The William F. Cody Archive: Documenting the life and times of Buffalo Bill

Buffalo Bill's Royal Patrons.

I inquired about the Prince of Wales and the queen, and how they happened to take so cordially to the Wild West. Said Cody: "The prince is a very democratic sort of man. The first time he spoke to me he called me Bill, and asked me if I had ever held four kings before. I told him I had often held four kings, but this time I had the Prince of Wales, and that made the royal flush. His wife, if possible, is more democratic than he is. She is a remarkably good woman, and perfectly unaffected."

She expressed a great desire to ride in the stage coach. It was impromptu, and we tried in vain to get the Indians to understand that they must not get too close with the coach to fire. They got an idea that somebody important was inside, and that therefore they must fire a little worse than ordinarily. We went through a good deal of trouble here for fear somebody or other might get hurt through the flashing of powder or wads or something. The Princess of Wales [1] got out with a face perfectly white, and she said with her broken accent: "Now I am sure I have been to war! I have been under fire, I know!"

Colonel Cody said that the queen was a very motherly, domestic sort of woman, whose inquiries were almost entirely addressed to the health of the people in the show. She wanted to know how the Indians got along; if they had any disease, and were comfortable. "She seemed to me," said Cody, "to be a philanthropic, kindly woman."—"Gath" in Cincinnati Enquirer. [2]