ven then it was difficult to fill his
many and varied engagements. There were certain public functions such as
the Horse Show at Islington, or the Royal Military Tournament, to which
the Prince and Princess always went when in London. There were a certain
number of state dinners given in place of those which, under other
circumstances, would have been given by the Sovereign. Diplomatic
dinners were also incidents of the season at Marlborough House as well
as dinners which included the Government and Opposition leaders and
great banquets held from time to time in honour of foreign guests of the
nation or Royal relations visiting the country.

The dining-room at Marlborough was handsome but plain, the arrangements
of the table setting an example of simplicity which society, in this
case, did not always follow. The Prince of Wales never concealed his
dislike for the extremely lengthy banquets which were the custom in his
youth and succeeded, so far as private dinner-parties were concerned, in
revolutionizing the system. To the favoured guest Marlborough House was
a scene of historic as well as personal interest. It had been the home
of the great Duke of that name; the residence of Prince Leopold,
intended husband of the lamented Princess Charlotte, and afterwards King
of the Belgians; the dower-house of Queen Adelaide; the choice of the
Prince Consort for his son's London home. The general contents of the
house were worthy of its history. In one room were splendid panels of
Gobelin tapestry presented by Napoleon; in another were the rare and
wonderful treasures of Indian work, in gold, silver, jewelry and
embroidery, brought home from the Royal visit to Hindostan; elsewhere
was a beautiful vase given the Prince by Alexander II. of Russia,
enamelled work from the East, richly ornamented swords, trays of solid
gold, tables full of presentation keys, medals, trowels and memorials of
all kinds.

Socially, the drawing-room was the central feature of interest. Its
general effect has been described[6] as being white and gold and pale
pink, its floor of polished oak with an Axminster carpet in the centre,
and with an appearance of vastness modified by pillars of white and
gold. There were innumerable mirrors and the furniture was upholstered
in deep red, while rare china, flowers, photographs, statuettes, and
small ornaments of gold and silver and enamel were scattered in
profusion upon tables, cabinets and mantels. Here the most