The death of the Duchess of Teck on 27th October was a terrible blow to the King and Queen Alexandra. In the previous April the Duchess had undergone a severe operation with the magnificent courage characteristic of her, and as soon as she was able to receive visitors the very first who came was King Edward. Her Royal Highness seemed quite to have conquered her malady. She went up to London from White Lodge in June, and bore her part in many of the Diamond Jubilee rejoicings. No one who saw the Jubilee procession will ever forget the people’s welcome to the Duchess of Teck—great in the West End, but greatest of all in the poorer parts of London, and second only to the reception accorded to Queen Victoria herself. The Duchess attended the Garden Party at Buckingham Palace, and at the Duchess of Devonshire’s ball she appeared as the Electress Sophia. Visits to Northumberland and Westmoreland followed, but towards the end of October, when Her Royal Highness had returned to White Lodge, the illness returned. The surgeons again operated successfully, but the patient could not rally from the shock.

There had been practically no warning, so that the news came with equal suddenness both to the Royal Family and the nation. King Edward and Queen Alexandra immediately hurried up from Sandringham, and afterwards, at the deeply impressive funeral in St. George’s Chapel, Windsor, His Majesty represented his Royal mother.

This bereavement was the more terrible from its utter unexpectedness, and, as has been so singularly often the case in our Royal Family, it happened in the autumn. Princess Mary, who stood in the relation of second cousin to King Edward, was, although belonging technically to the same generation as Queen Victoria, but a few years older than His Majesty, and the most affectionate and close relations had always existed between them, a fact shown on many occasions throughout their joint lives, and nowhere more strikingly than in the great satisfaction expressed by both the King and Queen Alexandra at the marriage of their only surviving son to the daughter of the Duke and Duchess of Teck.

Earlier in the autumn an attempt was made to use the King’s great personal prestige and popularity in order to bring to a close the struggle between masters and men in the engineering trade. The writer received the following reply:—

Towards the end of November the King visited Durham, and in his reply to the inevitable address gave some interesting reminiscences of the late Bishop of the diocese. He said:—

“Dr. Lightfoot, who was transferred from his theological studies in the University of Cambridge to undertake the administration of a large and important diocese, evinced a powerful personality of character through the brilliancy of his intellect, his profound learning, his earnest piety, and a capacity for organisation so remarkable as almost to appear intuitive.… I may mention that I myself was personally acquainted with Bishop Lightfoot when I was an undergraduate at Cambridge, and I wish to add my own testimony to the admiration and regard with which he inspired all who, like myself, had the advantage of knowing him.”

On 21st December Queen Alexandra received a grateful address from the chairmen of the sixty local committees who were entrusted with the management of Her Majesty’s Diamond Jubilee dinner fund for the poor of London, and so ended this eventful year.

CHAPTER XVIII
LATER YEARS—A SERIOUS ACCIDENT TO THE KING—GRADUAL RECOVERY—THE ATTEMPT ON THE KING’S LIFE

The year 1898, destined to bring His Majesty a serious accident and a tedious convalescence, opened uneventfully. On New Year’s Day the King accepted the post of Patron of the Fourth International Congress of Zoology, which had arranged to meet at Cambridge in August. In January, too, the Brixton branch of the Social Democratic Federation sent to the King a proposal that the Government should organise a system of State maintenance of the underfed London school children. In reply, Sir F. Knollys wrote:—

“His Royal Highness directs me to assure you that he feels the greatest sympathy for the large number of underfed and half-starved children living in London, and although he is afraid he does not feel himself at liberty to support your particular proposal, it will give him much pleasure to send a donation to the London Schools Dinner Association, which he understands is doing very good work in the required direction.”

In March the King went to Cannes, and saw President Faure in Paris on his way thither. On 10th March His Majesty laid the first stone of a new jetty at Cannes in the midst of a brilliant assemblage. He said, speaking to the Mayor:—

“You know what pleasure it gives me to spend a few weeks in your beautiful country, where I always meet with a hospitable reception.… In laying the first stone of the new jetty, in accordance with your kind wish, I desire to tell you especially how touched I was at your having thought of giving it my name. I trust that the very wise and unanimous impulse given by you to yachting at Cannes will not fail of its effect. You can safely rely upon my support, for I am sincerely glad to see this friendly competition between our two countries developed, and, as you have so well said, I hope with you that this ceremony may be a fresh pledge of cordial relations between France and Great Britain.”

