Monarchy New Zealand
The Journal of The Monarchist League of New Zealand Incorporated
ISSN 1174-8435
Volume 6 Issue 4 November 2001
The Monarchist League of New Zealand, Inc.
Patron: Capt Hon Sir Peter Tapsell, KNZM MBE MBChB FRCSEd FRCS RNZN(hon)
The Secretary, 1/39A Clonbern Road, Remuera,
Auckland 1005, New Zealand
Council:
Chairman: Noel Cox, Esq., LLM(Hons) PhD CertTertTchg HonCIL FCIL FFASL FBS
Vice-Chairman: Merv Tilsley, Esq.
Secretary: Chris Barradale, Esq.
Treasurer: Stephen Brewster, Esq., MBA BCA CA
Councillors:
Nicholas Albrecht, Esq., MA(Hons)
Roger Barnes, Esq., FHSNZ
John Cox, Esq., LLB MNZTA
Neville Johnson, Esq.
Ian Madden, Esq., MA LLB FSA(Scot)
Robert Mann, Esq., MSc PhD
Professor Peter Spiller, BA LLB PhD LLM MPhil PhD
League Officers:
Legal Adviser:
Noel Cox, Esq., LLM(Hons) PhD CertTertTchg HonCIL FCIL FFASL FBS
Librarian and Archivist: Noel Cox, Esq., LLM(Hons) PhD CertTertTchg HonCIL FCIL FFASL FBS
Provincial Representative, Wellington: Mathew Norman, Esq.
Provincial Representative, Southland: Carl Heenan, Esq.
Editor, Monarchy New Zealand: Noel Cox, Esq., LLM(Hons) PhD CertTertTchg HonCIL FCIL FFASL FBS
Assistant Editor and Advertising Manager, Monarchy New Zealand: John Cox, Esq., LLB MNZTA
Webmaster: Noel Cox, Esq., LLM(Hons) PhD CertTertTchg HonCIL FCIL FFASL FBS
Monarchy New Zealand is published by The Monarchist League of New Zealand Inc. Opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect the policy of The Monarchist League of New Zealand. Correspondence should be addressed to the Editor, Monarchy New Zealand, 123 Stanley Road, Glenfield, Auckland 1310, New Zealand. Tel: +64 9 444-7687; Fax: +64 9 444-7397; E-mail: [email protected]
Editorial
Members of the Monarchist League of New Zealand will have been disappointed that Mr Dave Guerin of the Republican Movement should have taken the postponement of the October Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, and the royal visit to New Zealand, as an opportunity to make a personal attack upon the character of Her Majesty The Queen.
The Commonwealth Secretary-General Rt Hon Don McKinnon said that he had been in consultation with Commonwealth leaders regarding the feasibility of proceeding with the meeting as scheduled. The decision to postpone the conference resulted from the likely absence of a significant number of leaders, due to security concerns stemming from recent events in the United States of America.
The Queen was to tour New Zealand after the meeting. Buckingham Palace had considered the possibility of going ahead with the visits to New Zealand and Australia, even without the Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting. However, both Prime Ministers advised Her Majesty against this, promising a rescheduled visit next year, when it is expected that the Brisbane CHOGM will now be held.
The postponement of the royal visit cannot be taken to imply any lack of leadership skills on the part of the Queen, nor of any indifference of New Zealanders to a royal visit, as Mr Guerin claims. The Queen is said to be keenly disappointed that the visit has had to be postponed. It is simply a consequence of global security problems, something from which New Zealand cannot be isolated. For Mr Guerin to use the aftermath of the tragic events in America to promote the increasingly marginalised cause of republicanism is ill-judged.
Dr Noel Cox
News in Brief
Privy Council abolition
The Government of New Zealand may perhaps be legally entitled to disregard the widespread opposition to the proposed abolition of appeals to the Privy Council voiced by the legal profession, Maori groups, and the business community, amongst others. But it is inappropriate for the Prime Minister to repeatedly and openly link this move with her support for New Zealand becoming a republic at some indeterminate time in the future.
