The Crown

Blushes stained the cheeks of Guards officers and Scotland Yard officials royal scarlet last week. At Windsor Castle, Guardsman Harris of Edward of Wales's own Welsh Guards was court-martialed for falling asleep at his post while the King and Queen were in residence! "I felt ill, sir." said Guardsman .Harris, "and everything went black-like in front of me." At Buckingham Palace sneak thieves sneaked into the Royal Mews and stole from the hooks where it hung the solid gold bosses, buckles, and bangles that glitter on the scarlet leather harness of the eight horses that pull the state coach.*

Last of the five royal courts of the season, and first that rheumatic George V was well enough to attend, occurred last week at Buckingham Palace. Of all the debutantes to make their curtseys, the most triumphant was Margaret Henriette McReynolds of Tennessee, daughter of U. S. Conference Delegate Sam McReynolds. Because it is obviously impossible to receive all the ladies attached to all the delegations the Lord Chamberlain's office announced that none of the ladies of the World Economic Conference would be presented. But Miss McReynolds had already received her "command" to attend. She had bought her dress and the feathers for her hair. She had learned how to curtsey. After heated conferences Miss McReynolds was, by the Lord Chamberlain's special intervention, presented. Also an exception was Chief Delegate Cordell Hull's niece, Mrs. Paul Hays.

Visits of reigning sovereigns to Britain are rarer than they once were, but the red carpet was down at Victoria Station last week, and in full uniform King George. Edward of Wales, the Duke of Gloucester and most of the Cabinet in levee dress stood on it waiting for a train. The train pulled in, and out stepped white-chinned King Feisal of Irak, who had been escorted across the Channel by four British destroyers, met at Dover by the Duke of York. Reporters admired his gleaming white tunic and his golden spurs. Guns banged a royal salute, and Kings, Cabinet Ministers and assorted princes rode down Buckingham Palace Road with a clattering cavalry escort. The welcome was not entirely due to King George's friendship for Irak's King. The British mandate over Irak expired last year and British blandishments are the cheapest means of keeping secure in independent Irak such British '"rights" as the Mosul oil line concession and British staffed airports for Empire ships flying to India.

P: When Edward of Wales next crosses the Channel to golf, French socialites will present him with the stuffed and mounted head of Ostert who died last week in Le Touquet.

Ostert, a nimble stag, was chased by English huntsmen nine years ago into what they call the English Channel and Frenchmen call La Manche. Defying the English sportsmen, French fishermen pulled the stag aboard their smack, named him Ostert, found him a home in the private park of a French chateau near Le Touquet.

*Most famous attempt to steal Britain's crown property occurred in 1671, when the notorious Col. Blood (probably at the instigation of Charles II) nearly succeeded in filching the crown jewels from the Tower of London.

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