ITEMS OF SOCIAL NEWS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LVI, Issue 17294, 18 October 1919, Page 4 (Supplement)

ITEMS OF SOCIAL NEWS.

It is generally believed that when Mr. Balfour retires from his seat in the House of Commons the King will press him once more to accept a peerage. This will be the third occasion upon which this offer has been made to him. The first was when he retired from the premiership in 1905 and the second was when King George came to the Throne and was anxious to include him in the Coronation honours. It is not generally recalled now that Lady Haig was, before her marriage, a Maid of Honour to Queen Alexandra. Her twin sister, th e Hon. Violet Vivian, holds this appointment at the present time, and the two sisters supply the only case on record of twins having served together as Maids of Honour to a Queen Consort. Lady Haig has but little liking for society, and is but rarely seen, save at the houses of her really intimate friends. The Countess of Westmoreland is the wife of the thirteenth earl, to whom she was married, as his second wife, in 1916. Lord Westmoreland is Commanding Officer of the 3rd Lancashire Fusiliers, and the countess has been singing at concerts and acting in amateur theatricals organised by her husband's regiment, to their unmeasured and cordially expressed delight. Before her marriage she was Miss Catherine Louise Geale daughter of the late Rev. John S. Geale. Sir Auckland Geddes is not nearly so serious, in private life as he looks when addressing public meetings and deputations. He is a wonderful singer of Scotch songs. He has a fine voice, a good knowledge of music, and his Scotch accent is admirable. Some of his Scotch soldier songs would be worth a fortune on the music-hall stage. Nothing pleases the Prime Minister better than to get Sir Auckland to sing after dinner, and very few popular entertainers could give a better performance. As one of the Prime Minister's visitors remarked : " Sir Auckland is as good at singing as he was at recruiting, which is saying a good deal." The Duchess of Westminster is taking out her elder daughter, Lady Ursula Grosvenor. She has been with her to several dances and to the opera. Lady Ursula is a very pretty girl, tall and fair and blue-eyed, and is full of life and fun. Like all the Grosvenors, and also like the FitzPatricks, her mother's family, she loves horses, dogs, and sport, and is a fine rider and a good tennis-player. She is, iike most of the season' debutantes, very keen about dancing, and dances well. She likes music, too, and sings ballads, but life in the open appeals to her most. She is undoubtedly one of the belles of the season. This year there are so many that they might be described as chimes. Lady Ursula is only 17. Her younger sister, Lady Mary Grosvenor, is only nine.

The Duke of Richmond and Gordon went, after Goodwood, for which he entertained a man's party, to Gordon Castle, Forhabers. It is a fine place with a grim old Scottish look about it, albeit only one tower is really ancient. It fa close to the Spey, in which there is splendid salmon fishing, which the King greatly enjoyed when he visited the duke there before his accession. His grace is never happier than when at the castle ; he loves the life of sport .and freedom. The death of Lord Bernard Gordon Lennox in action was a great grief to his father, to whom he was always a great comrade. The duke is a great favourite with his grandchildren. If the Duke and Duchess of Northumberland dn go to India he will miss them greatly, for he is devoted to his youngest daughter, and greatly esteems •his son-in-law.

A fourth daughter has been born to the Marquis and Marchioness of Anglesey. The little lady was welcomed, and she may lire to make history—a matter in which the Pagets have been fairly proficient; but a son. where a great t'tle and estates are in question, is always eagerly looked for. So far the only one in the rising generation is the five-year-old boy of Lord and Lady Victor Paget, a fine manly little lad The Marquis and Marchioness of Granby's little boy, Lord lioos of Belvoir, who was recently christened, was welcomed very joyfully. I-ord and Lady Anglesey's trio of little girls are delightfully ornamental; doubtless the new one will be so, too, but a boy, if we may say so, would have been more useful. There is no succession in the feminine line in this marquisate, but the girls may welcome a brother, and there is their young cousin to carry on the Paget glories and traditions. That the King gave his consent to the marriage of Lady Helena Cambridge with Major Evelyn Gibbs caused no surprise. The Marquis of Cambridge possibly felt much less misgiving about it than when he approached Queen Victoria to gain her consent for his own marriage with Lady Margaret Grosvenor, now Marchioness of Cambridge. It took place in the private chapel of Eaton Hall, and King Edward (then Prince of Wales) and the present King and Queen (then Duke and Duchess of York) were present at it. Lord and Lady Cambridge have brought up their children simply, and to love outdoor sports and games. Captain Gibbs is a fine sportsman and soldier. He is a brother of Mr. George Gibbs, of Tyntesfield, whose wife is a daughter of the Eight Hon. Walter and Lady Doreen Long. This will be the first wedding in the Marquis of Cambridge's, family. Another is said to be impending. The engagement of Lady Clare Feilding, daughter of the Earl and Countess of Denbigh, to Lieutenant-Colonel Ruscombe Smyth-Pigott, D.5.0., has been announced. Lady Clare, like her sister, Lady Dorothv Moore, did good work in the war. although not actually under fire, as her sister frequently was, winning the Military Medal, the Belgian Order of Leopold, the French Croix de Guerre, and mention in despatches. One of her brothers, Lieutenant-Commander the Hon. Hugh Feilding, was killed in action in the battle of Jutland, and her youngest brother, Captain the Hon. Henry Feilding, died of wounds received in action in the war, leaving only the eldest son and heir. Lord Feilding, alive. He also served in the war, winning a D.S.O. and a C.M.G. He is a brevet-major in the Coldstream Guards, and is married and has three boys, a happy thing for a country which looks forward to the continuance of so patriotic and brave a line.

During the course of his visit to Canada attempts were made by society in certain parts of the Dominion to exclude the general public from entertainments organised for the Prince of Wales, but the latter quickly put his foot down, and telegrams were despatched by his aides to Winnipeg and other places where these ultra-society dames had been in evidence declaring that the Prince would not tolerate any exclusive society functions where only invited guests were to be admitted. In Winnipeg Lady Aikins, wife of Sir James Aikins, Lieutenant-! of Manitoba, had already issued invitations for a " select" garden party to receive the Prince, but as soon as the edict wis issued that the Prince would not consent to debar the general public ironi ad mission her ladyship hurriedly cancelled the party, following receipt of Hs Royal Highness' telegram. Vancouver and Victoria were similarly perturbed when they learned that the Prince tailed for open social engagements, and projected exclusive affairs were relegated to limbo. 1 hit, only added to the extreme popularity of the Royal visitor among the industrial classes, who b lieve in democracy rather than in caste aii'aiis wueie etiquette had gun* toad.