The Life of King Edward VII Part 10

The Royal visit to Ireland in 1885 was an important incident in the public life of the Prince of Wales. It was seventeen years since he and the Princess had visited that much-troubled country and many untoward events had occurred since then. The proposal for another visit was not popular with a section of the Irish press and politicians, but when it was evident that the generous instincts of the Irish people were going to make the occasion a demonstration of kindly feeling, if not of loyalty after the English fashion, they changed their att.i.tude and recommended a "dignified neutrality." Even this advice was very largely, however, lost sight of in the eventual result. On April 9th the Royal couple, accompanied by Prince Albert Victor, arrived at Kingstown amid the usual decorations and crowds and accepted an address of welcome. In Dublin the address was presented by the City Reception Committee instead of by the Lord Mayor and Corporation. An important clause in this doc.u.ment to which the Prince made no reference in his cautious reply was as follows: "We venture to a.s.sure you that it would be a great gratification to Her Majesty's loyal subjects in Ireland if a permanent Royal residence should be established in our country." A visit was paid at the conclusion of these proceedings to the Royal Dublin Society and the Agricultural Show.

Later in the day the Prince, attended only by his eldest son and without notice of his intention, visited some of the poorest parts of the city and saw for himself the condition of the people. It soon became known, however, that he was amongst them and hearty cheers were given him wherever the people caught a glimpse of their visitor. On the following day thirty different addresses were received from various public bodies and in replying to them the Prince said: "In varied capacities and by widely different paths you pursue those great objects which, dear to you, are, believe me, dear also to me--the prosperity and progress of Ireland, the welfare and happiness of her people. From my heart I wish you success and I would that time and my own powers would permit me to explain fully and in detail the deep interest which I feel not only in the welfare of this great Empire at large but in the true happiness of those several cla.s.ses of the community on whose behalf you have come here to-day." The next event was the laying of the foundation stone of the new Museum of Science and Art. The route was densely thronged, the houses beautifully decorated and the cheers of the people enthusiastic.

An appropriate speech was made and then the Prince and his wife and son, accompanied by the Lord Lieutenant and Countess Spencer, drove to the Royal University where they were received by the Chancellor, the Duke of Abercorn, and the Honorary degree of LL. D. bestowed upon the Prince and that of Doctor of Music upon the Princess.

Succeeding incidents of the visit were a brilliant Levee at Dublin Castle; a Drawing-room held by the Princess of Wales; a state ball given by the Lord Lieutenant, which was a great success; a visit to the Arlane Industrial School; an enthusiastic reception at Trinity College from a great and representative gathering; the presentation of new colours to the Cornwall Regiment, then stationed in Dublin, with a speech--as on most of the other occasions mentioned--from the Prince. On April 13th the Prince and Princess started for Cork and on the way thither, at Mallow, there was some attempt at a hostile demonstration. An effort of the same kind was made at Cork but was nullified by the cordial hospitality of the ma.s.ses of the people. The Royal visitors left Ireland on April 17th well satisfied with the general loyalty and courtesy of their reception.

HIS PART IN THE QUEEN'S JUBILEE

In two of the great events which characterized the closing years of the Victorian era and his Mother's reign the Prince of Wales took a prominent and most important part--the Queen's Jubilee of 1887 and the Diamond Jubilee of ten years later. Upon no other occasion has his actual executive ability been better tested than in the latter event.

Few, perhaps, can adequately realize the immense amount of work which devolved upon, or was a.s.sumed by, the Prince in this connection. He undertook many of the functions; he was present with the Queen at all the events of a busy, crowded week; he directed most of the detail and guided the complicated etiquette and procedure of the occasion; he personally controlled the arrangements for the splendid procession through the streets of London; he overlooked the plans for the service in the Abbey and for the protection of the ma.s.sed mult.i.tude in the streets; he received and entertained many of the Royal personages who came from abroad. In both of these great events the Prince of Wales appreciated the new and peculiar significance added to the formal or popular British celebrations by the presence of Colonial leaders and troops and visitors. He had, in fact, to stamp the Imperial character and standing of these great demonstrations.

CHAPTER XI.

The Prince and His Family

The home life of the Prince and Princess of Wales was never an absolutely private one. It was lived in the light of an almost ceaseless publicity. Not that the actual house of the Royal couple was, or could ever be, unduly invaded; but that every visitor was a more or less interested spectator and student of conditions and that every trifling incident, as well as the more important matters, of every-day life were remembered, repeated, or recorded as they would never be in an ordinary household.

