THE CHINA MAIL, THURSDAY, AUGUST 4, 1955.
The Flying Princess Who Still
F
Breaks Traditions
By ANNE SHARPLEY
OR more than half a
century we have been
guilty, perhaps, of taking Princess Marie Louise for grunted.
This grand-daughter of ient Queen Victoria has dignity and royal patronage to more goal causes than we could ever remember.
is
And it is only now, when the is grown into something th British, Traditionally admire, person over 80 who cadetely delles old age. that
lu kar attention is le ing pald netivities
to
"How amazing What spitit we sad when off she went Africa this year to by over the Victoria Falls at the age of 82 Forging that she
the
Bew over
samic Pulls in 1928 when hazard tying was condered
for princesses of royal ihned
she to "How duck
wond
WI
when for the seemnet fund even third are in a week. Prinersa it is unnonneed Marke Louise attended a ball or And often she has DD also attended e.nemitee inertigs beforehand and born a vital part of its organisation
Princess MIFF 1
Analy
the Gratal its
Somlig bac
described
おぐ
Austere
Since then the Princes has lived in London except for long periods of travel all over the world when she was younger.
When she is president, patron or chairman of u good cause.
Ey
really club she OF means it. She brings to ber duties a sure, professional touch
"She
a chaltering contube together In less thine than anyone Lover saw," says someone who has served on a commitee with her.
Ai ensi 20 charitable und snekul emuors -innging from the Docklands Settlement to the Three Aris Club-are hardy annual tended by the Prin- And numerable other duties, prize-giving at a boys urne, diants, charity matinees, necur churing the year.
C
Passion
Che royal duty
elude the
did however this
Princes util
WAN AL
vedr. This
launching. She intanet to the First Lord of the Adintilly, Mr J. PL
that she had never Taunchest anything-"not even a nhughy.
Thomas, PRINCESS MARJE LOUISE
were become!
things less format.
Even now he i of pithy xlong can star to thor whe his expect an archale tuin of speech be from her. "Blow in says this
Man
The hawk-like, austere Ciken He steel-blue rayal eye of the Windsors, 1 magnifernt way ahe dresses to a formal necasion In row on row of parla and a brilliant Harn on the closely set waves and curls are part of Euro- pean ruyal tradition.
But Princess Mark, Louise was known
The
110 princess bruke traditions She has A impressive list of "Orsts"
First
princess of
blood to smakr in publle,
roval Fitsl
to fly in an rcraft. First to
live in a flat member
First to breopus
ut women's
¡!
club, Gold Coast and moreover, publish a book visit with her own
aliastration.
First to visit the
about her photographs N
Nor
the when she lasicers with a Pearly King at Hoxton Carnival in 1927 Was she doing anything that was particularly typleat of the Royal Family then. Although by 1937, when the accepted an Invitation to a Coronation with the sume Pearly
There are exriam traditions, however, that Princess Marie Lense will always uphold.
Op It was duly arranged. Mar
sunshine, day 23, brilliant Princess Marie Louise launched the frigate Leopard,
While her passion for the pust shows fretf in her collretion of
the
grand-dmighter of Queen Vouvenirs of Napoleon, her love toria lo her Friends when of Bach on Wagner, her appre melting theur to sherry.
cuation of art and antiques - Princess Marie Louise, in dress matters, is quite up to date.
She Is the
er of owner world's fina pink mink
evening her dress may be For traditional to the last pearl, but for daytime wear she likes plain. cup of soup and “nibbles" (her high-heeled court shoes, snappy
hats,
that are and handbags right on the mark for fashion-
She will change every night for cliner mto tact evenin
If it is only for u Pown ever
masse for a meatiera sinek)--
cood for the staff."
She will never miss church n
Sunday and ktuels, straight as block
# run-rod, although she suffers greally from rheumi kom.
Respect
And although she has a circle. ut close trends they must not beenge over-familiar n man- ner. She demands respect. not for herself, bal for the Royal
Princess Muric Louise- "Cousin Loule" to the Queen Ls the
Princess daughter of Christian of Schleswig-Holstein. Queen Victoria's third daughter; her marringe to Prince Joseph of Anhalt in 1891 was dissolved King, nine years after its celebration.
tea
CHINESE
CREEDS
and CUSTOMS
by
V.R. BURKHARDT
本
ILLUSTRATED BY THE AUTHOR
IDEAL GIFT FOR FRIENDS ARNDAD
SEVENTH IMPRESSION
$18.00
S. C. M. POST OFFICES
HONGKONG
KOWLOON
49
Fourteen rooms and on lives in a modern doors on the second flour of a concrete-buttressed block over- looking the Lansdowne Steps
are her home.
the time when the block
put out
of
FILES
"Mind where you sit-three of 'om daad hot on Big-Four conferences, one of 'am on radioactivity,
and the other on public hanging.”
