutary, feeling that there is a certain deterioration in British stamina and British character, to be traced to a too liberal imitation of certain Continental methods, which somehow do not suit British life; that the cosmopolitan crust, which seems to cover so much that the Englishman used to respect and hold dead, is not

altogether a wholesome confection; that there is — so to speak — a slackening of our national girths, due perhaps to a disregard of such institutions as English home-life and English country pursuits, the continuance of which may cause us to lose some of that heritage of grit and simplicity which (even if translated into doggedness and bluntness) have been valuable assets in our national life. If this be so, it is to our future King that the nation will look to readjust the fashions which influence the whole social scheme and to reaffirm the basic tnith of racial individuality, which underlies every people worthy of its destinies.

THE LOV2 OF COUNTRY.

It is an open secret that for the Prince of Wales the British Empire contains all that closely interests him and makes for his enjoyment •, that he regards with some impatience the incessant Continental Sittings in search of pleasxre to which so many of his compatriots are addicted ; that the sum and centre of his Happiness lies in his own home.

While the King has no special predilection for indoor pursuits other than conversation or an occasional rubber of bridge, the Prince of Wales is an ardent philatelist, a voracious reader of books, magazines and newspapers, and plays a first-rate game of billiards. The Prince compensates himself by serious study for the disadvantages incurred through his inability or his unwillingness to take more than a moderate part in those social occasions for which opportunities are almost daily offered to him.

While the King thoroughly enjoys a gala occasion when he receives the enthusiastic greetings of crowds, and is always willing to don uniform, the Prince of Wales would always prefer to drive in a closed carriage, and has a strong partiality for mufti. It is possible that he adopts (perhaps unconsciously) the thesis enunciated by Queen Victoria — that if every public duty of importance be conscientiously and cheerfully carried out, the more glittering functions attaching to royalty can be sparingly indulged in and relegqtpd in some degree to those who find in them matter for genuine pleasure.

In one respect the Prince of Wales follows closely the bright example of his father by his intense devotion to the British Throne, and in his- implicit obedience to its occupant. It is no exaggeration to say that in the fulfilment of the lightest wish imposed upon him by the King the Heir-Apparent finds his chief human duty. However distinctive their characteristics, however varied their interests, pleasures and pursuits, the most perfect sympathy exists between the monarch and his son, a symapthy which enables them both in various ways, but with one heart and mind, to labor for the stability of the British Crown, and the welfare of the British people.