To M. Leroux, Prefect of the Alpes Maritimes, His Majesty said:—

“I am touched by the sentiments which, in the name of the Government of the Republic, you have just expressed. I sincerely hope that France may long enjoy the benefits of the Government which you represent, and that the cordial relations between France and Great Britain may continue for the good of humanity. I am, indeed, happy to be able to lend my co-operation to this hospitable country, for which I wish the greatest prosperity.”

On 25th April His Majesty opened the Royal Photographic Society’s International Exhibition at the Crystal Palace. The Society was founded in 1853 under the auspices of Queen Victoria and the Prince Consort. The King naturally took special interest in the exhibit of his Hospital Fund for London, which included photographs of the “Roll of Ministering Children.” This roll comprised so many portraits of the King’s descendants that His Majesty drily observed that he seemed to be surrounded by grandchildren.

This spring His Majesty was much occupied with the preparations for the Paris Exhibition of 1900. He was Chairman of both the executive and the finance committee of the Royal Commission which was appointed to see that Great Britain was adequately represented.

On 18th May the King reviewed the Lancashire Hussars at Birkdale, it being the jubilee of this yeomanry regiment, and also visited Southport and Wigan. On 20th May he reviewed the Royal Bucks Hussars in Howe Park.

The death of Mr. Gladstone caused much sorrow both to His Majesty and to Queen Alexandra, who had frequently demonstrated the regard in which they held the veteran statesman and his devoted wife. At the funeral of Mr. Gladstone in the Abbey on 28th May 1898 the King was the chief pall-bearer with his son, the Duke of Cornwall and York, and at the close of the service, with the other pall-bearers, they kissed the hand of Mrs. Gladstone. Queen Alexandra and the Duchess of Cornwall and York were present at the service.

Soon afterwards their Majesties lost another old friend, and curiously enough a devoted follower of Mr. Gladstone, namely, the first Lord Playfair, so long known as Sir Lyon Playfair, who had taught the King science in His Majesty’s student days at Edinburgh.

On 31st May the London Gazette published the following, which was naturally of much interest to the King:—

“The Queen has been pleased, by Letters Patent under the Great Seal, to declare that the children of the eldest son of any Prince of Wales shall have, and at all times hold and enjoy, the style, title, and attribute of ‘Royal Highness.’”

On 8th June Queen Alexandra presented prizes in the Albert Hall to the boys of the Royal Masonic Institution at Woodgreen. His Majesty, in acknowledging a vote of thanks to her, said:—

“Though the Princess has set a good example, as the wife of a Freemason, in not attempting to discover the secrets of our craft, I think she has taken a philanthropic interest in all that concerns our works.”

Three days later the King opened the Reading University Extension Hospital and inspected the Royal Berkshire Hospital, afterwards going on a visit to his old friends Lord and Lady Wantage at Lockinge. On 18th June the King distributed the prizes at Wellington College, and on 21st June, accompanied by the Queen, he laid the foundation stone of the new buildings of the North London or University College Hospital.

A week later the King paid a visit to Lord and Lady Warwick, and much enjoyed driving in motor cars, then a comparatively novel form of conveyance. During the visit Lady Warwick drove the King to Barford to call upon Mr. Joseph Arch, M.P., in his cottage. His Majesty had a high opinion of Mr. Arch, who had risen by his own exertions from a very humble origin, and at that time represented the electoral division of Norfolk in which Sandringham is situated.

On 7th July the King, with the Duke of Sparta, who was on a visit to this country, attended the presentation of colours by Queen Victoria to the 3rd Coldstream Guards at Aldershot.

The King met with a serious accident on 18th July while at Waddesdon Manor, Bucks, on a visit to Baron Ferdinand de Rothschild. His Majesty slipped in descending a staircase and sustained a fracture of the knee-cap, but was able to travel to Marlborough House the same afternoon. Not much progress was made, however, and on the 19th Sir William MacCormac and Sir Francis Laking decided to call in the famous surgeon, Sir Thomas Smith, who had undoubtedly prolonged the Duchess of Teck’s life. It is interesting to note that the Röntgen rays were employed to ascertain the extent of the injury, probably the first occasion of their being used for a Royal patient. Rest was compulsory, and though it must have been irksome in the extreme to one of the King’s active habits, yet nothing could exceed the cheerfulness displayed by the patient.

On the 21st Lord Lister, the “father” of antiseptic surgery, was called in, and with characteristic consideration, in view of the anxiety exhibited by the whole Empire, the King authorised the publication of a detailed statement regarding the accident.

