The herald., 1895-10-18
MISTRESS OF THE ROBES

The duchess of Buccleuch, who has
been appointed to be mistress OF the
robes TO Queen Victoria by Lord Sails
bury, the new prime minister, is an in
teresting parsonage.
Mistress OF the robes is the most i'm
portant ana influential office held by any
lady in the household of the sovereign.
1t is the highest, carrying with it pres
tige and power. In a certain sense mis-
tress OF the robes stands in the light of
adviser to her majesty, and the lady
filling this exalted position is appointed
by the premier. with whose party and
polite, she must have utilization.
Fifty-six years ago the toast, THE
queen who would not let her bellies be
PEELED was a laughable incident. en-
Enthusiastically cneered by one poltica
party at least. This was founded upon a
proposed change of ministry, in which it
was designed that Sir Robert Peel should
succeed Lord Melbourne as prime minis
ter in 1889, and Sir Robert insisted that
the mistress of the robes shonld retire
with the outgoing ministry.
At that time the duchess of Suther-
land, a sister of Lord Morpeth, rromi-
nent in opposition to the Tories, Peel s
party, filled this high office. Not only
did he insist upon the lady's dismiss al,
but on the young queens refusal (she
was then in her twentieth Year, to part
with her mistress OF the robes, he de-
clined to form a new cabinet and retired
from the situation.
The duchess of Buccleuca. with the
great social power which her present post
gives her, openly avows her coruial de-
testation of American women, and this
presumably she will exercise when and
" here she can. Last winter she was a
leader of coterie of titled English wo-
men who had banded together to bar the
reception of Americans from their own
houses or any other from which they
could exclude them among EnSlands'
arlstocracy.
The duchess of Buccleuch is daugh-
ter OF James, first duke of Aberoorn, and
q sister of Lady Lansdowne and of the
march ioness of Blanford, the Irst wife of
the late duke of Marlborough, from
whom she obtained Il divorce Oh account
OF extreme i'll usage.
The duketof Marlborough second mar
riage to Mrs. Hammersly, manifestly dis
tasteful to the first wife and her friends,
may have something to do with the
duchess of Buccleuch . hatred OF Ameri-
can women, and her determined effort to
shut them out when possible, from
arlstocratic circles in Europe. After the
marriage of the American duchess, her
effort to be presented to the queen was
hindered for months by the former wife
of the duke. AT the particular drawing
room, where the new duchess had made
elaborate preparations to be presented to
the queen, the marcni3ness of Blanfold
(who is her majesty's god daughter and
the only divorced woman in England
whom the sovereign will deign to re-
ceive) claimed thar her own daughter by
the duke of Marlborough must be pre-
sented at that particular time, and she
had her way.
The duke of Marlborough's elder sister,
a lady of great wealth and social power.
has been the faithful ally of the first wife
of her brother and also OF the duchess of
Buccleuch. While having two sisteIs.in-
law who are Americans-Lady Randolph
Churchill and the duchess of Marlborough
she does not seem to be partial to wo-
men of the American nation. Should
the present duke of Marlborough die
without ISSUE this sister or Ter heirs
would succeed him. Such arrang ement
was brought TO pass in the reign OF Queen
Anne, when the first duchess OF MARI
borough was mistress of the robes to that
queen. and the most powerful woman OF
any in the nation. The Duchess Sarah
had 1t so arranged that the heirship of
her descendants according to direct line,
be they male or female should be the
order of succession to the titles in the
family mainly founded by herself.
o., nv 'bO "So vi - ycHAsI "hoh HHO "aS
Sarah Jennings, the daughter of poor
gentleman, she came TO be the playmate
of Princess A me (afterward Queen An
mel, who was at that time years old.
OF dominant nature and strong will.
Sarah Jennings ruled wholly the royal
child, and when Anne afterward came
to the throne and Sarah Jennings had
married John Churchill, the queen
heaped upon the favorite family titles
ard wealth until. dazzled by the multi
tude of emoluments and honors con-
ferred, arrogance rendered her incapable
of respecting the source from which so
much mad come to her. or even the royal
parsonage bestowing it.
With the queen gold keys, the insig-
MA ofsher office. by her side, the duch-
ess ofMarlborough could enter her sover-
eign's presence freely. Over the royal
household she reiened supreme, placing
or displacing at will whom she pleased,
from the Dutch magnate, Lord Portland.
to the humble Glear-starcher of her mai
esty' laces. Finally. grown reckless, she
threatened and insulted Queen Anne,
tyranny, peremptorily demanded her res
ignation. From June until Dece m Der
the duchess held her place, however. in
defiance of queen and court, the while
eXerting her UTMOST efforts to eXasper
ate both. The gold keys she surrendered
at. last to the duke of Marlborough, her
husband, by throwing them at his head,
the queen refusing to grant him an au-
dience ut an important iuncture until he
had recovered .the keys from his wife
and restored them to her majesty.
UThaf Qeminds re''