visits by Leoncavallo, Mascagni (1893), and Puccini (1894). He took his company to Windsor Castle in 1892, 1893 and 1894 to give Command Performances for Queen Victoria and her family and court. In 1895 Harris ("always adept in handling divas" in Wearing's words) persuaded Adelina Patti to return to the stage for a final series of performances. At Drury Lane, Harris continued to devise elaborate spectacle and effects for his melodramas: in A Life of Pleasure (1893) there was a representation of the promenade at the Empire music hall, and in Cheer Boys, Cheer (1895) the sinking of HMS Birkenhead was spectacularly portrayed. He continued to stage the annual pantomimes, which he wrote in collaboration with Harry Nicholls and others. They ran from Christmas to Easter. An example from the 1890s is Little Bo-Peep, Little Red Riding Hood and Hop o' my Thumb (1892) with Marie Loftus, Marie Lloyd and Little Tich in the title roles, Dan Leno and Herbert Campbell as Mr and Mrs Thumb, and Arthur Williams as the Dame, heading a cast of more than 40. The reviewer in the theatrical paper The Era remarked that every year people felt that Harris had "reached the limit of splendour and ingenuity", and were proved wrong the following year. In his late thirties Harris began participating in civic affairs, becoming a member of the London County Council in 1890, representing the Strand division. He was appointed a sheriff of the City of London in 1890, and was knighted in 1891 in recognition of his contribution to the state visit to Britain of the German Emperor. He was also prominent in Freemasonry, hosting a lodge at Drury Lane, participating in the Savage Club Lodge, and becoming Grand Treasurer of the Grand Lodge of England, under the Prince of Wales as Grand Master. The reviewer in The Era who praised the 1892 pantomime commented on the astonishing pressures on Harris:Sir Henry Wood recalled Harris in action: Harris's health gave way under his enormous workload. In June 1896 he went to the seaside resort of Folkestone for leisure and rest, but developed what at first seemed to be a chill; he was found to be suffering from diabetes. Over a week his condition deteriorated and he died at the Royal Pavilion Hotel on 22 June 1896 at the age of 44. His funeral, on 27 June at Brompton Cemetery, was attended by