Thursday, August 12, 2010

King Edward meets Franz Joseph

August 12, 1908

The New Times reports today that King Edward VII arrived at Ischl, Austria, this morning from Kronberg to meet with Emperor Franz Joseph. The Austrian emperor welcome the British king at the railroad station "with full military honors." This is the first time Franz Joseph has greeted a fellow sovereign in such a "ceremonious manner."
The King and the Emperor drove from the railroad station to the Hotel Elisabeth, where thirty rooms had been reserved for Edward and his suite. The two monarchs spent about an hour talking before Franz Joseph left.
Not long afterward, King Edward visited the imperial villa at Ischl "for the purpose of tendering his formal congratulations" on the occasion of Franz Joseph's Jubilee. The two monarchs dined together for lunch, and were joined by a number of Archdukes and Archduchesses and several diplomats.
This afternoon, Franz Joseph, accompanied by King Edward, took his first ride ever in a motor car for a tour of the Ischl area. On returning to the villa, Franz Joseph "expressed his delight at the novel experience."

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