THE CHINA MAIL, SATURDAY, AUGUST 15, 1959.
Page.. 7.
THE BIGGEST STORY IN BRITAIN... Part Three
FOUR people together make the Biggest Story in Britain. For in spito of rockets and sputniks, ro- publics and revolutions, an ancient monarchy, the British Royal Family, still wins its way into thq. world's hoodlines.
This is the third instalment in a now assessment of these four people. Today a reporter who has had the opportunity to study thom all on many royal occasions, turns the spotlight on the Queen Mother.
The
Charmer
THE colonel in the Caribinleri THIS REMARKABLE WOMAN
appointed to look after the Queen
Mother's visit to Rome was enjoying his job.
In fact, he already had romantic feelings about his royal charge, and this was only the second day of her visit.
"She is so good-hearted. have fallen in love with her," he gold incontrovertibly. How did he know she was good-haried, I asked.
I
"A anyone who smiles like that must have a good heart,”
said the colonel, who remained quite conspicuousiv Jovesick right to the end of the visit.
The Queen Mother is the most professional member of the Royal Family.
She has the art of queenship worked out lo the minutes detall. And because she was a ocif-taught qucen doing the job for the very deepest of human Reasons to protect and help her husband, she does It with 11 thoroughness and panache that no other member of her family can approach.
In control
Watch the Queen Mother step out of a car where a crowd has been waiting several hours just to see her walk into a building, She reasouN the slluation out quickly and is in complete con- tiol.
What is it the crowd want? They want to see her. To be scen by every member of a huge crowd takes time and you see the Queen Mother's pace adjust to the length of time she thinks it will take.
-WHAT FLAIR SHE HAS!
by Anne Sharpley
Carefully and charmingly she rns from left to right so that everyone can see at least three quarters of her face and catch a bit of that tireless smile.
This even distribution of her smile is her real achievement. Like cooks who enn bake cakes a light brown all over-it is her secret skill and no one enn either analyse or Imitate . But it works absolute wonders!
Graceful
The slightly chopping gesture of the hand with which Queen Mary acknowledged cheers the Queen Mother has taken and developed into a graceful, SQIL turn of the hand und wrist that is just as reless and well-timed as the smile and the movement of the head.
She has a quality of always hoking delicious, in soft, pow. dery, pretty colours. And in the evening she can put on, full grallied mogocence and not
ok remate.
{s quite The care she takes astonishing at times, particularly as other members of the Royal Family often have their pace set by busy-minded ofclubs and don't seem to be able to break the nervous schedule-keeping.
Typical of the Queen Mother was her kind face-saving fes- lupe to a journalist who had beeldentally
into a land- και
being shtaking line and was
passed over by the necompany- ing offelal with the words "He's Press," "Mc. so-and-so is an old friend of mine," sald the Queen Mother with great charm and shook hands.
The innumerable Ughtly
By the time she had looked at brown certificates had been 1:k and commented on every one of out on n table near where the the trophies, Mr Olindo had Queen Mother was planting practically expired with pride. tree in the Embassy garden, Mr Olindo stood proudly by,
In the Rome Embassy they The Queen Mother summed have had the same gardener for up the situation in a flash. With 31 years, Signor Cherri Olindo, still four paces to go before she who has won many certificates reached the table she had clasped for his work from, believe it or her hands together in quechly not, the Italian Society for the, surprise and delight, "Oh, how Friends of Flowers.
absolutely wonderful," she said.
WEEKEND Friell
END OF SESSION REPORT
"What is it makes the public lose confidence in us public servants, sir? Maybe we should have a judge
head a Commission of Inquiry.”
Kind? Certainly. Clover? I should certainly say so --and based on powers of a1108sment that havo bo- como lightning quick, Intuitivo almost.
When she was visiting one of her regiments, the Queen's Bays, at Chester in 1048 she was pass- ing one of those enger-courteous knots of military wives. At the back of the crowd she spotted a face, stopped, asked them to let her through-and went up to a quite overwhelmed, white-hair- ed woman who had been the wife of the former commanding whom officer of the regiment, she had not seen for five years.
This is
Confidence
0
kind of by the
special memory, developed special needs of Royalty (the Queen has it to a marked de-
portant, could burst into howls of tears. So the Queen and Princess Margaret tend to pass serenely and smilingly on.
I checked with a member of the Royal Household und neither he nor i could actually remember an occasion when the Queen had. spoken to a child, apart from those presenting bouquets.
But the Queen Mother knows about children and never hesitates to
speak to them - Don't forget to wash behind her carb," she once stopped and
60 who may be worrying usually knows better than they
about being a bit plumper than the was, or that the
might be losing her looks.
do where the ought to stand) 19 a lesson in unruffled profes- sionalism.
To watch her depilng with a There is no doubt about it roomful of royalty-tenso that if the Queen Mother had strangers la to know that no one
all her days alive can do it better.. dleted stringently
her skin would not now be as
pretty and unlined at -nor her temper as amilable.
Unruffled
If is the role of the Royal
With judicious bursts of comic great deal of tension
frankness
can be eased.
"My knees never stopped knocking together," she observed cheerfully to a strangor when her horse, Manicou, won the George: VI Stakes at Kempton Park on
gree) but it makes for the magle fold a child busy bathing a doll Family to set an example and Boxing Day, 1950.
of royal occasions.
Experience and have given the Queen unique confidence in with that most tricky lesis children.
by
kindlingsa Mother dealing of royal
A child, suddenly Apaken to Im- a. stranger, however
•
Besides being supreme exponent of the art of queenliness the Queen Mother in thing more. She is a rous- surance and example to every woman approaching
some-
give every one of their subjects a sense of Identity with them then this has always been the Queen Mother's great gift. It is Impossible to feel nervous with her.
T
'
To hear her asking a photo- grapher kindly "Where would you like me to stand (ale
"She's
7
real treat, isn't' site?" someone in a crowd once re- marked to me. And there is no expression I've over found that sulled her more.
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