MONSTROUS GOLD COACH.

Star (Christchurch), Volume LXVI, Issue 20649, 25 June 1935, Page 9

MONSTROUS GOLD COACH.

Queen Victoria’s Jubilee Snub. LONDON, May 14. Interesting light on the Jubilee of 1887 is thrown by Mr E. F. Benson in his book, “ Queen Victoria,” published to-day. He writes that attempts were made to induce the Queen to wear robes of State. “ The last to try had been the Princess of Wales, who came out baffled from the Presence, saying she had never received such a snub in her life “ For she would have neither crown, nor sceptre, nor robes, nor would she drive in the monstrous gold coach, the swaying of which always made her fee 1 , rather unwell, but in a landau, alone on the back seat, with the Crown Princess of Germany (her eldest daughter) and the Princess of Wales opposite her.” The Queen’s handling of the very awkward situation which arose out of the Kaiser’s congratulatory telegram to President Kruger after the Jameson raid was typical. “ Instead of a strong Note being sent to the British Ambassador from the Foreign Office,” Mr Benson says, “the Queen handled this outrageous telegram of the Kaiser’s herself. ‘She asked nobody’s advice, for nobody knew as well as she how to deal with William. . . . His grandmother’s letter completely deflated him. and he wrote back to say that he knew her government had done all they could to stop the raid. William’s faults,’ as she W’rote afterwards to the infuriated Prince of Wales, * come from impetuousness (as well as conceit) and calmness and firmness are the most powerful weapons in such cases.’ “ They were certainly powerful enough in this case; and the Kaiser, whp a few days previously had proclaimed that he would not allow England to bully the Transvaal, and was busy putting on his shining armour, took it all off again.”