THE QUEEN’S BIRTHDAY

Taranaki Daily News, 18 July 1929, Page 16

THE QUEEN’S BIRTHDAY

PICNIC AT FROGMORE. KING CATCHES A CHILL. London, May 31. A cheerful and hopeful message was received by the Lord Mayor of London from Queen Mary, at Windsor, in acknowledgment of a telegram conveying birthday wishes to Her Majesty, whose 62nd anniversary was celebrated quietly on May 26. In this i message to the citizens of London the 'Queen said: — “I recall with heartfelt satisfaction the sympathy so warmly extended to me and to my children during the past months. From the Valley of the Shadow their King has been restored to his people, and with the realisation of the nation’s faith to the fervent prayers and earnest good wishes which supported me and those dear to me m the dark days of our anxiety, I would ask you, my Lord Mayor, to say to one and all, that, in thanking them for their thoughts for me on this anniversary, I will ever remember with happiness the love and affection so loyally given to us.” There were no special celebrations or the birthday, but Her Majesty received personal gifts from various members of the Royal Family and hundreds of congratulatory telegrams arrived during the day from all parts of the world. In the morning the King and Queen attended Divine service in the private chapel of the Castle, accompanied by Princess Mary and Viscount Lascelles, and attended by the ladies and gentlemen of the Royal Household. The Dean of Windsor officiated and the sermon was preached by the headmaster of Eton, Dr. Cyril Alington. The music was rendered by St. George’s Chapel Choir, under the direction of Sir Walford Davies. In the afternoon Princess Elizabeth and her two cousins, the Hon. George and the Hon. Gerald Lascelles, went for a drive in the Royal grounds, in an' open landau, drawn by a pair of greys. THE PICNIC TEA.

In honour of the Queen’s birthday a picnic tea was held under a yew tree in the grounds at Frogmore, the King and Queen, Princess Mary and Lord Lascelles, and a few guests motoring from Windsor Castle. The bells of the Curfew Tower and Windsor Parish Church pealed during the morning and evening, and flags were flown from the public buildings. By command of His Majesty, the bands of the Boy al Horse Guards and the Coldstream Guards played on the East Terrace for two hours during the afternoon, and the public were admitted to listen to the music. There were many thousands present. Then, a few days later, came the unexpected announcement that the King was again confined to bed, with a chill. It is believed that this was contracted during the alfresco outing at Frogmore, for, though the sun was brilliant and warm, there was a cool wind. The first sign that the King was unwell was noticed on the following day, when he developed a slight cold. It was considered advisable that he should remain in bed.

. Lord Dawson of Penn, who attended His Majesty throughout his long and grave illness, returned to London from Paris by air last evening, and went direct to Windsor. The King’s present indisposition has caused a cancellation of the arrangements made so that he should hr informed of the progress of the General Election. It is stated that his medical advisers consider that His Majesty should be assured once again of complete tranquility, and that he should not attempt to keep abreast of the political situation. The Queen, says the Sunday Times, is proud to be a Londoner. She was born at Kensington Palace, where her parents, the Duke and Duchess of Teck, were then living. She herself has said of her childhood that she was “very naughty, very happy, and very uninteresting,” but her mother was more kindly. “Full of life and fun, and playful as a kitten,” was her account of Princess Mary’s youth. To her sensible upbringing the Queen owes the sympathy and good judgment which are so frequently displayed in her actions and speeches. By the time of her marriage, nearly thirty-six years ago, she had obtained a wide knowledge of the problems with which a sovereign is called upon to deal- and a keen conception of the duties of high office’. It was the latter characteristic which enabled her to carry out the last few months public engagements when she would have preferred to have remained by the King’s bedside.