§ 9. Mr. LANSBURYasked the Home Secretary whether Prince Carol of Rumania and the lady accompanying him, and the staff of attendants who landed with him on his recent arrival in this country, were all provided with Rumanian passports, and did the passports receive a visa of the British Consul in Paris, or other official representing this country abroad; and will he also state what is the usual procedure in relation to passports which is followed in the case of Royalties visiting this country?
§ Sir W. JOYNSON-HICKSThe members of this party carried Rumanian passports, duly vised by a British representative abroad. Three French servants who carried French passports did not require visas. I understand that members of 390 foreign Royal families visiting this country are usually provided with diplomatic passports.
§ Mr. LANSBURYSo Prince Carol and his party received no advantage over anyone else?
§ Sir W. JOYNSON-HICKSNone whatever, except—I do not want to mislead the House—that Prince Carol had what is called a diplomatic passport. That, however, is not issued by us, but by the Rumanian Government.
§ Lieut.-Commander KENWORTHY(by Private Notice) asked the Home Secretary whether he can make any further statement on the circumstances of Prince Carol of Rumania's visit to this country, and his request to Prince Carol to leave?
§ Sir W. JOYNSON-HICKSEx-Prince Carol arrived in this country on 28th April, and, as there was no reason to believe that the mere fact of his presence here would be undesirable, he received in the ordinary course leave to land for a temporary visit of two months. Since his arrival events have occurred which made it necessary for me to ask him to curtail his visit and to leave the country as soon as possible. I received yesterday from M. Jonescu a communication expressing, on behalf of his guest, regret that the ex-Prince had unintentionally caused embarrassment to His Majesty's Government, and assurances that, if my request were withdrawn, he would not exercise any political activities during his stay here. I have carefully considered these representations, in consultation with ray right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, but have reluctantly felt compelled to reply to the effect that the unfortunate impression which has already been created cannot be removed by any assurances for the future, and that, while I am prepared, on the clear understanding that the ex-Prince and those directly associated with him refrain scrupulously in the meantime from any form of political activity, to allow him a reasonable time to make his arrangements for leaving the country, I regretted that the directions already issued could not be withdrawn.
§ Lieut.-Commander KENWORTHYMay I ask what the right hon. Gentleman means by "ex-Prince"? Is he aware that he referred to this Prince two or three days ago as a gentleman, which 391 is quite incorrect, and what is an ex-prince?
§ Mr. SPEAKERThat is not a proper question.
§ Mr. STEPHENMay I ask what the right hon. Gentleman considers a reasonable time, and whether he would have given the same time to a Bolshevist in the same position?
§ Sir W. JOYNSON-HICKSIn reply to the last supplementary question, perhaps the hon. Member is net aware how very kindly I am to people who are obliged to leave this country for our good. I always give them sufficient time to make their arrangements for getting away. I do not want to fix a time, but I hope that the gentleman in question will have gone by Monday.
§ Sir R. THOMASIs the right hon. Gentleman aware that a great many Scotsmen have left their country for their country's good?
§ Mr. GEOFFREY PETODo the Socialist party wish to entertain Prince Carol at lunch in this House before he leaves?
§ Lieut.-Commander KENWORTHYOn a point of personal explanation, may I say that, when I asked the Home Secretary about his description of Prince Carol as a gentleman, it was not in any way in disparagement of the Prince at all, but I thought that the Home Secretary was not giving him his proper title, and I wanted to know why he should not call a prince a prince, and not a gentleman.
§ Mr. SPEAKERThe hon. and gallant Member appears to mix in circles which I do not quite understand.