HOME LIFE OF THE ROYAL COUPLE

Memoirs of British statesmen, leaders in art, or literature, or religion, or the Army and the Navy, teem with references, during forty years, to the life of the Heir Apparent and his wife at Sandringham or Marlborough and, without exception, they convey the impression of honest domestic happiness and unity. Gossip during that long period there had been, of course; unpleasant inuendoes had been uttered in a small and unpleasant section of the press; peculiar and, for the most obvious reasons, impossible stories had been cabled from time to time across the Atlantic; but they were patiently borne by those who were the easy victims of silly statements and they were more than controverted by the tributes published from men who have lived on terms of intimacy with the Royal family and whose death lifted, occasionally, the seal of secrecy from their natural reserve and made the expression of their opinions and experiences possible.

The steady growth of the Prince and Princess in popular favour and the fact that even the most irresponsible or unscrupulous purveyor of news to such sheets as Mr. Labouchere's _Truth_ had never dared to reflect upon the Princess of Wales' beauty of character and life sufficed long before the accession of His Royal Highness to the Throne to kill even the surrept.i.tious stories which always float upon the surface of society regarding persons in Royal positions. In this connection may be quoted the interesting reference to the subject made by Mr. G. W. Smalley, the well-known American writer who for so many years acted as London correspondent of the New York _Tribune_. He was dealing, under date of January 17th, 1892, with the premature death of the young Duke of Clarence and, after referring to the freshness of affection which prevailed throughout the Royal family, he proceeded in these words: "It is known to be strong and pure in all three generations--indeed there are now four--which together make up the Royal family of England. * * *

The domestic traditions were followed just as faithfully at Marlborough House as at Windsor. The Prince of Wales's has been not merely a good but a devoted family. The Princess, whose whole life has been beautiful is in nothing more beautiful than in her love for her children. She pa.s.sed from the bedside of her second son whose life she helped to save--they say that Prince George never rallied till his mother returned to nurse him--to the bedside of her first-born by whose grave she has now to stand."

Sandringham Hall in Norfolk was the real home of the Royal couple and it was there that the children of their marriage spent much of their younger days and received much of the training which was to fit them for lives of more or less public duty and the responsibilities which go with public position. Marlborough House, in London, was the social centre, the official environment, the public residence, of the Prince and Princess of Wales. But the former place was always the one where they liked to be, where the heart of the Princess always rested with most interest and affection, where the enjoyment of the comforts of country and home life came with most force to the Prince and to his children.

Around Sandringham the grounds and woods and park were not allowed to be spoiled by art--the latter was used in just such a degree as would help nature. The house, or palace, was concealed from view until the visitor was quite close to it and its home-like simplicity has always been a much-described quality. There was no elaboration of decoration, or straining after an appearance of stately luxury. Comfort seemed to be the aim and it was most certainly attained. The hall was designed somewhat after the style of the old-fashioned banquetting halls, the various rooms were arranged for convenience and comfort, the decorations were beautiful without being gorgeous, the objects of interest, ornament and curiosity in the drawing-rooms and elsewhere were, of course, simply countless.

Above the porch in front of the Hall was the quaint legend: "This house was built by Albert Edward, Prince of Wales, and Alexandra his wife, in the year of our Lord 1870". The place was originally purchased for 220,000--saved from the revenues of the Duchy of Cornwall by the Prince Consort's management--but further large sums had to be spent in order to make the mansion comfortable and the estate the model which it afterwards became. The former was practically rebuilt in 1870 but not until every cottage or farm-house on the property had been first rebuilt, or repaired. The house contained, particularly, the great hall or saloon decorated with trophies of the chase in all countries and with many caskets of gold and silver containing some of the addresses presented to the Prince from time to time; the dining-room with its high oak roof and great fire-place, walls covered with tapestry given the Prince by the late King of Spain and a side-board covered with racing and yachting prizes in gold and silver; the chief drawing room with hangings of dull gold silk, furniture brocaded in soft red and gold, large panel mirrors and quant.i.ties of exquisite Sevres and Dresden china; the conservatory where tea was often served; a great ball-room and handsome billiard and smoking rooms. The boudoir of the Princess has been described as a dream of grace and simple beauty and everything about the place was arranged with a view to combining comfort with charm of appearance. The hundred servants employed in or out of the house had everything that could make their lives pleasant and happy.

