FESTIVITIES AT HOME.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXIX, Issue 3252, 24 June 1911, Page 7

FESTIVITIES AT HOME.

THE STATE BANQUET. A REPRESENTATIVE ASSEMBLY. [UNITED PRESS ASSOCIATION —COPYRIGET.J LONDON. June- 22. All gentlemen attending the State banquet (were in uniforms, wearing orders and decorations. Various members of the Royal Family were distributed among several parties. Nearly 100 of the principal guests were served from the Sovereign's gold plate, brought under escort from the treasure vaults at "Windsor Castle. Within the annals of the Royal functions there is no record of an assembly so representative of the world's power as last night's State banquet at Buckingham Palace. There were 600 Coronation guests, including the Premiers. SHAKESPEARIAN BALL. FOUR. THOUSAND GUESTS. Their Majesties excused the guesisearly to enable those desiring to attend the Shakespearean ball, where four thousand persons, including the German Crown Prince and Princess Henry of Prussia, the Emperor Francis Joseph's representative, the Duke and Duchess of Connaught and numerous foreign royalties, attended. The programme included quadrilles, wherein notabilities of the Tudor age and characters of most of Shakespeare’s plays were represented. Their Majesties did not attend the ball. THE NATIONS OF THE EMPIRE. BANQUET TO OVERSEA REPRESENTATIVES. LONDON, June 22. The Council of the Festival of Empire banquetted the overseas representatives at Crystal Palace, Lord Desboroucdi presiding. He emphasised the value of the contests in furthering goodwill and friendship between the nations of the Empire. FESTIVAL- OF EMPIRE. The Festival of Empire has booked 3.750,000 visitors for July and August, mainly people from the provinces. Ihf are in addition to the ordinary paying public.