From this it appeared that he missed his footing while coming down the spiral staircase at Waddesdon Manor, and in the sudden severe effort made to save himself from falling sustained a fracture of the left patella. “About one-fifth of the bone, somewhat crescentic in shape, was torn away, along with the tendinous insertion of the quadriceps extensor, and the gap between the fragments amounted to a little more than two inches.” Sir W. MacCormac and Sir Francis Laking concluded their statement by the remark that the illustrious patient “is bearing the enforced restraint with exemplary patience and good temper.” Of course what every one feared was some permanent lameness or weakness of the limb, but this, as will be seen from what follows, was fortunately averted.

Queen Alexandra was unremitting in her attentions to the invalid, and was with difficulty prevailed upon to leave his room for necessary air and exercise. On the 23rd Mr. Alfred Fripp, Surgeon-in-ordinary, who was away on his honeymoon at the time the accident occurred, joined the other medical attendants, who in consultation decided that the patient might attend the Cowes Regatta on board the Royal yacht Osborne. It was hoped that the change of scene would facilitate recovery, and the decision was also naturally gratifying to Queen Victoria, who was then in residence at Osborne, and wished to be near her son.

On Sunday, the 24th, the patient was connected by electrophone with St. Michael’s, Chester Square, and heard his honorary chaplain, Canon Fleming, refer to the accident and the national anxiety it had caused. In the evening the invalid heard a sacred concert, also through the electrophone.

The Sultan was greatly concerned at the news of the accident, and even offered to send the well-known Turkish surgeon, Djemal Pasha, to attend on the patient.

It was characteristic of the King’s kindly consideration that before leaving London for Cowes he sent a gold scarf-pin, set with emeralds, and a letter of thanks to Dr. Shaw, the local practitioner who had attended him at Waddesdon immediately after the accident.

On 30th July the King, accompanied by the Queen, Princess Victoria, and Prince Nicholas and Princess Marie of Greece, left London for Cowes. Sir F. Laking and Mr. Fripp were in medical attendance, and the transport to Paddington, and thence by the Queen’s train to Portsmouth Jetty, was accomplished with complete comfort and safety. The patient was carried by bluejackets in his invalid’s chair on board the Osborne, and it is needless to say that the “handy men” did their work to perfection, with masculine strength allied to womanly tenderness. On the 31st Queen Victoria visited the patient and found him in excellent spirits and making good progress.

The Queen of Denmark fell seriously ill at this time, and as King Edward was going on so well, Queen Alexandra left on 3rd August for Copenhagen, attended by Miss Knollys and Sir Francis Laking. Princess Victoria remained with her father.

On the 6th it was announced that no further bulletins would be issued, as the King’s progress was so satisfactory. Queen Victoria paid him frequent visits, and on the 12th Lord Rosebery was his guest. The Osborne often went for short cruises, sometimes as far as the Needles, and the King was much gratified to have his son and daughter-in-law with him, as well as his grandchildren, the little Princes Edward and Albert.

At length on the 23rd the Osborne left for a longer cruise in the Channel, the programme including visits to Plymouth and Torquay. Mr. Fripp was in medical charge. This did the patient great good, and at some of the places at which the yacht touched he was able to obtain carriage exercise, four of the Osborne’s bluejackets having been drilled as a carrying party. His Majesty thoroughly realised that complete recovery must not only be a matter of time, but must also depend on strict obedience to the doctors’ orders, and, as the event proved, he showed himself a model patient in every way. Queen Victoria’s anxiety about her son abated, and she was able to leave for Balmoral on 31st August. The patient particularly enjoyed the opportunity of entertaining his friends on board the yacht, including the Portuguese Minister and Mr. Christopher Sykes. He paid a long visit to Mount Edgcumbe, landing and driving in the park.

On 2nd September the Osborne returned to Cowes, and on the following day the patient was allowed to stand up for the first time and to walk very carefully a distance of three feet.

The health of the Queen of Denmark continued to give great anxiety to His Majesty, and the Duke and Duchess of Cornwall and York, with little Prince Edward, left England for Copenhagen to be present at the celebration of the aged Queen’s birthday, which seemed only too likely to be the last that she would ever spend on earth.

On the 8th the King was able to visit Osborne—of course in an invalid chair. On the 12th it was announced that a considerable degree of mobility had been obtained in the knee joint, and on the 14th the patient, accompanied by Princess Victoria, left for Balmoral.

