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Show The Dowager Queen Who Is Always in Debt li London, Jan. 24. FOR some time past Queen Alexandra's Alex-andra's financial affairs have been the subject of a good deal of talk among those In her Immediate entourage. Her Dowager Majesty ls perhaps one of tho worst wo menof business who ever had the unfettered control of a considerable consider-able fortune. Her Income from the state is $350,000 per annum and her private fortune in tho way of charges on the estate es-tate of tho lato king and Interest from Invested monlea amounts to about $600,000. This Income, properly managed, would far more than have sufficed to meet tho needs of Her Majesty after King Edward's Ed-ward's doath, and would have been sufficient suf-ficient to havo kept her In tho dignity and state which the widow of the sovereign might havo naturally desired to havo maintained. But her expenditures have been steadily increasing until during the past year, it has exceeed her Income by several tens of thousands. The catering bills and wages at Marl' borough House, which Sir DIghlon Probyn considered should not exceed 5100,000 per annum, last year amounted to $200,000, r. Great Britain IUffbta "Reserved. while Her Majesty's living expenses and the wugeB at Sandrlngham amounted to 400,000; thus in living expenses alone Queen Alexandra last year spent $250,000 more than tho sum which sho receives from the nation, which wn& supposed to cover the cost of her maintenance and tho upkeep of her two eBtabliBhments. Before Queen Alexandra went with her sister to Balmoral she ordered a special through train from London to Ballater, and then almost at the last moment altered the hour she had arranged to leave London at from 2.30 p. m. to 3.45 p. m. The alteration In the special service serv-ice naturally -caused great Inconvenience to the railway company and put an additional ad-ditional $1,500 to the cost of the special, and tho only reason why Her Majesty mado tho alteration in the hour of her departure from London waa in order to allow her time to see some new designs for the -papering of one of the rooms at Marlborough House, which could have easily been sent on to iher at Balmoral. Queen Alexandra's expenditure on gifts to relations ind friends Is lavishly 'ex-travagtfut. 'ex-travagtfut. Her Majesty paid $14,000 for a gold vase which she presented to the Duchess of Fift for a wedding present Her Majesty, when at Bnlmoral, ordered fiHH' a pearl and diamond nocklace as a pres- MbSt ont for the Princess Mary to wear at the jftfilv royal wedding. Four necklaces were sent from London to Balmoral by special mes- HHliBj senger for Her Majesty's approval. One of these was valued at $15,000, and this 'frlgi she would have given to tho Princess, but &.Jj Queon Mary would not allow Her Majesty Si IK) to do so. !' A couple of months ngo Quoen Alex- 2 flJII andra waa forced to face the fact that her fS,' expenditure was exceeding hor Income by a notification from her "bankers that her 21' ill private account was overdrawn by nearly KJ $75,000. To meet her bankers' overdraft, j Queen Alexandra has had to realize some j f 7 of her securities, and at thc urgent solid- 1 tations of King George. Her Majesty ha3 j'S allowed Mr. Leopold de Rothchlld to go Sjfiy into her financial affairs. iil Only laBt week, on the suggestion of fl 1 j the chief groom at the stables at Marl- ft borough House, she allowed an order to 1 , j bo -sent out for three motor luggago j a wagons at a cost of $2,000 per wagon. J ; which will put a commission of at least Mil y750 In tho pockety of the groom, and the Jjlf I wagons, which are 'not required, will prob- p j t ably, never be used. |