f the King's death were his successor--George
Frederick Ernest Albert, Prince of Wales; Princess Louise, Duchess of
Fife, who was born in 1867 and married in 1889; Princess Victoria, who
was born in 1868 and was unmarried; Princess Maud, Queen of Norway, who
was born in 1869 and married in 1896 to Charles, then Crown Prince of
Denmark. King Edward's only surviving brother was H. R. H., the Duke of
Connaught, who was born in 1850. His surviving sisters were Princess
Helena, married to Prince Christian of Schleswig-Holstein; Princess
Louise, married to the Duke of Argyll; and Princess Beatrice, widow of
the late Prince Henry of Battenberg.

CHAPTER XXVII.

The Solemn Funeral of the King

The death of King Edward was an event of more than British importance,
of more than Imperial significance. His funeral was a stately, solemn
and splendid ceremony preceded by two weeks of real mourning throughout
his Empire, of obvious and sincere regret throughout the world. In
London and Cape Town, in Melbourne and Toronto, in Wellington and Dawson
City, in Ottawa and Khartoum, in Calcutta and in Cairo; wherever the
British flag flies, efforts were made to mark the funeral as one of
individual and local and national sorrow. All the great cities of the
Empire, the smaller towns, and even the hamlets, had their drapings of
purple and black. In every church and chapel and Sunday meeting-house
during the two weeks of mourning at least one service was given up to
the memory of the late King. In all foreign countries preparations were
made for the formal expression of the general admiration which the
qualities and reign of the dead monarch had aroused. Formal resolutions,
public meetings, the appointment of national representatives to the
coming funeral were world-wide incidents.

At home in London the casket to contain the Royal remains was fashioned
of British oak from the Forest of Windsor and on May 14th, the body of
King Edward was removed from the room in which he died to the Throne
Room of Buckingham Palace, and there placed on a catafalque in front of
a temporary altar where it was guarded night and day by four Royal
Grenadiers. On May 16th, amidst a solemn and imposing but preliminary
pageant the late King was carried from the Palace where he died to
Westminster Hall, where the remains were to lie in solemn state. A
farewell family service had been held by the Bishop of London and then
the body at 11.30 in the morning was