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Archiver > OSTFRIESEN > 2001-01 > 0979828348


From: "GENE JANSSEN" <>
Subject: [OSTF] Kaiser Wilhelm
Date: Thu, 18 Jan 2001 08:32:28 -0600


Since Ostfriesland was a part of the Prussian empire for so long, I thought
the following from Rootsweb was not too far off subject:

Wilhelm II, the last emperor of Germany, was the grandson of
Britain's Queen Victoria. In his autobiography, AUS MEINEM
LEBEN (Verlag K. F. Koehler, Berlin, 1837), written while in
exile in Doorn, the Netherlands, he relates a humorous episode.
I enjoyed it as much for its content as for the fact that it
shows a delightful sense of humor on the part of the Queen, as
well as the Emperor, who told it.

Admiral Foley, the superintendent of the stockyard on the Isle
of Wight, was almost totally deaf. Summoned to lunch with the
Queen, at Osborne, he was obliged to explain how the British
sailing vessel "Eurydice" could have sunk off the coast of
Portsmouth. The Emperor related the following details of the
talks [translation of the Kaiser's quotes are by the writer;
however, the Kaiser rendered the admiral's original
pronouncements in English]:

"Having exhausted this sad topic, my grandmother sought to give
the conversation another direction and thus inquired about the
health of his sister, with whom she was well acquainted. The
hearing-impaired admiral believed Her Majesty's question still
pertained to further work on the vessel and he promptly replied
with a stentorian voice: 'Well, ma'm, I am going to have her
turned over and take a good look at her bottom and have it well
scraped.'"

The imperial author reported the impact this response had upon
the queen as follows: "My grandmother put down knife and fork
and buried her face in her handkerchief, as her entire body
shook with laughter and tears ran down her cheeks. My uncle,
the Duke of Connaught, and the younger members of the family
around the table, forgot all etiquette and burst into ringing
laughter. The dignified servants, being busy with the exchange
of dinner plates, took refuge behind the screen in front of the
sideboard. Surprised, the admiral observed this eruption of
merriment, without at first being able to find an explanation."




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