The Prime Minister has said that it is "absolutely given" that appeals will end. This may be so, if only because the present Government is determined that however strong and compelling the opposition arguments are, the Privy Council will go. No decision on a replacement has yet been made, and this is apparently the only issue to be referred to an advisory committee. Given that there has been a decided lack on agreement on abolition, let alone a replacement court structure, it remains to be seen whether this will be viable.
Only an Act of Parliament can end the right of appeals to the Privy Council. Margaret Wilson, who with Helen Clark's backing is driving the abolition move, will have to persuade Parliament to enact the legislation. Unfortunately, it is likely that they will have sufficient numbers, unless there is a revolt from Maori MPs. This is a possibility that cannot be discounted.
Whether one opposes or supports the abolition of the Privy Council- and the Monarchist League has supported the status quo because the primary motivation for the current move for abolition has been the republican sympathies of certain Ministers- the Privy Council and the monarchy should be treated as distinct issues.
It is also wrong for the Prime Minister to state, as she has been quoted as saying, that abolition "is as inevitable as the fact that New Zealand will one day become a republic". There is nothing inevitable about New Zealand becoming a republic, and simply repeating this assertion is dismissive of public opinion, which shows clear support for the monarchy.
The abolition of appeals to the Privy Council is of major constitutional importance. Although it is largely a technical question, upon which the position held by the Government may or may not be justified, it affects more than just the few barristers and litigants whose cases are appealed.
Royal visit postponed
The Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) scheduled to take place in Brisbane, Australia, from the 6th to the 9th October 2001 has been postponed, and with it the planned royal visit to New Zealand and Australia.
Commonwealth Secretary-General the Rt Hon Don McKinnon said on the 28th September that he had been in consultation with leaders across the Commonwealth. The decision to postpone the summit was taken because of the likely absence of a significant number of leaders, due to the unforeseen security circumstances.
"It is with a huge feeling of disappointment that I announce this decision, a feeling that I know will be shared right across the Commonwealth and beyond," Mr McKinnon said. "CHOGM has been deferred purely for practical reasons. In these uncertain times it is easy to understand the desire of political leaders to be with their own people, in their own countries."
"Prime Minister Howard has told me that the Government of Australia is keen to host this meeting in Brisbane early next year and will be consulting Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, Head of the Commonwealth, in relation to the exact timing. Naturally, I will also consult with other Commonwealth leaders,"
Shortly afterwards the office of the Prime Minister of New Zealand, the Rt Hon Helen Clark, issued the following press release:
Prime Minister Helen Clark confirmed today that the meeting of Commonwealth Heads of Government (CHOGM) to be held in Brisbane from 6 to 9 October has been postponed because many Commonwealth leaders are unable to attend.
"The Queen was to tour New Zealand after her visit to Australia. The timing of the Royal Tour was organised in conjunction with the meeting of CHOGM. On this basis I am advising the Palace that the New Zealand Government is happy to reschedule the Queen's tour here for a future date."
"The postponement of CHOGM is disappointing for the Australian hosts and Commonwealth members. Considerable effort over many months has gone into organising what promised to be a productive meeting, with big issues to discuss."
"The terrorist attacks in the US, however, mean that many leaders have pressing problems to address at this time, on both the international and domestic fronts. Almost every nation has stood up to be counted in the international effort against terrorism, and nations are assessing the impact of recent events on their own economies and societies."
"I understand that discussions are currently underway on whether the CHOGM meeting and the Royal tour can be rescheduled for early next year," Helen Clark said.
The timing of the royal visit is dependent upon that of the CHOGM. Holding both in the early months of 2002 will mean that the time of the royal visit is more appropriate from the perspective of celebrating the Golden Jubilee, which falls on 6th February.
Buckingham Palace had considered the possibility of going ahead with the visits to New Zealand and Australia, even without the Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting, but both host Prime Ministers advised her to stay in the United Kingdom, in anticipation of a rescheduled visit next year.
