The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1910-11-10
SOCIAL GOSSIP OF
FOREIGN CAPITALS


From all 1 can gather. Queen May
is the ruling spirit in the present British
court circles and that scarcely anything
Is being done without asking queen
May" In other words, Queen Mary. King
Georges consort The ruler of Great
Britain, we all know. is a quiet. easy
going man, rejecting. as second son,
withost any reasonable prospects of ever
ascending the throne, the training he got
Whiie being educated for the navy. The
King naturally is taciturn and seems TO
prefer to rely upon the good sense Of his
queen, who. by the way. is a remarkably
shrewd woman.
AT any rate, the expression. Il must ask
queen May" is becoming a byword at
the court nowadays and cabinet ministers
seem TO have become accustomed 10 dis
cussing matters Of state with the Queen.
even when the King is present In fact.
they have formed very decided opinions
regarding Queen Mays" abilities and
insight into affairs of import but also
OF her knowledge OF pTecedents govern
ing the relation OF the Crown to minis
terial matters. All OF which shows plain
~ that the little princess with the Teu-
tonic blood in her ito a greater extent
than the rest of the ruling British house,
takes a correct measurement OF her sailor
husbands capacities TO rule a great en-
rlre. and that she is determined that if
she can help II there shall be no slip
np. And / add that King George is
wise indeed 10 allow himself thus 10 be
guided
Although her affiliations have been con-
serVaiive and, If anything. anti-LiberaI.
the Queens advice TO the King always is
strictly constitutional. and given with
admirable difference 10 the Kings respon-
sibility. IN which method she shows how
very shreWd she Is And thus Il has
come 10 pass already IN the short space
that he has been King, that Georges in
variable reply when asked for instruc-
tons on any point, from arrangements
for shooting party TO an important mat
ter or state. IS: Il must ask Queen May"
In household matters the Queens chief
concern is economy. Already she has in
augurated and planned refreshments IN
the private expenditures OF the court
And she herself practices simplicity. set
ting an example 20 the royal household
which the officials. spoiled under the Law
ish rule of the late King, do not like
When King Edwards clothes and uni
forms were 10 be disposed OF, King
George was asked what should be done
with them. II was presumed, naturally.
that he would have some scheme in mind.
But, as usual, he replied: II must ask
Queen May" And when the Queen was
approached on the subject. she suggested
that Queen Alexandra ought to be asked
10 give her advice In a matter concerning
her late husband. Alexandra desired 10
keep King Edwards field marshars uni
form ana orders. She then made out q
list or persons TO whom she desired that
certain small souvenirs should be given.
What was left has been placed in a spe-
eial room IN Buckingham Palace.
me Duchess of Devonshire. Queen
Mary's mistress OF the robes. is a woman
after the Queens own heart. rigidlv
correct In everything. disliking frivoi-
ity, devoted 10 her children. and looking
twice al every shilling before spending
II. Queen May intends chiefly to live IN
windsor Castle, because the country air
is beneficial 20 her children. Then there
IS more seclusion, and it requires less en-
pertaining than Buckingham Palace
would, Family prayers have become a
regular institution. and. taking II all IN
all there has been decided change and
a complete transformation from the gay
days OF the last court
Being used 10 spending money with a
fun hand, IL is no wonder that Queen
Alexandra IS complaining that her annual
income Of $4,000 Is inadequate for her
wants, and that she has been obliged
to cancel intended improvements at SAN
Hrfpprrawa NJ 81
such repairs as the state Is making for
her convenience at Marlborough House.
Alexandra has aged greatly since the
Kings death. While she does not look
her years. yet. in spite Of her bereave-
ment, the magic youthfulness OF face
and figure that has so greatly distin-
guished her has been swept away.
The investlture OF Lord Hardinge. Of
Penshurst. with the grand commander
ship OF the order Of the Star Of India
upon his promotion to viceroy of India.
recalls that just fifty years ago a verbal
battle ragged as a result Of the creation
of that order The prince consort. Victo-
ria's husband, at last. IN sheer despair,
named it the order Of the Golden In
possibility"
The first conclave OF Indian raiahs and
civilians which sat 10 solve the question
of title for the mutiny reward sug-
gested that il be called the star of
Honor for England and India" or the
Eastern Star OF Honor" The prince
consort replied that both those phrases
sounded too much like Napoleon's lie
gion OF Honor" He favored The name
Order Of the Sun" though Persia al
ready had an order Of that name As an
alternative he suggested the dove. as the
emblem of peace; the British lion. as
representing the British monarchy: the
rose, as the emblem of England: the
lotus flower as an Indian emblem. with
the motto taken from the angels saIu-
tation, GLORY TO God in the highest.
peace upon earth. and good will toward
men," incidentally. not at all a bad
idea for the Queens government In
India.
Lord Canning quashed the Eastern
Star by pointing out that in the Hin
dustani language ii meant "Poorbean
Sitara, an expression savoring Of con-
tempt Western Star, Celestial stars
Star of Peace" and British STAR in
turn all were offered and rejected. and
when the Star of England and India"
was on the point of being created the
lord chancellor himself (Afr. CampbelD
opposed 1t strongly. He objected to Il
on account Of its apparent injustice TO
scotehmen and Irishmen, but especially
to the late viefroy, the Marquis Of Dali
house.