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26 June 1902 — 3 Savile Row | |
Thursday. 26th [June 1902]. This which was to have been the day was hot & lovely—& made one still more regret that the Coronation was not taking place. Nela & Kate busied themselves in the morng in arranging my drawing room & we were carrying china & Cabinets when a messenger arrived with a telegram bidding me to to bid me go to Buckingham Palace at 1 oclock to see the Duchess of Sparta—so at 12.45 I got into a hansom & drove there. I was ushered into a large room where I had once been with Henry when we dined years ago with the Empress Frederick. It is furnished in the Chippendale style. There were beautiful Boulle cabinets & tables—& immense porcelain from China—gilt chairs & tables with little Chinese figures on them—portraits of Royal people &c. As I waited some ¼ hour for H.R.H. I had time to observe all these things. The Princess joined me there & was looking very sweet & pretty & received me very affectionately. We had not met for eleven years when she passed through Venice on her way to Athens to be married and as we said how many things have happened to us since then. Our talk soon fell of our King’s illness—& she said that when the Drs had told him he must have an operation he insisted that it should be deferred until after the Coronation & they answered that if he persisted in this he would probably fall down dead in the Abbey & he had to give in. Princess Sophie also said that altho’ her rooms were almost next to the King’s she knew very little abt the progress of the malady & did not like to trouble her relatives with questions & so learnt more about it from news brought her by outsiders & asked me what I heard. I said that the morning’s bulletins saying H.M. had slept last night was comforting—& she answered—but they gave him a narcotic injection—but I am sure that the Drs publish every thing & keep back nothing. She said the Queen was bearing up well & at dinner the day of the operation by her cheerfulness kept up every body’s spirits– I asked Princess Sophie how she liked Greece at wh she said she liked it & had now got quite used to it & there she was living with such a charming family. She regretted that every time she passed through Venice, wh was generally in June she missed seeing me as I was absent—& then I took leave of her & returned home to luncheon. Nellie had left & returned to her father at Bournemouth & Issie had come to luncheon– I went out for a little walk & then remained quiet till dinner. Mr & Mrs Rodman Griscom, old Mr Griscom, Blanche & Duncannon, Constance & her son Eddie, Captain Arthur Glyn, Pablo Casals, Mr Alfred Burton & Pansie Griscom—& with Kate, Nellie & self we made a party of 14—especially for the benefit of the Griscom party & as a thank offering for their kindness to me in America. Pablo Casals brought his ’cello & accompanied by my sister Constance played us several pieces. Her son brought his flute & played also quite at the end of the evening when most of my guests were gone. I went to bed quite tired out. Old Mrs Griscom did not come to dinner being also very fatigued. | |
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