PRINCE’S TRIALS

Waipukurau Press, Volume XXIX, Issue 148, 20 June 1934, Page 3

PRINCE’S TRIALS

DOGGED BY OFFICIALS

ANjD PHOTOGRAPHERS

Describing the return journey of the Prince of Wales from Brussels, Where he had attended the funeral of King Albert, Hannen Swaffer, of the London “Daily Herald,” writes:— Who would be the Prince of Wales if he could choose? They never give him any peace. . ..

As I got to the Nord station in Brussels a motor car drove up. It was the Prince. Off came the hats. Officials bowed. The Prince had to engage in talk with the stationmastei and all sorts of folk. Cameramen dashed about. Flashlights went off. The poor Prince, who had just had two days of ceremonies of all kinds, including a long funeral and an accession ceremony, was surely entitled by then, to a little privacy. No! It Was an official visit.

In the train he got some peace. At Ostend more photographers met him and had to take, the same old pictures. More officials! More bowing! Then he had to inspect the guard of honour from the destroyer sent to escort him. As he couldn’t be seen home by the aeroplanes, he had to be guarded —from what —by a warship.

A Democratic Prince

We all know that ,if he could, he would end this sort of thing. He loves to escape. . •.

Well, the destroyer followed us all the way, through the fog. The Prince hid himself, with' his equerry, in a cabin, still guarded, though, by a seaman, who shooed off everyone who went up that end of the deck. Then, at Dover, an admiral and a high military officer were waiting. More bowing. More polite talk with officialdom. Yet the Prince had been away for two days. There were no camera men, this time.