The Washington herald., 1911-09-11

quets nowadays are more animated than
| they were in Queen Victoria's days,
when they were often very dull functions
indeed, for at times the Queen spoke
seldom, and II was not considered the
correct thing for the guests to speak
| while she remained silent.
Although a number of courses figure
upon the menu, the service is so rapid
that the banquets last a comparatively
short time. There is. Of course, music
furnished by an orchestra seated in an
| invisible niche, generally in the gallery,
ana as rule the surroundings and
! decorations are so brilliant that there is
plenty to occupy the attention Of the
| diners. An ancient feature, brought
down from the medieval customs, is a
/ big buffet, a sldeboard laden with cold
joints, pastries. and so forth. which.
needless to- add, no one ever thinks Of
sampling. This is a survival OF the
| heavy feeding days" King George has
retained the custom, but not on the large
scale as was the fashion formerly, when
! roast peacock and other curious and
costly dishes figured prominently upon
the buffet, recalling the old robust Tudor
| days.
AT the conclusion of the banquet ths
King and Queen rise and, followed by
the other royalties present. pass into
the corridor, the guests bringing I'D the
rear OF the procession with another
guard Of officials. fOOtmen. and beef
eaters and in this order they pass into
one OF the state drawing-rOOms where
tea and coffee are served
Queen Victoria used To- seat herself
and call ba yK-fsb
speak 10. but King George and Queen
Mary are more informal They move
about among their guesys and converse
freely. While both remain standing It
is etiquette for the guests TO do so also
At a signal the guests again line the
corridor. and the King and Queen pass
TO their private apartments.
In King Edwards time a few privi-
legged guests remained behind when ths
rest had departed. and were Subsequent
ly ushered into smOking-rnOm, where
they had cigars with the King and per-
haps a game of whist or bridge Now
adays Il is customary for all to depart,
for state banquets are rather late and
fatiguing functions. and. as Is we'll
known. their present ma Jesties are great
stiCklers for early hours, and neither
the King nor the Queen is a lover Of
card games.
fact that the most fascinat-
ing royal lady in all Europe Is the Crown
Princess Of Roumania. who has been a
wife for seventeen years. but who still
maintains a great deal Of the charm OF
her youth. The princess Is a member OF
the royal British house. Her father was
the late reigning Duke OF SAKE Coburg
and Gotha, the second son Of Queen Vic
forgive that he foreswore his allegiance
to Great Britain to accept the crown OF
a small German principalIty. But the
came TO the proud Britons
through the marriage OF Queen Victoria
to Albert. Prince OF SAKE Coburg and
Gotha. who left his native land and his
chance of succession in order to marry
the girl of his heart being satisfied to
play in England second fiddle as prince
when at home he might have
become a ruler OF one of the finest and,
anyway, the richest of all the German
The mother OF the Roumanian crown
princess was a Russian grand duchess.
Princess Marie, as the former was called
before her marriage and removal 10 Bel
grade, was welded at the early age OF
eighteen to the heir prosumptive Of King
Carol Of Roumania. Hence. in the ordi-
nary course OF events, that country Will
have a British princess on the throne
as It's Queen. Princess Marie has five
children two boys and three girls, tho
eldest Of whom is Prince Carol. now a
youth Of sixteen and the future ruler OF
the Balkan kingdom.
Incidentally let 1t be understood that
Germany has as much right to say that
a Hohenzollern Is now and will be on the
throne of RoumanIa, for the present King
nd hNr
after the settlement Of the Bal
kan issue by the powers, after the Turk
ish- Russian war, is a scion OF the me-
diatized. Catholic branch of the house OF
whose Protestant and Sc
senior line rules in Prussia and are Ger
man emperurs FLASEUR.
Copyright 1911 by Court Gossip syndicate.)