Striding heartily through Hyde Park I came across a large crowd and a line of soldiers keeping them back. It transpired that they were waiting for for the calvalcade of the King and the President of France, who was on a state visit to London. I waited for half an hour, partly out of curiosity but mainly because I could not in any case get any further, and was rewarded by the spectacle of King George and President Poincaré passing by in magnificent antique carriages. The crowd welcomed them with cheers while the band thundered out the Marseillaise, breaking into the English National Anthem after three bars.