The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1886-10-27
The Royal Children of England.

February 20, 1867. Victoria Alexandra
Olga Marie comes next born July 6,
1865, and the youngest princess, Maude
Charlotte Marie Victoria, was born in
November, 1869; so they are very near
of an age. What has been the home
life of these children "born to the pur-
ple," do you ask? In the household of
the great prince, there are of course
servants and servants. The little baby
has a nurse, and an under-nurse, and
a dresser, and two other attendants.
She is carefully watched, and bulle-
tin of her health sent daily to the
queen, and thousand great ladies and
noble lords are interested in the an
nouncement of her baby ailments. A
duchess makes a low courtesy when
she enters the royal nursery, to the I'M
conscious little thing; and as the chill
dren grow up they are treated by all,
outside of their nearest kin, as if they
were something better than human
clay. 1t is, to an American, surpris-
ing sight to see this perpetual bending
of the knee to little child or youth.
1t is due to the Prince of Wales to say
that he has seen the danger of this
homage, and adulation, this over-wor-
ship, and he is trying to arrest its effect
in the education of his children. He
provides them with simple pleasures.
environs them, as far as possible, with
rural life. He romps and plays with
them, he lets them follow and peep in
at the grand dinners; they play with
the queen far more freely than her own
children were permitted to do. Lady
Ely, who is very intimate friend of
the queen, and always taking care of
her, declares that she is frightened
when the young grandchildren come to
see the queen, for after their first deep
courtesy they all clay hold of grand
mamma and pull her about. She
described the Princess Maude as most
like the queen, and naturally, great
friend of her august relative. They
like to goto the Tower, " like any other
little girls" and were great friends
with Jumbo, the famous elephant. In
deed, so much did they like Jumbo,
that Princess Maude, who is said to
inherit great deal of her grandma's
authoritative disposition, wrote letter
to the owner of Jumbo, forbiddng his
selling her favorite beast to 'the Amer
largely at the country estate at Sand
bingham, preferring it to the more
courtly state of things at Marlborough
House. All English people have an
unaffected love of the country and of
animals. All English ladies like TO 90
out with their dogs and horses, and
their donkey carts, and their children,
into the beautiful woods all carpeted
with wild flowers. Never were there
such primroses and purple hyacinths
and violets, as in the woods about San
dringham. Here these royal children
have been free to frolic, and here they
have been allowed to go and see the cot
tagers and carry them comforts, and to
help their mother establish some clean,
comfortable homes for her poor folk,
down at Newton, where she has a
school and church for the laborers on
the estate. They are very fond, too,
of visiting the Southdowns and Dew
ons, and the pigs and the champion
sheep, for the prince is a model
farmer, and the young princesses and
princes are very fond of the rustic
picnics at the houses of the farmers.
They have been trained TO be horsemen
and horsewomen, like the queens own
family. They have been used to the
saddle always. They follow their
mother in her rambles on their ponies.
They follow the hounds twice a week
Then they have special pets to enjoy
and to care for. They have delight
full pair of tigers and two elephants, all
their own, which the prince brought
home from India, and they have grouse
preserves, and pouter pigeons, and no
end of dogs. With all this plain dress
ing and plain living is the rule, and
there does seem to be every chance
that these royal young people may grow
up with natural, fine, unfettered ma
lures, if such thing can be made pos
sible in royal household. They have
always kept early hours, being up at
five O'Clock in summer, and dressed in
flannel suits for caisthenics. They
breakfast on plain food. and have an
early dinner at two. They are very
carefully taught in music, and required
to obey their governess. They have a
talent for languages, and enjoy going
to see their grandmother in Denmark,
because they can talk Danish" Royal
girls never 90 to school of course, but
they have no end OF teachers and les
sons. Charming as are the prince and
princess with their children, they are
by no means indulgent. When Prince
George was reputed as neglecting his
studies at the naval school, the prince
sent word that he was to be disgraced,
exactly like any other student if he fell
behind. A lady who had lived long at
Windsor describes the daily life of these
young royal girls as very much like that
of other people, except that they are
far more Industrious, kept more closely
up to fifteen; at that age they are al
lowed a glimpse of the magnificent life
which is all around them, are thence
forth trained carefully in etiquette and
the observances of royal courtesy
Presently they are allowed to go to the
royal dinner-table, then to drawing
room, and so on. Each is always accom-
panied by her governess, later on by
her companion, who is generally French
Mrs. Sherwood, IN Vide Acake.