At this time, in spite of the tiresome restraints imposed on him by his accident, the King did another of those graceful little actions which have helped so much to strengthen his hold over the affections of his subjects all over the world. Some time before this His Majesty had assisted Sir James Woodhead, then Mayor of Cape Town, to procure a mace for the city, made of oak from the timbers of Nelson’s flagship, the Victory. Unfortunately, the piece of wood sent out proved to be so much decayed as to be practically useless. Another application was made to the King, who again interested himself in the kindest manner in the matter, with the result that a fairly sound piece of wood was despatched, and the grateful council of Cape Town passed a unanimous resolution of thanks to their Royal benefactor. It is not a very important incident, but it illustrates His Majesty’s willingness not only to take trouble, but to go on taking trouble.

The King derived the greatest benefit from the splendid air of Deeside, and about the middle of September Mr. Fripp, his Surgeon-in-ordinary, was able to return to London. While His Majesty was in Scotland Lord Crawford celebrated the quincentenary of his earldom, and the King sent him the following kindly telegram:—

“Allow me to offer you my sincerest congratulations on the 500th anniversary of the creating of your title.—Albert Edward.”

On 23rd September the King left Balmoral to stay with the Duke and Duchess of Fife at Mar Lodge, and on the 27th the recovery of His Majesty was, so to speak, officially marked by the announcement in the London Gazette that Queen Victoria had appointed Sir William MacCormac and Sir Francis Laking to be Knight-Commanders, and Mr. Fripp and Fleet-Surgeon Delmege to be Members of the Royal Victorian Order, “in recognition of their services in connection with the recent accident met with by His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales.”

All this time the condition of the venerable Queen of Denmark had been fluctuating, now an improvement and now a relapse being reported. At last the end came on 29th September, and the Balmoral Court Circular, in recording the mournful event, announced:—

“The Queen’s beloved daughter-in-law, the Princess of Wales, was in constant attendance on her mother, to whom she was devotedly attached.”

The utmost sympathy was shown by all classes with King Edward and Queen Alexandra in this terrible bereavement. The King was represented at the funeral by his son, and the Duke of Cambridge represented Queen Victoria. Queen Alexandra of course remained at Copenhagen for the last sad rites.

On 16th October the King returned to London, the only trace of his accident being a very slight limp, which was soon got rid of, and on the 28th His Majesty received Lord Kitchener, who had come home with all the laurels of Omdurman. On 1st November Queen Alexandra and her son returned from Copenhagen, and their Majesties soon afterwards paid a short visit to Sandringham. Before the end of November the Lancet was able to assure the public that the King’s recovery was complete, and His Majesty showed his gratitude to Sir William MacCormac by his presence when, in the following February, the eminent surgeon delivered the Hunterian Oration at the Royal College of Surgeons of England.

On 6th February 1899 another sad bereavement befell the King in the death of Prince Alfred, the only son of his brother, the Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha.

The King soon returned to his active public life. On 2nd March His Majesty presided at a meeting held at Marlborough House to establish the League of Mercy, the purpose of which was to promote more systematic contributions to his Hospital Fund for London. On 8th July the King reviewed some 26,000 Metropolitan Volunteers on the Horse Guards Parade. Queen Alexandra watched the review, and her son and the Duke of Connaught marched past at the head of the corps of which they are honorary colonels. On 20th July the King and Queen opened the new buildings of the Alexandra Hospital for Children with Hip Disease in Bloomsbury, and on the following day their Majesties entertained 1200 hospital nurses at Marlborough House at a garden party in connection with the Royal National Pension Fund for Nurses. On 22nd July the King, who was accompanied by his son and daughter-in-law, was an interested spectator of the International University Sports, when the representatives of Oxford and Cambridge beat the champions of Harvard and Yale by five events to four. In September His Majesty presented new colours to the 1st Gordon Highlanders at Ballater.

The autumn of 1899 was signalised by the visit which was paid to this country by the German Emperor and Empress, who were accompanied by two of their sons, Prince Augustus William and Prince Oscar. Their Imperial Majesties were royally entertained at Windsor by Queen Victoria, to whom they had come to pay their respects, a great State banquet being the chief among the festivities. King Edward naturally took a prominent part in the reception of the German Emperor, who particularly enjoyed some capital shooting on his uncle’s estate at Sandringham. At the time of His Imperial Majesty’s visit, the British arms in South Africa were not meeting with conspicuous success, and various political motives were freely attributed to the Kaiser, but the mass of the British people were content to take the event for what it seemed to be—namely, a tribute of respect to the venerated British Sovereign on the part of her grandson. Queen Victoria took the opportunity to appoint the Kaiser an honorary G.C.V.O., and to confer various grades of the same decoration on the members of His Imperial Majesty’s suite, which included more than one eminent German statesman.