PORTRAIT of
N the summer of 1939 two lovely young South Africans came to Lon- don to be presented at Court and to enjoy a season here. They came to me to have their portraits painted at my studio residence in Cheyne Place, in the Royal Hospital Rond, Chelsea,
Bobsie van Zyl was a blonde, slender and boyish like a young Greek. I painted her in white dress against Della Robbia blue wall. Meg Faull, her great friend, was dark with a heart-shaped face and very beautiful øyes.
She had that look which 'the Ameri- cans call the threshold look, and which I found tantalisingly difficult to catch.
I did not begin her portrait until Bobsie's was finished, and by that time it was September and war had been declared.
Frantic cables came from The concrete-fortress appear- ance of the building dates from the girls' parents ordering was them back in the first avail- specially fortilled as a home for able ship and after a good the King and Queen II Bucking deal of string-pulling we finally saw them off on a boat-train for an unnamed ship from a port to which we were not allowed to accom-· pany them.
ham Palace were netion during the war.
The lovely house in Pall Mall that was the Princess's prewar home received a direet hit and she has never returned to it.
Tireless
the
however little
This
not
B
by.
Frances
Faviell
GEISHA and the rare tribes
of Atom nie some of the subjects painted by Frances Fovie!! under the bruth-name of Olivia Fabry. Her acquaintance with post- wat Dorlin also produced a book --The វាំancing. Beo-published last year, and her first meet ir expected 100,
She lives to Ke and has a son at St. Paul's School for relocation she chooses music and battet,
Meg Faut, her great friend. heart- with a was dark, shaped face and very beau- tiful eyes.
I
MEG
portrait of Meg re-fruined in a lovely Italian moulding. As far as I could see, the picture wus undamaged but appeared lo have been recently cleared and varnished.
went in. A woman came from behind the shop. "Can you tell me anything about that portrait in the window-is it for sale?" I asked her,
"The girl in the plak dress? It's the work of a young British patuter. She was killed in the biltz," she said, naming me! 1 was so astounded to hear of my death that I could only stare at her. "Very sad," she went on: "she was blown to bits. They
only found pieces."
It was such an extraordinary feeling to be told the manner of one's death that I was absolute- ly taken aback. "It's sold!" she went on. "A gentleman look a fancy to it and had that expen- sive frame for I. He'a coming to collect it. It's only in the window for show."
London Express Service
FACT or FICTION? Did this story really happen? That is for YOU to decide. The answer will be published tomorrow.
DID IT HAPPEN?
work and they'll tell you that I painted this portrait, The canvas erome from them."
Quietly she replied: "I'm not the owner of this place. I really know nothing about it. The pictures were bought and poid for honestly.
There's nothing I can do about it."
I think by now she was con- vinced that I was inderd the artist who hat
tho painted pictures and she seemed upset.
"Don't let that portrait go," 1 begged her. "I'll pay the customer whatever he paid you want it back. It's "You're sure she was killed?" for it. I
mine!" I asked faintly.
"Oh yes, they were all blown ploces it was a parachute minet"
The house, a large, tall build- ing of four storeys, disappeared except for small pile of rubble supported by the ferro- conerele archway which was the entrance. It was this archway to which saved our lives, for we happened to be in that part of the room adjoining it when the explosion
occurred and were buried there.
Nothing remained of what had been the huge studio on the first floor, and we were told by the Chelsea Borough authorities that no salvaging was possible,
The pink dress
'They're mine!'
