The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1901-01-28
TEE QUEEN ALEXANDRA
In Account Of Her Early Life as a
Danish Princess.
to HaLe Her Own Gowns
und Hats ana Became an Expert in
EouseileepiisS - Represented Vic
Goria ON Numerous Occasions when
the soyerci=n's Health Failed.

a. le concerning England's new Queen,
sigued by Baron De Stampenbourg:
An Great Britain is resoundiDg with
the cry. The Queen is dead. Long live
the Queen.' The latter half Of this senti-
ment applies TO The fair successor TO the
vacant throne Of Queen Victoria-the
Princess of Wales. The throne is hers.
aud yet she viii not reign as did Victoria.
The latter sovereign was a ruler. She
succeeded to the throne of England By
virtue OF her iincaI descent from William
the Conqueror Wien she married Albert
.Ie did not become King. but merely the
Prince Consort.
The actual ruler of the Kingdom of
Great Britain and the Empire OF India IS
the Prince Of Wales, now King Edward
VII As his wife Alexandra. the Princess
of Wales, becomes Queen of England ST
simultaneously. She VIII never reign IN
less the male line OF her offspring should
die before her. Nevertheless. as Queen of
England she viii take the position as
leader among The royal aristocracy of
Europe.
AS soon as Victorias falling health
made it impossible for her 10 any longer
attend TO the duties involving this exalted
position she shifted them TO the younger
and willing shoulders Of the Princess of
Wales She has represented the late
Queen On numerous occasions. She crept
into popular favor almost at the outset,
when. some thirty years ago, the Prince Of
Wales brought her over from Denmark as
his wife There IS no woman more uni
versaIIy beloved and respected by the
British nation than the Princess CT Wales
Beyond and above the rank and dignity OF
Alexandra. a human being She is jealous
CT her womarhood- She insists on being q
woman first. whatever court etiquette may
demand from her as the first lady Of the
land.
Forty years ago no one could have
f0rctCIl that she would ever be Her Maj
esty the Queen of Great Britain. Her
father. the King CT Denmark. had hen
just about succeeded to the throne. THIS
made her princess Of royalty First
when the Prince of Wales made visit at
the Danish court Iaying marked aIten-
ton to Alexandra, who. with her sister,
the Dowager CZarIna Of Russia. were call
ed the twin beauties of EuTOE can royalty,
did people begin to whisper about a Brit
ISL crown for her stately head
Wales fOunl in her the embodiment CT
womaniy grace and the qualities distia-
gushing her as a gentlewcman before ey-
cry one else. She had been brought Nd
with the greatest care. almost with STREET
ness Her mother. the late Queen Louisa
OF Denmark had not omitted 10 incui-ate
in her the principles that sovereign rad
to learn how to obey before she was ac-
cepted as a ruler As Princess Of Den
mark she was chaperoIed to desperation.
schooled to suffocation, and ruled about
according TO the orders issued by the
Queen
Her Method of shopping.
The present Regal Majesty could not
ever. take a walk tboug the streets when
she felt like it. There were her proper
hours for pTomenading, but always with a
tedious Iady-iu-waiting at her heels II
she happened to see anything in store
window that she fancied she was not al
lowed to stop and inspect it-this would
have been .uubeccming. Still less could
she enter any store and buy what s;ie
wanted, or anything whatsoever This
would have been outrageous
II. as she passed by, any single object
in q store window caught her fancy, AeF
only way Of getting l. was By despaicnlnS
an eQueTry vita request 10 nave the
thing sent to her palace for approval HdF-
ing bought the thing. she could not even
nav fer il That would have been pre-
DCsterCus' The secretary OF the royal
household takes down every Item OF eA-
Deuse incurred By its members On me
first Of the year he pays all bills ms
10 q standing rule with the DANISH couF l
OF all the little shop girls IA the great
ArueI lean cities. who are probably now
enyyIng Alexandra her diamonds and her
new title as majesty. l doubt II single
one could be found who would submit un-
Tar7OrstratiyeIy to the schooling the pres
ent Queen OF England had 10 undergo be-
fore she became the Princess OF Wales
Her time was not her own. She could by
no means 90 what she liked Her hie
was made up with trying TO DO sInlIlnSlE'
graciousIy what tie Queen ordered her 10
do. as If there had been no order about II
a queens dictates to her daughter are
cOuched in anything but intimate language
In tbs official language Of court etiquette
every message OF discipline must bsgin
with I command or I decree and seal
ed CODY Of the order is sent 10 the person
10 be disciplined.
This rather stern diction may some
times have its funny aspects. when The
thing ordered IS Lot on the same level OF
Importance as the big vocabulary grant
may seem to indicate. Thus. when Queen
Louisa got into her head tie idea that il
might be a good thing for her daughters
10 learn dressmaking, the following order
was despatched into the tender hands OF
she girls that turned out 10 De the tZaFlna
Dowager Of Russia the Duchess Of Cum
brrland. and the Princess OF Wales
" I command that hereafter you learn
70 sew your own dresses. and that YOU
continue TO do so and 10 wear the dresses
Of YOUR own making. until this order Is
-enanded by another canceling its bear
ing
How many Of the swagger young dam
sells paradiug their Gnery IN the Chestnut
Street promenade do you think would face
a PROPOSITION like that with acquiescence
Tho Princess Of Wales. with her royal
sister. had to do it, and she did il until
she fairly mastered the art OF dressmak-
ing Even 10 this day il IS her custom TO
do a certain amount CT the needleWork, in
which she takes manifest pleasure
Following this order from Queen Lou
lisa came second. commanding the sis
tiers 0 attend 10 their own millinery for a
while. and TO wear such hats, trimmings,
and ribbons as they might see fit 10 pro-
duce FOR certain period The Queen was
evidently bent en- teaching her daughters
q wholesome lessen in home industry as
we'll a housekeeping for other orders
soon followed. commanding them %
make their own beds. TO wash their own
linen and to take lessons IN cooking in
the royal kitchen.
The Princess seemed 10 take TO these
, domestic duties With considerably more
aptitude than her sisters. and to her &C
conplishments as q 'dapper little house
keeper Che Prince Of Wales exclama-
rionD may be traced the Queens decided
preference for her as her fayorite and
eldest daughter.
so We may safely suppose that, should