The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1901-02-28
QUEEN vICToRIA's COUSIN.
The Duke Of Cambridge Going the
Way of His Relative.


Way of His Relative.
/ (Mar1uis de FOnteuay in Washington
Post)
So small was the difference in age
between Queen Victoria and her cousin,
the Duke of Cambridge, and there has
/ been so much in common between
them, that no one will feel surprised
to learn that he is developing the same
symptoms which characterized the last
/ few weeks of the late queens life, and
which constituted an unmistakable pre-
mOnitiOn of the approach of death. He
has entirely lost his former stalwart
| appearance and rubicund complexion,
and has become Snrunken, bent and
/ feeble He lOiters rather than walks;
/ his mental faculties at times seem COM
/ pletely dazed, and he is perpetually
dropping of into those species Of
heavy tOrpOrs from which it is difficult
to arouse him. Indeed, he presents at
! the present moment a pitiful spectacle
Of mental and physical decrepitude, and
SO alarmed is his family about him
( that he is not left alone even for a
minute.
All Indications, therefore, point to-
ward the speedy disappearance of one
| of the most conspicuous and popular
1 figures in English life-Of a man Who
/ had it not been for his too close rela-
I tiOnShip to Queen Victoria, might read
| lily have become prince cOnsOrt in lieu
/ Of Albert of Saxe-Coburg. Indeed, had
the queen taken public sentiment into
! account in connection with her mar
riage, she would assuredIy have given
| her hand to the most popular English
/ prince Of the day, the dashing, hand
/ some George of Cambridge, rather
/ than to a foreigner.
/ Prince George was born, not in Eng
/ land, but in Germany, at Hanover, of
/ which kingdom his father, the late
Duke of Cambridge, was VicerOy at the
/ time for his father, King George III.
/ Indeed, he spent almost his entire youth
| at Hanover, as his father continued to
] hold the VicerOyalty Of Hanover until
/ the accession of Queen Victoria
! brought about the separation of Han
/ over from the possessions of the Eng
/ Iish crown.
! Shortly before this he was created
/ by his uncle, King William " a
| Knight of the Garter, and is today the
only member of the order who owes
the blue ribbon to that genial and &c
! centric king, who figures in English
! history IS SILLY Billy" George at
/ tended this monarch's funeral we are
I informed, attired among other things
in d t'lOng black cloak" with the star
/ of the Order Of the Garter embroidered
] thereon, and wore the collar of that
! most noble order, the train of his cloak
1 being borne by two gentlemen-in wait
/ ing.
His ecclesiastical, but from legal
/ point of view invalid, marriage to the
! Dublin actress, Miss FairbrOther, who
/ up to the time of her death used to be
] known as Mrs. FitzgeOrge Ga patro-
/ nymic now borne by her three sons),
| does not need anything more than a
/ passing reference, being doubtless IA
/ miliar to the readers of these letters.
I The marriage was invalid because it
/ had not received the sanction of the
/ sovereign, as required by law, and the
/ queen could not sanction it even If
she had desired to do so, owing to the
/ fact that it would not only have placed
| the actress children in the line OF sue
/ ceSsiOn to the throne of Great Britain.
/ but likewise to the crowns of Hanover
and Brunswick as well. Mrs. Fitzgeorge
never lived with the duke at his Lon
! don residence, Gloucester house. when
! in London, but in a small house lust
off Park lane close by. At his country
! place, however. near Kingston on the
! Thames, he invariably had her and his
entire family with him.
The duke distinguished himself in the
Crimea, not so much by his military
genius in the leadership of the brigade
Of guards under his command. as bv
! his conspicuous gallantry. Soon after
/ his return he was appointed to The po-
siti0n of commander-in-chief Of the
! British army. mainly in Difference to
/ the advice of the first Duke of Well
/ ingt0n, who, up to the moment of his
/ death. was never tired of impressing