Prince Crisis

A peculiar and perturbing crisis developed in South Africa, last week, a few days prior to the arrival of Edward of Wales and the Duke of Gloucester, to begin their famed Afric hunting tour (TIME, Sept. 17).

The Duke of Gloucester, third son of George V, had been scheduled to efface himself, thus leaving Edward of Wales in accustomed prominence. But just before Their Royal Highnesses' ship docked at Mombasa, East Africa, an interview was given out by Prime Minister James Barry Munnik Hertzog of South Africa, in which he clearly indicated a wish that the Duke of Gloucester might assume the Governor-Generalship of the Union of South Africa.

Instanter the spotlight of popular interest swung from Edward of Wales full upon Henry of Gloucester.

Since South Africander Hertzog is of Dutch descent and rather relishes baiting Englishmen, there is some reason to suppose that he deliberately upset the intended emphasis on Edward of Wales. The Prime Minister's excuse is, clearly, that his indiscreet interview was given in the heat of a verbal battle, at Pretoria, with the nationalist politicians of those parts who bluntly demand secession from Britain and proclamation of a Republic.

In rebuking this trend, Mr. Hertzog let slip an indication of his wish respecting the Duke of Gloucester, and then went on to flay Pretorian republicans, especially parsons who preach republicanism from their pulpits.

Within a few hours cable flashes to London caused His Majesty's Government to inform the press unofficially why Henry of Gloucester is not available for Governor-Generalship. The explanation, lame, was to the effect that none of the four royal princes can be spared from their important labors at home and on Empire missions.

Amid the tension thus created, Edward of Wales was observed to be in irritable mood. Even for this the alibi was perfect. His Royal Highness had submitted to typhoid inoculation on shipboard, had run a temperature for four days, was obviously not up to cricket. Upon landing at Mombasa, Kenya Colony, T. R. H. proceeded to Nairobi, the capital, where they put up for several days at Government House with Governor Sir Edward W. M. Grigg, before plunging into the interior of Africa after big game.

Meanwhile Prime Minister Hertzog continued his labors in Pretoria, scouting the idea that a "republic" could have greater practical freedom than have all British "dominions." To prove his point he read the famed definition of "dominion status," which Prime Minister Stanley Baldwin of Great Britain has declared "destined to become historic" (TIME, Nov. 29, 1926).

Definition: "Great Britain and the Dominions are autonomous communities within the British Empire, equal in status, in no way subordinate one to another in any aspect of their domestic or external affairs, though united by a common allegiance to the Crown, and freely associated as members of the British Commonwealth of Nations."

The catch is the phrase "allegiance to the Crown." It recently enabled Governor Sir William Robert Campion of Western Australia to refuse (as His Majesty's representative) to sign a certain money bill passed by the Legislature of Western Australia. Sir William has admitted that he was "guided" by the intimations of the British Government, although technically he was acting only for the Crown. Thus "allegiance to the Crown" is a suave phrase under which the Dominions are left apparently free but actually subject to slight curbs from the Prime Minister and Parliament of Great Britain.