Evening star., 1935-05-05
REHIND THE SCENES
WITH KING GEORGE V
British Monarch, Who Celebrates Silver
Jubilee, Quietly Conserves Strength
by Sedate Life.

zeal OF prlQe ana nauCeur under Ed
wards Suave mask lovely actress
favorite forget that when she dropped
a piece of ice down his neck one gay
night. Gle dismissed her and never
saw her again.
Labor Party Appears.
But Edward could not treat the
Labor men in Parliament that way
and the first appearance Of Labor rep
resentatives made him pessimistic
about the future of the monarchy.
When a Labor government came
into office in 1924 some political lead
ers who had known Edward amused
themselves speculating what he would
have thought ana done in the face
OF this phenomenon. The opinion was
that things would not have passed of
as happily as they did with George,
the King Of another age.
King George, the calmer, more
philosophical and balanced monarch,
received the Labor men at Windsor,
chief seat Of the English kings for
thousand years.
1--WE are going to look after the
interests of the workers." observed
one of the new ministers in the course
of the general talk that followed the
seal-handing ceremony. "Ah," said
the King. Gin that case hope you
will not forget my interests" Where
upon they all laughed.
But the phrase was not an empty
one. King George has a whole-time
job. He is living symbol. He has
willingly devoted his life to his country
and his people. King Edward, living
gay. risque life, was much abroad.
But King George. living an ire
proachable family life, would not, even
after his almost fatal chest illness,
escape to warmer climes during the
Winter months. as any ordinary we'll
| OH citizen would have done. 1t would
not have been polite.
Brief stays at Windsor, .Sandring-
ham. Balmoral in the Scottish high
lands are reSpires from an incessant
round Of public duties. Cares, duties,
state business pursue him and never
leave him for a day.
Never Learned to Play.
He has never really learned how to
play. He amuSes himself with a bill
lard cue and books. He Is very keen
on philately, once designed a stamp
for a Canadian issue and has accu-
mulated the worlds greatest collection
Of old English and British Empire
Stamps-some Of his specimens cost
as high as $4,000 and are worth
more now.
Unlike his father (who once got
mixed up In celebrated baccarat
scandaD, he never plays cards. He
rides only for exercise-he never was
q good horseman. He used to play
rackets, but his illness stopped that.
Once he took up golf, but--as he told
the Prince Of Wales. who passed the
answer on to an amused dinner COM
pany-gave it up because cit made
me SO damned angry" He keeps q
racing stable; King must associate
himself with the national sport.
Two sports he is really keen on.
One is f1shing-the other is shooting.
He ranks as one of the half dozen
best shots in the kingdom.
1t might also be said that he likes
yachting. But as his steam yacht is
the 4,700-ton Victoria and Albert
which his grandmother built in 80,
and as his racing yacht is his fathers
40-year-old Britannia, ana as he sees
either only during the four or five
days he spends at Cowes, the yachting
center, at the end of each London sea-
son, yachting can scarcely be included
among his regular pastimes.
AS for flying, he hears about it from
his eldest and his youngest son, both
keen airmen. But he has never flown
Lately, however, he has acquired
taste for the movies, which his med
ical advisers say has had quite tonic
effect on him. It will probably not
be long now before all the five royal
residences are equipped for talkie pro-
lection.
Trains for Season.
incidentally, the fact that King
George goes into training for the roy
al season, like any athlete preparing
himself for an endurance race, puts
spotlight on the sovereign's role in
all this traditional national and i'm
perial pageantry. The soldier on
parade must not wilt-the King at
his court (or, indeed, on any public
occasion) must not show fatigue or
appear weary or bored. Organization
helps him. He has the presentation
business arranged on the assembly
belt principle.
He dimes with his family circle
while the thousand people sum-
moned" assemble In the reception
rooms, women in the prescribed white
satin gowns with long sleeves and
with three short white ostrich plumes
in their hair; gentlemen in brilliant
uniforms of court dress. with knee
breeches and sword. At 8 the signal
passes, the organ strikes up the ma
tional anthem and, preceded by the
lord chamberlain and his off1cials
bearing white wands of Office, the
King and Queen enter the throne
room, their sons and the remainder
of the roya, family following.
In few minutes they are sitting
on their thrones and the file past
begins. Curtseying females pass at
the rate Of one every Is seconds. The
chain missed cog only once In recent
times. That was when q debutante
tainted at the entrance. The gentle
man usher expertly caught her and
beckoned the next lady on to close
the gap.
But the girls card had already gone
up the line and reached the lord
chamberlain standing by the Kings
side and calling out the names. That
official found himself calling out
dowager's name when q blushing deb
arrived opposite, and vice versa. The
King glanced sideways. Something
wrong?" he murmured In his beard.
Looks like it, SIR" breathed the lord
chamberlain. But mistakes In court
procedure never ocur-ofhcially Eight
presentees were nisnamed before the
cards were Strengthened out.
700 Pass BY.
From 500 to TOO women have been
presented before the ceremony is over.
Then the King rises, and in every
room men and women are on their
feet. Their majesties bow. the assem-