ROYALTY IN REALITY

Ladies' Mirror, Volume 3, Issue 9, 2 March 1925, Page 5

ROYALTY IN REALITY

'By "A COURT HISTORIAN"

IN THIS ARTICLE KING GEORGE IS PRESENTED IN HIS HUMAN, RATHER THAN HIS CEREMONIAL ASPECT. WE SEE HIM PORTRAYED AS A FATHER, A HUSBAND, AND A FRIEND. NOT MANY BORN TO WEAR THE PURPLE COULD STAND SO SEARCHING AN ANALYSIS AND REMAIN REVEALED AS BEING AT ONCE TRULY ROYAL AND ENGAGINGLY HUMAN

'HPO secure with ease the key to a man's character one must look into the little happenings of his life , rather than great events. In the little everyday occurrences, unexpected tests are made of temper, of will power, of gallantry and similar basic qualities, and, in these circumstances, we discern the virtues and weaknesses of the man far more accurately than we do when we observe him passing through some sequence of events for which he has been forwarned and prepared. Thus, I think, we find much of the character of our gracious King revealed with wonderful clarity in an incident that happened very recently. His Majesty had been out shooting on the moors, and, on his homeward tramp, he came to a stream which offered two means of crossing. One way lay over a small bridge, and the other across a series of very irregular stepping stones. The King chose the stepping stones, as he will always, if permitted, select any course that offers a test of skill or courage. Balancing himself with the confidence of a man who has known many ships' decks in foul weather, King .George negotiated this tricky crossing while a young man watched from the opposite bank. Safely arrived on the other side, the King said to the young man, "You ivould have laughed had I fallen in, wouldn't you?" and the two men, King and commoner, laughed together heartily at the vision of what might have been

"She REAL KING GEORGE

had his Majesty been less surefooted. Such an episode could never be chronicled of a man who was haughty, overbearing and artificially dignified. It could occur only in the life of a good-humoured, human man, such as his Majesty, beyond question, is. It is surprising what ignorance still exists concerning the habits of our Royalty. To-day the great mass of the people no longer entertain the crude idea of the King sittingall day long on a golden throne holding sceptre and orb and looking superior. But that notion seems still to persist in certain parts of the Empire and elsewhere. Canadian and American newspaper reports sometimes convey an impression of the King sitting down to dinner every evening in his crown, eating from a gold plate and doing no work other than signing occasional parchments with a quill pen, while scarlet-robed courtiers stand ready to execute his lightest wish! &fow the Khig Works COME of the success of the King's eldest son, overseas and in America, is due indubitably to the way in which he has dispelled ignorance concerning Royalty. It has come as a pleasant surprise to many to find that the Prince, as the result of his parents' training, behaves like any well-bred young Briton and that, like most young men of his race and generation, he possesses sporting instincts and a fine sense of humour.

A complete day with King George would be a revelation to most peo—a revelation of untiring energy and concentration in State affairs, of thoughtfulness, kindliness and homeliness. As becomes one trained in the Navy, his Majesty is an early riser. He is usually up and about by seven a.m. Whenever he can, he takes a ride before breakfast, not because he is particularly fond of riding, but rather because he realises the value of exercise in maintaining his efficiency. In these morning rides he is always most observant, and those who salute him, even when they think he has not seen them, find their act of courtesy gracefully acknowledged. Breakfast is always an informal affair at the Royal residences, his Majesty taking a quiet meal in his own apartments, after which he goes straight to what may be quite fittingly described as his "business." At an hour earlier than many business men begin, the King is among his papers. As the monarch is not permitted to send personal letters to any but members of his family and to friends who have no connection with State affairs,, practically all his correspondence proceeds through his Private Secretary, Lord Stamfordham, who has at his command the very efficient Secretary's Department. In the grounds of Buckingham Palace is a summer house which is so "made that it can be turned in any direction to face the sun. This

is the King's favourite "office" in the summer. After the first session with his Secretary and equerries, come the various audiences. In one «f the reception rooms the King will greet a new representative from a foreign power, say farewell to a distinguished visitor, welcome home a returning general, chat for a while with a new bishop, and receive ministers of the crown who have special business to put before him. To all these, he invariably displays a remarkable knowledge of their individual interests. In transacting State business the King has that power of concentration which gave Queen Victoria such a wonderful grasp of the multitudinous affairs of her realm. He will read and re-read a document, and may, indeed, have it read aloud to him. This reading aloud is a practice to which his Majesty attaches

