one year to a month after the royal marriage spain’s happiness and satisfaction in the new queen were made complete by the birth of an heir to the throne. the official title of the newcomer, as heir apparent, is prince of asturias, and as such he is always spoken of, but in addition, he has a string of names almost as long as his royal father’s string of polo ponies. he is now three years of age and accomplished in many things, but he cannot yet repeat his full name! indeed, it seems probable that he will be considerably older before he can memorise them all in proper sequence. fancy this wee boy learning to write: alfonso pius christian edward francis william charles henry eugene ferdinand anthony venancio, prince of asturias, heir to the thrones of spain, castile, leon, aragon, the two sicillies, jerusalem, navarre, granada, toledo, valencia, galicia, majolica, minorca, seville, sardinia, cordova, corsica, murcie, jean, algarne, algeciras, gibraltar, the canary islands, the oriental and occidental indies; archdukedom of austria, dukedoms of burgundy, brabant and milan; count of hapsburg, flanders, the tyrol and barcelona; seigneur of biscay and molina!{76} this is official. doubters may turn to the almanach de gotha, page 34, and read in verification.
the joy not only of the royal family but of the whole spanish people may be conceived at the birth of this child, for this is the first son born to a reigning king in spain in four generations.
with these numerous names and appendages it is not surprising to find queen victoria’s first born ushered into the world with considerable ceremony.
in olden days changeling children were sometimes foisted upon a nation, and in certain historical instances such imposed children have succeeded to thrones and held sway while the camarilla which perpetrated the trick have fattened and grown rich. to thwart these daring humbugs laws were enacted in many countries to the effect that the birth of a royal child, especially an heir, must be in the presence of a certain number of responsible dignitaries of the court. spain still technically holds that the prime minister must be present, and according to tradition all of the ministers, grandees and foreign ambassadors and ministers present in the city shall be summoned to the palace. the king then marches through the room into which these numerous privileged ones have been gathered bearing the royal child on a silver salver.
the exuberant happiness of king alfonso may be surmised from the report of all present on the memorable occasion that as the proud father passed through the chamber, his face transformed into{77} one great smile, he could only say: “he weighs four kilos! he weighs four kilos!”
one week later the baby prince was baptised in the chapel of the royal palace, the bishop of toledo, primate of spain, officiating. be it said that his serene highness was quite on his dignity on this his first public appearance. only once did he jeopardise the quiet of the solemn occasion and that at the font when he made known his presence by one long, loud baby shriek—which afforded as much amusement to his father the king, as it did embarrassment to the most reverend prelate.
this ceremony was in ample keeping with all the traditions of this most ceremonious of courts. vienna and st. petersburg alone of all the capitals of europe are more punctilious than madrid in the observance of traditional functions. for madrid and the spanish court be it said, however, that these ceremonies are observed in an amiable and happy fashion which is possible only in a country where grace and charm and warmth of nature are characteristic of the temper and temperament of the people.
on this occasion the chapel in the royal palace in madrid was occupied to its utmost capacity, chiefly by the grandees of spain, visiting royalties, and the ambassadors and ministers of foreign countries.
the wonderful tapestries which are one of the proudest art possessions of spain and which are only displayed on very special occasions were{78} brought out to line the walls, while the halberdier guards who lined the aisles added colour to the setting. the ladies present all wore mantillas while the men were in full uniform or evening dress. the christening procession was one of glittering and imposing magnificence.
first came the mace-bearers followed by the ushers in double file, then two long lines of chamberlains in gold-laced coats and white silk stockings, after them the grandees of spain in their striking military uniforms and feathered cocked hats. then came seven specially picked grandees carrying seven salvers on which were such requisites for the holy ceremony as a salt-cellar, a gold basin and ewer, a cut lemon, a lace towel, a cape, and a large cake. behind this party came the royal prince himself, ensconced in rare and beautiful laces. his fair little uncovered head and tiny face, and his clenched fists were the admiration of all beholders. he was in the arms of the marquesa de los llanos, who is the chief of his retinue, and on one side walked the papal nuncio, who is the representative of his holiness, the pope, as godfather, and on the other was the queen-mother, as the godmother. the king strode behind. the infantes and infantas followed, with their suites. the infanta maria teresa, sister of the king, and her husband, infante fernando, being only convalescent from measles, were unable to be present. don carlos, the widowed husband of the king’s late sister, the infanta mercedes, led little prince
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the prince of asturias.
