PRINCE HENRY Arrive To-morrow.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LXI, Issue 18584, 19 December 1934, Page 7

PRINCE HENRY Arrive To-morrow.

j| ........... 0 VnHE visit to-morrow of His Royal Highness Prince Henry. I Duke of Gloucester, will be an outstanding event m the I history of Poverty Bay, for it will mark the first occasion on X which Gisborne will have the privilege of welcoming a member of the Royal Family. New Zealand has been fortunate in the visits to it of members of the Royal Family as ambassadors of Empire in ,the happiest sense of the word, and as consolidating forces in Empire unity, for such visits invariably evoke renewed demonstrations of loyalty not only to the British Throne, but also to the great democratic system of British life and government of which the monarchy is the keystone. ~ , „ Prince Henry’s visit to Gisborne, to-morrow is of paiticuiai significance to this distinct. Jt marks the day when (asborne ceases to be a provincial town so far out of the way that it cannot conveniently be included in a Royal tour. Gisborne has never been grafted the privilege of receiving Royalty, and it is not to be wondered at that .the visit of the Duke of Gloucester is to be made an occasion for great rejoicing and lavish celebration. In his willingness to undertake in the heat of midsummer the long journey by road from 'Napier through Gisborne to Rotorua, the Duke of Gloucester offers yet'one more instance of the desire of the members of the Royal Family to know the outposts of Empire. It is a far cry from the highways of England to the steep and tortuous roads which afford the only means of travel between Gisborne and other parts of the Dominion, and the Duke will surely find his journey to Gisborne amongst the most arduous of the tout. The embodiment of courtesy and quiet dignity, characteristic of all the members of the Royal Family, the Duke of Gloucester is a gracious and charming man, intensely interested in the conditions of life in the remote corners of the Empire, and most anxious to come into close contact with his father s subjects. Pi u his brothers, he is modest and unassuming, of simple tastes, and intensely human. As the King’s special emissary to bring a message to the people of New Zealand he has been given a; welcome such as the warm-hearted and loyal people of the Dominion well know how to give; as a man he "is received with affection and the utmost respect because of his quiet, manly bearing and natural charm of Prince Henry William Frederick Albert, KG., P.C., K. 1., G.C.V.0., has carried the official title of Duke.of Gloucester since his twenty-eighth birthday. He was at the same time invested with the lesser historic titles of Earl of Ulster and Baron Culloden. The conferring of these titles enables him in common with Ins brothers, the Prince of Wales and the Duke of York, to take Ins seat in the House of Lords. . The Duke’s visit to Australia and New Zealand constitutes his third notable mission beyond the heart of the Empire. His special mission to Japan in 1929 to invest the Emperor with the Order of the Garter was followed in 1930 by his presence as the Kings representative at the coronation of the King of Ethiopia. Ihe excellent impression which he created on the occasion of these investitures, and which he has made at other notable ceremonies, - leaves no doubt as to the success of his present mission to the Empire’s outlying Dominions. Thirty-four years of age on March 31 last—he was born at York Cottage, Sandringham—the Duke’s soldierly bearing reflects his decision, at, ap. early age to engage, in a military career, in which he has won promotion not by virtue of his Royal rank or of any special privileges, but in the ordinary way without favored preferment. In following a military career he has been inspired probably by ,the example of his great-uncle the Duke of Connaught. After five years at Eton, the Duke of Gloucester passed on to Sandhurst in 1918, and from Sandhurst he proceeded to Cambridge. The fact that he has devoted himself so

10th Hussars, .and, with the strict stipulation that he should be raised in rank oniy in the ordinary way and that he should .take his full share of the work of the regiment, he rapidly won promotion. He was one of the four Counsellors of State during the King’s absence abroad in 1925, and is at present a personal A.D.C. to His Majesty. The Order of the Garter was bestowed upon the Duke when he became of age. In 1925 he was made a member of the Privy Council. He is also High Steward of King’s Lynn, a Bencher of Grey’s Inn, and a freeman of London, Edinburgh, and Glasgow. The Dukedom of Gloucester had been extinct for nearly 100 years before the King re-created it for his third son in March, 1928. The Earldom of Ulster revives a title which was held in the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries, and which again came into the Royal Family when it was conferred on the Duke of Edinburgh, second son of Queen Victoria. The Baronry of Culloden was among the titles borne by the Duke of Cambridge, who for nearly 40 years was Commander-in-Chief of the British Army, but it became extinct on his death. The spotlight of publicity which plays so fiercely upon each member of the Royal Family has very rarely centred upon the activities of the Duke of Gloucester, and at the age of 34 |||l|i|& he is the least known of the King’s four sons. obscurity has been of his own seeking, for WmW he takes his military duties very seriously, and |l|fF likes to look upon himself as an ordinary Wsr cavalry officer rather than as a Royal prince. • W Although lie lias not acted as an ambassador of Empire in the same way as bis elder brothers, the Duke plays a valuable part in upholding the prestige iff the House of Windsor. As an ■officer of the 10th Hussars he is undoubtedly

upholding and -preserving the noble tradition that one member of the Royal House should devote himself heart and soul to the great profession of arms. The tallest member of the Royal Family, the Duke has the trim figure and close-clipped moustache of tne typical British cavalry officer. He hunts regularly, and although not as enthusiastic as his elder brother, frequently rides his own horses at military point-to-point meetings. The Duke takes an active interest in practically every form of sport, including yachting. His well-set-up “physique is not surprising, for he loses no opportunity of keeping fit. Not only is he a keen lover of horses in both the hunting field and m polo, but also he shares the Prince of Wales’ zest for squash racquets and tennis. He and the Prince of Wales often engage in both games, not so much for the mere recreation as for the opportunity they afford of keeping The Duke of Gloucester is described as the best, cricketer the Royal Family lias ever produced. On one occasion when an impromptu match being played at Windsor lie was the captain of one side, ana having just dismissed the Prince of Wales, he turned to a companion and said: “We shall win all right now; there is only father to come in, and 1 can bowl him any time I like.” He - was as good as his word, lor the King was sent back from the first ball he received from the Duke. . At Sandhurst the Duke took a great intercst in Rugby football, and it is understood that it was only at the desire of the Queen that lie did not take a more prominent part in the game, as his play at times showed him to lie well worth a place in the first fifteen. His next love was polo, and he played a great