The Life of King Edward VII
from the Prince of Wales himself.
Exhibitions, in the years between his coming of age and his accession to
the Throne, were always favourite objects of attention and support at
the hands of Heir Apparent. He had already studied closely his father's
conduct of the first great International Exhibition, and had himself
opened one of the same kind at Dublin, and been present at an
International Reformatory gathering and at the Paris Exhibition. On
April 4th, 1870, he presided at a meeting of the Society of Arts called
to promote an International Educational Exhibition for the succeeding
year. Resolutions were passed to this end, and after an explanatory
speech from His Royal Highness and, it may be added here, the Exhibition
was duly opened on May 1st, 1871, by the Prince of Wales, with imposing
pageantry and with details worked out by his assistant in various future
undertakings Sir Philip Cunliffe-Owen. On May 16, 1870, the Prince
presided at the annual banquet of the Royal General Theatrical Fund,
established as far back as 1839, for the relief and assistance of
members, and of widows and orphans of members, of the dramatic
profession. During the evening, after a speech from the Royal chairman,
Mr. Buckstone, the well-known actor, spoke in warm words of the kindness
of the Prince in attending their function: "The duties he has to perform
are so numerous and fatiguing that we only wonder how he gets through
them all. Even within these few days he has held a Levee; on Saturday
last he patronized a performance at Drury Lane in aid of the Dramatic
College; then had to run away to Freemasons' Hall to be present at the
installation of the Grand Master; and now we find him in the chair this
evening; so what with _conversaziones_, laying foundation stones,
opening schools, and other calls upon his little leisure, I think he may
be looked upon as one of the hardest working men in Her Majesty's
dominions." This was a fact or condition not recognized very generally
in those days; in after years it became a truism in popular opinion.
St. George's Hospital received the combined patronage of the Prince and
Princess on May 26th. The former occupied the chair and made an earnest
appeal for aid to this most deserving institution. The Earl of Cadogan,
who was one of the Treasurers, announced a little later in the evening
that the Prince of Wales had handed him a check for two hundred guineas,
the Princess one for fifty guineas, and the Marquess of
Westminster--afterwards the first Duke of that name--one for two hundred
guineas. Amongst the other speakers on this occasion were Earl
Granville, the Earl of Derby, the Earl of Carnarvon and Mr. W. H. Smith,
M.P. On June 21st, His Royal Highness opened a new building in
connection with Dulwich College in Surrey; nine days later he and the
Princess opened new schools for the children of seamen near the London
Docks; on July 1st they visited in state the ancient town of Reading and
laid the foundation stone of a new Grammar School. A week later the
Prince had the congenial task of giving the Albert gold medal of the
Society of Arts to M. de Lesseps. As President of the Society he
addressed the father of the Suez Canal, in French, and congratulated him
upon the completion of his great undertaking, not only in a public
capacity, but "as a personal friend." In his reply, M. de Lesseps said
that he had received much private encouragement from the late Prince
Consort in the early stages of his enterprise, and that he could never
forget that fact. It may be added here that the presentation of this
Medal was always a peculiar pleasure to the Prince of Wales, and that
amongst those in after years who received it at his hands were Sir
Henry Bessemer, M. Chevalier and Sir Henry Doulton.
On July 13th His Royal Highness, on behalf of the Queen, and accompanied
by the Princess Louise and the grand officers of the Household, opened
with elaborate ceremony the new Thames Embankment. Three days later he
opened the Workmen's International Exhibition at Islington in the name
of the Queen. During this year the war between France and Germany caused
the Prince and his family keen interest and many natural anxieties. He
arranged for a special telegraph service so that news might reach him at
once and took an active part in associations and subscription lists for
aid to the wounded on both sides. The Royal family had such close
relations with that of Prussia through the Princess Royal and with that
of France through long personal friendship with the Emperor and Empress
that the position of individual members, like the Heir Apparent, and his
wife could be easily understood.
The Royal Albert Hall of Arts and Sciences was opened with stately and
imposing ceremony by the Queen on March 29th, 1871. When Her Majesty,
accompanied by the Princess of Wales and other members of the Royal
family, had taken her place on the dais of a Hall containing eight
thousand people and an orchestra of twelve hundred persons, under Sir
Michael Costa, the Prince of Wales advanced and, as President of the
Provisional Committee, detailed the origin and history of the project.
He then, after receiving a formal reply, declared the Hall open in the
name of the Queen. On May 7th, following, the Prince presided at a
dinner in aid of the Artists' Orphan Fund and, after explaining its
useful objects, expressed the wish that further contributions would be
offered for the purpose in view. At the close of the affair the
Treasurer announced subscriptions to the amount of $60,000, of which a
check for $525 was from the Royal chairman. The Earlswood Asylum for
Idiots was again visited by the Prince on May 17th, when he presided at
the anniversary dinner of the institution in London and explained its
continued progress. Subscriptions of $21,000 were announced, of which
$525 were given by the Prince. The same result followed his chairmanship
of a dinner in aid of the Farningham Homes for Little Boys on June 2nd.
