ROYALTY IN REALITY THE STUDIOUS DUKE

Ladies' Mirror, Volume 3, Issue 12, 1 June 1925, Page 10

ROYALTY IN REALITY THE STUDIOUS DUKE

“BERTIE IS THE STUDIOUS MEMBER OF THE FAMILY!” WAS A REMARK MADE BY THE KING IN REFERENCE TO HIS SECOND SON, THE DUKE OF YORK. IN THIS ARTICLE HE IS REVEALED AS AN EARNEST AND METHODICAL YOUNG MAN, THE EXACT OPPOSITE IN TEMPERAMENT TO THE HEIR APPARENT. <%, «v HIS BOOKS, LOVE OF QUIET, HOBBIES, AND HIS AMAZING RESEMBLANCE IN TEMPERAMENT TO THE LATE PRINCE CONSORT MAKE UP AN INTIMATE PICTURE OF THE STUDIOUS DUKE, WHILST THE INFLUENCE OF MARRIAGE UPON HIS CHARACTER, WHICH IS REVEALED PERHAPS FOR THE FIRST TIME, MAKES FASCINATING READING

JT is not unusual for two sons, with only a relatively short period between their birthdays, to differ considerably in characteristics. Many stories and plays have been written on this theme, and, indeed, it is a fact which invariably arrests attention wherever it exists. Thus it is that those who know the Royal Family frequently remark upon the difference between the Prince of Wales and the Duke of York. Though divided in age only by some eighteen months, and though they were educated side by side, their characters are markedly different. Comparisons are notoriously odious, and contrasts are not always edifying. It is, therefore, unnecessary to catalogue here, in opposing columns, the virtues of these two excellent young men. Remembering that even Princes are fallible, let it suffice that each has qualities which the other lacks, and, together, they command the admiration of every section of the public. It is related that once, in their childhood days. King George offered bis two sons the choice of an apple or a picture book. The future Prince of Wales selected the apple, but the younger boy, “Bertie,” chose the book. Here, at quite an early stage in life, the Duke’s preference for things of the mind was apparent. Since boyhood he has been a vora-

cious reader. Nowadays, he confines himself almost exclusively to serious works on economics, civics, and industrial questions. No book is “dull” if it deals with these topics. The Duke loves facts; he is not afraid of them. As a realist, he will face any problem, however difficult, dull, or painful it be, and he will get right to the heart of it. Were a man of republican views to tell the Duke that he had no use for kings and princes, I can imagine the Duke turning with a smile and saying, “Do sit down and tell me all about it.” Where, why and how, arc words constantly on his lips when he is engaged on a tour of inspection. d A?i zAmusing £ iory TN this spirit of inquiry he goes everywhere. He has always been extraordinarily observant, and of this valuable trait a most amusing story is told, although I have not yet found anyone who would swear to its accuracy. Unconfirmed history has it that on one occasion the young Princes and their parents were lunching with King Edward. During the meal, “Bertie” made an attempt to say something to his grandfather. The King, who was occupied in conversation, corrected the boy in a kindly way, saying that

he would talk to him when the meal was over. When an opportunity occurred. King Edward asked Prince Albert: “Now what is it you wanted to talk about?” With a sad face the little boy replied: "It doesn’t matter now, sir. I only wished to tell you that 1 saw an insect on your salad; but you’ve eaten it now.” This observance of minute things is a part of the general thoroughness of the Duke’s nature. He is not content to drive a motor car, he knows all about its mechanism, and can do more than “running repairs.” Some of this knowledge he obtained, of course, in the Royal Air Force, where he studied the technical side of the service with considerable zeal. Hlis success in the Air Force is something worthy of comment. As

everyone knows, the Duke was intended for the Navy, and did, in fact, serve in the Battle of Jutland, as a lieutenant, with considerable distinction, being mentioned in dispatches. 111-health, however, intervened, and, after an operation had taken place, the King was advised that his second son was not physically fitted for the sea. This was a great blow to the Duke, coming as it did in the middle of the War, when he was more than usually anxious to give of his best. However, he faced the situation with his usual courage, and, without delay, applied himself to the new arm to which he had been posted. Lie was still in the doctors’ care when he went to the Air depot at Gran well to begin his training. For some time he was not permitted to fly by him-