Royal Diary
Further steps in royal education
HRH Princess Eugenie of York started school at St George's School, Ascot, near Windsor in September, following in the footsteps of her sister Princess Beatrice.
The younger daughter of the Duke and Duchess of York, and youngest grandchild of Her Majesty The Queen, Eugenie was to have attended Aiglon College, Switzerland, but was withdrawn after the school was subject to adverse publicity.
St George's School is a small school opened in 1923, and set in 30 acres of grounds. Some 96% of its pupils go on to higher education.
Princess Eugenie of York, who is sixth in line to the throne, is eleven years old.
In the same month as Princess Eugenie was starting a new school, her cousin Prince William of Wales joined the University of St Andrews as an undergraduate student. His Royal Highness will be studying the History of Art.
The publicity surrounding his attendance has led to a significant increase in enrolments at the small Scottish university, which celebrated its five hundredth anniversary several years ago.
League News
Request for footage
The Documentaries Department of the BBC in London is currently working on a special hour-long documentary for BBC1 in time for the Queen's golden jubilee celebrations in 2002. In it they will focus entirely on the special connection between the Queen and her public, both in the United Kingdom and across the world.
They are hoping to feature a great deal of original archive material of the Queen in the programme and are particularly keen to use images filmed by the public themselves. Such images, they feel, will help us to understand the unique relationship between the Queen and her people.
The BBC are keen to know whether any of our members have any footage which features the Queen. From 1950's cine-film to modern day home movie tapes, this footage might be scenes from a grand royal ceremony or images of Her Majesty visiting a town, greeting crowds or simply touring a workplace. They are also looking for any dramatic still photographs which really capture the Queen's personality.
In addition to finding unique images, they would also like to hear from people who have personal recollections of meeting the Queen in person. Perhaps some members have vivid memories of meeting the Queen during a public or private engagement and would be willing to share their memories of the occasion with the BBC.
If you are in a position to help please contact the Chairman.
Donations
The League has received many donations from members keen to see the Monarchist League mark the forthcoming Golden Jubilee in an appropriate manner. The money received will be used to commission a boxed and illustrated loyal address to Her Majesty.
The design and wording of this item, which will be presented to Her Majesty or an appropriate representative, will aim to reflect the continued loyalty of New Zealanders to Her Majesty's throne and person, in a contemporary setting. Details will be given in the next issue of Monarchy New Zealand.
Also to mark the forthcoming Golden Jubilee, the British Royal Mint £5 Jubilee coin was unveiled 12th September. It will be available from January 2002 in 22-carat gold and sterling silver.
The Monarchist League will be holding a number of events next year to mark the Jubilee. Members willing to become involved in planning events at a local level are invited to contact the Secretary. Members should also contact their local council to check on activities planned for their own areas.
Overseas News
We're all off to see the Queen
Michael Durham enjoys the pomp and circumstance of an investiture at Buckingham Palace
The taxi swings past the inquisitive mortals and through the gates. You know you have arrived when you see men in breastplates and plumed helmets, holding swords. There are officials in high-camp crimson coats and Ruritanian uniforms. Just inside the door the State Porters tap their staffs on the ground. Gentlemen ushers are ushering and there are squadrons of ladies in extraordinary hats.
It is investiture season and one of the best costume dramas in the land is playing, for a limited season only, at Buckingham Palace. Once a week, the Palace puts on a show for the benefit of the 2,000-odd commoners who have won awards, together with their admiring families.
You know when someone is arriving for an investiture because their car, even if it is a battered old Fiesta, is carrying a large sticker with a letter of the alphabet on the windscreen. They will probably have been driving uncertainly round the Victoria one-way system for some time waiting for the gates to open.
Once in the most exclusive free car park in London, inside the great court of Buckingham Palace, you have entered a world of consummate theatricality where you are expected to play your part with exquisite perfection and timing.
