Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-09-09
ENCLAND'S QUEEN
RULES HER FAMILY

LONDON.--Queen Mary, q mother.
in-law more than five years, rules the
domestic affairs Of her two married
children almost as completely az she
rules those of her own home.
A recent incident illustrates her au.
thority over the Duke and Duchess
Of York. Not long before their re-
turn to England an article in a Lon.
don paper gave a description OF their
new London house. The article
angered the Queen and she ordered
| that no press representatives were to
view the house again.
The Duke and Duchess were willing
| to allow accredited press representa-
tives to see the house, and the Ouch
ess was especially anxious to have a
descriptive article written on the
nurseries OF the Princess Elizabeth,
| in which she takes much pride.
Queen Is Adamant.
But Queen Mary was adamant,
and the Duke and Duchess did not
dare to dispute her. -,
They had already commissioned
photographers to photograph the
principal rooms, but the commission
had to be cancelled. The Duke could
not even have photographs OF the
rooms taken for his own private use
and distribution to friends.
The little Duchess is not rebellious,
otherwise an incident OF the other
day might have made her question
the authority of her royal mother-in'
| law. ,,
Queen Mary was visiting her. The
| Duchess mother, Lady Strathmore,
called the same afternoon to see her
daughter.
II ia an old rule of court etiquette
that when a queen is visiting any one
no person, except one or royal RANK
shall be shown into the queen's presence
without the consent of her majesty.
In pre-war days that rule was strlctiy
observed. But the English court is
the only one in Europe where IL IL sun
insisted on, and it seems odd TINS
should be 90, since son and daugnter
of the sovereign have married OUTSIDE
royal rank.
Tactful but Res0lute.
Queen Mary, however, believes the
very fact of two of her children hav'
ing married outside royal rank makes
it all the more advisable to insist on
the observance of the rule.
When Lady Strathmore called she
was not shown into the drawing room
where her daughter sat with the
Queen, but into the boudoir, where
she waited a quarter Of an hour be-
fore the duchess took her into her
mother-in-law's presence.
In the exercise of her authority as
mother-in-law Queen Mary can be tact
full enough, but she Is resolute. When
Lord Lascelles married the Princess
Mary there were people in the racing
set Lord Lascelles mixed with who
Queen Mary was resolved should
never meet her daughter.
She never ordered her sor1.in-law to
separate himself from a set distasteful
to her. She simply asked him not to
allow the princess to meet those peo-
pie. But behind the request was all
the tremendous influence the Queen
could bring on her son-in-law to en-
force her wishes. 1t could not have
been pleasant for Lord Lascelles to
have ]rought into contact with his
wife people whom society in general
knew the Queen would refuse to meet.
King Follows Queen.
Lord Lascelles may have lost some
sporting acquaintanceS. but bigger
loss would have been the loss Of the
good will Of the Queen.
AS a mother-in.law Queen Mary has
been described by one who has known
her for many years In the following
words: Her majesty believes it Is q
solemn duty laid by God on her
son-in-law and daughter-in.law, who
are not of royal rank, to recognize
herself and the Kipg as the supreme
earthly authority in the ordaining Of
the conduct of their lives and that at
all times they should pay her and the
King the respect properly due to the
head of the royal family and his
Queen"
OF King George, it is sufficient to
say that in all such matters 1t has
been his habit to make the views Of
his wife his own since his early mar
ried days and that he really has no
cause to regret it.
Copyright, 1927. in all countries by North
American Newspaper Alliance.