The year 1900 was perhaps the most eventful in King Edward’s life, for it saw the first attempt that had ever been made to kill him. Queen Victoria’s memorable visit to Ireland began on the very same day on which this dastardly attempt was perpetrated. Her Majesty landed at Kingstown on the morning of Wednesday, 4th April, and made her State entry into Dublin. Meanwhile King Edward and Queen Alexandra left England for Copenhagen. As the train by which they were travelling to Denmark was leaving the Nord Station at Brussels in the evening, a youth named Sipido jumped on the footboard of the Royal carriage and fired two shots from a revolver into the saloon. Fortunately they completely missed the King, who behaved with the utmost coolness, and as quickly as possible telegraphed a reassuring message to his Royal mother.

Sipido, who was of course instantly arrested, declared that he had intended “to kill the Prince because His Royal Highness had caused thousands of men to be slaughtered in South Africa.” There is no doubt that the youth’s mind had become infuriated, partly by Anarchist doctrines, partly by reading the abominable libels which for some time had been circulated in the disreputable Continental journals regarding the conduct of the war in South Africa. Unfortunately it has to be recorded that not disreputable journals alone were guilty. For instance, the issue of the Kladderadatsch, the German Punch, published just before the attack on the King, contained a paragraph of the grossest and most insulting character, completing a series of abominably scurrilous attacks on His Majesty.

Widespread indignation was aroused, not only in the British Empire, but also throughout the Continent, and the King and Queen were the recipients of many thousands of telegrams of sympathy and congratulation on His Majesty’s happy escape. The King expressed a wish to have the bullet, and after the trial it was sent to him. It is significant of His Majesty’s kindly thought that he sent to M. Crocius, the stationmaster who seized Sipido, a valuable scarf-pin as an acknowledgment. M. Crocius also received the Royal Victorian Order and a letter of thanks from Queen Victoria.

The King and Queen returned to London from Denmark on 20th April, and their arrival was made the occasion of a really remarkable popular demonstration. A few days later the Press was requested to publish the following graceful acknowledgment from His Majesty:—

The subsequent history of Sipido throws a curious light on Belgian notions of justice. He was placed on trial before the Brabant Assize Court on 2nd July, and admitted his guilt, acknowledging that the attempt was not meant as a joke. Although the jury on the 5th brought in a verdict of “guilty,” the Court acquitted the prisoner on the ground that he was “irresponsible,” but ordered him to be placed at the disposal of the Government till he attained the age of twenty-one. The Belgian Government, however, did not prevent him from fleeing to Paris, where he had relatives. Mr. Balfour stated in the House of Commons that the British Government had informed the Belgian Government that they considered the result of the proceedings to be a grave and most unfortunate miscarriage of justice. In excuse for not detaining Sipido, the Belgian Government pleaded that the youth could not be arrested during the three days’ interval to which he was entitled for deciding whether he should lodge an appeal. But this deceived no one, for it was not an illegal arrest which was desired, but ordinary police surveillance.

Sipido did appeal against the sentence of the Assize Court, but the Brussels Court of Cassation rejected the appeal towards the end of September. The Belgian Government ultimately obtained the extradition of the youth from the French Government, and he arrived in Brussels in charge of the police on 27th October.

The death of his brother, the Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (Duke of Edinburgh), in the summer of 1900, was a bitter grief to the King, who was present with the German Emperor at the funeral. The succession to the principality had been the subject of a family arrangement on the death of the heir, Prince Alfred, in 1899. The King himself had of course long ago renounced his rights, and the next heir, the Duke of Connaught, on behalf of himself and his son, Prince Arthur, did the same, with certain reservations. The duchy therefore passed to the young Duke of Albany, only son of the late Prince Leopold, who was then a boy in Mr. Benson’s house at Eton.

On New Year’s Day 1901 the King was much gratified by the promotion of his son and heir to be Rear-Admiral, the more so as the Duke had fairly earned this advancement as judged by the ordinary standards of promotion in the Navy. The position to which His Royal Highness was raised by the death of his elder brother of course rendered it impossible for him thenceforward to be so closely associated with the sea service as, for example, his uncle, the Duke of Edinburgh, had been, and the step in rank was no doubt conferred in anticipation of the Duke’s approaching visit to Australia to inaugurate the Federal Parliament. The promotion was followed, a day or two afterwards, by the appointment of the Duke to be Colonel-in-Chief of the Royal Marine Forces.

