The Hawaiian gazette., 1910-05-10

On May 6, 1890, the admiralty or.
dered Prince George to take command
Of the large gunboat Thrush, desig.
mated for duty on the North American
station. AS commander Of the Thrush
he completed successfully the delicate
and rather dangerous task If towing a
torpedo boat clear across the Atlantic.
Having returned to England, Prince
George was promoted to the rank of
commander on August 81, 1891. On
May "a, 1892, he was, created Duke of
York, Earl of Inverness and Baron
Killarney
On July 6, 1898, the then Duke of
York was married to the Princess Vic
toria of Teck and is the father of six
children, Of whom the eldest, Edward
Albert, is now crown prince.
The death Of the elder brother of the
sailor prince, made George heir to the
British crown, and he was forced to
give up his sea career and devote his
attention to affairs of state. 1t was
also essential that he forsake such
hazards as fall to the lot of a naval
officer, for being the only son of the
then Prince of Wales, he was depended
upon to perpetuate the royal line.
New Responsibilities.
! The princess royal of England was
married to the Duke of Fife, and had
George died without issue, the people
of England would have been treated to
the spectacle of an officer in the lire
guards giving up his commission to
take his place at Buckingham Palace
as prince consort.
But though forced to forego his naval
career, George did not allow himself to
become estranged from his friends
whom he had met upon the bridges of
Britain IS fighting ships and he always
counted himself a sailor. A few years
ago he was promoted to the rank of
rear-admiral, an advance which gave
him greater pleasure than any of the
proud titles which have ever fallen to
his lot.
When Queen Victoria died and Ed
ward took up the reins of government.
Prince George, or the Duke of York as
he then was known, succeeded to the
title of Duke of Cornwall, that designa-
tion always borne by the eldest son of
the king. He kept his title of York,
however, and was known as the Duke
of Cornwall and York.
But the title of Prince of Wales,
which is vested in the crown but has
been borne by many crown princes, had
become so closely associated with the
heir to the throne that Edward VII.
soon conferred it upon the sailor prince
And now the proud title of Prince
of Wales must be laid aside for that of
King of England Exacting as were
the duties which fell to the lot of His
Majesty while he was Prince of Wales,
they were but slight compared with
those which he now must face. George
", who but short time ago was tax
, ing pride in the fact that he had been
commissioner a rear-admiral in the
royal navy, is today commander-in-c chief
of the military and naval forces of the
British Empire, ruler over an empire
which encircles the globe and the CEN
trail figure in the most complex political
! situation of the day.
t The New Duke of Cornwall.
!, With the accession of George to the
o throne, Prince Edward of Wales drops
: his old title and becomes the Duke OF
n Cornwall and crown prince. Though
v scarcely sixteen years of age he will
h find many matters of great weight to
occupy his attention and not many
d years hence he will face the task of
e choosing a wife from among the royal
s. families of Europe, for the throne OF
n Britain must have an heir and the de-
# mands of craftsmanship will not be
gainsaid.