The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1913-04-25
tCourr;aht. 1913. BY A. D. Jacos.on.,

has been the custom to hold by the King
and Queen of England In Buckingham
Palace in addition to the regular official
diplomatic reception, which always u
the first Of these ceremonials, there are
to be henceforth five courts each season.
owing to the enormously increased ap-
plication for admission. 1t being very
inconvenient to have a long list of held
over names at the Lord Chancellor
Office AS I understand the itinerary,
the third court is to be held May S. the
fourth on June 8, and the fifth on the
day following, June 10. All the cere-
monials are to be concluded before Ascot
race week.
There is to be another innovation at
the Court of st. James. The King and
Queen intend to revive the state con-
certs which were discontinued with the
death of Queen Victoria. 1t used to be
the custom to give two concerts each
season in the ballroom at Buckingham
Palace. and the Lord Chamberlain issued
invitations for about 1000 guests for
each of them. The arrangements for the
arrival of the royal family. the Diplo-
matte Corps, &C., for the state process
sions and for supper were precisely the
same as for a state ball.
These state concerts were entertain
ments to which a large number of emf
nent personages of light and leading
were invited for whom a state ball was
unsuitable, owing to their dignity and
grave mien. The want of ceremonials OF
this more serious description has been
distinctly inconvenient during the past
eleven years. Buckingham Palace en-
tertainments have been limited to two
state balls, and the official list Of guests
has so considerably increased that 1t has
been necessary for the Lord Chamberlain
to invite a much larger number than can
be accommodated comfortably.
During Queen Victoria's reign the
number was limited to 1000. Every one
who has been in Office or who still is In
Office gets an invitation to a state cere-
monial as matter of course, and there
are a great number of other personages
who are on the so-called permanent list
1t would seem that an invitation to one
ball or concert year ought to sumce
for any one.
The last state concert at which Queen
Victoria was present took place in 1860.
concert was given in June of 1861,
when the court was in mourning for the
Duches Of Kent. The Queen declined to
attend, and preferred to go for that night
to Richmond, where she dined and slept
at White Lodge. The then Crown Prin-
cess of Prussia, her daughter Cthe Prin-
cess Royal did the honors. 1t also was
the last palace entertainment at which
the Prince Consort (Alberp was present
No wonder that this concert is described
as most gloomy and of the gravest char
acter as to music.
| am in a position to contradict au-
thoritatively the statement published
broadcast in America and in European
par ers that there would be a meeting at
Copenhagen during the coming summer
hatu IF en- nd
of Russia. ard the German Kaiser. The
story that the Emperor William and his
empress are expected in London in June
on :: visit to their English royal relatives
also is an invention. What surprises
me is that certain papers insist upon
taking in their nfidng readers by such
improbabili'ies. Any one with even a
particle of knowledge of court etiquette
will admit that neither the Kaiser nor
his wife will be seen in England again
until their visit of nearly two years ago
has been returned at Berlin or Potsdam
by the royal pair of Britain.
The assassination of the King of the
Hellenes will stop the intended visits of
the King and Queen of Denmark to
Paris and London. which were to have
taken place early in June. They will
now be postponed until next year. The
Bains, where he invariably spent the
month Of August. On leaving AK King
George always went to Paris for stay
Of a week or ten days at the Hotel
Bristol and he proceeded thence to Den
mark, where he spent six or seven
weeks On his way hack to Athens he
always stopped for few days at Vienna
in order to see something of the Emperor
Franz Josef, with whom he was great
favorite.
When he went to Greece probably no
one would have predicted that his reign
would be as long and as useful to the
Hellenic people as it has turned out to
be. or that his death would evoke so
much emotion. King Georgios was
Prince Wilhelm of Denmark until his
election to the throne In 1863, when he
changed his name to crafty the national
demand. Four years later he married
the Grand Duchess Olga Constantinovna
of Russia, who brought him large for
tune. The alliance was extremely popu-
lar in Greece, as the young Queen was
member of the orthodox (Greek)
church. The late King was shrewd
man of bushes, far-sighted in invest
ments, and enterprising. He died very
rich man. He was the uncle of the
Duchess of Cumberland, while his Queen
is a first cousin to the Duke of Cumber-
land. AS his son and heir, the present
ruler of the Hellenes. is welded to a
sister of the German Kaiser, it is
matter of course that the nuptials of
Emperor williams daughter, Princess
Victoria Louise. to Prince Ernst of
Braunschweig-Lueneb the future SOW
ereign of the famous old Guelph Duchy,
have been postponed from May to next
autumn.
Const ,tine. the rev King, and Queen
Sophie are well known in England. For
some years past the latter spent several
weeks during the summer at one of the
south coast watering places. Her con-
version from the Lutheran religion to
tho Orthodox Church excited a great
commotion at the court of Berlin. En-
peror William was much annoyed. but
the late Queen Victoria signified hsr
approval at this step, which she consid-
ture rulers of the nation which the Prus-
sian Princess in becoming the wife of
the Crown Prince Constantine, has made
her adopted home.
Grand Duke Michel Alexandrovitch.
younger borther of the Emperor Nicho
las, who has left Russia for along alb
sence abroad, is at Monte Carlo with his
recently m -rried wife. The Grand Duke
is lin disgrace officially at the imperial
court but his relations with the Czarina
Marie continue to be most cordial. Grand
Duke Michel intends to spend the sum-
mer in Italy 1t is considered signifi-
cant that no steps have yet been taken
to nominate another regent of the en-