Royal
Menus
Menu
Kalte Bouillon in Tassen
Chilled and jellied broth made from vegetables and giblets which is then chopped into cubes and served in high glasses with a dollop of cream
Kalbskeulen mit Gemüse
Roasted leg of veal with roast vegetables
Junge Puten, Früchte – Salat
Roast young turkeys, fruit compotes, salad
Pfirsiche nach Cardinal
Poached peaches with cassis (blackcurrant liqueur)
Butter und Kȁse
Butter and cheese
Obst
Fruit
Menu dated 2nd July 1905
Luncheon for His Imperial and Royal Majesty Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany and Prussia aboard the imperial yacht SMY Hohenzollern (Seiner Majestät Yacht Hohenzollern) while touring off the coast of Travemünde.
On the 2nd July 1905 Kaiser Wilhelm II was aboard his private yacht, the SMY Hohenzollern, off the coast of Travemünde in the Baltic Sea. One day earlier the Kaiser had been anchored in Kiel where he personally raced his schooner, the Meteor, in the annual regatta.
Just as the Emperor had especially designed hunting menus, so too did he have especially designed sailing menus.
This menu features an image of both his personal yacht and the venue for this lunch, the SMY Hohenzollern, and in the background is the Emperor’s personal racing schooner, the Meteor.
The Hohenzollern, built in 1893, was 120 metres long and 14 metres wide. During his reign, Wilhelm II spent a total of four years aboard the yacht which had a crew of 170 men.
The vessel was equipped with an ice-maker and two kitchens – one for the preparation of the personal meals of the imperial family and their guests; and the other for officers and the crew. In the dining room the tables and chairs were made from maple-wood and rose-wood.
At the yacht’s bow was the gold imperial crown and on her stern were the imperial arms of the Hohenzollern family (to which the Kaiser belonged) in black and silver and surrounded by laurels.
The Imperial Yacht, SMY Hohenzollern, on the Kaiser's
visit to Britain in 1908
Kaiser Wilhelm II aboard the SMY Hohenzollern with his daughter Princess Louise of Prussia
The Dining Saloon aboard SMY Hohenzollern
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"There was to be a shooting competition and for that purpose a target was set up on deck. A few small-calibre rifles were brought up and handed out to the Emperor and his guests. Being the petty officer on duty that day I had the task of judging. I stood under cover behind the chart house and rushed out whenever a shot was fired, much the same as the pigeon shooters do at Monte Carlo.
It may have been the hilarity of the night before, or possibly the uneasiness of the “ Hohenzollem ”; the shooting was certainly very indifferent. When the Emperor shot for the first time I could truthfully report a “ nine!” . But His Majesty’s second shot, in spite of my eager search for the damage, could not be found at all, whereupon I called out “ wide!”
High treason! You should have heard the indignation and astonishment. If I had dropped a bomb on deck, I could hardly have caused greater consternation.
“ Rubbish, man!” shouted the Kaiser, apparently unable to believe that he could have missed anything.
With several of his guests, he came up and had a look at the target. But no one could find anything. To give the Kaiser his due he merely laughed, saying : “ So the hole was in the air all right !”
Everybody breathed again. The Kaiser felt in his pockets, took out a taler [a large silver coin with a value of three German Gold Marks], and handed it to me with the remark that next time he would get a "twelve".
"
The Kaiser Entertains His Guests
Aboard the Imperial Yacht
The Kaiser's bodyguard, Gustav Steinhauer, recounted an afternoon aboard
the SMY Hohenzollern when it was cruising off the coast of Norway.