Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-02-23
ny III. ]. ]. SARGENT.

| IL. u. j.
star Correspondent of The Star, and the
North American Newspaper Alliance.
LONDON, February 23.-When the
| first understanding bulletin about
the illness of King George appeared
| there was little or no indication to what
extent the seemingly trivial words were
going to affect the life of the Prince
of Wales But the King, as is known,
grew rapidly worse. came desperately
near death, and now is making slow
and wearisome recovery. So the prince
finds a new life opening before him,
one OF greater responsibilities and
burdens than he has ever faced before.
Since the days of Queen Victoria one
of the characteristics of the British
royal family has been its sense OF duty
and the way 1t has uncomplainingly
shouldered the onerous obligations Of
its position. Before the days of Queen
Victoria that sense of duty was not so
easy to find among most of the hard
living hard-drlnking members of the
Hanoverian line.
The Prince of Wales, however, possesses
to a great degree the spirit of getting
his Job done, although he is often
acutely aware of the distastefulness Of
some of his duties. 1t is perhaps all
the more to his credit that he carries
them through with complete efficiency.
The Kings Illness has for the last
few months placed a damper upon the
more ornamental and representative
duties of the head of the British EN-
pire. The immense amount of routine
work imposed upon the wearer of the
British crown is being performed by the
council of state set up during the
W >asI f,s1E
every duty of the King except confer
honors. such as titles and decorations
also, IL cannot dissolve Parliament.
The Princes New Duties.
The council as such presides through
its members at meetings of the Privy
Council, and is entitled to sign as a
council the hundreds of routine orders
which are part of the machinery of the
British government.
AS / said before, the representative
duties of the King have been largely
the very duties that will probably now
be passed on to the Prince of Wales.
It Is the custom in England that
when governors general, governors and
prime ministers and ministers of over
seas dominions come to London they be
received by the King. who talks with
them about the affairs of their great
charges. These visits are highly priced
by the pro-consuls.
The Prince of Wales. with his knowl-
edge OF the British empire. over which
he has Travelled as no other royalty
has ever Travelled before him. will take
over this duty for his father. and see
the governors and the ministers from
over the ocean. many of whom are his
personal friends.
II Is also the custom. when q high
officer of state or a general or an
admiral holding an INDEPENDENT COM
mand relinquishes his duties. that he be
received by the King and hidden fare
well. and, suppose, thanked for his
services. This duty, too, will fall upon
the prince until the King has been en-
tirely restored to health.
The Ordeal Of a Levee.
The ordeal OF levee will have to be
presided over by the prince. A levee is
held at st. James Palace. and the King
or his representative stands at one end
Of great room while hundreds of off,
GERS. officials and private gentlemen are
passed through the room by series
of court functionaries who cali out the
names Of each man attending the levee
as he passes the presence. The officer