The record-union. [volume] (Sacramento, Calif.) 1891-1903, 1892-12-28
THE PRINCE OF WALES.
His Arrangements for Attending the
Iheater.
His Presence is Advantageous From
the Business Standpoint of
the Manager.

| The royal box is booked in the usual
! way of business and charged to the MARI
4 borough house account. The price is not
/ increased from the ordinary library
tariff, and the stories about a nominal
price or a larger one being paid by roy
/ atty only exists in the Imagination of the
| papers who invent such tarradiddles.
Sometimes it happens that box can
not be got at the particular theater de-
cided upon. When this is the case it is
| put nicely to the party who has booked
the royal box if they could see their way
to obliging his royal highnoss, and the
result is, of course, invariably in the
affirmative. The Prince, however, is
very reluctant to have this done, and
always wishes that the party obliging
shall be as little Inconvenience as pos
sible, SO much so that when told that the
| box has been conceded, ne generally re-
marks: why do you disturb anybody
on my account? l could have come here
/ another evening. Please see that they
| are thanked III my name" In the rare
case of a refusal, representation is made
TO his royal highness, and they try for q
box at another theater.
When he goes to a theater it is his eX-
0
same as one of the ordinary audience.
Little displays of flowers, bouquets, satin
| programmes, etc, are all very nice, but
| the Prince does not care for them, and
would much rather do without them.
Another thing that annoys him is that he
| should be drawn attention to by the per-
| Torrance on his arrival OF the national
anthem, or God Bless the Prince OF
! Wales.'
AS he said on one occasion, "Why
! should the amusement of every member
| of this audience be disturbed for my
| sake?" This was at the Olympia Theater
! during the run OF Fun on the Bristol"
AS soon as the royal box became occu-
| pied everybody was astOnished to see the
orchestra suddenly stand up in the mid
| die Of the performance and begin to play
! God Bless the Prince of Wales" OF
! course the whole house rose en- nlasse.
and every eye was directed to the royal
! box, and the applause was deafening
! The Prince Immediately left the box and
/ demanded an explanation. MIR. Jarritt
arrived and explained that it was but the
! oyerzealousness of a too patriotic band
| conductor. This concluded the incident.
| but it was accepted as precedent, and
! the same intimated to the managers gen
| orally. This is why you often hear peo-
pie say in a theater toward the close of
! the performance, "WhY, there is the
Prince of Wales over there in q box, and
they never played God Save the Queen.'
| What a shamen'
The Prince always waits until the final
curtain has descended before rising to
! leave. This is his inyariabIe rule. So
much SO, that he has sat out the entire
! harlequinade of a Drury Lane pantO-
mime. There are three or four theaters
only where he ever breaks this rule.
! They are those houses which have no
royal entrance. and here the Prince an
| ticipates the final curtain by two or three
minutes, so that his departure will not
disturb the carriage traffic of the re-
mainder OF the audience.
Immediately the Prince is announced
| to have visited q theater the booking
rises, barometer-Hke, to good heat.
| This is in reference to the booking pub
lie, but beyond this when his royal high
ness likes a play he invariably recon-
mends it to all his friends. In many
other ways the Prince is always thinking
Of the drama. When he sees a benefit
announced for some well-knOwn artist
who has often ministered to his amuse-
ment or some poor player who has fallen
on bad times, he Immediately puts his
name down for stalls or boxes to a sub
| stantial amount.
His royal highness was once on a visit
| to Lord Sulfield to Open the new Town
| Hall and 'Alascotte" company was do
! ing very poor business at the local thea
| ter. Suddenly a rumOr was foated that
! the Prince would patronize the perform
ance on the Friday night. A semblance
! of truth was given to the rumor by the
manager ordering an awning to be
| erected on the Wednesday. BY Friday
! morning every scat had been booked
/ but. Of course, no royalty arrived, never
| having intended to go.