The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-11-30
DINNER WITH VICTORIA.
Ceremonies Required of Those Who
Are Permitted to visit the Queen.
+. Curtis. in Chicago Record.

| w. +. Curtis in Chicago Record.
| Those persons who have the honor to dine
with Queen Victoria receive a note which
reads something like this:
THE lord steward is commanded by her
| imperial Majesty to invite Mr. Carter ri
! Harrison to dine at Windsor Castle on Sat-
urday, the twenty-seventh of November,
! eighteen hundred and ninety-seven. at nine
| O'Clock, p. M, and to remain the night
Enclosed with the invitation, which is
written with pen in old-fashoned script
upon large card, is smaller card, which
reads
'Paddington Station, $40 p. m. Please
hand this to the guard"
1t is customary and necessary to respond
at once to an invitation from the Queen, and
all other engagements must be Cancelled.
Nothing but serious illness is considered a
sufficient reason for declining to obey her
! commands, and they are not issued to sick
persons. Before the lord steward sends out
one of these invitations he takes care to as
certain whether the person to whom it is adj.
| dressed is in England and able to accept
The proper form for acceptance is:
Mr.. Carter H. Harrison accepts with
! great pleasure the invitation of her Imperial
| Majesty to dine at Windsor Castle at nine
| o'clock on the evening of November twenty
| seventh
| Upon arriving at Paddngton Station at
| guest presents his card to the station master
| or one of the guards and is escorted to a
special car bearing the royal coat of arms
and furnished with unusual luxuriance
| Sometimes when there are a number of
| guests there is a special train. Gentlemen
are accompanied by Wallets and ladies by
| maids, and the servants have their own
| apartment N the car. The ride to Windsor
| on the quicker trains occupies forty minutes
| and usually an hour. The distance is TWEEN
| ty-four miles. Upon arriving there the
! guests find two or three footmen and other
! servants. One footman is told off for each
guest, takes charge of his luggage, escorts
! him to his carriage and looks after him, or
| her, If it is a lady, until he or she is safely
| aboard the train for London the next morn
| ings The entire party travels deadhead, and
| the expense Is charged to the minister OF
| the household.
The lord steward receives the guests as
! they reach the castle and directs them to
| their apartments. which include a sitting
! room, a bedroom, a dressing room and a
| bath. When the guest is lady there is al
ways maid in attendance. 1t is not con-
| Sldered proper to leave the rooms until
| called for, and the guests amuse themselves
the best they can. Her Majesty is the soul
of punctuality. She keeps her appointments
| on the dot and expects her subjects to do
| the same. If a guest is ever late he or she
is sentenced to perpetual Punishment from
| the royal presence No matter what his
! rank influence, he never receives an
| fore the attendants are in the habit of adj
| monishing guests as to the necessity of be-
ing dressed in time. They have fully two
| hours and a half after their arrival, and
! have no excuse for hardness.
Precisely at quarter before lady in
waiting calls at the apartments of each
| lady guest and gentleman in waiting at
| those of gentleman guest to escort them
to the reception room and present them to
each other. Each gentleman is Informed by
his escort whom he is to have the pleasure
of taking to the table and is properly in
troduced. He is also shown on diagram
the seat he Is to occupy at the table. After
these prelimnaries are over the portieres
that hide the second reception room are
thrown back to disclose the lord steward;
in full court dress, with his gorgeous staff
of officers, standing beside stout, red
faced little woman who sits on the edge OF
great gilt chair. BY her side are usually
two or three princesses and maids of honor,
and often one or more of her sons or sons
in-law. The guests then form Il procession
in the order of their rank and pass before
her Majesty, who offers her hand to them
and murnurS a few pleasant words. Loyal
subjects always kiss the seams upon the
back of her white glove. but she does not
like to have Americans do So because she
knows that this ancient custom is not in
vogue in our country. Therefore, when she
withholds her hand from an American
guest it is an act of courtesy rather than
slight. Americans are usually informed
in advance by their attendants of this pc
cuiiarity. and are prepared for 1t.
There IS no time for conversation. Only
a few words are exchanged. Her Majesty
usually asks Americans about the health of
the President and his wife and expresses
her interest in their welfare. If there has
been a notable incident event in the
United States she may allude to it, for she
keeps well informed concerning current
events. Sometimes she invites a guest to
take a seat beside her. which is mark of
unusual distinction that was conferred
upon Mrs Grant when she and the general
were visiting Windsor some years ago and
upon Mrs. John Hay during the jubilee GER
emOnies last spring.
When those in the party have all passed
in review they proceed in the same order
to the dining ROOM and each stands be-
hind his chair until the Queen enters on the
arm of one of her sons or SonS-in-law. or
in their absence. on the arm of maid of
honor. She is always dressed in black
gray. If in black she wears white gloves
If in gray black gloves. She carries
ebony gold-headed cane. Usually two East
Indian servants in brilliant costume follow
her and wait upon her at the table. Be-
fore her Majesty takes her seat one of the
court chaplains says grace. She never sits
with her guests. but has q small round
table at the end of the room near the door
and seldom has more than one companion,
who may be one of her daughters or the
senior maid of honor or lady in waiting.
This is due to her Ma iesty's feeble health.
She cannot sit through "A long dinner and
quietly slips out before the guests are half
finished. Nor does she take the food that
is served TO them. A few plain and simple
dishes are provided for her repast-soup
fish. roast beef or mutton, with a salad and
sweets She drinks no wine. but takes a
little Scotch whisky in apollinaris water
At me main table a long French dinner is
served OF ten or twelve courses. There is
a waiter for every two persons and they
move with military precision Their livery
is a scarlet dress coat with brass buttons
trimmed with gold lace, blue velvet short
white silk stockings and patent-leather
shoes with gold buckles. The guests are
in court dress, and the gowns of the ladies
must be cut in a certain way American
gentleman and r0mmOnQTkt V4ran -