QUEEN ALEXANDRA

Otago Daily Times, Issue 18444, 4 January 1922, Page 10

QUEEN ALEXANDRA

A STUDY OF ROYALTY. Of Mr W. R. H. Trowbridge’s book “Queen Alexandra; A Study of Royalty,"’ tbo Daily Mail writes; In her earlier years she exercised a great influence on faehfon: “The Princess’s characteristics were extreme neatness and great simplicity, united to grace'and dignity. There was never anything extreme in design, shape, or colour.” During the war, her great power was as resolutely exerted in favour of selfsocrifioe and simple fidelity to duty: “Through all the terrible years of the great struggle Queen Alexandra remained faithfully and' courageously in London, helping and consoling. Her physical cour-, age was sustained by her steadfast soul' Gentle and uncomplaining, she went about, always in the same simple little black dress, doing her errands of mercy while the* London streets were blazing with jewellery and . furs, and the sounds of revelry at night were mingled ~ with the boomihg of the Zeppelin bombs. “Once only the Queen murmured, and that was when she was told she must give up her beloved horses and dogs. Only the very smallest minimum was left to her, as her muph straitened income was not sufficient to keep so many pets. It was a, bitter sacrifice, lor Queens are often lonely, and dogs are their sincerest friends.’’ / Mr Trowbridge tella how she was bom on December 1, 1844, the child p£ a prince who seemed remote from the Danish throne; and how extremely simple was her upbringing. She was taught to make her, own clothes and instructed jin the, .arts of housekeeping. “Punctuality ' was the »rule establishment, and to conform,:to it was the most arduous of alt the. Princess’s tasks. _ For unpunctuality at meals. Prince Christian (her father) would l make no allowances. It was with the greatest difficulty imaginable that she could arrive in time for the blessing. She could. never overcome this failing, and even on ceremonial occasions, when punctuality is essential,, her attendants were obliged to resort to many a subterfuge to enable her to be ready in - ' But this was her only fault. Of dress and adornment she Was fond, realising that fairy princesses etibuld not neglect externals. As early as 1858, when she/ was only 14, The Times suggested that she would be “the most eligible lady” to marry the Prince of Wales, afterwards Edward VII. . The suggestion was not popular in Germany, wfiore it was reported in the newspapers,''::, and generally believed, that the Prince would marry “a Princess of Prussia.’’ This project, _ however, was greeted with such “sarcastic comment” in the British press that, it was opportunely dropped. The field was clear. . • Attention yaa drawn to the young princess by Sir Augustus Paget, British Minister at Copenhagen. He told, his wife. Lady ■Paget: “I know the prettiest, the nicest, the most charming princesa-yPrinoess _ Alix, the eldest daughter of Prince Christian, the future King of Denmark. She is only 16, and as 'good as she is pretty!” The Princess Royal, afterwards, the Empress , Victoria of Germany, Queen, Victoria's eldest daughter,, was informed of the discovery wiicn her orders were, “You must tell the Queeni at once,'as soon as you can go to England, and find out all you can in the meantime.” Lady Paget parried out this request. Her efforts were seconded by the Princess Royal, who saw Princess Alexandra, and returned s&ying, „ “ She is the most fascinating creature in the World. You did not 'say nearly enough. For a long time, I have not seen anybody who pleases me so much i as this lovely and charming girl,” Queen Victoria was favourably impressed by the reports, and a meeting was arranged with the Prince of Wales,, ,It took place at Speyer, on the Rhine, in 1861, and the Priflco" Consort reported that “the young people seem xo have taken a mutual liking tb one another.” ■ From fear •. of German hostility, great caution was exercised by Queen Victoria in announcing t'he engagement, and her first meeting with the Princess took place in curious circumstances. “While waiting for thd • princess and her mother to arrive. Queen Victoria sat in a small boudoir. . To , the dismay of Lady Paget, who wai clone ■ with her, and- on whom the burden of the presentation had been plgced, the Queen suddenly burst into tears.” She was thinking-of the Prince Consort and her lose of a husband’s love. But the tears passed qff, and tne Queen was “ quite enchanted ” i with her future daughter-in-law. Not for several days did the official news of the betrothal appear, and then “in an obscure corner ” of The Times, which, probably by Royal request, printed- -it “ without comment,” to avoid annoying Prussia. 1 Her departure t from Denmark for 4ho marriage was regarded, as an event of national importance. JChe King of Denmark gave her the most magnificent of wedding 'presents. “ It, contained 2000 bril-* Hants and, 118 pearls, the two largest of which had been exhibited at the International Exhibition at the Crystal Palace, near the Koh-i-noor. > ' From this splendid Jewel depended a facsimile:of the celebrated Dagmar Crass, in Which was sat a fragment reputed to 'belong to the True Cross, with a piece of silk taken from the grave of King Canute.” _ x <• H£r state entry into London with the Prince of Wales was marked by untoward events caused by the inefficiency of the police at that day and by the intense popular enthusiasm. - The State mairiage took place, on March 10, 1863: “Of. the Royal guests the most conspicuous was _ the Crown Princess of Prussia (the British Princess Royal). As -she advanced to her place a fine Tittle boy, all unmoved by the pomp around him, dragged on his arm as ho looked behind him, and was with difficulty brought to his little feet to surmount the three steps of the haul pas. The child, dressed” in Highland costume, "Was destined to become many years later Kaiser Wilhelm It was said of her by men that she made “every woman in the room with her loojk frightful,” and of this extraordinary grace her husband was singularly proud. She always found time-' to be with her 'children; “‘She was in her glory,’ relates Mrs Blackburn,' the head nurse, ‘ when she could run up to the nursery, put on a flannel apron, wash the children herself, and see them asleep in their little beds.’ ” She rode either side, and always showed ‘ a total lack of fear,’ even uv Russia, where there was danger of Nihilist outrages, or when the Belgian Sipido fired at the Prince of Wales as he sat by her side. ■