My father, bless him, had won his MBE after half a lifetime's service to his Somerset village, keeping the footpaths open, chairing the parish council, running the retired professional persons' luncheon club and rescuing the village hall.
It was his big day. The last time Her Majesty had anything to do with her subjects in Chew Magna was in 1953 when she planted the Coronation Tree on the green.
So there we were at the Palace. We were directed to a side door, where a rotund young gentleman-in-waiting took charge of my father, who was in a wheelchair. While he was borne skywards in the Royal Lift, the rest of us - each award winner may take three guests, and about 600 people attend each investiture - trooped round to the main entrance to rubberneck at the Grand Hall. This, if you are the Queen, is what you step into when you go through your front door.
Normally you would pay £10 for a ticket in the summer holidays to see beyond the immense red-carpeted foyer. Not this time. We went up the Grand Staircase, through a picture gallery and into the Ballroom. A military band was playing martial music and excerpts from The Teddy Bears' Picnic. We sat in rows and waited.
This is your opportunity to look around. Forget the glamorous decor - you will want to look at the other people and their hats. Several have been designed to block the view of the five rows behind. And you wait. As Stirling Moss and the 1966 football squad discovered, you wait for the Queen (in their case 34 years) to come to you. You have time to notice the children stuffed into miniature three-piece suits (one nine-year-old was daringly tie-less).
For the recipients, the process started with a letter from a chap in Downing Street: "The Prime Minister has asked me to inform you, in strict confidence, that he has it in mind, on the occasion of . . . " and so on.
After you have accepted, told no one but your best friend, who tells everyone else, and seen your name published in The Times, another letter arrives. This one is from a chap at St James's Palace who has been commanded to write to you. This one includes a Royal Car Park Label, a Royal Expenses Claim Form, details of the investiture and precise details about what to wear.
The writer is also commanded to include an order form for the Commemorative Video which includes footage of the recipient approaching the royal presence, the handshake and the little backward walk. The video costs £137.90 and the letter is precise about how to pay by credit card.
By now we have been waiting for 15 minutes. All of a sudden a man - Gentleman Usher of the Stern Visage? - delivers a little homily into the microphone. Her Majesty will be arriving at 11am on the dot, when we will all be upstanding, and then down-sitting when she kindly gives the nod. There is to be no talking and definitely no "clapping or applause".
And we wait. There is a burst of martial music and five gentlemen in full Beefeater chic march down the hall, dragging their halberds. In fact they are Yeomen of the Guard, but, as the palace handbook concedes, the uniforms are "similar". They assemble themselves on stage. Then they wait, too, standing for the next 90 minutes.
Now the stage fills with functionaries. The Gentleman Usher of the Stern Visage acts like a human gatepost to show the award-winners the way out after they have had a stab at walking backwards from the Queen. He scrutinises us with a disdainful air.
Then the Queen arrives. We all stand up. It is useful exercise, too, after all that sitting down. She is two minutes late.
Then - because you are at the back and Her Majesty is rather small - you settle to a long period of not seeing the Queen handing out gongs and ribbons to a procession of people who enter from the left, shake the royal glove, exit right and then reappear in the audience, beaming.
If you are in the one-and-ninepennies, you can just about see the top of the Queen's head. For my money, the most interesting actor was the Equerry in Waiting just to the Queen's right, behind the royal shoulder. His job was to lean forward between each gong-disposal and "remind the Queen of each recipient as he or she approaches", while the Lord Chamberlain (for it is he) bellows the official version into a microphone.
You wonder what Equerry in Waiting says. "Ma'am, this is the chap who saved ten children from a house fire in Suffolk" or "Ma'am, remember that tedious old trotter who brought you in the post for 40 years? This is him."
Suddenly it is all over, everyone streams out (a lot quicker than they came in) and spills into the courtyard.
There is a click-fest of snapping as everybody photographs everybody else. Worthies in kilts and uniforms and morning coats line up to have their pictures taken by the official photographer, happily parting with £90-odd for that special souvenir.
