Los Angeles herald., 1907-06-30
YANKEE DUCHESS
WINS A VICTORY
1T WILL COST HER GRACE
S1,500,oO0
Royalty Smiles on Her, and Princess of
Wales VIII Attend First Grand
BalI-To Become "Great"
Hostess

Special Cable to The Herald
LONDON, June 29.-Up to now one of
the most complete and interestingly
not actually one of the most important
of the American victories that have
been gained in England recently has
had no attention devoted to it in print.
1t deserves a lot, however, for the VIC
tory In question, which has been gained
by the duchess of Roxburghe over the
opinions or prejudices of her noble hus-
band, the duke, is a highly significant
example of what a clever woman can
accomplish by biding her time and
meanwhile playing he cards right. In
cidentally this little conquest of the
duchess apparently is going to cost her
something like $350,000 before the pres
ent season, and in the neighborhood OF
$1,500,000 before the present year is over,
to say nothing of correspondingly big
sums in the seasons and years to come.
But the duchess, who used to be May
Goelet, doesn't mind that in the least,
for in the first place she can well afford
to spend the money at present, and in
the second she has been just aching to
do it ever since she became the bride Of
the duke, nearly four yaers ago. Then,
like nearly every other rich American
girl who marries an Englishman of ex-
allied rank, 1t was her ambition to be-
come a great" London hostess, but at
the outset the duke put his foot down
on that idea.
Roxburghe's Great Pride
The spectacle of a British nobleman
declining to permit his American wife
to spend her millions is rare enough to
be notable in ITSELF but then his grace
of Roxburghe is not at all like. most
dukes Proud, naughty, sensitive
Scotchman that he is, he has an invet-
crate dislike of ostentation and social
rivalry, and the idea of his wife "show-
ing off" and, as he put it, advertising
herself, set the Innes-Ker blood in his
veins boiling. Ever since their mar
riage, indeed, his great aim has been to
prevent her doing anything which con-
spicuously suggested the fact that she
is rich woman, and no doubt his in
tense personal pride is at the bottom of
this.
However, most things come to those
who wait, and the young American
duchess, like the tactful woman that
she is, waited patiently, now and then
doing a little judicious "wheedling," and
while ago the duke gave in and told
her to go ahead and entertain to her
hearts desire. Thus it is that for the
first time since her marriage we find
the duchess in possession of big town
house in Mayfair and intent on taking
the place among London hostesses to
which her own wealth and her huS-
bands exalted rank entitle her.
Judging from all accounts, too, she is
going to make up for lost time, for it
is said that, including big ball which
she intends giving toward the end of
the present month, and at which 1t Is
probable that the princess, If not the
prince of Wales, will be present, the
duchess round of entertainments dur
ing the season will cost her something
not far from the figure mentioned at
the beginning of this article, $350,000.
Nor is that figure as preposterous as 1t
may sound considering that the cost
of a royal ball in London is'usually cal
culated at $50000 and that the duchess
is paying 500, 900 for her tenancy during
the season of the big house in Stratford
place., where her lavish entertaining is
to be done.
To Have Her Own House
Among other intentions with which
she is credited is that of following the
example of her compatriot, the duchess
of Marlborough, and building superb
mansion 4 Mayfair, and it is like
enough that she will Short Of having
her own residence however, the duch-
eSS ndrQly COulO De III Detlei poSilioh
to entertain than she will be in STRAIT
ford house, for this mansion has an
ideal location and is accounted one of
the most luxuriously furnished man
sions in all Mayfair. Built originally
by Sir Jol . Leslie, it is now owned by
Lord Colebrook, high commissioner for
Scotland, whose wife, Lady Colebrook,
is one Of the leading liberal hostesses"
as we'll as one of the grande danes
whom the king delights to honor" with
his company as a guest. The mansion
itself was built by the great Adam. 1t
is large and lofty and noted, among
other things, for it's "Wedgewood hall"
it's rooms paneled with mahogany, and
its unique collection of Battersea enam-
ell snuff boxes. The reception rooms are
especially beautiful, the pictures and
furniture in them being exclusively
French and of great artistic merit.
Lengthy and extensive dealings with
Partisan costumieres have kept the
duchess of Roxburghe from beginning
her series of functions at Stratford
house as early as she wished, and since
her return to London she has contented
herself with giving small but exceed
ingly "chic" dinners. These are to be
followed, however, by a round of big
ones which will be continued right
through to the end of July, but the
duchess special triumph will come at
the end of this month, when she gives
the great ball at which the princess of
Wales has promised to be present.