WHAT ROYAL LADIES DO.

New Zealand Graphic, Volume XVII, Issue XXII, 28 November 1896, Page 121

WHAT ROYAL LADIES DO.

Royal ladies are the busiest ladies in the world, says a writer in Woman at Home. The amount of real hard work they get through every day of their lives would fairly stagger you and me. As a rule they are very early risers, and have managed to accomplish a vast amount of reading and writing before the ordinary society woman has completed the curling of her fringe. Take our own Queen, for instance. With what wonderful perseverance and an un flinching sense of duty she has attended to State affairs. Yet even at her present age she does not consider she has finished her education, and grapples daily with the difficulties of Hindustani. At least half a dozen European languages are familiar to her, and not content with knowing German alone, she has mastered many of the country dialects. The Empress Frederick of Germany still pursues the study of music and painting with the zeal of a young girl; and her daughter.in-law, the young; r Empress, besides herself looking after her house and cbildrer, rises at cockcrow sometimes to write documents of importance for the Emperor. The Queen of Italy—just now very keen on bicycling—usually spends the morning hours in studying languages and stage plays. The Belgian Queen and Austrian Empress in former days employed their leisure moments with ■ breaking in ’ pet ponies, but of late the Belgian Queen ba® preferred the study of literature, and the Austrian Empress of Greek. The Dowager Empress cf Russia and the Princess of W ales have tastes entirely in common ; both are devoted to art embroidery, painting in water colours, and are wonderful adepts at millinery. Most of our own royal princesses can cook very nicely, make butter, and are initiated into the mysteries of household arts. They are one and all singularly accomplished, useful and sensible women.