Evening star., 1925-03-28
WALES TO CONSIDER MARRIAGE
ON RETURN FROM PRESENT TRIP
South african Visit, Once
Delayed, Will Start
TOMORROW.
Heavy Social Duties to Be
DOdged-POlo and
Hunts Planned.
BY HAYDEN CHURCH.


LONDON, March 2s.-Today. aboard
the battle cruiser Repulse, the
Prince of Wales will sail from Ports
mouth en- route for South Africa,
where he Will make the fourth ana
last, so far as the immediate future Is
concerned, of his series of Imperial
tours. He will set foot in the Dark
Continent on April 4. when he arrives
at Bathurst in the Gambia (West
Africa, and will bring his tour to
close on July %, when he reJofns the
Repulse al Capetown.
His next port of call Will be Mon
tevidio, where he begins his visit to
South America. three of whose great
est republics-Argentin Uruguay
and Chili--have invited him to be
their guest. He viii return TO Eng
land in September, after six months
of strenuous but interesting and col
orful travel.
When he concludes his comprehen-
sive tour of South Africa. the heir
to the throne will have visited all
the principal portions of the great
empire over which he will one day
reign. His series of imperial tours
began in 1919. when he paid his first
visit to Canada (and Incidentally
gave New York and Washington the
''once-over') and continued in 1920,
'21 and '22, when Australia, New Zea-
land and India gave enthusiastic well
comes 10 the popular young ambas-
sador of empire.
Marriage Again TO Fore.
When this series Of tours has been
completed" a prominent member of
the princes encourage told me just
before he sailed for America last
Summer, his royal highness will be-
gin TO consider seriously the question
of his marriage"
II. NJ. S. Repulse, which will carry
the royal tourist this time, is the sis
ter ship OF the Renown, which was
used for the princes previous tours.
She has been for some time in dry
dock at Portsmouth undergoing COM
plete overhauling. Her commander
is Capt. H. w. w. Hope. c. B., d. S. ..
The special suite in attendance upon
the prince during his forthcoming
tour will consist of six persons. These
are Vice Admiral Sir Lionel Halsey,
the princes controller and treas
urer: Sir Godfrey Thomas, private
secretary: Capt. Dudley North extra
equerry (who recently described his
post as that OF ''housekeeper' and his
special province as looking after the
groceriesD; Maj. the Hon. Piers
btSH anu Lieut.. w II. I. NTTeendCre,
equerries in waiting, and Surg. Lieut..
Comdr. H E. Y. White. r. y. medical
officer.
Cost of Tour fI5.0O0.
The cost of the tour, so far as the
mother country is concerned will be
$1,000, as compared with the 100000
which represented the expense of
sending the Prince to Australia The
original estimate for the Forthcoming
tour was $4,000. but Parliament re-
Gently voted an additional $4,000,
which was necessitated by the extern
sion of the original travel program
to Uruguay and Chile.
Bitter opposition to the appropria-
ton of this additional sum. it will be
was forthcoming from
the reds" in the House of Commons,
whose self-appointed leader on this
occasion, the fiery Mr.. David Kirk
wood, after declaring that the prince
was rich enough to pay his own ex-
penses, said: Il am sorry for this
young man, that you should be trot-
ting him all over the world, making
a clown of him. taking him on show"
Tour Once Postponed.
Originally planned for virtually the
same time last year. the princes tour
of South Africa had to be postponed
owing to the unexpected general cleo
tion that was precipitated by the fall
of the SHUTS govt nment. Not quite
a quarter of century, a short time
in world history, has elapsed since
the war in South Africa ended in
British victory over the burghers of
the Transvaal and the Orange Free
State, and uncertainty as to the re-
ception awaiting him during his tour
of districts reputed to be "hotbeds of
might well have given
pause to a prince with less pluck
than is possessed by the heir to the
British crown. But, although some
parts of South Africa were admittedly
LUX ewarm" when the royal visit was
first mooted, all the indications at
present are that an enthusiastic re-
ception everywhere awaits the prince.
All parts of the union, in fact, |
proTed so eager to welcome the heir
to the throne that the main difficulty
of the advisory committee. represent
ing all the provinces, which sat at
Pretoria in December last, consisted
in reconciling conflicting claims in al
locating the time at the disposal of
the prince.
In the Orange Free State, which is
usually regarded as the stronghold
of republican sentiment, there is
stated to be great dissatisfaction"
because il is proposed that the prince
shall spend only six days in that