self, but I have heard talk of strictly unofficial “trips” in the air which contributed largely to In’s knowledge, and brought him nearer to the "wings” which he coveted. Believing he lacked sufficient experience, the authorities were loth to put him forward for the lest for the pilot’s certificate. Under this delay Prince Albert (as he then was) chafed for a time, and then he showed that vein of irresistible determination which is one of the primary features of his character. One morning at two o’clock he went to the hut of his equerry, the genial Commander Louis Grcig, and awakened him, exclaiming: “If I don’t fly to-day, I shall never fly.” Commander Grcig invited His Royal Highness’s attention to the weather, which was distinctly stormy. But the Prince was adamant. He went out at daybreak, and the test was passed. An almost infinite capacity for taking pains, combined with the strong will-power, carries the Duke through any task to which he sets his mind. Had he been a man of less persistence he .might not have had at his side the gracious and capable lady who is now his partner in life. That she hesitated in accepting the Duke’s hand is, of itself, proof of her fitness for the position that is now hers. She needed to be convinced, not only of the Duke’s affection, but also of her own worthiness for the public position which the marriage would bring. The Duke

was resolved —and the rest is history. ally's G Banc ,r jpHE bane of Royally is boredom. It is so easy, and so natural for one to be bored, but, to show boredom would be a sad lapse on the part of a Royal personage. Those who have been shown over a large factory manufacturing, say, some obscure mechanical commodity, know how difficult it is to keep the mind concentrated, unless one is particularly interested in engineering. This is the sort of test that members of the Royal Family have almost daily to endure, for principals of such establishments so frequently forget that the King and Queen and their sons are always more interested in people than in plant. They arc “paraded" before iron and steel instead. They arc shown gigantic machines and extremely delicate mechanism, and, often by a great effort of will only do they retain an interest in what their enthusiastic, technical guides are explaining. The Duke of York, however, is different in this respect. Although he, like the rest of his family, prefers to meet and chat with workers, he is never bored by machinery. It is all so wonderful, so romantic, that he will ply his guides with question after question, seeking explanations and acquiring new facts.

It is frequently remarked that the Duke in his great powers of concentration and in his conscientious discharge of rather dull duties, is very like the Prince Consort. The comparison is not pleasing to His Royal Highness, nor is it altogether just, for the Duke has something denied to his worthy great-grand-father, namely, a sense of humour. He may not be so easily stirred to a laugh as is his elder brother, but he has a lively wit, and a very pleasing smile. pf£is Play the Game Gamp TITS studious nature does not overwhelm his love of sport. He is the best golfer in the Royal Family, and he can put up a good show at the wicket. As a shot, he bids fair to inherit his father’s skill, and he is a fearless rider to hounds. One of the happiest days in the Duke’s year is when he visits the “Play-the-Game Camp” where he entertains, for a month each year, a joint party of working-class and public-schoolboys. Here he joins in all the conventional games, and is not slow in taking a hand in the new games,which, each year, the boys invent. This camp is, in some respects, an expression of the Duke’s character, since it was his own idea, and he takes an active interest in its organisation. The camp knows no class.

The young peer from Eton strolls arm in arm with some “Ginger” or “Nobby” from a factory or workshop. There is but one rule, “Play the Game.” Newspaper men are kept away, so that the Duke can never be accused of conducting the camp for show purposes, and, moreover, absence of publicity, which would surely stress class difference, enables the gulf to be more easily bridged. In all his activities the Duke is now seconded by his winsome Duchess. Her sweet and “human” nature will soften the tendency to severity which was showing itself in the Duke’s character until his marriage. Their home at White Lodge, Richmond Park, is a place where intellectuality and gaiety are happily blended. Of the Duke’s future it is difficult to write. While the matrimonial intentions of the Prince of Wales remain somewhat obscure, it is desirable that the King’s second son should not go far afield. When, however, the succession is more definitely assured, it is more than probable that the Duke and Duchess will take up an appointment overseas. Nevertheless, whether their future lies at home or in the Dominions, the Empire will have near the Throne one whose whole life has been spent in service or in training to serve. —“A COURT HISTORIAN”