On our first visit to England after our marriage, the Rajah was anxious to pay homage to Her Majesty, which was only an ordinary act of courtesy on his part, considering his position as ruler in a portion of the Malayan Archipelago. When he requested leave to attend one of Her Majesty’s levees as Rajah of Sarawak, the answer given by the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs was somewhat disconcerting, in view of Sarawak having been recognized as an independent State. The Rajah was informed that Her Majesty’s Government did not see their way to present him to the Queen as Rajah of Sarawak, but that he could attend a levee in the private capacity of an English gentleman, simply as “Mr. Brooke.” The difficulties of the position were obvious, when one remembers that the Rajah was governing Sarawak for the benefit of his people, the British Government having recognized the country over which he ruled. Owing to the exigencies of his Government, the Rajah had to employ Englishmen to assist him in his work; these gentlemen, being nominated by him and paid out of the Sarawak treasury, owed no allegiance to the Foreign or Colonial Offices at home. To ensure success in the Rajah’s endeavours, these English gentlemen were bound to honour and obey him, and to acknowledge him as their chief, yet here was the British Government absolutely refusing to recognize the Rajah of Sarawak in England as ruler of his own country! After much correspondence and several interviews with the heads of the different departments in power, the Rajah, a most loyal servant of Her Majesty’s, obtained what the Government called the favour of being presented to Her Majesty as Mr. Brooke. The officials insisted that _Rajah of Sarawak_ should be placed in brackets, as though in apology for the Rajah’s position! [Illustration: TUAN MUDA OF SARAWAK] [Illustration: H.H. THE RAJAH MUDA OF SARAWAK] [Illustration: TUAN BUNGSU OF SARAWAK WITH HIS LITTLE SON, JIMMIE BROOKE] Very few people even nowadays understand the position of the Brookes in Sarawak, and it is difficult to drive into their heads that the Rajah’s wish to be recognized as Rajah of Sarawak had nothing to do with his own personality. No one can gainsay the fact that nothing is so dangerous to the prosperity of a country as the anomalous position of its ruler and its Government. Although I had nothing to do with the politics of my adopted country, I shared in my husband’s wishes that the position of Sarawak might be protected, and its ruler’s position acknowledged by the Queen, in order to give additional security and stability to its Government and its people. However, in spite of the scant personal recognition shown for many years to the Rajah by the British Government, the country managed to flourish--an obvious testimony to his single-minded and statesmanlike methods.