The Beefeaters clamber into a horse-drawn covered wagon to be taken back to chez Beefeater. The cars disperse.
It is not something you will want to forget, because most people only get invited once. But the video is in the post.
© The Times
Diana memorial site selected
On 8th September the site for a memorial fountain to Diana Princess of Wales was announced. It will be built on the site of a disused Pump House on the banks of the Serpentine, in London's Hyde Park.
The design has yet to be finalised, and will be subject to a competition.
Royal Biography
Princess Margaret
In the first of a series of articles on members of the royal family we look at Princess Margaret, daughter of King George VI and the Queen Mother, and only sister of The Queen.
HRH The Princess Margaret Rose was born at Glamis Castle, on the 21st August 1930, the second child of the Duke and Duchess of York (later HM King George VI and HM Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother). She was the first royal baby so close to the succession to be born in Scotland since Charles I in 1600.
Princess Margaret was educated at home with her sister, now HM The Queen, mainly by Marion Crawford and other royal governesses.
Princess Margaret spent the war years living at Windsor Castle. She began to carry out public engagements when still very young. In 1947 she accompanied the King and Queen and Princess Elizabeth on a tour of South Africa, and has since represented The Queen on many important occasions around the world.
On 6th May 1960 Princess Margaret married Antony Charles Robert Armstrong-Jones, who was later created Earl of Snowdon. Snowdon, who was born 7th March 1930, the son of Major Ronald Owen Lloyd Armstrong-Jones, MBE QC DL, of Plas Dinas, Caernarvonshire, and of Anne (now Countess of Rosse), daughter of Lt-Col Leonard Messel OBE. They were divorced on 24th May 1978, and Lord Snowdon has since remarried.
Princess Margaret's children are the Honourable David Albert Charles Armstrong-Jones, known as Viscount Linley, born 3rd November 1961, and Lady Sarah Frances Elizabeth Chatto (neé Armstrong-Jones), born 1st May 1964.
Viscount Linley married 8th October 1993 at St Margaret's, Westminster, the Honourable Serena Stanhope, daughter of Hon Charles Henry Leicester Stanhope, commonly called Viscount Petersham, eldest son and heir to the 11th Earl of Harrington, and Virginia Freeman-Jackson. David Linley is Chairman of David Linley Co Ltd, and David Linley Furniture Ltd.
Lady Sarah Armstrong-Jones married 14th July 1994 at St Stephen Walbrook, City of London, Daniel Chatto, son of the late Thomas (Tom) Chatto, actor, and of Mrs Thomas Chatto (Rosalind), theatrical agent. They have one son, Samuel David Benedict Chatto, born 28th July 1996.
As wife to Antony Armstrong-Jones, Princess Margaret was known as Countess of Snowdon, a title which she retains. She was made a Companion of the Imperial Order of the Crown of India (CI) in 1947, and Dame Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order (GCVO) in the 1953 Coronation Honours List.
She is also a Dame Grand Cross of the Order of St John of Jerusalem (GCStJ). In 1990 she became the first member of the present Royal Family other the Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother to hold the Royal Victorian Chain.
Princess Margaret has been much concerned with children's welfare, youth activities, the cure of the sick, and with nursing organisations. She has been President of the Girl Guides since 1965, and Chairman of Council of the Girl Guides Association. She is also Grand President of the St John Ambulance Association and Brigade.
She is Patron of Barnado's, having handed over the Presidency, which she held from 1944, to Diana Princess of Wales in 1984. She is also President of the Victoria League. Princess Margaret was Chief Ranger, British Commonwealth 1953-65.
The Countess of Snowdon was formerly Colonel-in-Chief, the Royal New Zealand Infantry Corps, and of The Northland Regiment, until the reorganisation of the infantry corps in 1964.