Dr. Creighton, Bishop of London, died on 14th January, and the King, who was so soon to need the deepest sympathy himself, wrote a long and touching letter of sympathy to the bereaved widow.

CHAPTER XIX
THE KING AS A COUNTRY SQUIRE

Sandringham is so closely associated in the public mind with King Edward and Queen Alexandra, whose country home it was for so many years, and is still to be from time to time, that no apology is needed for devoting to it a special chapter.

When King Edward was about to set up a separate establishment, Queen Victoria and the Prince Consort instructed some of their most trusted friends to look out for a suitable country estate for the Heir-Apparent. At one moment it was proposed to buy Newstead Abbey, but its Byronic associations caused it to be purchased as soon as it came into the market. Eynsham, in Oxfordshire, an estate belonging to Lord Macclesfield, also came under consideration, as well as Elveden, in Suffolk, and Hatherop, in Gloucestershire. Lord Palmerston seems to have suggested Sandringham, which at that time belonged to his stepson, Mr. Spencer Cowper, and accordingly the Norfolk estate was bought for £220,000.

The estate consisted of eight thousand acres, the nominal rental being about £7000 a year, but everything about Sandringham was at that time in very bad order. The house was small and dilapidated, and the shooting and outlying portions of the estate had been utterly neglected. It is said that the whole rental has been expended on the property during the last thirty-five or forty years, and a very considerable sum has also been spent on the new house, the new gardens, the park, and the home farms. Every kind of improvement has been carried out, gradually but steadily, and now it may be considered a model estate from every point of view. One of the first institutions set up by the King was an admirable village club, entirely built at His Majesty’s own expense. The regulations enforced are based on what is called Dr. Arnold’s system, and give the maximum of freedom to the members.

The old mansion, which was small and inconvenient, was pulled down, and the present house was erected on a more suitable site, from the designs of Mr. Humbert. The work was not completed till 1871. The new mansion is a very pretty gabled building, and though commodious enough, it will not compare in point of size with many of the “stately homes of England.” On the inner wall of the vestibule, above the hall door, is set a tablet bearing, in Old English characters, the inscription: “This house was built by Albert Edward, Prince of Wales, and Alexandra, his wife, in the year of Our Lord, 1870.”

The Royal host and hostess, as well as their family and their guests, are wont to spend much of their time in the great hall, a really beautiful apartment, with a lofty ceiling of open oak work. Many family souvenirs are gathered here, including a fine painting of Queen Alexandra’s birthplace, portraits of the King and Queen of Denmark, two miniature cannon, which were given by Napoleon III. to the King and to his sister, the Empress Frederick, and a number of family portraits and photographs. Facing the main entrance is the head of a wild bull, belonging to the famous Chillingham herd, which was shot by the King in 1872. Underneath are Sir Walter Scott’s lines:—

Though Sandringham can boast of no wild cattle, yet the King has been for many years a breeder of shorthorns and Southdown sheep on a large scale, and it is difficult to estimate the benefits which his example in this respect has conferred on the great agricultural industry. His Majesty has always been a very keen competitor at the various national and local shows, and he took his duties as President of the Royal Agricultural Society very seriously. All the Norfolk shows, from the flower show to the poultry show, are patronised by their Majesties; and in this, as in so many other matters, the Squire of Sandringham sets an excellent example to those round him. The Allotments Act was practically anticipated at Sandringham, and the tenants of His Majesty know that he interprets very generously any Act telling in their favour.

The Royal Agricultural Society held its annual meeting in Dublin in 1871, when the King, who was accompanied by the Duke of Connaught and Princess Louise (Duchess of Argyll), and the Duke of Argyll, paid one of his visits to Ireland. At the annual banquet of the Society His Majesty spoke in terms which demonstrate in the clearest manner his interest in agriculture and his sense of its importance in promoting the prosperity of the nation at large. He said, in the course of an unusually long speech:—

“The theme before me—prosperity to Ireland—is one that might be enlarged upon greatly. No one wishes more sincerely than I do prosperity to this country. No one in the large assemblage which crowds this hall, and no one outside this hall, could more largely wish for the prosperity of Ireland which is so dear to them.… I may say that what will do more than anything else towards making a country prosperous is the extension of its agriculture. It was with great pleasure that I accepted the position of President of the Royal Agricultural Society, and it afforded me great pleasure to be present at the Show to-day. My brother has already alluded in his speech to the fine animals we saw, and I may add that I feel sure that in no other part of the United Kingdom could a more creditable Show be held than that which was opened near Dublin this morning. During the last four years there has been a great improvement in every respect in the shows of the Royal Agricultural Societies.…

