The Hot Springs star. (Hot Spings [Hot Springs], Dakota [Dakota Territory, i.e. S.D.]) 1886-189?, 1890-05-23
aER MAJESTY WcToaIA
Madame Albanl writes En~tertalningly a.
Her Home LIFE


HER MAJESTY WcToRlA1
.;1adamo Albanl Writes E:ntertainineiy a.
Her Home Life.
Nine. Albani in the New York World:
A good deal has boon said latoly in the
newspapers concerning Queen Victoria,
but 20 much OF it is calculated to give
false Impressions with regard to the
Queen that I am tempted to send you
few notes about her, and, as l have had
the honor for a long time past of persons
ally being acquainted with her Majesty,
! hope you will believe they arc true.
With regard to the Queens public ca
pacity it is needless for me to speak,
as all the world knows how she has full
filled her numerous and arduous duties,
and l shall therefore conf1no myself to
e~ndeavoring to give some idea of hcr
private life, and especially OF hcr in her
Scotch highland home, as 1t is there
that I have seen her most and have had
the bcst opportunity Of judging.
The Queen rises early in the morning,
and after breakfast reads and answers
her letters and transacts business. Sho
Is fond of the open air, and II the
weather be favorable often has her pa
pors taken into q tent or suminer-house
upon tho lawn, which commands an ex-
tcnsive and most lovely view of Loch-
magyar, its surrounding mountains and
the valley of the Dee.
After this comes o walk OF q drive in
a pony carriage, and then luncheon, at
which no one is ever present except
members of the royal family.
During the afternoon the Queen takes
a long drive, often extending to over
thirty miles and always in an open car
riage. She dimes late, never before $3.50
p. m. An hour spent In the drawing
room talking with h guests who may
have been invited finishes the day, and
the Queen retires to rest.
The Queen is faithful to her old
friends and thoughtful for every body
with whom she cones in contact, re-
Wondering the smallest details about
them, their families, and their occupa-
tions, and giving evidence of this at
most unexpected moments. A circum-
stance which happened to me iustifies
strongly tho truth Of this. -Four years
ago l was singing at the Royal Opera at
Berlin, and was not wen aware that tho
Queen knew of my engagement there.
I. soon after my debut, was at a large
dinner party at the English Embassy,
and sitting next to mo was one of tho
gentlemen of the Crown Princess house
hold. During dinner he put into my
hand a telegram, telling me to read 1t.
This was from theQueen to her daughter
(now the Empress Frederick), recon-
mending me to her and desiring her to
do all she could for me. Needless to
say that after this I was SO excited that
Irould eat no dinner, and l insisted on
keeping tho telegram, m Of my
precious souvenirs.
Her Majesty is fond of music and is a
good musician. She studied music with
Mendelssohn and singing with Lablache.
As a consequence of this teaching she
prefers the old Italian music to any
other, but at the same time she can app
preciate any thing that is good in the
modern music. This l know from ex-
pericncc, as I have sung all kinds of
music to her, the new and the old. The
Queen is much touched by O simple,
homely ballad, ana after 4 have sur to
her songs like '.Robin Aaair" or ssOld
Folks at Homo 1 have seen tears in her
eyes.
She has been in retirement for a great
many years, and during that time has
not been present at u single operatic
performance; yet she remembers we'll
the old artists and the manner in
which they rendered the various we'll
known roles. For instance, when / told
hcrthatI was studying tho "Ituguenots,''
and was goins % sing it in America, she
said that was n of her ~favorite operas;
that she thought Mario was superb as
Raoul, and that although Grisi sang
the music %splcndidly, she never realized
her idea of the character of Valentine.
Tho Queen herself looks after the
welfare of all her tenants and servants,
and if any one of them is sick She isthe
! first one to pay them q visit and take
them little comforts.
During hcr stay in Scotland she takes
a pleasure during her drives in stopping
at various cottages to ask after the well
faro of the inmates. When SO occupied
the Queen is rs kind and simple as any
ordinary lady could be. When She paid
me IL of her first visits and took tea
with me my little boy was 90 much
struck with this that he said to me after
She was gone: SO mamma, what q little
woman for such a big Queen!" 1t is all
this that has made the Queen so beloved
by all her subjects.
have e%ndeavored in these few jot.
tings to give u slight idea of Queen
Victoria, and If in doing so I have In
truded myself too much it is because i
car not help it, the above being nv
personal experience of her Majesty.
coNslDeRATE HUSBANDS.