Her
back words brough! memories. "They only found pieces." I thought of, that bare. warm arm, the hand wearing a wedding ring, which had fallen lay la the round my neck us
'Phoney' war Bobsle took her portrait with
as Meg's was Princess who her, but Perhaps travelled 2,500 miles in Africa, finished I begged to be allowed the to complete it and to send it on doing wearing breeches,
and living
der later. I was painting her in a under cooking canvas, is rather amused at the rose-coloured dress holding
black fan against smoke-grey already
caused havoc unconventionality of her pre-
with
ruins. The horror of that dis- sent home,
portrait fascin- shipping, and it was it urtain,
no easy
covery came ever me again, would have amused her royalsted me from the very firs
task to get the heavily crated My grandmother.
Yes, they had all been blown to sitter lived in a dream painting on to any ship. Finally world of her own, seeing every giving it up as hopeless for the
bits like the owner of the arm Tireless and intrepid she can
thing through
I wrote to Capetown and told rose-coloured time being. I put it down in the Faulls that the portrait of
who had come back that night still stand for an hour to emist. To her every goose was the cellar below, the area steps. Meg had perished with
from her honeymoon. the handshake of each of a swan, every chrysalls a butter- Painting had celve the
now become her guests at charity balls. And By; and all this was in the little spare-time occupation, for I was about it. Life
house, and thought no more
But, not mot What was she still and time to 10 through heart-shaped face.
Alled paying? wax too
I felt absolutely sick anure at the Chelsea First Aid her amazing memory, writing After she had gone I found Post.
with tragedy and horror to t the horror her words had down what she #nds there in
worry about the loss of posses- revived. long-hand for her memoirs.
sions. Moreover, she always rises at
"Have you any other paint- One day during an alert In ings by that artist?" I asked 1943, I was passing a kind of shaklly.. mixed antique shop and art
difficult to Anish the picture in spite of having made a number When
France fell and the of drawings as studies for it. blitz on London began. I put 7 a.m. however late she may worked at it but it never seemed some more paintings down have retired the night before. to progress beyond the point at the cellar. These were studies A friend once asked her; which the sittings had been of rare Naga tribes which had "Ma'am, don't you ever feel abandoned. We heard in time already been sold and, like Men. gallery in Chelsea. .In the "We had." she replied, “but you would like to go to bed from the girls. Bobsle's parents were awaiting transport.
centre of the window was a they're sold. We marked them carly and huve a light supperexpressing great pleasure at her On the night of April 16, portrait of
In girl 0 in bed?"
portrall, and Meg's asking that 1941, a parachute mine hit the dress, It secmed vaguely Sho gave him a direct look hors should be sent over even if house, and all the occupants, familiar, and something about it from clear blue eyes,
uncompleted.
with the exception of my hus- drew me across the road to ex The WOT,
although still in band and myself, were killed amine . Imagine my colonies, that first phoney" year, had Instantly. -
ment to And that it woo
"No. Never," she said firmly, in her formidable way.
AND NOW THE ROCK 'N
AMERICA'S LATEST JAZZ
New York.
MERICA is in the throeg
By KAY MURRAY
agers dancing in the aisles, Roll on its jet-propolicdock 'n nasty, things about teenagers."
cil
pink reasonably and they went at
once. That's the last one! ........
"I believe there were
my
ROLL IS
CRAZE
some
queer-looking stages, but they were very damaged," she said, Joolding ai me curiously, "Did you know the artist?"
I was suddenly very angry Why should I have to be dead to get my paintings sold? Why hadn't they been salvaged for mo? They were minet -
3
"They're my
paintings! I wasn't killed and I went them back!" I shouted.
Unfinished
ות'[י
sorry," the repeated, "but it's sold, and you've given me no proof that it's yours."
I wont to Chelsea Town Hall and
touch with the got in salvaging department. No, they knew nothing of any official sal- aging having been done at the hows. It was too dangerous. There was a certain, amount of
provent
I
stealing going on, Nothing could ghoult from poking about among the ruins at night. consulted our solicitors, who took a very long time to decide what I should do. By the ume I heard from them the gentle- man who had taken a fancy to Meg hat callicated his ploture, Meg
and no was gone knew the name or addrest her purchoper,
Any news?
010 of
The Choises authorities ́covered fair pleturto of Nagas for mo-but that was all. I did not really care about losing alt my possessions, and a painting loses its interest for me as soon! as it is completexi.
Perhaps that is why I did want Meg back. She was not finished-and where I and Blood looking at the painting in the window something which had eluded ma in her tantalising
fermented me stil and I had longed for brushes again.
my paint
in Berlin and learned that we In 1040 1 joined my husband
Jenew nothing about ruins in London, When the Faulis.
