SOME AWKWARD PRESENTS FOR ROYALTY.

Marlborough Express, Volume XXXVII, Issue 169, 18 July 1903, Page 5 (Supplement)

SOME AWKWARD PRESENTS FOR ROYALTY.

Royalty, as can well be understood, are £he recipients of all kinds of curious and unexpected presentssome of thorn being very valuable and welcome, and some of them very far from welcome, and entirely worthless.

Only a few years ago the King ( then Prince of Wales ) received at Sandringham, quite unexpectedly, two magnificent Bengal tigers—a present Jrom a well-known Indian prince. Not being quite prepared at Sandringham for these inconvenient pets the Prince presented them to some zoological gardens in Berlin His Royal Highness said afterwards to a celebrated zoologist :

" I have accommodation at Saiidringham for horses, cows, dogs, cats mice, and even rats, but those two tigers would have been rather diflicult to keep. I have never had such an awkward gift since one of my Oriental friends took it into his head that two huge elephants would prove very acceptable to me, and they accordingly arrived one summer afternoon'when I was entertaining a quiet little party at tennis. My various foreign friends have an uli.a that at Sandringham I can find aecoitiiriodn'.ion for anything—from a bulTalo down to a black-beetle.

It once f«ll to the lot of the Prince of Wales, when Iluke of Cornwall find York, to receive one of the most curious und awkward presents on record. One morning there arrived most unexpectedly, at York House A bnvy of four beautiful Oriental maidens a gift from a certain dusky

potentate to our popular young Prince. What was he to do ? The Duke of York was known to bo invariably gallant and courteous to till—whether the sex be fair or otherwise ; but he drew the line ( so did the Duchess') at having four young ladies of this description, thrust upon him as an addition to his household. As a matter of fact, their visit to England, and to York House in particular, was of a very Bhort duration, for before many hours were over they were returned to their doner " with best thanks."

The Duke of York said afterwards to his brother-in-law, Prince Charles of Denmark , " 1 am a. married man and a good young prince, and I had of course to be very shocked at receiving such a present. Some of my bachelor friends, I know, thought me a very lucky man to have such fair gifts ; but then not everyman, not even every Prince, has such a wife as the Duchess of York."

Queen Alexandra, as the Princess of Wales, some years ago, had bequeathed' to her by a wealthy and eccentric old Liverpool lady, the sum of £28,000, oh condition that the Princess should take charge of a collection of about 200 cats, of which the old lady had made a hobby during her life-time. Needless to say neither the cats nor the £23,000 were " receired with thanks."

Princess Charles of Denmark ( Princess Maud of Wales ) had left to her some two or three years ago by an old German lady, a collection of more than a thousand bonnets and hats. This eccentric old dame had occupied more than sixty years in gathering together this motley collection of " head-pieces," so it can be imagined how hideous and old-fashioned were some of the bonnets. Some time afterwards Princess Charles laughingly remarked to her sister, the Duchess of Fife :

" When I am very angry with one of my friends, and wish to show them that I am displeased, I send them one of the ugliest of thes< hats—one made about 40 years ago, Oh, it is a lovely revenge ! "