special importance, knowing that one frequently gets a more accurate sense of the meaning of a .statement when it is read aloud than when the eye slips rapidly over the written word. Though never seen wearing them in public, the King does so much reading that he is obliged to wear glasses to protect his sight. His preference is for the pince-nez type of eye glasses. zAfter-Ttinner Case T UNCH is, as far as possible in such a busy family, a family affair, but it is a light meal so far as the King is concerned. The menu is always most carefully arranged under the Queen's personal supervision, and though it is necessarily rather elaborate, for the sake of guests, it always includes certain of the King's favourite dishes. Dinner, however, is the meal

which the King most enjoys, for, usually, by this time, the cares of the day are over, and the King is free to partake of those homely joys in which he gets his relaxation. After dinner, he likes to read a little. Although his secretaries, during the morning, bring to his notice articles and items of news which they consider he would wish to see, the King likes to look over his newspaper at his leisure in the same unfettered way as the average man. Books, too, particularly serious nonfictional works, and sociological writings, appeal strongly to him. Then, of course, there is his famous stamp collection, on which he lias spent so much of his precious leisure. It is a proud hour for him when he shows it to a fellow stamp-collector, for only an expert can appreciate fully its wonders. An evening meal with only his family about him, followed by a quiet hour or two of unbroken relaxation, is, for the King, a wonderful tonic. Coffee in one of the drawing rooms, with Prince George, the musician of the Royal Family, displaying his gift at the pianoforte, is a pleasant prelude to a fireside chat with the Queen and

such of his sons as are present. At this hour the King still misses the society of his much-loved daughter, Princess Mary. Between these two there exists that deep and abiding affection that is frequently found between a father and an only daughter. The Duchess of York, when she dines with the Royal Family, brings back to the King happy memories of the former evenings when he and his daughter laughed and chatted together sometimes for a whole hour. Indeed, save for the more elaborate surroundings, many an evening at Buckingham Palace and Sandringham is very similar to an evening in any middle-class home where the family is united in real affection. The King smoking, reading or talking; the Queen, perhaps, at needlework, two of the Princes playing billiards or chess, or . entertaining the company with a little music. Smoke HPHE King's favourite evening smoke is a cigarette. He is not so fond of cigars as was his father, King Edward, but he smokes them on occasions. Being a sailor, he is no stranger to a pipe, but he still

retains the old-fashioned prejudice against pipes being smoked elsewhere than on board ship and on the moors. Only a few selected friends are permitted to share the intimacies of the family circle. The King is very slow in making close friendships, and here, again, is different from his father who had hosts of friends with whom he was intimate, some of whom were hardly worthy of the confidence he reposed in them. Thus it is that the family circle is jealously guarded. When King George came to the Throne there were many sad hearts in Mayfair. The "smart set" which revolved about King Edward were no longer privileged visitors to the Palaces. Extravagances and ostentation are hateful to King George, and his reign has witnessed a return to that quiet domesticity which was the feature of Queen Victoria's Court, though a broader outlook exists than in the Queen's time. Had the Edwardian gaiety continued, it is certain that King George would never have steered the Court's financial affairs through the difficulties that were met after the War. Despite the fact that, at times, the cost of living has been

double what it was in 1914, and is still about seventy per cent, higher, the King's income has never been increased nor has the King ever suggested an increase to his Ministers. When one looks at the enormous outgoings of the Privy Purse —the buildings to be maintained and the large staffs to be kept—it is obvious that none but a man of quiet tastes and a natural tendency to economy could possibly have done what his Majesty has achieved. To the late Earl Farquhar much credit for this is due, but the finest administrator in the world could not have done it without the enthusiastic aid of the Monarch himself, who, at times, has sacrificed many things which he loves (such as his yachting) and which many of his subjects can readily afford. When the historian writes the story of the eventful times of King George, he will record not only that the King-Emperor moved amid momentous events, and proved himself equal to those events, but that he set before his subjects an example of happy domesticity and family life: that he was not only a great King, but also a model husband and father, and a greathearted, human man.