A Royal Quartette.

Southern Cross, Volume 9, Issue 4, 27 April 1901, Page 7

A Royal Quartette.

KING- EDWARD VII.

Since his accessiou to the throne, Britain s new monarch has commended himself to his subjects by the spirit in which he has undertaken his

high duties. He struck the right key-note in his first public address, when he said : —‘ Encouraged by the confidence of that love and trust which the nation ever reposed in its late and fondly-mourned sovereign, I shall earnestly strive to walk in her footsteps, devoting myself to the utmost of my powers to maintaining and promoting the highest interests of my people, and to the diligent and zealous fulfilment of the great and sacred responsibilities which, through the will of Grod, X am now called to undertake.’

QUEEN ALEXANDRA. Queen Alexandra, as Princess of Wales, endeared herself to those who now owe her allegiance, and the place she holds in their hearts was happily

set forth by a recent writer in the following sentences :—Kever since she came amongst us, ‘ the land’s desire,’ in the ‘ merry March air ’ all those years ago, has she once sought to thrust herself forward —save in the cause of the sick, the suffering, the hungry, the naked, and last, only the other day, in the cause of the wives and children of the men who are fighting Britain’s battles. Eight and thirty years ago the Danish Princess won the heart of England as well as that of England’s heir; she came, saw, and conquered, and the march of time has but affirmed her conquest. During all these years the Princess of Wales has been for us the very type and figure of a great and gracious lady.

DUKE OE CORNWALL.

We shall take another opportunity of referring: in detail to the Duke of Cornwall, whose full title, by the way, is asunder : —His Royal Highness

(jeorge rredericK iiirnest Albert, Uuke or Cornwall and York ; Earl of Inverness and Baron Killarney; Knight of the Most Noble Order of the Garter, Knight of the Most Ancient and Most Noble Order of the Thistle, Knight of the Most Illustrious Order of St. Patrick, and Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order. In connection with the Duke ani Duchess, who have left Singapore for Melbourne, the following pretty little story is current : —One of his ambitions is said to be ‘ the glory of height,’ and in this connection a tale of wifely devotion is related, which the women of Australasia may shortly be able to verify for themselves. The Duchess, when she wore high heels, was a little Hence, the high heels were renounced—both out i

DUCHESS OE CORNWALL

The early life of the wife of the Duke of Cornwall is thus sketched, by the Rev. Haskett Smith : —Being for their exalted station comparatively poor, the Duke and Duchess of Teck were compelled to live in a quiet, domestic stvle ; and it was amidst the peaceful and beneficial associations of home life that the childhood and youth of the

Princess May were spent. Bright, amiable, and unselfish by nature, the Princess became the centre ot affection in that happy home ; petted and idolised by her brothers, adored by her father, and carefully trained and watched over by her mother. In adition to the mental education •which her fond and wise parents caused to be judiciously bestowed upon her, she was taught and encouraged by her mother, both by precept and example to think of the cares, necessities, and troubles of others. Many a time might the casual visitors to Richmond have observed the Duchess of Teck, with her young daughter by her side, setting forth unostentatiously, with a basket on

the arm of each, to visit the sick and suffering amongst the poorer classes in Richmond. Many a humble cottager delights to tell of the acts of charity and kindly words of sympathy with which his or her darker hours have been solaced and cheered by the future Queen of England and her revered and beloved mother.

The Princess May, like her mother before her, was regarded by the English public as a princess of their own, and it was accordingly, with one unvaried sentiment of universal joy, that the news of her engagement to Albert Victor, Duke of Clarence, eldest son of the Piince of Wales, and ultimate heir to the Throne, was received throughout the length and breadth of Great Britain. The sad and sadden death of the young prince, on the very eve of his marriage, transformed the national happiness and hope into national mourning and regret for the time, and by no means the faintest note in the general anthem of woe was that which expressed the disappointment and sorrow of the people at the apparent loss of their expectation of their favourite princess as their future Queen. When, therefore, after the time of mourning for the unfortunate Duke of Clarence had expired, the official announcement was made that his brother, Prince George, was about to marry the Princess May of Teck, the hearts of all became once more enlightened with joy, and, amidst such demonstrations of popular acclaim and enthusiasm as have seldom been witnessed, even in the streets of loyal London itself, the marriage took place on July 5, 1893, and the Princess May became the Duchess of York. Her popularity since that time has maintained its steady level with her future subjects at home : it can scarcely have said to have increased, for that was almost impossible. It is safe to predict that her frank simplicity and genial good nature will, in like manner, win the hearts of all Australians, and that when she and her Royal husband return to their native shore they will leave golden memories behind them in the land of the Commonwealth.