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20 March 1903 — 3 Savile Row | |
Friday. 20th [March 1903]. I got a note from Bss Burdett Coutts at 12 o’cl asking me if I was at home & would receive her at lunch wh I answered her in the affirmative & the dear old lady arrived at 1.30 & was very kind & pleasant to Nelly, Nela & me– She is very infirm & very inarticulate but her mind as active as ever. She stayed till 3 oclock & as soon as she was gone I drove off to Bethlem hospital—found Dr Hyslop at home & he took me into 2 of the women’s wards where there are still a good many patients I know. I took some flowers with me & distributed them there. Returned home at 5 to tea. At 9.30 I started off for the Court. Dress a black brocade with white under petticoat embroidered in silver with a train of black satin steeped with moiré. The dress I got last year & had worn once at the Coronation. The train I have kept by me for years & the last time I wore it was 9 years ago when I went to Court to present Nela during Henry’s illness—& I went with a very heavy heart. On applying for a ticket to the Entrée I found that I had no longer any right to it—so I wrote a letter on the subject wh was shown to the King. I said I thought it hard that the ExAmbassadress shd lose the privilege & we were always few of us & at this moment but 3 self, Lady Vivian (who is out of her mind) & Lady Paget who lives at Florence. The King on considering the subject conceded the entrée to us—& so the order was given. It is curious that I should have had to work for this & that Henry had done the same office for the Ex Ambassadors when he left Constantinople– The case having been referred to the Queen by him. It is a greater boon than would be supposed as one gets in & out of the Palace so easily & one goes past the King quite at the beginning. The scene was far more brilliant than in old days. Their Majesties sit on thrones at one end of the great ball room & the Company pass before them making their 2 curtsies instead of in the Queen’s time to all the Royalties. While waiting sitting at the other end of the ball room I found myself sitting by a lady who told me she was the Ranee of Sarawak & whom I stupidly did not recognise– She is living in England & has been very handsome– As soon as I had passed & made my curtsey I was set with the rest of the ladies of the entrée to sit on the seats opposite the K & Q in the room & from there had a good view of the ceremony. I saw Lady & Miss Borwick whom I had presented, make their obeisances & would then have liked to have retired but I was afraid that in the place I was, just opposite MM. that it was not polite to do so– However at last I was so wearied I could stay no longer & I got away. It was amusing to see the different costumes but I observed how badly the present generation do their curtsey– When we were young we learnt to do it of a dancing master & so went straight down without poking our heads forward or losing our balance. It is different now & the enormous bouquets ladies carry add to the awkwardness—for as they bob down their faces disappear behind their flowers– One disimprovement also is that many trains are made of a soft material & are not lined with silk & so hang badly. When I came out of the presence room I went downstairs & got a cup of soup & so went to my carriage & home about 12 o’cl. | |
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