Vacation

His Majesty King George and her Majesty Queen Mary went to the Alhambra Theatre in Leicester Square, a couple of stone's throws from Buckingham Palace. En route the King caught a cold, later the cold turned to influenza, still later the influenza turned to bronchitis. The King went to bed.

To the royal bedside went Sir F. S. Hewett, K. C. V. O., M.D., Surgeon Apothecary to His Majesty and Surgeon Apothecary to the Household; Sir Milsom Rees, K. C. V. O., F. R. C. S., Laryngologist to the Household; Lord Dawson of Penn G. C. V. O., K. C. M. G., C. B., M. D., F. R. C. P., Physician-in-ordinary. With one voice they declared that His Majesty's immediate condition was not dangerous and that his general condition was satisfactory.

For several days, the King grew better and better in every way. He remained abed, but attended to pressing affairs of State. The Queen appeared not in the least perturbed. The Prince of Wales only once visited his royal father and stayed to luncheon with his royal mother. The people were consequently not alarmed.

Suddenly, there was a touch of con cern in public sentiment. The Apothecary, the Laryngologist and the Physician issued a bulletin:

The King passed a fair day. There is still a rise of temperature in the evening, but the slow progress continues.

At its onset, the influenza which attacked His Majesty was somewhat severe, the bronchitis extending to the base of the lungs--a form of malady which is apt to be tedious and resistant.

In order to secure complete restoration of health and fitness, we advise, when the stage of convalescence has been reached, that his Majesty shall proceed to the South of Europe and cruise in his yacht for a few weeks.

HEWETT.

REES.

DAWSON.

Those who know the King can imagine the disgust with which he received the doctors' recommendation. Some time ago, it was suggested that he should winter in the south of France to escape the bitter, damp, cold English Winter, but His Majesty declared: "My place is at home." He hates to desert what Poet Kipling recently called the "H. M. S. Britain," especially at a time when Parliament is in session and there are many questions to occupy his mind; for, although the King is normally a figurehead, an expression of national unity, actually he wields considerable power in an advisory capacity, without, however, crossing the initiative of the Government. In other words, the King's direct powers are small; but the sum of his indirect power, exercised in a large number of ways, is so tremendous that it is impossible to estimate it. So great leaders as Gladstone, Asquith, Lloyd George, and so eminent a contemporary constitutional authority as Marriott have all made and upheld this point.

Despite the King's antipathy to taking a voyage at this time, it is almost certain that he will bow to his doctor's orders, which are sure to have the sentimental backing of a majority of the people. Accompanied by the Queen, he will probably leave on the royal yacht Victoria and Albert early this month for a Mediterranean cruise and may possibly spend some of the time with his uncle, the Duke of Connaught,* at the latter's villa near Nice.

This will be the first time in the 15 years of his reign that the King has absented himself from the country on vacation. But King George is creating no precedent. Queen Victoria, toward the end of her life, was wont to take occasional trips to the south of France for her health, while King Edward hardly let a year go by that he was not seen in winter at Nice, Biarritz, or some other fashionable watering place, and in summer at Karlsbad, where he used to take the waters for his gout.

During Their Majesties' absence, the Prince of Wales will act as Regent for his father until March 29 when he leaves for his visits to Africa and South America. On March 10 and 19, the Prince will hold at Buckingham Palace two levees./- His other duties will be nominal and social, but none the less responsible. He will not be expected to wade through the Premier's daily letter or the Foreign Secretary's report, etc. Indeed, he is likely to be busy on his own account arranging the details of his forthcoming voyage.

As the King has cancelled his visit to Lord Derby at Knowsley on Mar. 25, it is assumed that His Majesty will not return until April. The Prince of Wales is not to postpone his trip and the Duke of York will be absent in East Africa until May. Who is to do the "King business?" When King George went to the Durbar in India in 1911 (a function at which he was crowned Emperor of India), a Council of State was ap- pointed; but, in the present instance, the absence of the King will be short and it is likely that his shoes will be filled pro tempore by his third son, Prince Henry, probably as President of a special committee of the Privy Council.

*The Duke of Connaught and Stratheam is nearly 75 years of age, a brother of King Edward and therefore uncle to King George. In 1879 he married Princess Louise of Prussia, who died in London in 1917.

His life has been relatively uneventful. He has served in the Army with distinction for more than 40 years and among the number of distinguished positions that he has held is that of Governor-General of Canada (1911-1916). He also represented Queen Victoria at the Tsar's coronation in 1898. King George at the opening of the Union Parliament of South Africa in 1910 and at the opening of the provincial legislature of Bengal, Bombay and Madras in 1921.

/- An Assembly held (in the forenoon or early afternoon) by the sovereign or his representative at which men only are received.