Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1863-02-28
How the Prince of Wales took His Seat


in the House of Lords.
The following is an interesting account of
the ceremonies observed on the occasion when
the Prince of Wales first took his seat in the
House of Lords Parliament had been omen.
ed in the morning by the reading of the queens
speech:-
''The Commons having quilted the House
of Lords, the latter adjourned, the mace re-
naming on the table, in front of the woolsack.
For two more hours the large glded hall was
silent like hermitage; the rays of the sun
falling from above through the painted win
dows, full with the life-sized pictures of
hundred kings and queens of Great Britain.
and playing upon the floor in ever-yarying
fantastic shadows. 1t was not until the large
bell in the eastern tower had struck quarter
to four that signs of life began again to be Wis
ible. One by one the noble peers of the
realm began to drop in and take their seats
upon the leather covered forms, now vacated
by the ladies' while the benches close to the
right of the woolsack got filled with dgnita-
ries of the church, crowding together nearer
than ever. The noble lord mt the head of the
foreign office, Carl Russell, } who had en-
sconced himself comfortably, a few minutes
previous, in the seat belonging to the primate
of all England, was driven from his repose by
the rustling of the lawn sleeves, and had
scarcely composure enough to find his way
further down to the ministerial bench.
Sat this moment the clock struck four, and
the lord Chancellor, in his dark robes of of
fee, once more entered the house. The mar
row-seated form in front OF the throne has
now been removed, and for the first time the
speaker of the lords takes his seat on the
broad uOn1Saplr ctop1ino
within but without the house. No sooner has
his lordship taken his seat, wien the young
est of the members Of the episcopal bench
steps forward to the table on which lies the
mace, and begins to say prayers. All the
lords simultaneously sink on their knees.
Again the vast hall is lulled into deep silence,
through which only the voice of the bishop is
heard. Slowly, after the final amenl the
peers of Great Britain resume their seats, to
listen to a few words from the speaker. Then
all eyes turn towards the opposite door, from
which issues long procession.
The coronet of the duchy of Cornwall is
borne on velvet cushion in front of the SOL
emn cortege, consisting of some twenty lords
rObed in long scarlet nantes, with the collars
and insignia of the Order of the Garter In
the midst of the procession walks youthful
figure, with head erect and brow flushed with
excitement 1t is the heir apparent of Great
Britain, Albert Edward, Prince of Wales, now
going to take his seat for the first time as
duke of Cornwall among the peers of the
realm. Led by the colonial secretary and the
tall commander-in. chief of the army, the
prince walks up to the table of the clerk of
the house to take the oath on the constitution
of Great Britain and inscrbc his name upon
the roll of parliament. While the heightened
document is being read, there is time to ex-
anime the look ana physiognomy of the young
est of the peers of the realm.
"Ihe Prince of Wales face is one to which
as yet no justice has been done by painters
and photographers 1t is a pretty face on
paper and canvas, but nothing more, and it
looks unmeaning almost in its extreme u-
venility. The living original is very differ
ent indeed from the carte de glsife portrait.
The blue eyes look serious almost to sad
ness; the small mouth and high forehead
beam with intelligence, and the whole ex-
precision of the face is that of the thoughtful
ana earnest man, Iatl,es ttan TIE gr0wIns
youth. The Prince of Wales has the fea-
lures of his late father even more than of
his mother. He has that look of extreme
m0desty which so much characterized the
prince consort; that same refined outline of
of the lower face, denOting the absence of
grOsser passions; and those same small. but
not narrow lips, given to thinking rather than
talking The visible modesty, nay, shyness,
is striking in one whose crown lay in his
cradle. The virgin flush which covered the
temple of the heir apparent on his entering
the house of lords, does not disappear while
he is standing at the side of the grave
clerk who is reading the constitution of par
Lament.
''ln faltering accents and low voice the heir
apparent swears fidelity to the laws, and his
hand all but trembles while he kisses the BIZ
BILE, and signs his name in confirmation of his
oath. But he regains his composure as soon
as this act has been accomplished, and the
procession has been set in movement again.
The long line Of scarlet-robed peers who
have stood in semi-circle around the table of
the clerk, now move on towards the wool
sack, which has no sooner been reached than
the Prince of Wales leaves the procession and
with graceful steps ascends the royal dais,
seating himself in the arm chair to the right
of the throne, and covering his head. Having
greeted the lordy assembly in a twice-repeat-
ed silent bow of the head, the prince again
descends, and, walking up to the woolsack,
shakes hands with the lord chancellor in a
warm-hearted, friendly manner. The most
perfect grace of mien and department distin-
guish the whole of these movements, and be-
fore the mind has well realized the historical
scene, the heir apparent of the realm has join
ed once more the procession of peers, and is
leaving the hall on the opposite side"