EDUCATION OF THE ROYAL FAMILY

Amidst these surroundings the sons and daughters of the Royal couple were brought up. Upon the education of the boys the Prince of Wales utilized his own knowledge of life as well as the traditions of his father's training of himself. He is said to have believed that the study of men and the ways of the world had not been sufficiently considered in his own case and that he wished his sons, while escaping the nervousness, constraints and adulation which surrounded the Court, should also avoid the sycophancy and flattery which might be expected in their cases at a public school--even of the highest. He therefore decided that a training ship in early youth and the fresh air, vigorous life and wholesome discipline of the Navy in immediately following years would be the best system of education. Prince Albert Victor and Prince George were, consequently, placed on board the _Britannia_ training ship in 1870 and there they spent two years under conditions of study, work, training, mess, discipline and dress exactly similar to those of their shipmates. Their only dissipation was an occasional visit from their parents and the usual holiday period at home. During the two years spent on this ship they learned carpentering, the details of a ship's rigging and a certain amount of engineering.

At the end of this period it was decided by the Prince to send his sons for a prolonged cruise around the world as midshipmen on H.M.S.

_Bacchante_. They were to have the same duties and treatment as the other midshipmen--except perhaps that their teaching would be more careful and their studies more severe. Special instructors in seamanship, gunnery, mathematics and naval conditions were appointed, with the Rev. J. N. Dalton, M.A., as Governor, in charge while they were on sh.o.r.e and with supervision over their ordinary studies when at sea.

Lord Charles Scott, Captain of the war-ship, was, of course, supreme when the Princes were on board his vessel. The cruise of the _Bacchante_ commenced in September, 1879, and terminated in August, 1882. During that period it traversed over fifty-four thousand miles and the Royal midshipmen saw and visited Gibraltar, Madeira, Teneriffe, the West India Islands, Bermuda, the Cape Verde Islands, Monte Video, the Falkland Islands, Cape Colony, Western Australia, South Australia, Queensland and Brisbane, Victoria and Melbourne, New South Wales and Sydney, the Fiji Islands, j.a.pan, Hong-Kong, Shanghai, Canton, the Straits Settlements, Ceylon, Egypt and the Holy Land, Athens, Crete, Corfu and Sicily. In 1886 two handsome volumes, carefully edited by the Rev. Mr. Dalton, and comprising the private journals and diaries of the young Princes, were published in London and were found to contain many sensible reflections and much garnered information upon the many countries visited during this circ.u.mnavigation of the globe. It was not all serious study and work, however, during this period, and in almost every place touched at, where the Princes had anything like a chance, there is still to be found some cherished anecdote of Royal jokes or pranks--especially on the part of Prince George.

Meanwhile great care and thought had been devoted to the education of the three daughters. From the nursery they pa.s.sed into a school-room in which French and German, music, history and mathematics were the studies most interesting to their father, while the learning of dressmaking and sewing in various branches, cooking, dairy work, the superintending of a garden and the management of a house were carefully watched over by the Princess of Wales. The Princess Victoria was said, in the days following the completion of her education, to have the most domestic turn of mind of the three sisters, together with a p.r.o.nounced artistic taste.

Latterly she had taken over much of the supervision of household matters at Sandringham and Marlborough from her Royal mother and is, in 1902, the only unmarried member of the family. The Princess Maud was, as a girl, merry, pretty and clever; a capital all-round sportswoman and fond of horses, dogs, birds, yachting and riding; possessed at home of the nick-name "Harry," and said to be the Prince's favourite daughter; fond of _incognito_ experiences, charities and amus.e.m.e.nts. The Princess Louise was a quieter and less striking character, and, like her younger sister, was afterwards allowed to marry the man of her choice, although he did not possess the high position which the Royal father might naturally have desired.

