Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1885-08-20
A BUCKINGHAM PALACE LEVEE.
Conditions Imposed Upon Gentlemen Who
Are Presented at Court

Conditions Imposed Upon Gentlemen Who
Are Presented at Court
Gentlemen who attend royal levees
at buckingham Palace may be roughly
divided into three main sections: First.
there are those who have the right of
immed ate access to the inner room in
an official or honorary capacity, and
whose presence is regarded as lending
a sort of additional splendor to the cere-
monial; secondly. there are the persons
who having already been presented at
court, attend out of respect to the royal
family. or for the purpose of present
ing others or for some other motive
best known to themselves; thirdly,
there are the gentlemen who, not hav-
ing appeared at court before, come for
the purpose of being presented to the
sovereign or to the representative OF
the sovereign.
The Englishman who desires to be
introduced to his sovereign in accord
ance with state etiquette has to be pro-
posed for the honor by one who has
already gone through the some formal
ity. His name is forwarded to the
Lord Cham berlain. W tn description
of his occupation or the position he oc-
cupies; and it is, of course. necessary
that his vocation should be of the more
honorable kind.
When the name is duly passed. the
candidate. if he is civilian, has to
procure h court dress. If he is of an
economical turn of mind and does not
propose to attend any subsequent levees,
he may borrow a costume for the day.
very much in the same way as he might
obtain the loan of one for a fancy ball.
But it should be remarked that in late
years new style of court dress has
come largely into fash on. having a
coat open at the front and showing the
white waiStcoat which is worn w tn it.
All members of the army and navy of
course wear their full-drcss un form.
and members of the Government and
of the.diplomatIc corps also wear spe-
cial dresses appropriate to them.
The aspirant thus rugged out in the
proper costume, repairs to the Palace
and ascends the steps, which are lined
by beef-eaters and a guard of honor,
to an ante-room in which he will find
others waiting on the same errand.
As the room fills the scene becomes
very gay and picturesque with the va
ried uniforms of the military men and
the embroidered dresses of the diplo-
mats. The arrival of the Prince of
Wales-or of the Queen. if she
playing of the National air by the
band in the courtyard outside. Then the
crowd-for it is already something of
crowds passed on gradually from
room to room, according as there is
space for it's admission, until the front
rank arrives at the vestibule of the
throne-room. where it is formed in In
dian file within a sort of barrier shut
ting it off from the rest of the room.
Along this the candidates pass in their
order into the inner room, where the
Sovereign or her representative is seen
seated on the throne, and surrounded
by the royal Princes and the great
dignitares of the Court. Behind the
throne and on each side are ranged
Foreign Ambassadors. nj nisters of
State. the Lord Chancellor. and, in
prominent place, the Lord Chamber
lain himself.
Each person as he walks past this
functionary hands him a card upon
which his name is written, and then
passes forward to the front of the
throne. AS he arrives here his name
is read out aloud by the Lord Cham
berlain. and he makes his bow to the
representative OF royalty. If the
Prince is already acquainted with the
individual, he usually shakes hands
with him; in any other case he bows.
The subject passes on quickly. with an
obesance to the other Princes of the
royal family. whom he passes after
standing before the Prince of Wales. -