*THE SECRETARY OF STATE FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS (The Marquess of LANSDOWNE)My Lords, I do not think that I shall misinterpret your Lordships' wishes if in a very few words I give expression to the deep regret with which I believe this House has heard of the death of His Royal Highness the Duke of Cambridge. We in this country are fortunate in 1371 that we have in our midst a Royal Family, the members of which make it constantly clear to us by their conduct that it is their desire to avail themselves of every opportunity of taking a useful and honourable part in our public life. Their opportunities are not infrequently restricted. It happens often that a Royal Prince, from the mere fact that be is a Royal Prince, finds that the accident of his birth is an obstacle and a hindrance rather than an assistance to him in realising his natural aspirations. In this respect the Duke of Cambridge was exceptionally fortunate. His opportunity came to him, and he turned it most successfully to account. He chose the profession of a soldier, and for fifty-eight years he followed that profession. He held many prominent appointments; he saw service in the field; but the most remarkable feature in his military career is that for almost forty years he filled the high and distinguished office of Commander-in-Chief of the Army. That office has now ceased to exist, but I venture to say that when we refer to it, and look back to it, we shall invariably connect it with the long and honourable tenure of His late Royal Highness.
My Lords, during those forty years, as His Royal Highness pointed out when in 1895 he took leave of the Army, many great, and important changes took place. I will not upon this occasion enumerate them, or recapitulate the history of the British Army during the time in which it was under His Royal Highness's command. Two great measures, at any rate, took effect while he held that position—I mean the abolition of purchase and the introduction of short service, changes which have been the bedrock of all subsequent reforms and which, in my opinion, are the bedrock even of those now in progress. But it would be the merest affectation to describe the late Duke of Cambridge as having been a great Army reformer. His best friends would not claim for him that that was his merit, and I do not think that he himself would have put forward any such claim. His bent of mind was eminently conservative. He was content to leave it to others to propose and initiate changes; he regarded it rather as his business to 1372 be the watchful guardian of the interests of the Army and to criticise and, if possible, improve any measures which were presented to him for his consideration
My Lords, I think there are two observations which may be made in regard to the conduct of His Royal Highness. In the first place, his criticism was that of a man who knew and understood the Army as probably no other living soldier did. He was able to fortell how any change would be regarded by every one serving the Crown in the military profession, from the general at one end of the Scale to the last-joined recruit at the other. The other observation I will make of him is this, that if His Royal Highness, as undoubtedly was sometimes the case, accepted changes which he would not himself have proposed, or which may, in some instances, have been distasteful to him, he accepted them after they had once been thoroughly discussed with absolute loyalty, and he was glad to put his great knowledge and experience at the service of those whose business it was to carry those great changes into effect. And so it came to pass that the Duke of Cambridge earned the confidence and goodwill of many successive Secretaries of State and many successive generations of British soldiers.
In this House His Royal Highness not infrequently took part in our debates, particularly if the subject under discussion was one concerning the affairs of the Army. His speech was, as one might expect from a soldier, simple, and altogether devoid of studied effect, but he spoke to the point with sincerity, and with thorough knowledge of the subject.
Outside this House the Duke of Cambridge associated himself with all useful and beneficent movements. I suppose no man ever worked harder in that direction than did His late Royal Highness. No charitable enterprise appealed to him for assistance in vain; and if it wore one which was in any way connected with the Army, or with the wives and families and dependents of those who were serving in the Army, it commanded a double measure of his goodwill and encouragement. The life which is now ended was a long life, 1373 a useful life, and, if popularity and the knowledge that one's efforts are appreciated be a source of happiness, I take leave to say, a happy life also. He has passed away, leaving, I believe, no single enemy in this world, but a host of friends endeared to him by the kindliness and geniality of his disposition; and if he was generally respected, he was certainly not least respected in this House, of which he was for so many years a conspicuous and distinguished Member. I am told that it would not be usual, or in accordance with precedent, that we should move any formal Resolution of I condolence with those who are mourning his death; but I do believe that it would be the desire of your Lordships, even in some less formal manner, to signify your deep sympathy with His Majesty the King, and with those who are mourning the loss which has fallen upon the Royal Family and the country.
§ LORD TWEEDMOUTHMy Lords, my noble friends Lord Spencer and Lord Ripon are away from this House to-day, so it has fallen to me quite unexpectedly to echo the graceful and eloquent words which have fallen from the noble Marquess. If I fail to give expression to what is the feeling of all the Members of your Lordships.' House who sit on this side, it will not be from any want of appreciation of His late Royal Highness, but from the fact that I have not had the opportunity of thinking over my remarks. My Lords, I cannot, of course, speak, like the noble Marquess, with full knowledge of the illustrious Duke's services as Commander-in-Chief of His Majesty's Army; but this I know—that when he laid down that honourable and distinguished position he laid it down with a recognition of his good service from the whole Army, and commanding the affection and regard of the officers and of all who had been brought into contact with him. I think, too, every one of us has the feeling that with His Royal Highness's death a notable link with the past has been severed. I think I am right in supposing that His Royal Highness was absolutely the last male member of his generation of the House of Hanover to survive. That family has had a great share in the history of this country for the last century and a 1374 half, and the death of the last male survivor of its past generation brings home to us very strongly the changes which have taken place. I believe that many instances will occur to the minds of your Lordships of kindness and good fellowship shown by His Royal Highness both as a public man and as a private friend. I think the quality in his character which most came home to me, with my small knowledge of His Royal Highness, was his absolute determination never to give in. It seemed to me that he certainly possessed in a high degree that quality of which we, as a nation, are so proud—that we never know when we are beaten. Only last year, when he took the chair at a dinner in commemoration of the golden wedding of my noble friend Lord Cork, in the speech which he made on that occasion he said that, so long as he could struggle to the fore he would always make his public appearance, and especially when it was to give gratification or do a service to a friend. Those, I think, are high qualities. I think you will agree with me that His Royal Highness well lived up to the traditions of the family to which he belonged, and that we all to-day most sincerely mourn his death and are most anxious to fully express our sorrow for it to His Majesty and the Royal Family.