The sun., 1919-10-26

BRITAIN AWAITS
PRINCES RETURN
Great Welcome Is Prepared
for Wales After Trium-
plant Tour.
CHRISTMAS AT HOME
King and Queen VIII Join in
CHRISTMAS AT HOME
King and Queen VIII Join in
Old Fashioned Holiday
Celebration.
by CAPT. THOMAS C. WATSON.
specia, Gable Despatch to TIE sus and the
Public Ieduer

BY CAPT. THOMAS C. WATSON. |
Special Cable Despatch to TIE srs and the
Public Ledger.
Copyright 1919; all rights reserred
LONDON, Oct 25.-The whole of Great |
Britain Is awaiting the return Of the |
Prince of Wales. With delight they |
read Of his early homecoming and a
rousing Welcome awaits him. London |
misses him; they miss his dapper, well |
tailored little figure, his easy grace and |
his charming. lovable smile. st. Jamess |
Palace, the Princes official town resi- |
dence. positively radiated gloom when |
your representative called this morning |
TO get information as to the prospects
of the Princes early return to his "ain |
folk"
st. James's Palace Is surrounded by |
grim turreted walls In the Queen Anne |
fashion and the palace itself is an I'M |
obtrusive stucco building of the same |
period. typical of any ordinary British !
nobleman's town dwelling. There was
no sign Of life in the courtyard of his |
residence unless II was the rhythmic |
tramp OF a sentry parading his beat |
True, there was neighing from the royal /,
stables where the future King OF Eng |
lands favorite charger paved and |
champed accompanied by the mournful |
yelp of a spotlessly clean wire haired
fox terrier, both after the manner of
their kind being drawn together by
mutual longings.
Aid Was in France.
I was admitted to the royal resi-
dence by gloomy giant In ink colored |
livery with war medal on his Lapel. |
II the distressful days of 1914. although |
past the military age, he had accom- |
panied to France the Prince of Wales |
then not leader of a vast army like the |
less illustrious scion Of a royal house |
but merely as a Second Lieutenant iii |
the Grenadier Guards.
He underwent with his royal master
all the boredom of dire mysery and
anger of trench warfare of that period,
merely as a batman, now raised to the
dignity. OF which he is Unfortunately
proud. of house steward at st. James's
Palace.
Through the silent corridor l was con-
| Quoted.
VERY lonely here" said the veteran.
Yes. but his Highness will soon be
back. then" he replied absorbedly.
To the comptroller of the treasury
of the Princes household. the Hon.
Sir Sydney GRANVILLE, was conducted.
| In his comfortable office, whittier was
| ushered without ceremony, we chatted
about Englands future King Sir Sydney
| said:
I've expect HIN home about the mid
| die Of November. ! am glad" He in
dicated a pile OF unanswered mail. "He
| will be most welcome. for there is m Icli
for him to do at several meetings OF
hospital governors. of all of which he
4 Is either chairman or patron. and sew
! eral banquets. That is merely in pub
| lie functions. Then there are several
| banquets."
l asked. What about his private af-
| fairs7"
/ To spend Christmas Mt Home.
Sir Sydney replied: He will have
little time for private affairs until he
| goes to Sandringham, where he will
| spend Christmas with the King, and
| Queen and the rest OF the family"
| Christmas at Sandringham with the
British royal family is conducted In a
| manner similar to that of the Christmas
|, celebrations IN millions OF others of
households In Great Britain. There is
no general feasting. no pomp and cir
| cumstance just the ordinary father OF
a family sitting down with his sons and
| daughters to the ordinary English fare
| OF roast turkey and plum pudding.
This year the Christmas gathering
| will be a sad one in some respects, for
the family has been depleted by one
| Prince John-who died earlier in the
year. Their sorrow will be alleviated
by the presence Of the heir to the throne,
more especially so In view OF the sue
cess he has attained In his tour of the
American dominions. No matter how
much his future subjects have missed
| him. they cannot give the Prince Of
| Wales a greater welcome than his royal
father and mother. However imperi-
Gus and formal the Queen OF England
may appear to the casual observer. she
, Is withal a perfect mother, fond OF and
loyal to her family and ecrupulously
punctilious where the we'll being OF her
sons and daughters is concerned. The
Prince in his home at Sandringham will
get all the relaxation he deserves, for
he will lead the life of an ordinary
country gentleman. He will ride. to
hounds and shoot. He will help the
King to entertain their tenants in their
Yuletide revels just as any ordinary
Englishman will.
Is big Landlord.
Then there is the practical side Of
the Princes life. The Prince is one of
London's biggest landlords and the
housing question is one OF the greatest
Importance and one which has invoked
the practical sympathy OF the King and
Queen. The Princes tenants IN the
Kensington district OF London are COM
prised mostly or the artisan classes and
they are looking forward TO a practical
application Of the experience he has
gained in Canada on housing Then
there are his tenants on his Cornwall
estate. The Prince there is a big mine
proprietor and owner Of many farms
There he is adored because OF the
practical interest he takes in their we'll
being. Again his American tour must
inevitably result in schemes which the
Prince will formulate-both farming and
mining-for the benefit OF his Cornish
tenants.
Sir sydney assured me OF the Prince s
great regret at being unable to extend
his tour TO the United States. II was
never intended that II should be pro-
tracted one and the question of his re
ception in New York was never discussed
or even contemplated before his de-
parture from England. The original
scheme was that the Prince. after his
visit to Niagara Falls, should pay a
rapid and informal visit to President
Wilson at Washington, but the serious
-