SETTING OFF ON THEIR HONEYMOON

Chronicle (Levin), 22 November 1947, Page 5

SETTING OFF ON THEIR HONEYMOON

I.OXDOX, Xov. The Royal couple arrived at Winchester at 5.42 p.m. and at Broadlands at 6.29 p.m. Tlieir departure from London on the honeymoon was a happv event with a5 spontaneous Royal Family party in tlie Buekinghani I'alace quadrangle. As the couple 's landau swpng round behind the first section of the Household Cavalry, the King and Queen and the Royal guests hurried over to the coach and showered Princess Elizabeth and the Duke of Edinburgh with rose petals. The Duke laughingly put up his arm to protect the bride, but the petals covered hoth of them. The King was hareheaded in his naval uniform and the Queen wore a gold dress. A feW minutes before the couple drove out of the Palace gates, mounted police cleared the people off the carriageway of The AIull and formed a solid wall to prevent anyone breaking through. The crowd greeted tlie couple with a tremendous round of cheering when they emerged from the forecourt and drove round the Victoria Alemorial to The Alall. The King and Queen

I aml the guests hurried in the vake of I the cavalry escort and stood. in a group waving goodbye in full view of the crowds outside the gates. They watch ed tlie couple 's carriage until it disap peared in the gathering duslc. The Queen, as she walked back, commented to oue of the guests: " lt has been a wonderful day. Iiow very lucky we j were not to have a f'og. " The evening mist was gathering as the landau carrying the Koyal couple passed down The .Mall in the soft railianee of the lights which had just been switched on. The crowds which had jaiubed all the available space in front of the Palace since early morning cqmincnccd to disperse as the big gate oi the Palace closed. Many nevertheless reniained in the hope that tlieir Majes ties would uppear. Tremendous applause preceiled the carriage through the throng oi' enthusiastic sightseers who were MO deep in Parliament Sipiarc. Many people stood perilou.sl} on tlie parapets of Westminster Bridge. The J'rineess acknowledged the clieers with a wave of her liand and the Duke smiied. Barges on the Thames Kiver smtnded tlieir sirons as the 1am ditu a[)peared on Westminster Bridge Princess Elizabeth held her beret on with oue liand and waved with the other as the breeze blew over the water. The couple gave a special wave to the nurses, medieal students and mcmbers of the staif of St. Thomas's Iiospital who were perched perilously in a bombeii wing of the buihling on the south bank of the Thames. The Princess and the Duke -were seven minutes late when they arrived at Waterloo 8tation, aceompanied by tlieir |>et Corgi dog. Banks of yellow and rose coloured ehrysanthemuins with winte heather for luck were arranged on either side of the trajn eloor at Waterloo. The Koyal couple were seen into the train in two minutes and the stationmaster signalleil the train away with his top hat. The Prim-ess and the Duke waved from the Pullnian windows and the w i \ es of the oliicials, the moment the train left, rushed to piclc up the rose Jea\es as mementoes. Several hundred people lined the Clapham .Junction station platform and cheered Ihe brightly illuiuinated train as it passed through. Xo blinds were drawn. Welcome at Winchester. The Koyal couple stepped from the train which arrived in Winchester at 5.42 011 to a long red carpet at each side of which pedestals held vases of giant ehrysanthemuins and willow palnis. The Mayor of Winchester, Mrs. Doris Cronipton, met the couple who tlien started the 11-mile journey to Komsey in oue of tlie King's privatc cars with a police escort. I'nder a blaze of arc lamps and the clieers of thousands of people who waited in the eity's streets for many hours, the partv passed the city'f

medieval west gate while the cathedral bells rang out. ,The couple waved and smiied to the crowds lining the route. Crowds from all parts of Hampsliire and Dorset during the day converged on Komsey in special coaches and lorries aml lined the roads from Koigsey to the gates of Broadlands. Children. wore coloured hats and. waved fiags as the bridal car passed. ; As the car (frew,- near '"Broadlands, tlie r.rowds broke through ""the police cordon aud were pushed back only with diluculty. Princess Elizabeth seemed a little tired, yet acknowledged tlu plamlits as sweetly as she had greeted thuse outside the Palace this morning The Duke, too, seemed tired, but gave a cheerful acknowledgnient. The niooi emerged from bohinw the low cloud as the gates of Broadlands swung open a the car's approach. The car soon dis appeared into the gloom of the long dnve leading to the house where thiKoyal couple arrived at (3.29 p.m. Elizabeth and Philip juniped fron the car before the ehaui'feur could opei the door, and liand in hand, ran up tlu Jive stejis to the open doors of the syuth wing where they were greetec" with a smiling eourtesy by the butler

says tlie Daily Aly.il 's special correspondent at Iiomseyt As they crossed the threshhokl the Princess squeezed the Duke's hand, saying: "lt has been a wonderful wedding but it is lovely to be here at last." 'l'he Princess insisted on exploring tlieir honeynioon home at once and the butler sliowed them the nine rooms in which they are to live for a fortnight.