“I am assured that if the many gentlemen and landlords who very often find some difficulty in leaving England, but who have large interests and large estates in this country, could contrive to come over here more frequently, it would do more good than anything else I could imagine. I am certain that they are anxious to come over, and that their relations with their tenantry and those around them should be in every respect good. I may also here refer to the great improvement made in the erection of farm buildings and cottages. Beyond doubt there has been progress in the direction of improvement there; but still I believe much yet remains to be done. Everything depends upon the well-being of the people, and if they are properly lodged it tends to cleanliness, and very possibly to moral advantage.

“Perhaps I may be allowed to speak of a slight personal experience in that matter. I have a small estate in Norfolk, and observed myself the great importance of providing suitable small cottages for those resident there, and, having done so, now reap immense advantage.”

In the following year (19th June 1872) the King and Queen visited King’s Lynn to see the Annual Exhibition of the Norfolk Agricultural Society. At the entrance to the Show His Majesty said, in reply to the usual address presented on these occasions:—

“It has been a source of the greatest gratification to have had it in my power to contribute in any degree to the success of your Association, and to promote the interests of agriculture in Norfolk. It is with these feelings that I have endeavoured to make myself acquainted with some of the operations of farming, and to acquire some knowledge of stock, and if I have not always been successful in the path of competition, I have at least obtained prizes sufficient to encourage me to persevere, and to indulge in the hope that I shall obtain more.”

This hope of His Majesty’s was certainly justified, for he not only carried off six prizes at this Norfolk show, but he has ever since been a pretty regular prize-winner at the shows of the Royal Agricultural Society, the Bath and West of England, and other important exhibitions.

In other speeches on the same occasion at King’s Lynn His Majesty said that during the ten years in which he had lived in Norfolk he had endeavoured not to lag behind those other county landlords who so ably fulfilled their duties. It would always be his earnest endeavour to promote the welfare of the county, in which he was much interested. He had to thank them for the kind reception which the Princess of Wales always experienced whenever she appeared in public. It was most desirable that ladies should associate themselves in their husbands’ pursuits, and when the Princess did not accompany him he always felt that there was something wanting. His Majesty went on to express his own great personal interest in the Society and in the cause of agriculture generally. His late father, the Prince Consort, always felt the greatest interest in agriculture, and used to take his children to inspect his prize animals.

The King also referred to the housing of the agricultural labourer, and said that a landlord ought to feel a pride in having the working classes properly housed on his estate. Those who worked from morning to night should find on their return a comfortable dwelling, which would promote their moral and social well-being. He had endeavoured to improve the cottages on his own estate, and he felt pride and satisfaction in having his workmen properly housed.

Only about a fortnight later the King again demonstrated his interest in the county in which he had become a squire by visiting Great Yarmouth to inspect the Norfolk Artillery Militia. On that occasion he said:—

“This is the first occasion since my return from abroad that I have met with an official reception, and my pleasure is increased from the fact that I regard myself as a Norfolk man. I have also to acknowledge the very high honour conferred upon me last year in my having been appointed Honorary Colonel of the Norfolk Militia Artillery.”

Of the Royal Agricultural Benevolent Institution the King has always been a generous friend and supporter, and the spread of agricultural depression has naturally made his Majesty’s support of exceptional value. The King spoke, for example, at the fifteenth anniversary festival of the Institution, held on 5th June 1875:—

“I sincerely say that I do take a great interest in all that is connected with agriculture. I may call myself a colleague of many of you present as a farmer on a small scale, and I only hope that I may never have occasion to be a pensioner of this institution. It is impossible, I think, for any British gentleman to live at his country place without taking an interest in agriculture, and in all those things which concern the farmers of this great country. The very backbone of the country, the best recruits of the Army and Navy, come from the agricultural districts. We know that our commercial and agricultural interests depend upon the valour and efficiency of our land and sea forces.”

On this occasion the King added a toast which had been most ungallantly omitted from the list—that of “The Ladies,” and in proposing it he said:—

“We have been honoured on this occasion by fair ladies, and I think it would be very wrong if we were to separate without cordially drinking their health. We see especially how much the comfort, well-being, prosperity, and happiness of farmers and agriculturists depend upon a kind wife to cheer them by the fireside at the end of their day’s work, and to lighten by female influence the load of difficulties.”