As Special Representative of Her Majesty The Queen, Princess Margaret was present at the Independence Celebrations of Jamaica 1962, Dominica 1978, Tuvalu 1978, Antigua and Barbuda 1981, and St Christopher and Nevis 1981.
The RNZAF and the Monarchy
The Crown has always maintained a close relationship with the armed forces, which are raised in the Queen's name. The Sovereign is head of the armed services. The Governor-General is styled Commander-in-Chief in and over New Zealand, although no specific duties attach to the latter office that do not belong to the office as representative of the Queen.
Successive Governors-General have attested to the quite special relationship which has traditionally existed between the office of Governor-General and the armed services. On formal and informal occasions when visiting military installations, they have been accorded respect and support as Her Majesty's representative.
Whilst always acting upon ministerial advise in respect of the armed forces, the relatively close personal relationship fostered between the armed forces and the Governor-General serves as a reminder that the armed forces, like the Crown, are above party politics.
The RNZAF, in common with the other services, has always been eager to preserve the symbolic role of the Crown as non-political head of the armed forces.
The Sovereign and members of the Royal Family are traditionally given various air force appointments and ranks. Her Majesty The Queen is Air Commodore-in-Chief New Zealand Territorial Air Force.
His Royal Highness the Duke of Edinburgh is the first ever Marshal of the Royal New Zealand Air Force.
His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales holds the appointment of Air Commodore in Chief of the Royal New Zealand Air Force. He had received flying lessons from 1968, and served in the Royal Air Force during 1971, retiring with the rank of flight lieutenant.
In October 1975 he took instruction on the Andovers of The Queen's Flight, and from then until 1994 regularly took the controls of aircraft in the Flight when carrying out official visits.
He is no longer current on any aircraft type, since this requires regular flights or the passing of simulator tests every six months.
Prince Charles is also an Air Vice Marshal in the Royal Air Force.
His Royal Highness the Duke of York does not hold any air force appointments, although he had flown helicopters in the Fleet Air Arm from 1981 until his recent retirement. Other members of the Royal Family hold appointments in the royal air forces.
Her Royal Highness Alice Duchess of Gloucester is an Air Chief Marshal of the Royal Air Force, and Air Chief Commandant, Women, Royal Air Force. She was formerly Air Chief Commandant, Women's Royal Air Force, and before that Air Chief Commandant, Women's Auxiliary Air Force, a post to which she was appointed in 1941.
His Royal Highness the Duke of Gloucester is an Air Marshal in the Royal Air Force.
His Royal Highness the Duke of Kent is an Air Chief Marshal in the Royal Air Force. His father died in an air crash in 1942 while serving as an Air Commodore on the staff of the Inspector-General of the RAF.
Her Royal Highness Princess Alexandra is Air Chief Commandant and Patron, Princess Mary's Royal Air Force Nursing Service.
Royal Poetry
We return to the English Civil War for the next work of poetry. During 1646-47 King Charles I was negotiating with the Scottish authorities the terms for their support for his restoration to power. However in early 1647 Commissioners arrived from Parliament in London. The Scottish authorities came to terms with Parliament instead of finalising their contract with the King. Charles was surrendered to Parliament's representatives and conveyed to Holmby House, Northamptonshire on 16th February 1647, and remained thereafter a prisoner.
The anonymous Cavalier ballad Hold out, brave Charles, and thou shaft win the field, also known as Upon His Majesty's Coming To Holmby, marks the occasion. Despite the change in the King's fortunes Royalists had not lost hope. We can remember and reflect upon the dedication of the royalist camp in its time of greatest adversity.
HOLD OUT BRAVE CHARLES, AND THOU SHALT WIN THE FIELD
Hold out, brave Charles, and thou shalt win the field;
Thou canst not lose thyself, unless thou yield
On such conditions as will force thy hand
To give away thy sceptre, crown, and land.
And what is worse, to hazard by thy fall,
To lose a greater crown, more worth than all.
Thy poor distressed Cavaliers rejoyced
To hear thy royal resolution voiced,
And are content far more poor to be
Than yet they are, so it reflects from thee.
