“We _débutantes_ passed through the bottom of the long hall—up the corridor at the side, where I saw our Ambassador (the only man in plain clothes), where our trains were let down by someone belonging to the Lord Chamberlain’s Office, before re-entering the ballroom; he seemed to be quite accustomed to that sort of thing, and spread them out most neatly over the highly polished floor. I was feeling all in a flutter when an official asked me for my card, which had somehow got mixed up with my handkerchief and my bouquet; but I managed to extricate it for him, and he roared my name out very loudly as I entered the Royal Presence. I felt I should like to catch hold of His Majesty’s hand as I made my curtsey, but I pulled myself together and just had time to realise what a nice kind face the King had, and how pleasantly he smiled, before walking a couple of steps further and repeating my low obeisance to that beautiful and lovely woman Queen Alexandra. “Oh dear, how I wished I could stop and look at her for five minutes instead of making my oft-rehearsed curtsey and getting out of the way in five seconds. She looked perfectly charming, and it seemed quite impossible to believe that those were her daughters beside her. She did not seem to be any older than I am myself; her auburn hair she wears in a fringe almost down to her eyebrows, and it is all very neat and tight and well arranged. On her head she wore a little crown of diamonds, encircled by a larger tiara. It was not a great big crown, such as the peeresses are going to wear at the Coronation in a few days’ time, but just a dear little shining circlet looking eminently regal. Somebody said she was not going to wear the crown that all the Queen Consorts have worn at former coronations, but is having one made all for herself, and the Koh-i-noor, the famous diamond, is to be mounted in it. The late Queen had this famous diamond cut and wore it as a brooch. So, although it is only half its original size, it is much more beautiful and valuable now. The Queen was dressed in white satin with golden fleurs-de-lis embroidered all over it. Her train was of gold, lined with Royal crimson velvet, and in the procession it was carried by two pages. “What masses of jewels she wore. Round her neck she seemed to have about a dozen necklaces of pearls and diamonds; great long strings of pearls reaching down to her waist. They all suited her, and she has the most delightful figure and most winning smile of anyone I ever saw—in fact, it was worth while coming all the way from America just to look at England’s Queen.