He pointed out that the institution was still in need despite a recent
anonymous contribution of $5000. Before the close of the evening some
$17,000 had been subscribed, including $750 from His Royal Highness.
Such incidents, often repeated, indicate better than many words the
value attached to the Prince's presence and support of deserving
charities, and they also afford some proof of the generous expenditure
of his private means for public benefit. On June 28th, the Prince acted
as Chairman of the anniversary festival of the Royal Caledonian Asylum
in London. There were three hundred and fifty guests present, mostly in
Highland costume, and amongst them were Prince Arthur and the Duke of
Cambridge, the Dukes of Buccleuch and Richmond, the Marquess of Lorne
and Marquess of Huntly, the Earls of Fife, Mar, and March.
On July 31st His Royal Highness again paid a visit to Dublin. He was
accompanied by the Princess Louise, the Marquess of Lorne, and the young
Prince Arthur--better known in later years as the Duke of Connaught. An
address was presented at Kingstown by the Lord Mayor and Corporation
and, on the following day, the Royal visitors witnessed a cricket match,
lunched with the officers of the Grenadier Guards and inspected the
cattle, horses, and sheep of the Royal Agricultural Society's annual
show. In the evening the Prince of Wales presided at a great banquet of
four hundred and fifty guests, with galleries thronged with ladies. He
made several brief speeches and a particularly happy one in proposing
the health of Earl Spencer, the Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland. A series of
engagements and entertainments followed, amongst which were a brilliant
military review in Phoenix Park and the installation of the Prince as
Grand Patron of the Masonic Institution in Ireland. This was the last
important event taken part in by His Royal Highness before the serious
illness which, a little later, so greatly stirred the nation and
affected himself.
CHAPTER VI.
Travels in the East
Before he came to the Throne the Prince of Wales had long been the most
travelled man in Europe. He had visited every Court and capital and
centre upon that Continent; he had toured the North American Continent
from the capital of Canada to the capital of the United States and from
the historic heights of Quebec to the great western centre at Chicago;
he had visited the most noted lands of the distant East.
FROM EUROPE TO AFRICA
In 1862, his first visit to Egypt and the Holy Land had taken place, and
now, six years later, he was to make a more imposing and important tour
of those and other countries in the company of his wife. On November
17th, 1868, the Prince and Princess of Wales, accompanied by their three
eldest children and by Lady Carmarthen, General Sir W. Knollys,
Lieut.-Col. Keppel and Dr. Minter, left for the Continent and reached
Compiegne on the morning of the 20th inst., in order to pay a visit to
the Emperor and Empress of the French. An incident of the hunt which
took place that afternoon was the rush of a stag at the Prince who, with
his horse, was completely knocked over. Amongst the shooting party were
Marshal Bazaine, the Baron Von Moltke, the Marquess of Lansdowne and
other well-known men of the day. After a stay of a few days here and at
Paris the Royal party proceeded on their journey and reached Copenhagen
on November 29th. The birthday of the Princess was celebrated two days
later in her old home.
Stockholm was reached on December 16th, and a visit of some days'
duration paid to the King of Sweden. On December 28th the Prince and
Princess were back again with the Royal family of Denmark and attended a
State Ball at the Christianborg Palace. In the middle of January they
embarked in the yacht _Freya_, and at Hamburg the Royal children were
sent home in charge of Lady Carmarthen, Sir William Knollys and Colonel
Keppel. At Berlin, on January 17th, they were welcomed by the Crown
Prince and Princess of Prussia--the Princess Royal of England--and by
Lord Augustus Loftus, the British Ambassador. On the following day His
Royal Highness was invested with the famous order of the Black Eagle by
the King of Prussia. Amongst the limited number of Knights Grand Cross
who were present at the Chapter were the Baron Von Moltke, General Von
Roon, Count Von Waldersee, and Count Von Wrangel. From Berlin, where the
Prince and Princess were joined by those who were to accompany them on
their further journey and including Colonel Teesdale, V.C., Captain
Ellis, Lord Carington, Mr. Oliver Montague, Dr. Minter and the Hon. Mrs.
William Grey, the Royal party went to Vienna which was reached on
January 21st. At the station they were received by the Emperor Francis
Joseph and various members of the Austrian Royal family together with
Prince Von Hohenlohe and Lord Bloomfield, the British Ambassador. State
visits, dinners, the theatre, skating and a private visit to the King
and Queen of Hanover in their retirement at Hietsing, constituted the
programme of the next few days. Vienna was left on January 27th, and
from Trieste, on the following day, sail was made on board H.M.S.
_Ariadne_ and Alexandria reached on February 3rd.
TRIP UP THE NILE
After their formal reception at Alexandria by Mehemet Tewfik Pasha,
Shereef Pasha, Mourad Pasha, Sir Samuel Baker and others, the Prince
and Princess proceeded to Cairo where they were warmly welcomed by the
Khedive, and met by the Duke of Sutherland and his son, Lord Stafford,
Professor Owen, Colonel Marshall and the special correspondent, Dr. W.
H. Russell. The latter gentlemen joined the Royal party and were to
proceed with them on the journey up the Nile together with Prince Louis
of Battenberg and Lord Albert Gower. Before starting on this voyage,