Thou art our sovereign still, in spite of hate;
Our zeal is to thy person, not thy State.
We are not so ambitious to desire
Our drooping fortunes to be mounted higher,
And thou so great a monarch, to our grief,
Must sue unto thy subjects for relief:
And when they sit and long debate about it,
Must either stay their time, or go without it.
No, sacred prince, thy friends esteem thee more
In thy distresses than ere they did before;
And though their wings be clip't, their wishes fly
To heaven by millions, for a fresh supply.
That as thy cause was so betray'd by Men,
It may by angels be restored agen.
Parliamentary Prayer
The following is the New Zealand Parliamentary Prayer, read by the Speaker of the House of Representatives at the opening of each day's proceedings:
Almighty God, humbly acknowledging our need for your guidance in all things, and laying aside all private and personal interests, we beseech Thee to grant that we may conduct the affairs of this House and our country to the glory of Thy holy name, the maintenance of true religion and justice, the honour of The Queen, and the public welfare, peace, and tranquillity of New Zealand, through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.
The original prayer, which appears below, was introduced in 1853. It was still being used in its original state as late as the 1950s.
The first reading of the prayer was by the Revd JF Lloyd, at the invitation of Sir Charles Clifford, who was at the time the newly elected Speaker of the House.
The interesting details of how Parliament came to get its first prayer is told in the account of Sir Charles Clifford's life in the Dictionary of National Biography, edited by a former Parliamentary Librarian, Dr G Scholefield.
The prayer is as follows:-
Almighty God: We, thine unworthy servants, do most humbly beseech Thee to grant that we, having Thy fear always before our eyes, and laying aside all private interests, prejudices and partial affections, the result of all our counsels may be to the glory of Thy name, the maintenance of true religion and justice, the honour of The Queen and the public wealth, peace and tranquillity of the Dominion, through Jesus Christ our Lord.
[He inoi whakatuhera i nga hui o te whare paremata
E te Atua Kaha Rawa, e whakaae nei matou mau anake matou e arataki i roto i nga mwa katoa, a whakawateatia ake ana e matou o matou ake hiahia. E inoi atu matou kia tukua mai e koe kia tika ta matou whakahaere i nga mea katoa mo tenei whare me to matou whenua, hei whakakororia i tou Ingoa Tapu, hei whakau i te whakapono tika, i te tokeke, hei whakamanawa i te Kuini, hei whakapumau i te ora o te iwi, i te maungarongo me te tau o te rangimarie ki runga o Aotearoa, ko Ihu Karaiti nei hoki to matou Ariki Amine]
Royal visits
Duke of Gloucester, 1934-35
His Royal Highness Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester, the third son of King George V, visited New Zealand in 1934-35.
The prince was born 31st March 1900 at York Cottage, Sandringham. In 1910 he was the first son of a Sovereign to be sent to school, and he was to be educated at St Peter's Court Preparatory School, Broadstairs, Kent, and Eton College. Like members of the royal family before and since he combined royal duties with a conventional career, serving in the army from 1918 to 1937, principally in the 10th Hussars. Depression era economies saw him placed, along with many fellow-officers, on half-pay 1930-31. The Duke of Gloucester, as he was known after 1928, was promoted brevet major (paid the salary of a captain) in 1935.
In the late 1920s and into the 1930's the Duke was sent by his royal father on a number of royal visits abroad.
He arrived in New Zealand in December 1934, and left in January 1935. Whilst in this country the prince enjoyed fishing and riding, climbing mountains, swimming and hiking. Prince Henry visit the Bay of Islands, Waitangi, and Rotorua. There were the usual civic receptions and garden parties.
The visit of the Duke of Gloucester to New Zealand was altogether less public than the earlier visits of his elder brothers, the Prince of Wales, and the Duke of York.
