The Henson Journals

[43]

Passion Sunday, April 2nd, 1922.

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I went to S. George's Chapel at 8.30 a.m., and received the Holy Communion. The service was held in the nave, as the eastern portions of the Chapel are being restored. I returned to the Castle, and breakfasted with the household pleasantly enough, though my essays in finding my room were unfortunate. However my admirable guide appeared, & brought me to harbour!

At 11 a.m. the service in the private chapel began, and lasted an hour. It was a shortened and adapted Mattins; the Dean read the service, and I preached, read the 2nd Lesson, and gave the Benediction. Their Majesties & Princes Albert and Henry were in the gallery: the Household occupied the floor. My text was chosen, & my discourse framed, for Passion Sunday. The text was Galatians. VI.14, "But far be it from me to glory, save in the Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world hath been crucified unto Me, and I unto the world." Everybody seemed very attentive: but perhaps the audacity of challenging their attention to so extreme a paradox as that implicit in preaching the Gospel of the Crucifixion in the Chapel of Windsor Castle weighed on them, as it did on me. Not that I really think the paradox is less tolerable there than it is everywhere else in modern Christendom.

[44] [symbol]

I lunched with the Household. As I was being led through the gallery, I fell in with the Queen who was accompanied by some children. She introduced me to a slim lad, Prince Nicholas of Roumania. At lunch I had some talk with Sir Edward Wallington, who told me that L.G. was solely responsible for the total abstinence 'stunt' during the War. The Queen had protested to Asquith, who disclaimed all responsibility.

After lunch I walked for an hour and a half with Sir Ed: Wallington, and talked politics. He spent many years in Australia as an official, and has formed no very sanguine estimate of the future of that colony. We discussed the future of the monarchy, and agreed that the outlook is dark. L.G. acted without authority when he published the King's congratulatory letter on the Irish Treaty, and H.M. was extremely annoyed. Of course L.G. placed the blame on his officials! After returning to the Castle, I walked to Eton, and had tea with the Alingtons.

The weather was brilliant: as I walked from Eton to the Castle, its vast extent and great beauty were apparent. Last night it was wonderful in the morning light, and this afternoon I renewed the impression. I do not wonder that the foreign visitors are greatly impressed by the splendour of Windsor Castle. Is there anything equal to it elsewhere?

[45] [symbol]

At dinner I found myself again placed beside the Queen, who was very friendly, and said Goodbye to me very nicely when she departed. The King monopolised me all the evening, and himself did the talking. He is very full of the Labour question, and declaimed against Sir Allan Smith as a Scotch lawyer, not at all qualified to represent the employers in this great engineering strike. It appears that L.G. has arranged some kind of Government interference. I said very emphatically that I hoped his Majesty wd not be drawn into the conflict. He replied that he wd do nothing apart from his advisers: to which I rejoined that he must be sure that his advisers were not covering their own failures with his name. The King has certainly acquired a considerable amount of information on economic questions, but I doubt whether he has any real mastery of the whole subject, or anything worth calling convictions on it. The young princes, Albert & Henry, talked for a while after their Majesties had retired. They are attractive lads, but not strong either physically or mentally. Prince Henry walked the length of the gallery with me before turning in. I like them both, but, perhaps, Henry more than his brother. But what an unreal world they live in, and how difficult must be for them the way of simplicity and manliness!

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