MEMORIES OF PRINCE ALBERT VICTOR

Following the return of the two Princes from their cruise, Prince Albert Victor was taken by his father to Cambridge, in 1883, and duly installed as an undergraduate of Trinity College. There he read regularly for six or seven hours a day, made himself thoroughly familiar with French and German, and a.s.sociated himself in a most marked way with the men of intellect and character who were around him--nearly all his companions afterwards becoming distinguished in one way or another. Always modest and retiring he liked to entertain very quietly and to enjoy any possible musical occasion which presented itself. Hockey, polo and a little riding were his outdoor amus.e.m.e.nts. He came of age in 1885, the University conferred upon him the honorary degree of LL.D., and, during the next few years, he worked as an officer in the Army. It was on the attainment of his majority that Prince Albert Victor received a most interesting letter, under date of January 7th, from Mr. Gladstone. In it the veteran statesman said to the prospective Sovereign: "There lies before Your Royal Highness in prospect the occupation--I trust at a distant date--of a throne which, to me at least, appears the most ill.u.s.trious in the world, from its history and a.s.sociations, from its legal basis, from the weight of the cares it brings, from the loyal love of the people, and from the unparalleled opportunities it gives, in so many ways and so many regions, of doing good to the almost countless numbers whom the Almighty has placed beneath the sceptre of England." He went on to express the earnest hope that His Royal Highness might ever grow in the principles and qualities which should adorn his great vocation.

During the Session of Parliament in 1889, the Prince of Wales was voted 36,000 annually in trust for the use of his children, and at about the same time it was decided to send Prince Albert Victor on a visit to India. On the way thither, at Athens, on October 20th, the latter was present at the wedding of his two cousins, the Duke of Sparta and the Princess Sophia of Prussia, daughter of the Empress Frederick. In the great Eastern Empire he remained until April, 1890; visiting Hyderabad, Mysore, Madras and Calcutta, and meeting with a cordial reception which, however, lacked the great state and ceremony of his Royal father's famous tour. Lord Lansdowne was Viceroy and made a most admirable host and mentor. On May 24th, following, the young Prince was created Duke of Clarence and Avondale and Earl of Athlone, and commenced to take his place in public life as Heir Presumptive to the Throne. In November of the year 1891 Prince George who had, meanwhile, been pursuing his vocation in the Navy, was taken ill at Sandringham. The Princess was away but, pending her return, his father nursed him personally with care and devotion. Typhoid--the disease which had carried off the Prince Consort and so nearly killed the Heir Apparent, developed and the family anxiety was very great. At this point, on December 8th, the engagement of the Duke of Clarence to his cousin, the very popular and beautiful Princess May of Teck, was announced amidst general congratulations.

DEATH OF THE DUKE OF CLARENCE

Then came one of the saddest events in the history of the British Royal family. The young Duke had only been engaged a few weeks and preparations had been commenced for the stately ceremonial of his marriage, when it was announced that he had caught cold at the funeral of Prince Victor of Hohenlohe and was confined to his room. With but little notice pneumonia developed, the const.i.tutional weakness of his system was unable to throw it off, and within a few days he was dead--January 15th, 1892. Prince George, in the meantime, had recovered, but those who saw the Prince of Wales walking beside his eldest son's body from Sandringham Church to the station, say that his obvious grief was almost pathetic. As to the mother she never really got over the sadness of that death and the removal of her favourite son. If there was, at times, a sad expression in her eyes, years after the event, it was no doubt due to the sudden shock and great loss which then came to her.

Five days afterwards, the following telegram to Sir Francis Knollys was made public: "The Prince and Princess of Wales are anxious to express to Her Majesty's subjects in the United Kingdom, the Colonies, and in India, the sense of their deep grat.i.tude for the universal feeling of sympathy manifested toward them at a time when they are overpowered by the terrible calamity which they have sustained in the loss of their beloved eldest son. If sympathy at such a moment is of any avail, the remembrance that their grief has been shared by all cla.s.ses will be a lasting consolation to their sorrowing hearts, and, if possible, will make them more than ever attached to their dear country." The affection of Queen Victoria for this grandson, whom the _Times_ of January 19th described as possessing "modesty, affectionateness, kindness, love of order, the desire to render every man his due, and reverence for age and greatness," is well-known to have been intense, and from Osborne, on January 26th, Her Majesty issued the following letter:

"I must once again give expression to my deep sense of the loyalty and affectionate sympathy evinced by my subjects in every part of my Empire on an occasion more sad and tragical than any but one which has befallen me and mine, as well as the Nation. The overwhelming misfortune of my dearly-loved grandson having been thus suddenly cut off in the flower of his age, full of promise for the future, amiable and gentle, and endearing himself to all, renders it hard for his sorely-stricken parents, his dear young bride and his fond Grandmother to bow in submission to the inscrutable decrees of Providence."

