Wales & Patrick

Edward of Wales last week left London with high-heralded "secrecy" to visit the poor of his father's Kingdom. Previous royal visits to Britain's blighted areas have been enthusiastically praised by the Press on the theory that something important might come of them. Nothing did. Last week's excursion was hailed more temperately. H. R. H. gazed at wretched mining villages in the Newcastle region, deserted shipyards along the Tyne. He had the following thoughts to express at an unemployment centre in South Shields:

"Let me wish you the best of luck, my sympathy is with you all. I sincerely hope the employment that used to be here will come back and hard times will not continue very much longer."

If it did nothing else the trip gave life-long thrills to two small boys at a nursery school near Gateshead. Edward of Wales had no sooner entered than a violent three-year-old pattered forward babbling: "I've got a fine new tie."

"Splendid," said H. R. H., "so have I."

The three-year-old promptly hauled it out of the royal waistcoat, inspected it solemnly. Stepping backward H. R. H. trod on the foot of an urchin named Patrick.

"I'm so sorry, Patrick," said he, "now you can tread on mine."

Patrick did.

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