MOST IMPORTANT GIRL IN WORLD

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 71, 10 April 1937, Page 11

MOST IMPORTANT GIRL IN WORLD

PRINCESS ELIZABETH Has Two Immediate Ambitions

J^OW THAT HER PARENTS are King and Queen of England, Princess Elizabetb has become tb© "most important little giri in tbe world." Tliere is something which quickens tbe Englisb imagination in tbe prospect of serving a Queen, and something more tban quickening in tbe prospect of serving another Elizabetb. Eor tbe first Elizabetb was tbe creator of tbe Elizabetban Age in which England rose from a poor, barassed, hopelessly divided small nation into "the greatest power on earth, writes Clair Prive. In the little daugbter of George VI tbere may ultimately be another reigning Queen with this famous name. It is this, as well as tbe attractiveness of childhood, wbich has won all bearts to the little Princess. What London sees, as tbe present-day Princess Elizabetb's long bJack car glides past, is a little girl with golden curJs and tlio higb spirits of childhood iu ber blue eyes. Perbapa iu the firnmess of ber lips and cbin there is just a suggestion of a cbaracter wbicb will one day develop qualities akin to tbose of Queen. Mary wbom sbe is said to resemble. Her possible future as a reigning Queen has made ber schooling a matter of bigh importance. Its general lines were laid down during King -George's life-tirae, for the possibility of her becoming important to tbe succession was foresee years ago and bas dominated all ber training. Altliough sbe is only ten sbe is already learning the most important lesson — service. Tbe Duhe and Hucbess of York taugbt her as a tiny girl the motto, "Duty first, self second," and every day she learne some new aspect of servic© which must be her rule of life. She is taught that bowever tired sbe may be, she must

never appear tired; tbat bowever dull she may find people, she must never show it. At the same time she is taught to take crowds and tbeir cbeering in a simple and natural manner, to be neither frightened into shyness nor spoiled by tbe attention she receives. Despite the maids and footmen wbo are always at hand, sbe is taught to do things for kerself, to put away her books after each lesson and to keep lier nursery .tidy. Princess Elizabetb breakfasts in ber nursei-y, and ab 9.30 ber governess, Miss Mariou Crawford, begins tbe stricfc routino of the day's lessons. At present tbe curriculum includeg reading, writing, arithmetic, history, geography, Scripture and French. The Princess likes geography, but dislikes arithmetic. Soon sbe is'to start Latin, and it will not be long before her history lessons expand into rudiments of constitutional history and constitutional law. Sbe recites many of ber lessons standing up, as a training for ber future public appearances in public. She like reading, but so far sbe has never been allowed to read tbe" daily papers. Instead, sbe bas a weekly lesson on cnrrent events from ber governess. Her

morning timetable ends at one ,o 'clock, wben sbe goes down to a family luncbeon witb ber parents; and it is tbe rule that once a week all tbe conversation afc the luncheon table must bo.in French. Except for ber homework, sbe is free to spend tbe afternoon out of doors. l?or years past Princess Elizabetb 's f atber and motber bave rented. a town bouse afc 145. Piccadilly, but they ulso have a . country- place near tiro groafc castle at 'Windsor, and it is Ikere that Ihe Princess is most often seen. Few children have ever bad so many toys sbowercd upon tbem. Some bave come to ber from tbe nursories of ber uncles — she bas an easy-cbair wbich gocs back to Edward VII. 's nursery. tbcrs are new, toys which have come from every part of tbe Empire. Tbere is no room at 145 Piccadilly for tbe larger ones, and tbe smaller ones, as soon as tbey begin to sbow eigns of wear, are sent away to children 's hospitals and to the families of unemployed men in tbe "distressed areas. " Tbere are day and night nurseriea and a batbroom, all ligbt and airy. The day nursery has a ligbt green paper, plain mabogany furniture, and a cheerful red carpet. Tt has few pic-

twres, but tbere is one in particular, a gift from Queen Mary, wbicb bas in it children and rabbits and sqnirrels and birds and wild flowers — all tbe encbanted world of childhood. Tbere is a clock on tbe mantelpiece and tbere are a few photographs of parents and cousirs framed'in leatber. Tbere is a quaint tousical chair, with pictures of skipping chamois on it, wbicb plays a little tune wben sat upon. It is in tbe rose garden at tbe Eoyal Lodge, in tbe shadow of Windsor Castle, that tbe dolls' bouse wbicb the people of Wales built and furnisbed for Princess Elizabetb has fouud a resting place. Tbe dolls' bouse is in reality not a dolls' bouse at all, but a complete cottage two-tkirds normal size, witb wide thatebed ' eaves eurving ' round tbroe dormer windows, like tbe tkatched uud wbitewasbed cottages of every Welsh hillside. Excepfc for its small radio set and its oue pic'turo, an oil painting of the Princess 's mother which baugs above the inaiitelpiece, every articlo of furniture, including the grandfather 's clock, has been copied from old Welsh furniture in the National Museum atCardiff. ^ ' Jusfc now Princess Elizabetb is looking forward witb eager excitement to tbe Coronation of ber fatber and motber, and is reading and kearing from Crawford of all tbat happcned wben ber grandfather, King George, was crowned. Sbe bas two immediate ambitions. one is to be tbe first girl Princess to go out on an Empire tour; tbe otber — wbich will probably be. fulfilled sooner — is to go up in an airplane.