HEIR TO SPANISH THRONE.

Western Star, 20 August 1929, Page 4

HEIR TO SPANISH THRONE.

RUNS BACON CURING FACTORY

When I was in Spain a lady-in-waiting at the Spanish Court drew for me a 4 little work picture of the Spanish Royal Family (writes Evelyn Graham, in ‘Pearson’s Weekly’).

‘The Queen breakfasts in her _ boudoir,’ she said, 1 and all her children invariably come in and say ‘Gccd morning’ to her. Now that the two infants are older they breakfast with their mother. Prince Asturias, br ‘Alfonsito,’ as he is called by _ the family, generally comes in first, kisses his mother, and • has a game, with ‘Ping,’ the Queen’s cocker spanier, .and always has some joke or amusing incident to tell his sisters,. ‘Baby’ and ‘Christa.’

Jamie, Juan, and Gonzolo, or ‘Kiki’ as he is generally called, follow, and the family is complete, especially when the King puts his head round the door on his way to his study with a ‘Good morning all.’ Prince Austrias and his mother always plunge straight away into books, for both of them are passionately fond of reading, especially English novels. After this he generally tells them the news of his pig farm. ‘Prince Austrias often stays with his mother a little time after the others have ‘gone, when he shows her any sketches he may have done the previous day. He sketches extremely well, but is very shy, and will never show his work to anyone but his mother. He has also a marvellous ear for music, and the Queen will often hum little snatches of times she has heard while the Prince picks them out charmingly on the small, boudoir grand piano. ‘They are the most perfect companions,’ finished up the lady-in waiting,. ‘for they have so much in common.’ It is a charming picture of a mother and sonl HE INTRODUCED BACON. After leaving his mother Prince Asturias goes straight away to El Pardo, where his pig'farm is situated. He is a very expert gentleman farmer, and has introduced bacon into Spain with great success. There is nothing he does not know about pedigree pigs from the time they are exported from England to Ins farm until they reach his model curing factories.

lie lias now 5,000 pigs, and no ore is more interested in them than King Alfonso, who often accompanies his son round, listening with interest to ‘pig lore.’ Speaking of pigs, the Prince himself tells an amusing story of how one day he was sketching som e distance outside Madrid. He had settled himself down on his camp stool, when an old Spanish peasant farmer came by, driving some pigs to market. Not recognising the Prince, he looked at him sourly and informed him that lie would not have any sketching done on his land.

The Prince did not want to disclose his identity, as he.knew that if he did he would soon hove a crowd round him. Instead he artfully turned the conversation to pigs, and gave the old peasant so many tips about buying, feeding, and breeding that the old man told the Prince, although he was probably a ne’er-do-well, he knew' a lot about pigs, and that he was at liberty to sketch on his land as long as he pleased.

THE PRINCE ‘LOOKS NIPPY.” Prince Asturias is often to be seen round about Madrid looking very young and attractive in his slim sports cur. He has had many amusing adventures.- One day, many miles from Madrid, he came upon a stranded party of American motorists on a lonely road.

‘Hi, son,’ shouted one, putting up his hand, ‘can you give us any gas?’ Prince Asturias pulled up and said lie would let them have some with Dleasure.

‘Look nippy then/ said the jovial American, ‘we’ve got to get to Madrid to-night.’ ‘Waal,’ he said, ‘this obviously ain’t your automobile, or you’d never give gas away. Four dollars will a brut cover it, I reckon; give it to ycur daddy when you get home.’ The question of marriage naturally looms on the horizon of all princes, the King and Queen of Spain do not believe, however, in rushing their children into marriage, and they are not in any way worrying either the Prince or the infants,