{79}
alfonso, who was known as the heir to the throne until the birth of his little cousin.
the little sister of the ex-heir was led by the hand by the infanta isabel, at whose side walked princess henry of battenberg, beautifully robed in grey velvet and ermine. prince arthur of connaught, with captain wyndham and the princes from russia and germany, and other royal representatives, all had their places in the procession. china was also represented. the personal staff of the king was conspicuous, and the halberdier band of music marshalled the glittering throng to the chapel.
the altar was decorated with white flowers. the historic font in which the members of the royal family have for centuries been baptised was in the centre of the chapel.
thirty-six bishops and four cardinals officiated. the royal child was carried in the arms of his grandmother, the dowager queen maria cristina. the water sprinkled on his brow was from the river jordan. the christening ceremony over, the king decorated his infant son with the order of the golden fleece, the order of isabella the catholic, and the collar of charles iii. all the ladies of the court were in full dress.
the little prince thrived as a baby, and he was a sturdy chap of almost three when i went to spain to write this story. in madrid, i found him already a feature of the capital. each day, when it was nearing the time for him and his little brother{80} and sister (who have since arrived) to go for their afternoon drive, a great crowd would collect before the palace gates to catch a fleeting glimpse of him who will (d. v.) one day reign over them.
on his first birthday, the prince of asturias was formally enrolled as a member of one of the crack royal regiments in his father’s kingdom. the regimental register for that day describes the new recruit as “resident in the province of madrid: age one year; and a bachelor!” it was the day before his third birthday that i first saw him. he had profited by his military connection during these two years, for he had learned to salute as properly as any soldier, to wear a uniform, and to play with soldier toys. incidentally, he was still a bachelor.
this early martial association is a custom common to kings and princes. not infrequently, heirs apparent are made honorary commanders of regiments before they reach the age of five, and all through boyhood a military uniform is the favourite costume of many of them. king alfonso nearly always wore a military uniform during his childhood and youth—but don alfonso has never been other than a king. a nation was already his at birth, an army, a navy and more palaces than he could ever know what to do with.
from the day the prince of asturias became a member of his regiment, a bed was set aside and will always be reserved for him in the regimental barracks, and the regulation plate, mug and spoon{81} of his equipment kept ready for his use. an incident of that memorable first birthday of the little prince which must have bored the young man intensely was the reading to him of the penal laws in order that thereafter he might not be able to justify any infraction of discipline by maintaining his ignorance of these laws. the papers which he was obliged to sign were marked with an “x” signifying “the prince of asturias, his mark.”
one day, when i was in the palace in madrid, the little prince was discovered in one of the chambers of the private apartments, playing with the sword of one of his father’s aides. my companion looked at the little fellow and the sword which was bigger than he, and said: “what does your royal highness propose to do with that sword?” the prince paused in his play and after a moment’s hesitation replied: “have no fear, no harm shall come to you!”
that afternoon, his royal highness (as he is addressed at court) went riding. his horseback lessons began when he was a little more than two and one-half years old. if he does not prove the best horseman in his kingdom, as is his father to-day, it will not be for lack of early training.
the crown prince has one remarkable faculty which is already phenomenally developed, and which is bound to prove of enormous value to him in the future. that is an exceptional memory for faces—and names. he knows perfectly well every face about the palace, and certain members of the{82} court whom he sees but seldom he remembers as readily as those he sees every day. for many of the intimates of the household he has his favourite nicknames, usually established by his royal highness when the proper names are too long or too difficult for his baby mouth. the royal governess is the marquesa maria de salamanca. this is rather sonorous for the prince so he always calls her “mia-manca,” a natural contraction of the two names. this trait is one that was very pronounced in his father when he was a child. many anecdotes are still current of the embarrassment the baby king alfonso would frequently cause his nurses and governesses and even his mother, the queen regent maria cristina, by the curious and quaint names he would dub various courtiers and grandees who were frequently staid and dignified old gentlemen.
