ROYAL FAVOUR.

Otago Witness, Issue 3115, 26 November 1913, Page 75

ROYAL FAVOUR.

ADVANTAGES OF BEING NEIGHBOURS OF THE KING. • Groat Britain's rulers have for the lasfc six or seven' decades been far more accessible in Scotland than anywhere south of the Tweed, and the favour of the anointed of the Lord, with all its attendant benefits in the shape of nobiliary honours, official preferment, and social prestige, haa Occasionally been secured by way of Balmoral. That is whv each autumn, when the seat of the Government of the British Empire is established on the banks of {ho River Dee, the lists of those who succeeded in obtaining the lease of the castles and lodges in the vicinity are scanned with interest by the public. Most of the country places in the district belong to great "nobles and Scottish territorial magnates personally known to the Royal .Family, and who, no matter 1 whether rich or in straitened circum--stances, make it a point ox honour among themselves to 'refrain from renting their 1 estates either to absolute strangers or ta persons who are not congenial to th« members of the reigning house. No monej can tempt them. When anyone does succeed in leasing for the season a placa in the neighbourhood of Balmoral, it may safely be taken for granted that his name has been passed upon bv the Sovereign and approved. These fortunate individuals, when tactful, have managed in this way to establish themselves oil a footing of neighbourly intimacy with the Sovereign that would be quite impossible anywhere else. • Thus the late Algernon Borthwick, editor and, proprietor of the London Morning Post, became a personal friend bf Queen Victoria, through leasing Invercauld for a number of successive years, and entertaining there, as house guests, great artistes whom her Majesty loved to hear, especially Madame Albani, v/ho was far and away —The Favourite Prima Donna of the Queen. — Whenever Victoria learned of the presence of Madame Albani on the Deesido she, would invariably ask her to come to the castle for the purpose of dining, and singing to her, and what more natural than that, after having made the acquaintance of Algernon and Mrs Borthwick, she should invite then) to accompany their gifted guest? Then the Queen got into the habit of driving over to Invercauld to tea, in order to visit tha Borthwicks and Madame Albani. On such occasions the members t>f the house party at Invercauld would keep out of sight, in accordance with the laws of etiquette. In response to the Sovereign's inquiry aa to who were staying at Invercauld, tha Borthwicks would enumerate the names of their other guests, and then the Monarch would express her wish to see this or that One of them, whereupon they would be summoned to her presence. Algernon Borthwick was an exceedingly clever man, with courtly manners, partly acquired in Paris, where he had represented the Morning Post for several years, and with a great fund of anecdote, while Mrs Borthwick was one of the moat charming and gracious of London hostesses. Tho Queen became very fond of both of them, and in due course Algernon Borthwick was created, first a Baronet, and then a Peer of the Realm, as Lord Glenesk: honours which it is doubtful whether he wotilcl ever have attained had it not been for the fact that his Sovereign had found hirn to be a particularly agreeable neighbour in the Highlands. —"The Benefactor."— Then thero ivae Jamea Thompson Mac-

kenzie, an East Indian merchant, who. on his return from the Orient, established himself at Glenmuick. He is said to have been the original of Thackeray’s “Altamont. Alias Amory,” the representative of the Nawab of Lucknow, in “Pendennis.” In spite of a certain ftoridity of manner, he managed to render himself so agreeable as a neighbour to Queen Victoria at Balmoral, and to Edward VII, when Prince of Wales, at Abergeldie, that ho was honoured with a baronetcy. He was extremely generous, especially toward all charitable undertakings and other enterprises in which his Royal friends were interested'; so ranch so that he used to go by the nickname of “The Benefactor” in Court circles, and was the principal financial backer of the Marlborough Club, in Pall Mall, which was founded by the late King and his particular set, and was that Monarch’s favourite club. In Sir James’s will there is the following characteristic clause; “My heirs and executors are at liberty to let Glenmuick, but not to a cad, nor to anyone who would bo disagreeable to the Royalties, from whom I have always received the greatest kindness." The testator’s children and grandchildren continue to enjoy the marked favour of the reigning house, and have derived many advantages therefrom. Queen Mary’s American Friend.— Then there is Rear-admiral David Beatty, R.N., who for several vears made a point of leasing one or another of the country’ seats in the immediate neighbourhood of Balmoral. The Beatty children became playmates and cronies of King George’s youngsters, and in course ot time David Beatty and his wife were known as belonging to the relatively small circle of intimate friends of the present Sovereign and of his Consort. To-day the result of this is to bo found in the circumstances th it David Beatty was advanced to the rank of Rear-admiral at the early age of 39—the youngest officer of that rank in English naval history of all times,—and that he at present enjoys one of the most desirable commands—namely, that of the first battle cruiser squadron. Of course. Beatty is a very distinguished officer, who was decorated for gallantry under fire while commanding the gunboat flotilla on, the Nile when Lord Kitchener smashed the Mahdi at Omdurman in 1898, and was still further promoted and decorated for his services in the operations for the relief of the besieged legations at Peking, where he was twice wounded. But still, at the same time,'it may be questioned whether his merits would have received quite so phenomenal a reward had it not been for the favour and friendship of the Sovereign, who is the fountain of all honours—a favour acquired by way of Balmoral. King George Fond of Balmoral. — King George has always been extremely fond of Balmoral, likes the climate, which he finds conducive to his own health, as also that of his wife and children, and delights in the excellent fiahing in the waters of the Dee, and in the deerstalking in the Balmoral forests, which is very fine. He has known every one of the 'people in the entire district from his earliest childhood, and feels himself thoroughly at home there, while ho, as well as his consort, finds in the relative simplicity of his surroundings at Balmoral a great relief from all the pomp, ceremony, and etiquette which hamper his movements when he is in residence at Buckingham Palace, or at Windsor Castle. The Balmoral estate comprises a little more than 40,000 acres, and extends along the Dee for 12 miles. .At one moment the seclusion of Balmoral seemed to be threatened by a railroad, which began creeping up the valley. But Queen Victoria was able to secure the passage of an Act of Parliament which stopped the line at Ballater, eight miles distant from the castle. To-day Ballater is the railroad station for Balmoral; and whereas the trip between the two places used to be made by the late Queen Victoria in a carriage and four horses with postilions, King George, like his father, more modern in bis ways, contents himself with an automobile. 'That the King should remain in his own ‘dominions, instead of going off to some Continental watering-place, such as Marienbad or Hombnrg, is a matter of great convenience to the Administration, and facilitates the conduct of the Government. For there are Hundreds of 'Things Cropping Up Every Day in Downing street and at Whitehall which require his personal attention and his instructions. With the extraordinary development of the telephone system, he can remain while at Balmoral in quite as close touch with his constitutional advisers in London as if he were at Windsor, and in u manner that would bo quite impossible wore be staying at some foreign thermal resort. There was an old castle on the estate when Queen Victoria first purchased it, in 1852, after having leased the place tor a number of yearn But the accommodation Unit it afforded wan quCc inadequate, and in 1853 the eoriieimUfiio of the present castle was laid. Two yearn later it wan ready for occupancy, and when the Queen and the Prince Consort entered it fur the first time an old shoe was thrown after them for good luck, in accordance with tunc-honoured customs. The < ]•; is built of light, granite, and i« of I lie rid Scotch baronial style of architecture, with round turrets and crow ohaped gables. Its great tower, 100 ft high, is adorned by a clock, which (jives Urn time to the neighbourhood, and is surmounted by a flagstaff, from which the Royal Standard of Scotland—not of England—floats when the King is in residence.