Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-12-26
MOVING ROYALTIES
How Kings Change Their Place Of
Abode.

| From Tit-Bits.
Kings. like the6 htanbler subjects. FIRE
Quently have occasion to change their plac
| OF abode. even though 1t may only be Il
one OF the other royal palaces already fur
nished with every comfort a monarch car
desire. Nevertheless there are a hundred
| and one articles Required for daily us,
| which the king takes with him wherever h.
goes, and consequently moving is always q
function Of considerable importance-in the
eyes OF the officials at Windsor.
1t IL not generally known that an inven.
tory consisting Of sixty volumes contains 9
full description On every article at Wind.
scr, from the solid gold dinner service
valued at fSOO,OO0, down to the smallest
hearth rug. 1t was compiled at Queen Vic.
toria's behest some years ago, and is al.
ways called into requisition on these occa.
sions.
In the castle workshop the packing cases
have been made by staff Of carpenters
and under the supervision of an inspector
who Is directly responsible to the master OF
the household for their safety, the articles
are packed by the royal servants, and not
by outside workmen. In the inventory
every article has a number, so each case
as 1t Is packed Is sealed and ticketed with
the numbers Of the items it contains before
being placed In the vans. In this way 1t is
impossible Tor any one to detect which cases
contain valuables
King Edward is very methodical, and not
1nfreQuently superintends the packing in
person. Whenever he goes into residence
elsewhere he insists on taking several
small chests OF drawers. tables desks: ETC.
containing his private papers, besides favor
lite 1nkstands, pen trays and other knick-
knacks which he likes to see about him. In
addition several thousand pounds worth Of
plate and china have to be taken for dinner
parties, all of which must be most carefully
packed, especially as among the crockery
plates valued at $50 apiece are numbered,
and 1t says much for the abilities OF the
royal packers that a breakage is very sell
dom recorded. Each case is checked three
times during the journey-on being placed
in the van, when transferred to the train
and on arrival at its destination. A ser
want who acts as detective Is sent by
the train as an ordinary passenger.
The king admits fad for collecting walk
ing sticks, and his collection numbers over
a thousand specimens, at least score OF
which he will want to take with him. 1t is
not often that he uses the same stick on
two consecutive days, and he makes a
point Of personally selecting the sticks he
wishes to be packed: Yet no great amount
Of preparation is necessary for the royal
fitting; indeed, the packing is rarely be-
gun till two days beforehand
Some sovereigns are very particular as to
their moving and cannot bear strange sur
roundings. The kaiser is one of these. and
when he goes into residence elsewhere
to the pictures and knickknacks with which
his eye is familiar-goes with him. and Is
so expeditiously packed and unpacked that
his room is never long in state OF chaos.
Other monarchs have similar whims, as, for
instance, the king Of the Belgtans. who
cannot sleep in a strange bed, and the En-
peror of Austria, who insists on dining at
the same table wherever he may be, but as
he strongly objects to using a tablecloth,
this is, perhaps, excusable.
The most difficult monarch to move" Is
undoubtedly the car, and the transfer Of
his fittings from the winter palace to
Livadfa is always matter of enormous
preparation, and in consequence Is not
often undertaken. All the furniture in
every room, with, very, few exceptions, is
moved bodily, even down to the carpets
and the greater part of his library, consist
ing Of $4,000 volumes, makes the journey
Also The comfort of the royal children,
too, is very carefully studied, the toys and
entire contents Of the nursery being moved
en- masse to the new residence, if only for
stay covering few weeks.