Wednesday, September 14, 2011

Duke of Cornwall may attend McKinley's funeral

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 September 14, 1901

King Edward VII is considering "the advisability of the Duke and Duchess of Cornwall and York attending the funeral of President McKinley," reports the New York Times.  The British Foreign Office also "heartily endorses the suggestion," which would be subject to the "approval of the United States Cabinet."

There are no definite plans, however, for British representation, as the "date of the ceremony and the lack of knowledge of the attitude of President Roosevelt and others" have prevented "anything definite being decided upon at present."

If the Duke and Duchess of Cornwall are advised to attend the funeral, the "Canadians would doubtless gladly put up with the disarrangement of their programme consequent upon such a momentous diversion of the royal tour."

At present time, there is "great uncertainty" about how Great Britain will honor the dead American president.  The Foreign Secretary the Marquis of Lansdowne is in a "sequestered sport in Ireland," King Edward is in Denmark, and members of the Cabinet "being scattered over the United Kingdom.

A British newspaper, the Sunday Special wrote:  "In view of the deep concern the King has manifested from the moment the President was shot, there can be no doubt that the attendance of the Duke and Duchess of Cornwall would be received with warm gratitude by the United States; and, despite questions of etiquette, the King may well feel that such an opportunity of strengthening the good relations of the two great English-speaking peoples should not lightly be put aside."

[American President William McKinley was the victim of an assassin, Leon Czolgosz, who shot at the president when he toured the Temple of Music at the 1901 Pan-American Exposition in Buffalo, New York on September 7.    A week later,  on September 14, at 2:15 in the morning, President McKinley succumbed to his wounds.    Vice President Theodore Roosevelt was sworn in as President of the United States of America. 

Czolgosz, the son of Polish immigrants, was a self-described anarchist and was influenced by Emma Goldman, an avowed anarchist.  He was executed on October 29, 1901. ]

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