Shortly after his return to the United Kingdom the prince married Lady Alice Montagu-Douglas-Scott, daughter of the Duke of Buccleuch. The Scotts, whose principal title dates from 1663, are border chiefs. The Montagu family trace their descent from King Charles II and Lucy Walters.
During the war the Duke served initially as Chief Liaison Officer to the British Field Force in France, and later was sent on various inspection missions. He became a General in 1944, and effectively ended his army career when he accepted the appointment of Governor-General of Australia in 1945. He became a Field Marshal in 1955.
The Duke of Gloucester died 10th June 1974 at Barnwell Manor, having survived his eldest son, Prince William of Gloucester, by two years. He was succeeded by his second son, Richard, now Duke of Gloucester.
Royal Residences past and present
Highgrove House
Situated near Tetbury, Gloucestershire, Highgrove is the private country home of the Prince of Wales, for whom it was purchased in 1980 by the Duchy of Cornwall. The Duchy also manages the estate surrounding the house.
Built in 1796-8 by John Paul Paul (a Hugenout), it belonged to his descendants until 1860. It was restored in 1894 after a fire. The house has four reception rooms, nine main bedrooms, a nursery wing and staff quarters.
The house was redecorated by Dudley Poplak, the interior decorator who also worked on the Prince and Princess of Wales's apartment at Kensington Palace, and the royal couple moved into Highgrove in the autumn of 1981. In 1988 the plain exterior of the house was embellished with new balustrade, pediment, and column of classical pilasters to the Prince of Wales's own design. A new single-storey staff annexe was also added.
A keen gardener, the Prince of Wales has devoted much time to planning and designing the gardens. He has created a wild garden, a formal garden and a walled kitchen garden. He has also planted a large number of trees in the grounds.
The Highgrove Estate consists of parkland fringed by woods surrounding Highgrove House, a number of farm buildings and around 900 acres of land farmed by the Duchy of Cornwall- the Home Farm. The beef herd based at Highgrove includes pedigree Aberdeen-Angus females and yearlings, Angus bulls and Angus cross Friesian cows. Sharing the permanent pasture with the beef herd is the flock of Masham and Mule sheep.
In 1985 the decision was taken to introduce chemical-free farming on three blocks of land as part of a general move to what has been called biologically sustainable farming linked to conservation. The step to full organic status on the whole estate was completed in 1996.
Frogmore House
Standing in Frogmore Gardens, about a kilometre south of Windsor Castle in Windsor Home Park, the original house was built in 1680-4 by Charles II's architect Hugh May for his nephew Thomas May. The name derives from the preponderance of frogs which have always lived in this low-lying and marshy area.
In 1792 Queen Charlotte, wanting a country retreat for herself and her unmarried daughters, purchased the lease. James Wyatt was employed to enlarge and modernise the house. On her death in 1818, Frogmore House passed to her eldest unmarried daughter, Princess Augusta. After the Princess's death in 1840 Queen Victoria gave it to her mother the Duchess of Kent. The Duchess died there in 1861.
The house was home 1866-73 to Princess Helena, third daughter of Queen Victoria, and her husband Prince Christian of Schleswig-Holstein. Since then the Royal Family have used the home intermittently. In 1900 the future Earl Mountbatten of Burma was born there. From 1902 to 1910 King George V and Queen Mary were frequent residents. From 1925 until her death in 1953 Queen Mary collected and arranged in the house souvenirs of the Royal Family, making it a sort of private museum.
During the 1980's the house underwent extensive restoration. In 1988 it was planned that the newly married Duke and Duchess of York would move into Frogmore House, but they decided against doing so. The house was opened to the public in 1990. It is open in the second week in August to the end of September each year.
Frogmore House has 18 bedrooms, and a number of rooms retain eighteenth and nineteenth century decoration. These include the Duchess of Kent's sitting room, Mary Moser's Room, Cross Gallery, and a dining room by Wyatt.
In the 33 acre gardens, which are open when the house is, are a Green Pavilion, a nearby Gothic Temple, and a Tea House.