there is something unmistakably regal in the manner and bearing of the prince of asturias. he seems to have a full realisation of who he is, and of his own importance. this spirit is naturally fostered by his environment. officers and soldiers everywhere salute him, while courtiers and populace uncover when he approaches. being the recipient of universal obeisance almost from his cradle accustoms him to continual homage and he comes to expect it from everyone.
the coachman corral who drives the big mules to the nursery coach is a prime favourite with the princes. one day, just as they were about to go{83} for their afternoon drive the prince of asturias went to the king and asked for a cigar. the king was greatly surprised at the request, coming from the prince who was then not much over two, but he gave the young man a cigar and watched with much curiosity what he would do with it. the cigar was carefully carried throughout the drive and on the return to the palace the prince handed it to the coachman. since then he frequently brings a cigar with him for the coachman, but if for any reason he becomes displeased with the coachman over something during the drive he carries it back upstairs for another day when the coachman is better behaved!
the prince of asturias has his mother’s fondness for sweet chocolate, and her majesty keeps a supply always at hand to reward the princes for good behaviour, and every day after luncheon they each get a piece anyway.
the queen was taken ill during the week that the king was in london attending the funeral of king edward. the prince of asturias seemed considerably worried when he learned that his mother would not be down for luncheon. the queen mother, maria cristina, who lives in the royal palace, noticed the anxious look on the face of her grandson and inquired what was the trouble.
“i am thinking,” he replied, “that if mother is ill and father is in london—who will give us chocolate to-day after lunch?”
one afternoon the prince of asturias was{84} naughty. in the casa de campo he had been very cross, and had been reprimanded. that night at supper-time when the dessert was placed before him he said: “to-day i was naughty. i do not deserve these sweets. dessert is not for naughty children. but before i was naughty; now i am good. now i deserve my sweets, so i shall take this dessert.”
this self-depreciation as well as appreciation is one of his characteristics. he is as quick to admit his own disapproval of himself, as he is to insist on approval at other times.
one day when his majesty was going to a pigeon shoot just outside of madrid he took the prince of asturias along in the automobile. the little prince was greatly pleased at this and very proud. during the next several days he went about the palace telling everybody how pleased he had been with the excursion.
travelling also delights the little man. he has from his earliest months been interested in railroad trains and the journeys to seville in the winter time, to la granja in the spring, and to san sebastian in the summer are great treats to the nursery.
when the prince of asturias was about a year old the royal family moved to la granja. one afternoon the queen was walking in the gardens with one of her ladies-in-waiting when it occurred to her that she would like to go outside of the palace grounds for a stroll down one of the country{85} lanes. so without any other escort than her one lady companion she started out. presently they met an old peasant woman trudging toward them carrying a basket. as she came nearer she recognised the queen and moved toward her. the lady-in-waiting, not understanding the motive of the peasant woman, quickly stepped in between her and the queen, but the queen at once said, “no—let her speak. she has something she wants to say to me.” the woman then told the queen that in the basket she carried a litter of baby rabbits and they were so pretty and cunning that she thought the little prince would like them—and would her majesty not send them to the prince. the queen peeped into the basket and was so delighted with the wee warm bunnies that she told the woman to bring them herself to the prince, and to the astonishment of the lady-in-waiting and the unbounded joy of the peasant woman the queen led the way back to the palace and up to the nursery where the prince duly received the bunnies and was highly pleased with them.
at another time, in seville, a litter of rabbits was presented to the prince of asturias. this time the rabbits were bigger and lively. someone left the cover off the basket and the rabbits all jumped out and ran off through the palace, affording the prince much amusement, but creating no end of trouble for the nurses who had to catch them.
