THE QUEEN OF HEARTS

Shannon News, 4 December 1928, Page 1

THE QUEEN OF HEARTS

LITTLE PRINCESS ELIZABETH. The most popular young person in all England is the Princess She; has now reached tHe mature ;age of two, and some day slio may bo the second Queen Elizabeth of England. It all _ depends. Her favourite uncle,' the Prince bf Wales, is still unmarried and still riding to hounds, writes Madeline Snyder in the ‘Auckland Star. 5 Two j fears old is considered rather ymylg % t|» give interviews and the Ducliesslquite rightly feels that there is no reason to admit visitors to the nurseries. All the diplomatic letters and-prayers that you may offer at the English Foreign Office come to no avail.‘ Every one you meet tells you •the little anecdotes that show you the Princess' popularity and make you more and more eager to write about her, but. though you have telegraphed your friends that you will be in London only two or three days, eleven have passed and still you don’t know if the nurseries are decorated in pink ,or blue.

Finally, though, the morning came when I did see the Princess. She was dressed in a little pink coat and bon net, trimmed with brown fur. Like all the British'Royal Family, she is very fair skinned, has light curly hair ..and blue eyes, and has the Duchess of York’s 'winning smile and attractive vivacity. • *

When you are shown the Princess’ nurseries, Her Royal Highness takes a personal interest in seeing that you don’t overlook anything, especially the hamper that contains her best clothes. It ia the same one that held her first things and now harbours her nicest frocks. The Princess runs over to.the hamper crying, “pitty desses,” and she is so feminine that she is quite crestfallen when “Nanny” doesn’t open the haniper and show you its treasures. f

Both her day and night nurseries are on the top floor, in the front of the house, and; are flooded with sunshine (whenever the sun does shine in London). The day nursery is made gay with cretonne, soft rugs and easy chairs, and everywhere framed pictures of the Duke and Duchess, and of grandparents, uncles a'nd cousins. There is ;an array of toys and a wopderful toy .cabinet, ..witty,.drawers that move easily in j and but, so, that quite soon the little Princess can pull them'Out for herself and find what'she woolly teddy bear that she always takes to bed with her, but all the rest of the toys sle'ep in the toy cabinet at night, and she takes a motherly inter oft-in seeing that they are comfortably tucked in.

The night nursery joins the d.aj nursery. The colour scheme is white and blue; the furniture of white enamel, stencilled with little blue wreaths.

The Princess Elizabeth- has just, out ■grown'her, crib. When she came home •from her Christmas trip to Sandringham, she found a new bed, white enam cl with little blue 'Wreaths to match her other furniture. Beside the bed there is always a big easy chair for th'* Ducbcgs of York to sit in; for evert night she comes upsta'rs to read to her little daughter as the Princess is going to sleep. ■ Princess Elizabeth is treated as i every child in a- happy household, and may go down to see her mother whenever she wishes. She always wishes to go the first thing in the morning, am, generally tries to start off when she has only one sock on, and explains to the nurse that “Mummy fix this,’ w aving the other sock in her hand.. Like all healthy babies 3he is very fond of having her own way. The story is that the last time she wem to have her. picture photo grapher was trying tlic time-honourer! way of' amusing children by .dangling , a white crystal before her eyes, \\hei f i. • gave her the crystal it no longer looked so fairylike, and 'she flung it to the floor. The Duchess of York cried reprovingly, “Betty, Betty, that's naughty!” Betty, however, si.ili refused to express admiration for the crystal, and" her mother said,. “Betty must , do as she is told.” ' f ßetty do what she wants,” was the pjompt reply. “Then Betty is a naughty, naughty child,” said the Duchess! “ Bettv unuglity, but she do what she wants,” happily responded the Princess.

Her chief delight at present is to play with her uncle, the prince of Wales. He slips over, to the Piccadilly house vOry often, and gets down on all fours to play bear or barking dog, or galloping horse, while the little Princess shrieks with delight. Then together they build wonderful houses of bricks and blocks, which the Princess is allowed to have the joy of knocking down. ,

She in her turn afforded her uncle amusement this/last Christmas when she went with -lier father and mother to be with the Eoyal Family at Sand: ringham. The Duchess had taught the little Princess. bd^j^O' make a court curtesy—it was'-t#*be a surprise to the Queen* She was so adorable and so gwkward when she made it .that the nee of - Wales kept her doing it all ‘day long, while he shook with laughter.

When she was only nine months old her father and mother went on a six months! trip to Australia, and the little Princess stayed at Buckingham Palace with her grandparents, Quei

Mary and King- George. She lived the old nurseries that overlook St. ' James? Park. To say her grandparents adore her would be putting the matter in true terms. It was many years since the Queen had had a baby to care for -as her own, and It was a great joy to have this happy child. Her mother ! dresses her in simple white, pink or blue crepe de chine frocks trimmed with little round collars and , cuffs edged with lace. Over tliese she nearly a ways wears either a little coat that the Queen has crocheted, or a little Shetland wool sacque. 1 In spring and fall the Duke and Duchess and the Princess Elizabeth spend many week-ends at Windsor Castle with' Queen Mary and King George. They were there j this last. April for Princess; Erzabetn's second birthday. There was no birthday party because the Queen was in mourningfor one of her cousins who had died (centlv, but the Princess was very happy. She was given a mueh-longed-‘or puppy dog, *wliick her uncle, the Tiiice of Wales, had selected, specially ; or her, and her two cousins, the sons d Princess Mary, were there ,to play eitli her. The boys ? father and mother were n Egypt,, and the children w r ere ; .visitng their grandparents. The boys'are oth engaging, interesting children. Master George, as he is called, is ilee; 'luster Gerald, throe. This year at Windsor they were ertch given a little v sxdcn plot for their very own, the .;.im! that their mother and grandfather and great-grandfather ivere taught gardening in. At Windsor there svrev five l.ttle garden beds that first belonged to Queen Victoria, and then to King George and his ’brothers, ,and then to the Prince of Wales, the Princess Mary, and now to the new generation, • No doubt in another year the little Princess Elizabeth will joiif her cousins and try her hand at gardening.