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Saturday, June 29, 2013

Anecdotes II

by David William Wilkin

A mother, I have always understood to love their child, faults and all.

Victoria said of her eldest son, later Edward VII, "Handsome I cannot think him," she sniffed, "with that painfully small and narrow head, those immense features and total want of chin." And we would think that Victoria's education included the knowledge of genetics, or breeding so she had to know that she was half responsible for Edward's looks.

All to do with them if you think that she had a great deal to say about choosing Albert as Edward's father.

Victoria did admit, "He is my caricature."

Edward VII



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When Edward as prince (he was prince for a very long time, like Charles has been prince for a very long time at present) was in Paris, Count Deym told his neighbours that the Prince was much too familiar in Paris with La Goulue, a famous dancer at the Moulin Rouge, and that on a recent occasion, when La Goulue had greeted his appearance with a ringing shout of 'Ullo Wales!', he had merely chuckled and ordered that all the dancers and members of the orchestra should be supplied immediately with champagne.

La Goulue






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The Boer War (2nd war of 1899-1902) caused a great deal of European animosity against Britain. On April 4th 1900, at Gare du Nord, Brussels at 5:30 in the afternoon, Jean Baptiste Sipido, a Belgian youth aged 15 jumped on the footboard of the royal carriage as it steamed out of the station and fired several shots through the open window of the Prince's compartment. One bullet lodged in the back of the seat between Edward and Alix (his wife, The Princess of Wales). The occupants of the carriage remained imperturbably calm, except for Alix's lap dog, which shivered with fright. Edward described his would be assassin as 'un pauvre fou,' and observed how fortunate it was that anarchists were such poor shots: it was almost inconceivable to miss at a range of six feet.

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