"Where did you get these
parents, came from South paintings?" I shot at her,
lea on a visit to London in "We bought them from
1950, I flew over to meet them, Such titles as "Flip, Flop and
told them the story of the Fly," "Shake, Rattle and Roll" dealer. He told us the artist
bomb. portrait, A of a new in thcka
and the currently popular "Rock had been killed by a
They two were signed. that it had not perished in the were excited to learn It is a kind of combination of punch the New York Daily Around the
Clock" (derived Only one or Roll, For the uninitiated, the blues and the mounting ex- News, which criticised it, in from a slightly obscene lyric of They were in a terrible mess, bulz and most unctious to Ly this is species of jazz cilement of hot gospel music. the jaw "and knock your teeth the twenties called "round the and had been thrown away to recover it.
Meg had married a which has a heavy, strong Leo Mintz, who owns a music out if you don't stop printing Clock Blues") became juvenile with the debris most likely."
wealthy store in Cleveland,
anel well-knows South African rhythm. It has the teen-
Ohio, is letters from no-goods who say America's jukebox favourites. credited with
In the past four years Rock'n
and he would like to have the initiating
painting of his wife na a young Roll has had national repercus- way. Another alightly more E and the respectable long- "In four or five
girl. But what coult we do? We. haired
raged
in editorials musicians holding kids will be dancing again," a coherent youngster points out sions. Apart from rating out-
-made fresh inquiries to no avail. so-called bax newspapers, their cars.
The Frulls went back to Cape- Miriz, if you give them a steady to our age, audibles belong family
adding that this is diet of rhythm and bluce
town without the picture. brought together young, enthu The current favourite is
NOT the Victorian age. material, The beat 13
sinatic négroes and whites in
Perhaps whoever has it will She looked at me unmoved. something called "Rock strong that anyone can dance The initial Rock 'n Roll show areas where the government's
"Anyone can say that," she with me to return me the por
ate the sky and get in touch Around the Clock," which to it without a lesson."
which set up something of a school desegregation decree has said placidly, "What proof trait of Meg.
the been more honoured in the Juvenile cataclysm round has hit the top against every
have you that you did these Teenagers have surged stormi. country in 1991 was called "The breach than the observance.
palutings?" record on radios, jukeboxes ly to the diferise of the new Moondog Show" and emanated
I pulled out my Identity card. and home gramophones dur-munte, much criticised in many from Cleveland It was put has been incorporated in Alts! It was, of course, in my ing the past year.
quarters because of the sexual on by a disc jockey called Allan the sound track of at least two f ex- connotations of
of the lyrics.
Freed who, at lving to break major Hollywood movies, "Tho married name. "It's the best music there is," away from the beaten track, Blackboard Jungle"
and "How the paintings and which she by publishers and blamed by urgès one 10 doesn't co it negro' singing companies for which
"end any ransacked the files of obscure to be Very, Very Popular," in hud meniloned was my painting. social workers as a contributing
1.explained this. She fogie who .old
Sherce North (who re-name.
You see?”. factor to juvenile delinquency..
padded
records of rough and bell."
looked amused, ready, placed Marilyn Monroe) Was it has even had the distinction Another young woman de requently out-of-time singing crowned Queen of the Rock 'n was wil she said.". nt being banned in ebriain large, mande: "Why don't you and of
gospel
groups, primitive toll," and it has brought the con bring you plenty of the blues and Conservative New England, com anybody else who says
outlandish ins youth of America back with a goof! You can go down tha munillés. But teenagers con- lyrics are silly go and shoot trumental, combinations. His rush to the dance Doors, more road and nak. Mrs Grooți at Unue to sway to its insistent yourselves?". And a further success was spectacular. Over recently populated by their Green and Stone a 1. shouted. rhythin
angered - tocnager offore to light, Rock 'n Roll was born." sedate Elders",
angrily. They've framed, my
Rock 'n Roll has bean corlated by musiclans, damned
should be in a
4
The name on
WORLD COPYRIGHT RESERVED
DID IT MEALLY HAPPEN?
YES
NO
Put your tick in the space ahora dest
ssether, story-in-this perles by
COLIN MORRIS Da vietinday's i sternalTheE olele. By Noet · Strestisild — aet