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11 July 1891 — 1 Queen Anne Street | |
Saturday. 11th July [1891]. Henry was invited to lunch today at the German Embassy to meet the Emperor & Count Hatzfeldt sent to beg me to come also—& we went to Carlton Terrace. The D. & Dss of Westminster, Lady Dudley & her girl, & many other swells. I was at table between one of the Emperor’s ADC & Mr W. A. Smith one of the Govt. The Emperor & Empress arrived after we were all assembled & came in from some other function & as soon as they came we went down to lunch. The Empress has lost all her beauty (never great) & has grown heavy & was very badly dressed. The Emperor was not much changed since I saw him when we stayed with his father & mother at Potsdam. He knew us again & talked a great deal to Henry who had to thank him for the order “pour le merite” which he had lately sent him. Sir John MacNeal sat beyond my German general—& as he could not speak German nor the Genl English I had to help them to understand each other & it was rather funny. Sir John suddenly said to me—who is the gentleman with the red ribband in uniform—I answered my husband”—says Sir John “Yes I know, but who is he!”– After lunch we went up again to the drawingrooms & the German colony assembled in the garden & the German school children serenaded their Majesties with German songs after wh we all went down to the little garden & M.M. spoke with their subjects. The Emperor went to Ct Hatzfeldt’s room & changed his uniform for his white one & went off to the Wimbledon volunteer review & the Empress drove off also & we returned home. I had a very interesting talk with Mr W. H. Smith about the English church at Baveno wh we agreed in hoping would not be lost to the church of England when the Henfrey’s villa is sold—as it is to be. In the evening we dined at the Italian Embassy to meet the Dss of Aosta—but she was not there after all having been invited by the P. of Wales. | |
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