The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1885-11-07 00:00:00

THE DUKE OF EDINBURGH AT
BRIGHTON.

The Duke of Edinburgh, accompanied by the
Princess Louise (Marchioness of Lorne), visited
Brighton on Saturday to take part in a concert given
in the dome of the Royal Pavilion, by the Royal
Amateur Orchestral Society, in aid of the fund they
are now raising in order to establish a scholarship at
the Royal College of Music. Preparations had been
made for giving the Royal visitors a demonstrative
welcome, but the rain which fell during the morning
had the effect of limiting the decorations in the
streets. The wet weather, however, did not prevent
large numbers of persons from assembling in Queen's.
road, the thoroughfare leading from the rail-
way station, and frequent cheers were raised
from :beneath the lines of umbrellas as their
Royal Highnesses drove in covered carriages from the
station, attended by an escort of the sth (Royal Irish)
Lancers. At the terminus the Royal visitors, who
were attended by Colonel the Hon. J. D. Monson and
the Hon. Miss Colville, were received by the Mayor
and representatives of the Corporation, by whom an
address was presented, to which the duke returned a
written reply. A guard of honour was furnished by
the Brighton battery of the Royal Naval Artillery
Volunteers, who were joined by a contingent from
Hastings, and the band of the Lancers played the
National Anthem as their Royal Highnesses alighted.
The:Princess accepted a bouquet from the Mayoress.
In the hope that the weather might be favourable, it
had been arranged that their Royal Highnesses should
be driven to West Brighton, and thence along the
entire three-mile frontage of the town, and, though
the weather proved inauspicious, this programme was
adhered to, and the visitors did not reach the
Pavilion until an hour after their arrival at
the station. Here their Royal Highnesses
were entertained at luncheon in the former
banqueting room of George IV., the apart-
ment being elegantly decorated. After luncheon
had been served, the company drank the healths of
her Majesty, the Prince and Princess of Wales, and
of the Duke of Edinburgh and the Princess Louise, in
replying to which his Royal Highness said, in refer-
ence to a sympathetic allusion to the indisposition of
the Duchess, that her Royal Highness was expected to
be well again in a day or two. He excused himself
from making a long speech on the ground that punc-
tuality was a Royal virtue, and that they had come
to hear him play the violin and not to hear him talk.
The company then passed over to the Dome, where a
brilliant audience had assembled, the Royal visitors
being received with much enthusiasm when they made
their appearance. The Duke occupied the seat on the
platform allotted to the leader of the orchestra, and,
besides joining in the orchestral items in the pro-
gramme, played as a solo Handel's " Largo," with harp
and organ obbligato and full orchestra. The piece
being encored, the Duke played it through again.
The vocalists announced were Mr. Maas and Mdlle.
Trebelli, but the former was unable to appear owing
to a cold, and his place was filled by Madam Trebelli,
who, having come to the concert with her 'daughter,
offered to sing as a substitute, and met with a most
cordial reception. In response to an encore, she sang
the bolero from 'Carmen." With the exception of a
pianoforte selection by the Chevalier Emil de Bach,
the remainder of the programme was composed of
performances by the society; and at the opening and
close of the entertainment the National Anthem was
played, the audience standing. The concert ended in
time for the Royal visitors to return to town by the
six o'clock train, a guard of honour of the Brighton
Rifles being present at the station on their departure,
whilst a guard of honour of the Brighton Artillery
attended in the Dome.

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SATURDAY, NOV. 1885.