ROYAL PARTY FLIES ON SOUTH AFRICAN TOUR

Wanganui Chronicle, 10 March 1947, Page 5

ROYAL PARTY FLIES ON SOUTH AFRICAN TOUR

VISIT TO GAME RESERVE

I Recd. 7.30 p.m- London, March 8. The Royal Family landed at Bultfontein this morning after flying from I Bloemfontein, reports Reuter’s corI respondent. The Princesses danced foxtrots and waltzes fop one hour at the Bloemfontein civic ball last night. Their partners were young South Africans and junior members of the Royal Household. Young men were eager to dance with the Princesses. One walked boldly to the Royal Party and the first foxtrot with Princess Elizabeth, but he was told that all partners were chosen. Princess Elizabeth, who is extremely fond of dancing and excels at it, appeared to have one of the liveliest times of the tour,. Princess Margaret was not far behind. The Royal Family relaxed among homely informal Afrikaner hosts in the Winburg Game Reserve when they participated in a “braaivleis,” which is a barbecue picnic at which sheep and oxen are roasted whole, says the British United Press correspondent, cabling from Bloemfontein. The Royal Party for the first time ate mealies on the tour. Princess Elizabeth took a cob daintily in one hand, in contrast to the Afrikaners’ enthusiastic two-handed approach. The visitors saw herds of springbok and a few wildebeeste. The Kin/? and Princess Margaret travelled together in the fir s ‘ plane to the Reserve. They watched the Queen and Princess Elizabeth land from the second plane. PRINCESS HANDLES AIRCRAFT CONTROLS. Recd. 11 p.m. London, March 9. Princess Elizabeth took over the controls of an aircraft for the first time during the flight back to Bloemfontein from the Orange Free State game reserve, reports Reuter’s correspondent covering the Royal Tour. She went to the control cabin of the Viking plane in which she and the queen were travelling and handled the plane for a few minutes- Princess Margaret, in the advance plane with the King, also went to the control cabin but did not take the controls.