PRINCE ENGAGED

Taranaki Daily News, 31 August 1935, Page 7

PRINCE ENGAGED

DUKE OF GLOUCESTER LADY ALICE SCOTT CHOSEN LEADING SPORTS WOMAN OLD SCOTTISH FAMILY WEDDING EXPECTED SOON By Telegraph—Press Assn—Copyright; Rec. 6.30 p.m. London, Aug. 29. The engagement is announced of Prince Henry,. Duke of Gloucester, third son of the King and Queen, and Lady Alice Montagu-Douglas Scott, third daughter of the Duke and Duchess of Buccleuch. Lady Alice Scott was born in 1901 and is at present with her family at Bowhill, Selkirk, her father’s Scottish seat. She is prominent in social circles in the West End and is a sportswoman and a lover of horses. The Duke and Lady ’Alice have been close friends for some months and often danced together. The Duke travelled to-day to Balmoral with the Queen to join the King. There have been rumours that he intended to acquire a residence in the West End. These were strengthened when during the past few days he bought furniture. The Duke obtained special leave from his regiment to seek the King's consent to his engagement to Lady Alice. She is a brilliant conversationalist and has spent much time in Kenya, painting water colours which were exhibited at a London gallery last month. The Duke is a friend of the Duke of Buccleuch, who sits in the House of Lords as the Earl of Doncaster and has a priceless art collection, though a portion of it was destroyed by fire in 1929. NEWS LEAKS OUT. The tenants of Balmoral and Bowhill Were enthusiastic when the news leaked out. The. Duke of Gloucester visited Bowhill a fortnight ago, but the romance was not even suspected, as nothing came of rumours that he was engaged to Lady Alice some years ago when the Duke of Gloucester 1 was a frequent guest of the Duke and Duchess of Buccleuch. He met his fiancee through her brother, the Earl of Dalkeith, with whom he was the closest Of friends when they Were schoolboys at Eton. - The announcement of the engagement —a year and a day after that of the Duke of Kent—was wired to the Prince of Wales and the Duke and DucheSs of Kent, who immediately replied With messages of congratulation. "Lady Alice loves the quiet life of the Scottish moors and spends much of her leisure time with needlework, Specimens of which are frequently seen at charity church baZaars,” says the Daily Mail. “She is a commandant of the local V.A.D.’s, and is a great favourite with the girls. She dresses in excellent taste.” The date of the Wedding has not yet been discussed. Lady Alice’s mother is reputed to have the finest collection of jewels in Britain with the exception of the Quden. One of the Duke’s pictures, a magnificent Rembrandt self-portrait, was 'sold for £lOO,OOO a few years ago. “I am so terribly happy that I can scarcely put my feelings in words,” Lady Alice told the Daily Express. “I think the Wedding will be within six months. The Duke and I have known each other many, many years and have much in common. We have spent a goad deal of time together.” The Daily Mail says that the Wedding probably will follow the precedents of the Duke and Duchess of York and the Duke and Duchess of Kent and will be held at Westminster. Their first home will be either White Lodge (Richmond) or Frogmore. A Sydney Cable says that the Gov-ernor-General, Sir Isaac Isaacs, on behalf of the Commonwealth Government and the people of Australia, cabled congratulations to the Duke of Gloucester.