Meantime, on June 27th, 1889, the marriage of the Princess Louise had taken place. Her engagement to the Earl of Fife was somewhat of a surprise to a social world which does not like to be surprised. Though the Princess was twenty-two and the groom forty they had known each other for years and Lord Fife had been a frequent and welcome guest at Sandringham, while the Prince and Princess of Wales had long been on terms of intimacy with his parents. His was the only bachelor's house at which the Princess of Wales had ever been entertained. It could not, of course, be supposed that this first marriage in his family--the children of which might be very close to the Throne--was quite as lofty a match as the Royal father might wish, yet when he found that the matter was settled so far as the couple were personally concerned, he accepted the situation and asked the Queen's consent to the engagement. The wedding was duly celebrated at Buckingham Palace in the presence of the Queen, the Prince and Princess of Wales and their children, the King of the Helenes, the Crown Prince of Denmark, and the Grand Duke of Hesse. Lord Fife, who was personally very wealthy, was created Duke of Fife and Marquess of Macduff, and his wife shared in the subsequent special grant given to the Heir Apparent for the proper maintenance of his children.

Afterwards, on the birth of the first child of the Duke and d.u.c.h.ess it was decided that she should not a.s.sume Royal rank but be known by the courtesy t.i.tle due to her father's place in the Peerage. This child--Lady Alexandra Victoria Alberta Edwina Louise Duff--was born on May 17th, 1891, and on April 3rd, 1893, the Lady Maud Alexandra Victoria Georgia Bertha Duff was born. Meanwhile an interesting event had occurred on March 10, 1888, in the celebration of the Silver Wedding of the Prince and Princess of Wales. Illuminations in London and a ball at Buckingham Palace marked the event.

Prince George of Wales was now Heir Presumptive to the Throne and upon him were devolved the more or less arduous duties of that position.

Following his brother's death he gave up active service in the Navy and on May 24th, 1892, was created Duke of York, Earl of Inverness and Baron Killarney. The importance of his marriage was now obvious and a year and a quarter after the death of the Duke of Clarence the engagement of his brother to the Princess May of Teck was officially announced. The wedding took place on July 6th, 1893, and there could be no doubt by that time of the popularity of the young couple and of the national pleasure at their union. The decorations in London eclipsed those of the Queen's ubilee and the crowds were equally great. The ceremony was performed at the Chapel Royal, St. James's, instead of at St. George's, Windsor, where the Queen, the Prince of Wales, the Princesses Helena and Louise and the Dukes of Albany and Connaught had been wedded. Amongst the great gathering present at the ceremony were Her Majesty and the Royal family as a whole, the Duke and d.u.c.h.ess of Teck, Lord Salisbury, Lord Rosebery, Mr. Morley, Mr. Bryce, Mr. Chamberlain, Sir W. V.

Harcourt, Lord Ripon, Lord Spencer, Lord Hersch.e.l.l, Mr. Balfour, Mr.

Goschen, the Dukes of Argyll, Norfolk and Devonshire, Mr. Gladstone, the Hon. T. F. Bayard, American Minister, several Indian Princes and many others. The _Times_ of July 7th had the following comment upon the event:

"Few Royal weddings of our time aroused such unusual enthusiasm as the union of the Duke of York with the bride of his choice--an English Princess, born and bred in an English home, endeared to all hearts by the now softened memory of a tragic sorrow and richly endowed with all the qualities which inspire the brightest hopes for the future. Fewer still have ever been celebrated with happier omens, or in more auspicious circ.u.mstances than that of yesterday.

The pomp of a brilliant Court, the acclaim, at once tumultuous and orderly, of the mightiest of cities, spontaneously making holiday and decking itself in its brightest and bravest, the simultaneous rejoicing of a whole people, the sympathy, unbought and yet priceless, of a world-wide Empire, the radiant splendour of an English summer day--all these combined to make the ceremony of yesterday an occasion as memorable as that of the Jubilee itself."

[Ill.u.s.tration: KING EDWARD AND HIS FAMOUS RACE HORSE MINORU, WHICH WON THE DERBY IN 1909.

Minoru (Herbert Jones up), Mr. Richard Marsh (Trainer to the late King), Lord Marcus Beresford (Manager of the late King's thoroughbreds), King Edward.

King Edward was not only a great King, but a great sportsman as well. He had a typically British love of outdoor pastimes as an active partic.i.p.ator and not a mere looker-on. At various times he was a.s.sociated with nearly every form of British sport. Yachting and shooting were two of his favorites, but it was his close connection with the turf which most appealed to the general public. Probably no other breeder of thoroughbreds ever had such a trio of equine giants as Florizel II, Persimmon and Diamond Jubilee. And in one year, 1909, he won over 29,000. When his horse Minoru won the Derby in 1909, the people in their enthusiasm surged all over the course after the race, but the King went down amongst them, and himself led his horse in to the paddock.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: FAMILIAR SNAPSHOTS OF KING EDWARD AS HIS SUBJECTS BEST KNEW HIM.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: KING EDWARD'S MOST INTIMATE FRIENDS.

