The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-07-23

draws over her dark red hair and wears whether the occasion be appropriate or the reverse l have seen her at the most stately functions wearing a short black velvet gown, her black velvet student s cap, serviceable looking boots with light cloth tops and carrying an umbrella in one hand and large bag that looks as if it might contain anything from a weekend outfit to the family washing, in the other However, nobody minds very much eccentricities of a Russian princess, therefore nobody comments par ticularly or her peculiarities.
 I wandered into Covent Garden opera house yesterday and found that stately home of expensive and fashionable op- cratic music given over to the Women s Tribute Week." The fine old theatre presents curious sight within it's audi torium. The ballroom floor entirely cov- CTS the space usually devoted to seats. The boxes on the first tier that have in former days sheltered many of the richest and most beautiful women in the world, have been turned into stalls for the great Patriotic Bazar' that is portion of the weeks programme, while the big stage is entirely shut off from the auditorium and turned into a small theatre on its own account, in which performances of ta bleaux, specially composed plays and other more or less amusing amateur en- tertainments take place twice daily That indefatigable royal lady, Queen Alexandra, came in to see how things were going on the first day of the ''Trib- ute,' and | met her walking about the | floor with the Duchess of Somerset just like any other ordinary mortal who had paid five shillngs to come in at the door. I am told that Queen Mary is also go- ing to look in at the opera house this week, while pretty little Princess Arthur of Connaught has promised to pay a visit on the day when all the music hall celebrities have promised to appear upon the classic stage.
 Princess Arthur by the way, is a great favorite with the London public this sea- son. She is certainly the most ornamen- tai of all the younger generation of royal princesses. Also she is unlike in ap- pearance, manners and general effect to any other female members of King Georges kith and kin She wears very smart and rather saucy clothes does Prin- cess Arthur. I caught a glimpse of dang ling tassles from the tops of a very long and neat pair of white suede boots the other day when I saw her at some char itable function. She was wearing also a well cut white cloth coat and skirt,
 
 and trim and with just the right flare about the shoulders and the hips. She also affects a beauty spot" under her left eye and I have seen her take pow der puff from her gold bag and delicately dust the end of her nose and the dimple on her chin. all of which goes to prove that a girls early upbringing does not necessarily affect her independence of thought when she arrives at period when she is indeDendent of home tie. Before her marriage Princess Arthur, like her younger sister, Princess Maud, was brought up in the very strictest fashion by the Kings eldest sister, the Princess Royal, who is the widow of the Duke of Fife. Both these daughters of a mother so near to the throne and Scottish father, were kept in the background to a rema rkable extent Their clothes were simple to the point of dowdiness even aft CT they had made their debut. It was said that they inherited to a painful de- gree the nervous modesty of their mothers who has always been nicknamed since her childhood Her Royal Shyness" on ac- count of her genuine fear of public mo- tice.
 Evidently, however, her elder daughter. Alexandra, now Princess Arthur of Con- naught, has outgrown this family char acteristic. She makes neat little speeches at the opening of bazars and hospitals; she poses for any photographer who hap pens to intimate that he would like to take a snapshot while saw her the other day accept light for her cigarette from a wounded Tommy, and seem to thor oughly enjoy the rather shocked express sions of the various somewhat dowdy though aristocratic ladies who were watching her royal highness amazing condescension.