Though naturally His Majesty will now be unable to devote so much time to the interests of agriculture as he did when Prince of Wales, yet he has no intention of giving up the breeding of stock. It is understood that Her late Majesty bequeathed to him the magnificent herds of shorthorns, Jerseys, Devons, and Herefords established by the late Prince Consort at Windsor on the Shaw and Flemish farms which he started there. Prince Albert, indeed, revived the interest of the Royal Family in agriculture, which had lapsed since the death of “Farmer George.” Queen Victoria also had some very good stock on the home farm at Osborne, while at Abergeldie Mains Her Majesty kept a magnificent herd of pure-bred Aberdeen-Angus cattle. These, without doubt, her successor will keep up.

To those who study the King’s personal nature and character, no apartment at Sandringham can be more interesting than the library, or rather that section of the libraries, for there are three, which is specially appropriated to His Majesty. The fittings are those of the cabins used by the King on board the Serapis during his voyage to and from India. The blotting-books and the tables and chairs are all covered in dark blue or green leather, and on each the Prince of Wales’s feathers and monogram are stamped in gold. A glance at the shelves shows what are the King’s literary tastes and preferences. He is evidently intensely interested in the history of his own country, especially what may be called the history of our own time. Several shelves are entirely devoted to works dealing with the Indian Mutiny, including the official reports, memoirs, histories, and even novels. The King always buys every new work connected with the public or private administration of his Eastern Empire. Special attention has also evidently been paid to the Crimean War, and there is a rich collection of Colonial histories and documents. But most of the standard works of reference are to be found in the first library, a fine apartment, often used as a writing-room and reading-room by visitors.

The second library is really the Equerries’ room. It is there the Gentlemen of the Household are often to be found. Here are gathered together French and English works of reference and classics, and a splendid collection of county histories. Novels and memoirs are not neglected, and no week passes, when the King and Queen are in residence, without a large consignment of British and foreign books finding its way to Sandringham.

The King transacts much of the business connected with the Sandringham estate in a pleasant morning-room. There he receives at stated times the bailiffs and others concerned in the management of the estate, and, as he farms himself over 1000 acres, he has much to do in the way of supervision.

Sandringham can boast of one of the finest private billiard-rooms in England, and it is one of the very few country-houses where there are bowling alleys. The King and his children are very fond of the old-fashioned English game of bowls.

In 1891 the entire roofing of the main building of Sandringham House, together with all the rooms and their contents on the two upper floors, was destroyed by fire. The bells of the various churches in the district clashed out the alarm. Gangs of men and women speedily set to work to clear the principal lower rooms of their furniture and rare, valuable, and interesting contents. Queen Alexandra was staying with the Empress of Russia, and the King was also away at the time. The amount of damage done was about £15,000. That portion of the house which was destroyed has been rebuilt in a thoroughly fire-proof fashion, with iron and concrete floors and roofs; and the opportunity was taken of making many additions to various portions of the house, in fact about eighteen rooms were added. It is very characteristic of the King that, by his orders, the general works were all carried out by local tradesmen.

One of the most interesting departments of Sandringham Hall is the stables, which contain a great number of carriages. There are Russian sledges, only used in the coldest weather; a Hungarian snow-carriage, lined with rose colour; Norwegian carioles; a smart American buggy, painted bright yellow; a truly beautiful gold inlaid jinricksha, sent to the King from Japan, which is for show rather than for use; a char-à-banc, presented by the late Duke of Sutherland; and, it need hardly be said, every kind of ordinary two- and four-wheeled vehicle now in general use, from the modest Norfolk cart to the stately landau; while by the big coach is to be seen the charming miniature four-in-hand presented by His Majesty to Queen Alexandra just before his departure for India.

Both the King and Queen are passionately fond of horses, and Her Majesty pays a daily visit when at Sandringham to her pony-stable, which was built in 1874 for her four French ponies, who were afterwards succeeded by equally valuable animals of British extraction. Bina, Merry-Antics, Bow, and Bell were the fortunate occupants of this model pony-stable, which is considered the prettiest building of the kind in the world, the walls being lined with white tiles, picked out in green glazed bricks, finished at the top by a green-tiled frieze and an open wooden roof. Above each manger was recorded in gold letters the name of the pony occupying the stall. Queen Alexandra at one time was very fond of driving tandem, and she has one of the best tandem teams in Great Britain. She is very fond of bay horses, and possesses also a pair of the famous greys bred in the Imperial stables at Leipzig. For many years Her Majesty always rode Kinsky, a Hungarian horse; and she was said to be one of the best horsewomen in Norfolk.