The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1900-06-26
SOME ROYAL PROPOSALS.
Scenes and Incidents of Popping the
Question I'm the Highest of High Life.


The prince, like the peasant, has to
take advantage of the most favorable OPP
portunity that presents itself for telling
the princess how much he loves her, and
he finds lonely moor or quiet sequest-
cred dell In a wide park as useful an adj
junct to the process as does any factory
girl off with flames William" for the
afternoon.
How did the Prince Consort of England
manage with the Queen? The story has
oft been told, and 1t is probably correct
In its outline, that it was not he in this
case who had to manage, but she. For
it appears to be court etiquette for the
Queen to do the proposing in such a case
1t is said that while at dance with the
Prince at Windsor Castle in 1910 her
Majesty took from her dress spray OF
white lilac and gave it to him. He had
no button-hole in his uniform as sol
der, but taking out his penknife he
made slit in his coat and placed the
spray terderly in 1t. What happened
next during the quiet talk in one of the
adj oining apartments we may leave to
conjecture, but the fact of the engage
ment was soon made known by the Queen
to her council.
The Prince of Wales had met his future
wife at a continental town and had first
set eyes on her while visiting cathedral
there some time before he went to Den
mark to visit her parents and make his
proposal. His was a case of love at first
sight. He was so struck with the beauty
and grace Of the princely maiden whom
he saw in that cathedral that he made
many inquiries about her and sought an
introduction. Then the later steps came
in due course. 1t was at the castle Of
the Danish royal family at Rosenberg
that the Prince of Wales had his private
interview with the daughter Of the sea
kings and proposed gladly to find her
an English home and happiness for the
remainder of her life. And here she ac-
cepted him. This was in private room
which is ne of the suite of rooms In the
Rosenberg castle where the proposal was
made. Either here or in an adjoining
room his Royal Highness went through
the same trembling few minutes that all
''proposers" know so well and remember
SO wildly often to their future discom-
fort There never seems to have been any
doubt of the answer to be given by Prin-
cess Alexandra, however, for she was as
much in love with the fne-looking heir
to the British throne as he was with her.
And so, after this suspicious day, "all
went merry as marriage he'll" and
England welcomed the Danish conqueror
once more to her domains with well
come very different to that of Canute in
1910.
When in 1874 the Duke of Edinburgh
took to England his Russian bride it was
considered "a good omen by the many
Britons who still recollected the terrible
days OF the Crimean War. And the omen
has so far indeed been good; there has
been peace with that great nation for
the past quarter of a century. No more
splendid surroundings could possibly be
imagined for proposing" than the pre-
cincts and salons of the grand palace at
St. Petersburg where the imperial family
resides. And here 1t was that the Rus
sian Princess first reeei we'd the proposal
of the English Prince for her hand and
heart. She accepted the "sailor prince, >,
whether with or without hesitation we
are not told. But probably. like even
Gar would like being asked more than
once, and would not be averse to a little
pleading upon the part of her royal lover.
And we know that the Romanoh prin-
cesses are not lightly won
1t was in 1857 that two lovers might
nave deem scCu OH a DCOtCh lhoOi III tho
district of Balmoral They had gone
out for the day with a party Of friends,
and, like many other lovers from time
imnemorial. they had managed very
beautifully to lose the party and lose
themselves and their nearest way. Never
theless they walked gayly along back
toward Balmoral over the springy turf,
evidently anything but cast down at the
loss. Suddenly the gentleman spied a
piece Of white heather growing close by.
He gathered it and presented it to the
girl beside him. For she was true girl,
barely IS at the timei But she knew the
meaning Of such gift from such per
son, and she clearly whispered Yes, "
loud enough for the happy lover to hear.
For when they reached home there had to
be a telling to papa" and mamma" of
something that had happened. And the
next news heard was that the crown
Prince of Germany was betrothed to the
English Princess royal.
White Lodge, Richmond Park, was the
place where the Duke of York did his
"courting' OF the Princess May, and 1t
Is generally stated that 1t was in the
small but well-kept gardens round the