The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1891-07-17
PRINCE BEATRICE"
The Petty Power Of tho Ruler Of
the Isle Of Wight.
How Queen victoria's Latest Son-in-Law
Obtained tho Tito of "Royal
Highncss" Among the
English Nobility

Tho advance in royal favor of Prince
Henry of neutrality-suspicious. Beat
rice" as he is too Familiarity called
has been slow and hardly won, says o
London correspondent of tho New
York Tribune AT tho outset his lot
was not happy one. The marriage
was never popular with any class in
England, much the reverse at court,
where mobiles of ancient lineage found
themselves Obliged to give precedence
to German princeling. Tho queen
suffered the match on the understand
ing that Princess Beatrice, the home
companion of her later years, should not
permit the marriage to make any diff
ference in her daily habits. She must
live as heretofore, with her mother,
and as there was husband, why, he
must live there, too. This was state
of things bad enough when the queens
residence was fixed in England. But
when the queen went abroad and the
bridegroom travelled In her train, the
humiliation of the situation became UNI
bearablc. BY one of her earliest favors
the queen ordered that Prince Henry
should be styled royal highness, rank
TO which he has no more claim than
had the late John Brown. In England,
Of course, the queens wish in this re-
spcct is law; but abroad. moro particu-
larly In Germany, her cdict is as the
Idle winds. Prince Henry cannot he
received at any continental court on
the footing of royal highncss, and rs
to drop it temporarily would be an Of
front TO the queen all kinds Of ma
neuvcrs have been rcsortcd to to keep
matters with some appearance OF
straightness. y little mere than twelve
months ago, after several years of home
happiness, Prince Henry struck. For
years he had not been pcrmittc to range
OF will beyond the length of the mater
nal apron string. There arc wicked
stories told ut London dinner tables of
how "Princc Beatrice" going down to
Portsmouth, in obedience TO orders, to
join the family circle at Osborne, has
taken advantage of the mcrcst indica-
ton of mist on the Solent, boldly called
it fog, protested the impossibility of
crossing, hurried back to London, and
spent one cheerful night in mitigation
of his monotonous home happiness. 1t
was In the spring of last year, the
~
thoughts Of freedom, that re boldly set
out alone on yachting trip to the AIedi-
terrancan, and, while oil the world
wondered, stayed away from Windsor
and Osborne for the full space of two
months Under whatever circum-
stances this trip was arranged
whether, as was whispered in court
circles, he had desperately boltcd, and
from tic safety of Lcghorn harbor had
dictated terms of his return, or whether,
as is much more probable, the whole
trip was arranged and puid for by the
queen, in kindly contest with the
princes protcstatlon that he would
much rather quietly remain at home
it certainly marked al epoch in his
career. Since he came back he has as
suIncd a much more independent, even
G leading, position, in the royal circle.
The queen corsults him on most points
and dcfers to him on many. She even
braves for his sake the embarrassment
&c her ministers and a threatened out
break of popular anger.
This arose in connection with the re-
vival of Prince Itcnrys favor of the
ancient and long-disused title of row
ernor and captain OF the Isle of Wight
When the proposal was preached it was
pointed out that the Isle of Wight had
Ter centuries got on well without IL gov
ernor and captain; that to revive the
ancient title in favor of foreigner
would be particularly invidious and
that such an appointment would be an
affront to the lord lieutenant of tho
neighboring county of lIants, who
represents the queen in the island. The
queen persisted The German prince
ling now bears the fine old English
title of governor and captain of the Isle
OF Wight; and amuscs himself by max
Ing little tours in semi-statc over the
lilliputian territory, opening bazars,
laying the foundation-stonos of Sunday
schools and Distributing nrizcs