In the starchy and very classist colonial atmosphere of British Trinidad there were few social events more envied than to be invited to a ball at the Governor's House. Naturally, of course, this only extended to the best in the land. Initially people of colour were not on the guest list, and this social paradigm remained unchanged well into the 1850s. The upper-crust ladies lived in hope that one day they too would be honoured with an invitation to dine with the governor. In 1847, the hypercritical C W Day was a guest of Lord Harris and had this to say:'The music, though of the humblest character, answered the purpose pretty well; and we had quadrilles, waltzes and the polka again and again renewed. There was a very good show of well-dressed and pretty girls, some of whom, with that intuitive Creole feeling for this amusement, danced very well. I call the feeling intuitive, because some of the very best female dancers in the room had never received a lesson.The majority of the ladies were shopkeepers, and, with two or three exceptions, the most vulgar females present were English. The greater part of the men were gents. The supper was very good; and the night wound up with a most impudent attempt on the part of the rascally mulatto leader, who had been so overpaid, to put an end to the ball at three am by playing the people out with God save the Queen.
The impertinence was, however, overruled by the threat of stopping his pay. The worst feature of this ball was a room devoted to gambling (petit paquet or blind hookey), at which several large sums changed hands, one of the principal winners being a clerk in the office of the Ordnance storekeeper, who afterwards embezzled the public money and absconded. Another guest stole my Maracaibo hat!'Notwithstanding the foibles of the ball day attended, an invitation was considered to be the highest honour.Balls were held quite frequently for many reasons such as Christmas, the Queen's and King's birthday and to honour special dignitaries. This latter took on very special meaning in 1920 when on his way back from Australia aboard the HMS Renown, the Prince of Wales himself made a short visit of a couple days to the colony. He was none other than Edward, son of King George V. King George himself had visited the island in 1880 as a young boy aboard the HMS Bacchante along with his brother Albert. That visit is forever commemorated since the princes planted two poui trees in the yard of St Stephen's Anglican Church in Savanna Grande, and the name of the village was changed to Princes Town.
Prince Edward's impending arrival threw the colony into a frenzy of activity. A committee was hastily assembled by Governor Sir John Chancellor (1916-21) which included the black lawyer Mzumbo Lazare and the Indian mayor of San Fernando C H Gopaul among others. John Chancellor was a singularly impartial man. A gala reception was prepared and invitations issued to the cream of colonial society. Over Marine (now Independence) Square and Frederick Street a huge arch was erected with the word Welcome emblazoned on it. On the momentous day, the Prince was ferried ashore by motor launch and disembarked near the lighthouse on South Quay.
His Highness was greeted by the governor, colonial secretary and inspector general of the Constabulary, G H May. This was one of the first motorcades in local history since the prince would be chauffeured in an open car driven by the deputy inspector general, A S Mavrogordato. Thousands of adoring subjects lined the streets up to the old City Hall on Knox Street where he saluted a guard of honour before proceeding to Governor's House where he charmed all with his fine manners. The feast spread before guests was largely composed of imported viands such as the vast roast of beef and artfully prepared poultry although a few local dishes were served as well.
Though the visit was brief, it left a lasting impression on Trinidadians, even more so when as King Edward VIII they celebrated his coronation and were left in shock upon his abdication shortly thereafter to marry divorcee Wallis Simpson. Ever a people to make light of a serious matter, Trinis took the news in stride. The abdication even spawned a popular calypso by Lord Caresser who sang "Is love, love, love alone, cause King Edward to leave de throne."