The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-04-14
SOCIETY IN LONDON
BY LADY MARY mANwARING

land their majesties sent wreaths and messages of sorrow. A memorial ser vice held at the Chapel Royal, St.
 James palace. was attended by Queen Alexandra and Princess Victoria.
 The Duke of Atholl has been paying one of his brief visi,s to London. He is the holder of I9 titles, but seems prouder of the position of chieftain of lis clain than of any other social ad vantage. When the Atholl meeting takes place in the early autumn, the duke marches at the head of his clans men in feudal fashiop, and Is one of the few Scotch noblea ,vho keep up old time traditions. This old family cher lishes it's hereditary rights and pre- serves many curious customs. The duke dom of Atholl holds the privilege of presenting a cast of falcons to the sov- ereign at his corona tion; and when the lreigning monarch visits Blair Atholl, ancient usage decrees that the Duke of Atholl should present white rose on pended knee to his royal visitor An other old custom prescribes that when their heirs bride pays her first visit to the ancestral castle, she should not
 walk through the doorway, but be carried over it in the arms of the old and valued retainers
 Prince Arthur of Connaught tells lit- tie story of one of the most perfect bulls" he ever heard. To make the story read properly, 1t should have been an Irish lady who wGs responsible for it. Unfortunately hon,-ver it was one of the best known ornaments of the English peerage She had been ill for some little time and the Prince Arthur congratulated her upon her presence. and expressed the hope that she had | .r.4, II. al no e n
 matter of fact, I have not" she was careful to explain. Indeed, l should
 not have been here now if l had not come" As his royal highness remarks, 1 this record in which a young lady
 once suffered so severely from stage 1 fright" a very common complaint at court. by the way, that when the late
 Queen Victoria extended her hand for tthe customary kiss, she warmly shook
 it and asked, ''how she was.'
 Lady Hardwicke has just given birth 1 to a little girl. She is a New Zealand
 peeress, and was Miss Nellie Russell be-
 fore her marriage. in April last, to the eighth Earl of Hardwicke, the event
 taking place shortly after the death Of
 the bridegroom's uncle, the much liked
 Mir Alec Yorke.
 Lord Hardwicke possesses a fund of
 good humor, which makes him well come guest everywhere. He is not, un-
 fortunately, very wealthy, the big Wim- | pole property in Cambridg geshire having \ passed to strangers, and in his time he \ has had to work hard for his living; but he looks back with pride to the days when he roughed 1t as a mining en- gineer in Montana and Australia. It was thought that Lord Hardwicke would look for a well endowed wife, but he made lovemateh, like his charming
 only sister, now Lady Susan Fitz Clar- ence.
 The Marchioness ofyCrewe, wife of the Isecretary of state for India, is lying i'll at Crewe House. Curzo. street, Mayfair.
 This week her ladyship underwent an operation for appendicitis. She bore the
 operation well. and her progress is sat lisfactory. Lady Crewe is the second
 daughter of the Earl Of Rosebery.
 The King and Queen will pay the first private visit of their reign next July
 when their majesties go to Chatsworth
 as the guests of the Duke and Duchess
 of Devonshire. During the visit which
 will be of three days duration, the
 King is to inaugurate the great Der
 went valley water scheme. On her re-
 turn from India with their majesties, | the Duchess of Devonshire joined the
 duke and their children at Lismore Tn County Waterford, where extensive ai-
 terations have been in progress since ! last summer. The graces have now re
 turned to London and are now installed at Devonshire House for the season. During the residence of the court l., town, the duchess. aA mistress or ,he Irobes, will be in attendance on her | royal mistress and will, of course DC tpresent at all the royal entertainments