In order to understand what this entails, it must be remembered that the kaiser is not only colonel of some hundred or more German regiments, but also of a very great many foreign corps, belonging to every country in Europe, except Turkey, Bulgaria and France.  Now for each regiment, there are sometimes six, sometimes eight different uniforms—­one each for parade, fatigue duty, court wear, an undress uniform, and others too numerous to mention.

When the emperor travels and is likely to be brought into contact with English princes, with Russians or with Austrians, it is necessary that he should have within his reach, not merely one of his English, Austrian or Russian uniforms, but all of them—­that is to say, thirty or forty at least, in addition to his German uniforms and ordinary clothes.

An immense amount of importance is attached to these sumptuary questions by the reigning families of Europe.  On one occasion an imperial meeting between the kaiser and the late czar was delayed for three whole days, while government stocks all over the world declined in value, and the utmost apprehension prevailed on the score of peace, merely because the prince who held the office of grand-master of the czar’s wardrobe had neglected to bring with him the German uniforms of his master.  It may be added that he lost his office in consequence.

This peculiar form of royal and imperial courtesy, consisting in the sovereign and royal princes of one country donning the uniforms or livery of the foreign monarch whom they wish to compliment, originated with Frederick the Great.  In 1770, he had to pay a visit to the Emperor of Austria at the castle of Neustadt, in Moravia.  Only seven years before, Prussia had been engaged in her great struggle with the empire, and had thoroughly beaten Austria.  Frederick feared that the too familiar blue Prussian uniform might awaken unpleasant memories on the part of the emperor and his court.  So, with the utmost delicacy, he and all his staff appeared at Neustadt in the white Austrian uniforms, an act of courtesy on the part of the victor to the vanquished which was warmly appreciated both by Emperor Joseph and all his Austrian entourage.  The fashion thus inaugurated has remained in existence ever since, being facilitated by the fact that every sovereign in Europe, including even Queen Victoria, the Queen Regent of Spain, and the two Queens of Holland, holds honorary commands in a number of foreign regiments.

During the reign of Old Emperor William, those who did not possess the right to wear any civil or military uniform were permitted to make their appearance at court in ordinary evening dress, which ultimately had the effect of giving a sort of bourgeois flavor to imperial entertainments.  The present kaiser, however, proceeded to change all this before he had been very long on the throne, and having noticed that at the court of his English grandmother, no one is allowed to appear at any of the state entertainments or functions in ordinary evening dress,—­the only exception made being in favor of the United States embassy,—­he inaugurated similar regulations at Berlin.