rs it hard for his sorely-stricken parents, his dear young
bride and his fond Grandmother to bow in submission to the
inscrutable decrees of Providence."

Meantime, on June 27th, 1889, the marriage of the Princess Louise had
taken place. Her engagement to the Earl of Fife was somewhat of a
surprise to a social world which does not like to be surprised. Though
the Princess was twenty-two and the groom forty they had known each
other for years and Lord Fife had been a frequent and welcome guest at
Sandringham, while the Prince and Princess of Wales had long been on
terms of intimacy with his parents. His was the only bachelor's house at
which the Princess of Wales had ever been entertained. It could not, of
course, be supposed that this first marriage in his family--the children
of which might be very close to the Throne--was quite as lofty a match
as the Royal father might wish, yet when he found that the matter was
settled so far as the couple were personally concerned, he accepted the
situation and asked the Queen's consent to the engagement. The wedding
was duly celebrated at Buckingham Palace in the presence of the Queen,
the Prince and Princess of Wales and their children, the King of the
Helenes, the Crown Prince of Denmark, and the Grand Duke of Hesse. Lord
Fife, who was personally very wealthy, was created Duke of Fife and
Marquess of Macduff, and his wife shared in the subsequent special grant
given to the Heir Apparent for the proper maintenance of his children.
Afterwards, on the birth of the first child of the Duke and Duchess it
was decided that she should not assume Royal rank but be known by the
courtesy title due to her father's place in the Peerage. This
child--Lady Alexandra Victoria Alberta Edwina Louise Duff--was born on
May 17th, 1891, and on April 3rd, 1893, the Lady Maud Alexandra Victoria
Georgia Bertha Duff was born. Meanwhile an interesting event had
occurred on March 10, 1888, in the celebration of the Silver Wedding of
the Prince and Princess of Wales. Illuminations in London and a ball at
Buckingham Palace marked the event.

Prince George of Wales was now Heir Presumptive to the Throne and upon
him were devolved the more or less arduous duties of that position.
Following his brother's death he gave up active service in the Navy and
on May 24th, 1892, was created Duke of York, Earl of Inverness and Baron
Killarney. The importance of his marriage was now obvious and a year and
a quar