KING AND QUEEN RETURN

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXVI, Issue 23381, 24 June 1939, Page 15

KING AND QUEEN RETURN

great cheering crowds royal family reunion NATION'S LOYAL 1 GRATITUDE By Telegraph—Fress Association—Copyright UU'ceivcil Juno "J3, 7.5 p.m.) British AVirelr.-s LONDON, June Q'2 Cheering throngs at Southampton ancl London greeted the King and Queen on their return from their historic tour of Canada £\nd the United States. Fog forced the liner Empress of Britain to slow down to |2 knots whiler Their Majesties were at breakfast. The weather continuing bleak, the King regretfully sent a messaige to Admiral <sir Charles Forbes on board the battleship Nelson cancelling the Home Fleet's reception, whereupon 3 1 ships which had gone out in order to escort the Royal ship returned to Portland and Weymouth without sighting the Empress of Britain. Sir Charles wirelessed to Their Majesties the Fleet s congratulations on their safe return and the Fleet's regret that the weather had prevented the welcome it had hoped to give them. The liner proceeded slowly up the Solent escorted by four destroyers, with seaplanes overhead. The shore of the Isle of Wight was crowded with a waving, cheering throng as the dim outline of the liner was discerned. The Solent was alive wil:h every description of craft intending to join the escort to port. As the Empress of Britain neared Southampton the King invested Commander Sapsworth, SurgeonCaptain Maxwell and Paymasster-Captain Ricco with the C.V.O. and Lieutenant-Commander I.)awnay with the M.V.O. He gave personal gifts to the ship's officers. Princesses Embrace Their Parents When the Princesses Elizabeth and Margaret Rose arrived at Portsmouth they were piped on board the destroyer Kempenfelt in naval fashion and transferred to the Empress of Britain at 12.20 p.m. They joined Their Majesties on the bridge and after affectionate embraces acknowledged the cheers from the Kempenfelt. Queen Mary, the Duke and Duchess of Kent, the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester, the Earl of Harewood and the Princess Royal had arrived at Southampton by train to find the town packed with excited thousands, who had been waiting since dawn, struggling to approach the waterfront and the two-mile route along which Their Majesties would drive to the station. A general holiday was proclaimed in the: town. The liner berthed 1 1 minutes early. The first to go on > board was Queen Mary, escorted by the Duke of Gloucester. She was followed by the rest of Ithe members of the Royal Family. Their Majesties themselves looked the picture of health. They first embraced the Queen Mother and eagerly inquired if she had recovered from her accident. Incessant Cheering in Streets ; i 'i j Every siren blared and mingled with incessant cheering of the crowds as the King, wearing the undress uniform of an •Admiral of the Fleet, descended the gangway, followed by the other Royal personages, j . The procession to Buckingham Palace after Their Majesties' arrival by train at Waterloo Station was a splendid climax to a triumphal return. Enormous crowds cheered Their Majesties at the station, while multitudes lined the route giving them a tumultuous welcome. The: Palace was reached at 6 p.m. Loyal addresses to Their Majesties on the return were unani- » mously adopted to-day in both Houses of Parliament. In the House of Commons the Prime Minister, Mr. Chamberlain, said the demonstrations of loyalty and affection which greeted Their Majesties in Canada and Newfoundland exceeded the utmost expectations, and demonstrated in the most impressive manner the significance of the Crown in the British Commonwealth of Nations. Warmth of American Welcome When Their Majesties crossed the frontier into the United States, the magnificent welcome they received from the President and the American people again outdistanced all precedents, said Mi-. Chamberlain, who added: "It afforded profound gratification to Their ftflajesties* subjects throughout the Empire, and I can speak for the people of this country when I say that we have all been profoundly moved by the warmth of this greeting, which we acclaim as a personal tribute to Their Majesties, and also as a striking proof of the sj'mpathy and friendship which animates the feelings of the people of the United States and the United Kingdom." Mr. A. Greenwood, acting-Labour leader, in stressing the significance of the American visit, said it might have more farreaching results in the maintaining of peace and friendship in the world than we knew. ' Sir Archibald Sinclair voiced the Liberals' support of the motion. In the House of Lords tributes were paid by Earl Stanhope, Lord Snell, the Marquess of Crewe and the Archbishop of Canterbury.