The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1911-02-05
King Sustained Faculty

An illustration of this was given short
ly after the Prince of Wales was en-
tered as a cadet at the Junior section
of the Royal Naval college at Osborne.
He was invited to a garden party one
afternoon, and was very anxious to at
tend. To his disgust, however. he was
refused permission to be present by the
authorities of the college on the ground
that mis- attendance was necessary at a
special class of instruction that was to
be held that day.
In high dudgeon, Prince Edward, as
he then was, wrote letter of complaint
to his father. The King at once inquired
| into the true condition of affairs, and
when he was informed of the circum-
stance his reply to his eldest son was
at once short and decisive. He saw no
| reason, he said. in effect, to interfere
| IT. the matter. His son had to learn as
quickly as possible that he was at the col
| lege merely as a cadet, and not as a royal
prince, and that the rules that applied
to his comrades applied with equal force
to himself. 1t was his place to set ar
| example to the other boys by a cheerful
| obedience to orders. however irksome the
task might be. and not to look for special
favors because of his high birth.
This taught the young prince a very
| salutary lesson. and he has never COM
planned to his father since of any duty
| that has been assigned to him.
| The prince is stronger in mathematics
than in classics. Though great reader
| he has no liking for the dead languages,
but greatly prefers modern history and
| biography. He has some command OF
modern tongues and can already speak
| French and German with a tolerable
| amount of proficiency. Mathematics is
a very strong subject, and In 1t he car
| ried off the palm at both Osborne and
| lishments.
Tour Of the Empire
| With his university course at an end the
Prince of Wales will set off on a tour
! of the British empire. accompanied by
his brother, Prince Albert. The prece-
| dent of the similar tour undertaken by
| the present King and the late luke of
Clarence and Avondale in the cruiser Bac-
chante will be very closely followed.
| Since that time, however, the empire has
expanded to an extent hardly to be con-
| ceived, and 1t Is estimated that at least
| 70 months will be necessary for the
princes to gain even the most cursory
knowledge of the great dominions over
which their father rules.
| As was the case In the tour OF the
| King. a cruiser will be specially fitted
up for accommodation of the princes
and this will probably be of the Indom-
table type. The princes will be attended
by rather large suite. including disting-
guished representatives Of the army and
navy. s
| Precedent lays it down most emphatic
ally that the heir apparent to the British
throne shall be closely identified with the
army. This is to be adhered to in the
| case of the Prince OF Wales. Prince AL
| bert, on the other hand, Is destined to
| follow In the footsteps of his father and
/ to become in due course a sailor prince
| Therefore, when the princes return from
their tour around the world the Prince
\ Of Wales will be at once gazetted to one
| of the regiments of cavalry of the line
then stationed in this country
The life OF the Prince of Wales in the
army will be that Of any other subaltern
He will have his own quarters and his
cwn servants. and that is all Though at
| tached In the first place to the cavalry he
VIII In due course be acquainted with
the duties of the various other branches
of the service. such as the Royal artillery
| and the Royal engineers 1t is the earnest
desire Of both the King and the Queen
that their eldest son shall be a soldier
| in something more than name, and nc
EFFORT will be spared to insure this
| The great wish of the Queen is that the
| Prince of Wales may remain a boy as
| long as possible Consequently he is moi
| to be allowed to undertake any public
duties whatever until after he has at
tanned the age of 1s-when royalty legally
| comes of age in this country