1. Lieutenant-Colonel George L. Holford, C.I.E., C.V.O., Equerry-in-Waiting to the late King. 2. Lord Burnham, K.C.V.O., princ.i.p.al proprietor of the "Daily Telegraph." 3. Count Albert D.

Mensdorff-Pouilly, the Austro-Hungarian Amba.s.sador. 4. Lord Suffield, P.C., G.C.V.O., K.C.B., Lord-in-Waiting to the late King. 5. Mr. Alfred C. de Rothschild, C.V.O., Austro-Hungarian Consul-General. 6. Mr. Arthur Sa.s.soon, M.V.O., a member of a famous Anglo-Indian family. 7. The Marquis de Soveral, G.C.M.G., G.C.V.O., the Portuguese Minister. 8. Lord Allington, K.C.V.O., a great Dorsetshire landowner. 9. Sir Ernest Ca.s.sel, G.C.B., G.C.M.G., G.C.V.O., the well-known financier and philanthropist. 10. Lord Farquhar, G.C.V.O., Extra Lord-in-Waiting to the late King, and formerly Master of the Household.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: KING EDWARD'S MOST INTIMATE FRIENDS.

1. Lord Esher, G.C.V.O., G.C.B., Deputy Governor of Windsor Castle. 2.

Lord Marcus Beresford, Extra Equerry and Manager of King Edward's thoroughbreds. 3. Earl Howe, G.C.V.O., Lord-in-Waiting to the late King and Lord Chamberlain to Queen Alexandra. 4. The Rev. Canon Edgar Sheppard, D.D., C.V.O., Domestic Chaplain to the late King. 5. Sir Donald Mackenzie Wallace, K.C.L.E., K.C.V.O., Extra Groom-in-Waiting to the late King. 6. Lord Ilchester, who has written some delightful books of biography. 7. Mr. William James, J.P., D.D., C.V.O., the well-known traveler and landowner. 8. Sir Thomas Lipton, Bt., K.C.V.O., the well-known sportsman and yacht-owner. 9. Lieutenant-Colonel F. Ponsonby, Equerry to the late King. 10. Captain Sir David N. Welch, R.N., formerly commander of the royal yacht.]

The bridesmaids were all relations of the young couple--the Princesses Victoria and Maud of Wales, Victoria Melita, Alexandra and Beatrice of Edinburgh; Margaret and Victoria Patricia of Connaught; Victoria of Schleswig-Holstein; Victoria and Alexandra of Battenberg. The Duke of York wore a simple Captain's uniform and was supported by his Royal father and the Duke of Edinburgh. The bride was described in the papers of the time as wearing silver and white brocade, with cl.u.s.tered shamrocks, roses and thistles. On July 10th the Queen addressed one of her usual tactful and gracious letters to the nation expressive of her personal sympathy with the people and of theirs with her and her family.

The eldest child of this marriage--Prince Edward Albert Christian George Andrew Patrick David--was direct in succession to the Throne after his father and was born on June 23, 1894. The second child was Prince Albert Frederick Arthur George, born on December 14, 1895. Princess Victoria Alexandra Alice Mary, was born on April 25th, 1897, and Prince Henry William Frederick Albert on March 31, 1900. The Prince of Wales was greatly attached to his grandchildren and nothing in these later years gave him greater pleasure than having around him the youthful scions of the House of Fife, or that of York, and giving them presents and other means of enjoyment. On July 22, 1896, his third daughter, the Princess Maud, was married to Prince Charles, second son of the Crown Prince of Denmark. The ceremony was performed in the private Chapel of Buckingham Palace, by the Archbishop of Canterbury, in the presence of the Queen and most of the members of the Royal family. The Duke and d.u.c.h.ess of Sparta, the Crown Prince and Princess of Denmark, Mr. and Mrs. Gladstone and Mr. and Mrs. Chamberlain were amongst the guests. The bridesmaids were Princesses Ingeborg of Denmark, Victoria of Wales, Victoria of Schleswig-Holstein, Thyra of Denmark, Victoria Patricia of Connaught, Margaret of Connaught, Alice of Albany and the Lady Alexandra Duff.