In the name of the Queen and the other members of my family, on behalf
of the Princess and for myself, I thank you most sincerely for your
enthusiastic reception of this toast, proposed by you, my Lord Mayor, in
such kind and generous terms. Your feeling allusion to our recent long
absence from our happy family circle gives expression to that sympathy
which has been so universally extended to my dear parents, whether in
times of joy or sorrow, by the people of this country, and upon which my
dear mother felt she could ever reckon from the first days of her life
here amongst them. As to ourselves, we are deeply sensible of the great
honor done us on this occasion, and our hearts are moved by the splendid
reception which to-day has been accorded us by the authorities and
inhabitants of the City of London. And I desire to take this opportunity
to express our deepest gratitude for the sympathetic interest with which
our journey was followed by our fellow countrymen at home, and for the
warm welcome with which we were greeted on our return. You were good
enough, my Lord Mayor, to refer to his Majesty having marked our
home-coming by creating me Prince of Wales. I only hope that I may be
worthy to hold that ancient and historic title, which was borne by my
dear father for upward of fifty-nine years.

My Lord Mayor, you have attributed to us more credit than I think we
deserve. For I feel that the debt of gratitude is not the nation's to
us, but ours to the King and Government for having made it possible for
us to carry out, with every consideration for our comfort and
convenience, a voyage unique in its character, rich in the experience
gained and in memories of warm and affectionate greetings from the many
races of his Majesty's subjects in his great dominions beyond the seas.
And here in the capital of our great Empire I would repeat how