The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1910-11-14
BY LA M.,RaUIsE DE FONTENOY.
- HE Duke of Norfolk, in his capac-


has just issued in the London
/ Official Gazette an intimation
! thai all peers and peeresses of the Unit
ed Kingdom and ireland should forward
| TO him before the first of January an
liptimation OF their desire 10 attend the
/ coronation of the King and Queen on
| June % next. in Westminster Abbey
| in order that he may be able to pre-
| pare the royal summons, signed by the
| sovereign himself. commanding their
| appearance on that historic occasion.
| 1t does not follow that all the peers
| and peeresses who send In their names
! to the duke will receive the treasured
| summons. In fact. some of them are
/ personae non gratae at court in this
new reign.
| The duke emphasizes the fact that
| widows of peers Will only receive a
| summons to the coronation providing
| they have not contracted a second mar
riage with some one who does not hap
| pen to be a peer Thus, the widow
| of the Duke of Hamilton, who is now
| married to Mr.. r. Carnaby Forster.
and who is still known everywhere In
society as the Duchess of Hamilton.
viii not receive any summons from
| the crown, having become In the eyes
of the law cominoner
Another point to which the Duke
of Norfolk calls attention. Us that
while Irish peers who occupy seats
in the House of Commons, such as the
Earl of Winterton and Viscourt VAL
entia, will not be considered as en-
titled TO any summons as peers to the
coronation being regarded as common
ers while sitting in the lower house
of the national legislature. their
wives will nevertheless be invited as
peeresses.
Peers and peeresses in their own
right who are minors, VIII not be
asked to the coronation, and all those
eldest sons of dukes who bear
the title of marquis, and the
eldest sons of marquesses VINO are
earls, who are socially known as Wis
counts or as barons, will not be in
vited, since their honprs are merely
what are known as courtesy titles
and they are commoners IN the eyes
of the law.
Every one will recall the strange APP
prehension which prevailed after the
death Of Queen Victoria, to the effect
that something would occur to prevent
.prchension which he himself is known
to have shared, and which was In q
measure realized. when he became so
dangerously III two days before the date
first appointed for his coronation. that
the ceremony had to8bc postponed for
shorn OF much of its splendor. Fears
of the same sort are already being
expressed about the coronation of King
George. Indeed they are even still
more widespread and deep-rooted than
those of the previous reign, and arise
from the fact that an old English say
anS, which has been current among the
people for many centuries, predicts
misfortune for England whenever Good
Friday falls on Lady Day, that is to
say, on the 18th of March. That is
what happens this year, and the last
occasion on which it occurred was In
1861. the Year of the death of Queen
Victoria's husband, the prince consort
The saying is as follows:
IF our Lord falls on our Lady's lap,
England shall have great mishap."
Never has this proverb failed to
come true, and that Is why a feel
wallis, especially among ali those Who
are In any Way inclined to be super
stitious, and why Lloyds and other
similar concerns which insure people
agannst monetary losses In connection
ment of great public pageants, such as
tho coronation. arc already demanding
bigger premiums than In the late
reign.
Every, petty ruler in Europe, no
how small the number Of his subjects
and how altogether insignificant his
sovereignty exercises the right Of
creating and comforting orders OF
knightEood. and Of bestowing nobil-
larry titles. This fact has been once
more demonstrated by the action of
Prince Leopold w OF Lippe, whose
territory embraces less than 200 square
miles and whose subjects number
less than 100000, In spite of this, and
also OF, the fact that he had expert
enced the utmost difficulty In securing
the acknowledgment OF his right to-
the throne Of Lippe and even to the
status of scion of a sovereign house,
gin, the prince, who has already six
orders of knighthood at his disposal,
has Just founded y seventh, which Is
for ladies only. and 70 bear the name
Ct the Order Of Bertla, In honor at