1961-06-09 — Page 6

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THE CHINA MAIL, FRIDAY, JUNE 9. 1961,

HOW WILL HUSSEIN'S NEW BRIDE FACE UP TO HER

BIGGEST CHALLENGE

WHEN I had a private meeting with King Hussein in the study of his rose-red Bagman Palace in Amman, I asked him, not without tre- pidation: "Will you marry again?"

remember his Anywer elcurly. It was:

"I have too much to do for my country just now to think of morringe.

Then he added, smiling but when I do fult in love I would

like it to be for ever

He fell in love last year with → Toná

Gardiner

typleafly modern English girl who shores all bis erathaistosios from Go-ending to jet lights,

Knowing something t the inner history or this amazing 1 Suv that Toni Gardiner the bravest tirt ative. But I say is for resuON other than the risk of arsession- fan by abroad.

King's cacties

His support

want to be rid of Quassem and to have Hussein proclaimed King of the dust kingdom of

Jordan and Iraq.

more

case

By Gerald Sparrow

with the Jordan people but it was Dinah herself who could nat combine the respect for for the tradition and support novel that Hussein's Queen must represent.

And Hussein himself was too und 100 Spung, too impetuous will have

itusperienced. Hence hia Tt- When I do fell mark to me:

It will be for in love I hope ever.

En Any

Die security precautions have been made far effective during the last few weeks and Toni by accept them as they are.

No, the challenge to Toni Gardiner comes from the nature of King Husseln, his faith, fr mother, his uncle, and from the window of former Queen Dinab now in Rypt.

Let me explain. thissein was married far for young - fo Dinah, Cambridge graduate two years his senior. She was pd is a lovely woman, but emancipated, with a will of her own. Her little daughter is all in the Palace.

The public have decided that It was the King's mother Queen Zein, who Brotes up this mezclare. Thi is not fair.

Opposition

Now, according to his closest friends, he has fallen deeply in love with his English bride, What is the challenge that Toni fuces? It is the same ehmilenge that defeated Dinb,

Can Toul ussuage the puten- fat opposition of the Shorift Nasser (no relation to Num- ber One Egypt) and The more reactionary elements in Jordan?

The Shari type, Queen Zein's brother, does not ilke the new vell-lifting polley of the young king.

Nasser, a feudal

I think that Ton! Gardiner, a young woman of grent personal eharm, cun win over the stout guard of the Moslem Torius, with her husband's help.

AL the private ceremonies last week Toni Gardiner brenne Moslem bride. What does that mean?

It ment that, in the Palace, noremonies were held for three days, and, after it is was over, Mouna Al Hussein www the absolute cervant of her master. Hussein, the King.

Can she win the love and respect of the exactink Queen Zein? I can say that now, in all great matters, the King is

muster. OWA

meeting the little

Bussein is always in danger, Last

grows in stature. the danger Ressens, He now has the love and support of 90 bor cent of his small. vielle Proibly Queen Zem si a Cntlrely his patlu.

benuitful and commanding Besides, at their first hidden sup woman did resent the success Queen Zen took to port of millions of Iraqls who of Dinnh and her popularity English girl,

And he has the

She must obey his every wish, never argue, always be at hand. She will be guarded night and day.

The cannot, legally. move without the King's consent.

She le virtually a prisoner in her lovely red paluce on the hill overlooking Aitanan, Her true liberty depends on her character und judgment.

Finally, there are the Moslem and Arab customs that must never offend her, Last week they were slaughterh milk- white camels on the Palace steps with one huinge of their silver- rrested inlves, in joyful sucrifice.

The Striks rode into town and kisses the King's hand, no women coming with them.

At the feasting hands were used washed, afterwards, rose water to tear the whole sheep and eit the ceremonial checus' eyes. It is all a change from pawich, England.

Not pleased

Oh, yes, I almost forgot to mention that the

small Westernised circle of young ladies by Amman, who get their frocka from Paris, will not be too pleased that the King has taken foreign bride....

After the wedding-what dangers must sho face?

ile

But, knowing something of the King's character, I am willing to uniform he has survived the wager that this marriage will be murder of his cousin, King now, and 1 think he will. If years that He whend, and hope

a success.

Hussein has survived three attemuls to kill him, he just sur- vived the murder of his grond- father the bullet grazed his

Sam White's Geneva Newsletter

Geneva.

THE post of British Consul here is held by a

remarkable man who is something of a rarity

judged even by the Foreign Office's high standard VIP

as an incubator of rarefied characters.

who has

He is 58-year-old David Balfour, been a priest twice over, once as a Roman Catholic and the second time as a convert to the Greek Orthodox Church with which I understand he holds himself to be still in communion.

These years in the priesthood

are not referred to in bis entry in Who's Who. This leaves a

notable

in his oublely recorded life.

He was originally trained by the Vatican for work with the Eastern Church and it was while be was on mission in Russia that he announced to Rome his decision to Join

Greek Orthodox Church.

1

He then spent seven years as arlest at the famous Greek monastery at Mount Athos, the monastery noted for its asceti- eism and for the vow of celibacy taken by its inmates.

After his stay at Mount Athos Balfour was moved to Athens

where he became priest

at the

most fashionable church. which

city's

Family worshipped.

This ensino, opened only six years ago, now has a bigger take than any of the 154 casinos in Frane.

Devienne is 501 well behind Monte Carlo, however, which of curse dous not count DS U French casino.

man in Geneva- what a character!

FROM THE VATICAN TO

A GREEK MONASTERY

TO THE FOREIGN OFFICE

The Devicune casino is

conference in Geneva municipally owned and its ruc- the Laos crisis. cess has made its founders a modest couple who owned enfe in Lille before the war-

normously rich.

Advantages

a

They bought the place for

anyone can help him, cak.

deserves to win (brough wish them well in the turbulent

this girl that their son, when they have Dit, will one day be the new

man as his father, King of Jordan-aud as brave a

Faisal of Iratt, he has ሰ ነገ through the alrecious murder of his

May we send them a message Prime Minister, Majali. (They hunged tour men in from Britain, where we adaire Anton Square for that crime.) courage, saying that we will all

--(London Express Service).

Push a button and the motorised sick-bed lifts you up...

By PETER FAIRLEY

THE age of the push-

button sickbed has dawned. One jab at a small black knob will sit you up, another raise you off the floor, a third flex your knees. No need to thump the floor, or call for nurse.

An electric motor, purring under the bedsprings, will do it negotiations to end the Al-ul for you.

The

bed is new motorised gerian war.

British. has been designed for If de Gaulle gets the kind of two good. reasons to increase settlement he wants then Alge, the comfort of the patient, anei Fia. though independent, will save the time and strength of the still remain in the Franc zone nurse. Although it has yet to be and will still be linked with tried out France in

Customs union

in that case Algeria according to the French, will become part of the Common Markut, The mere suggestion has enraged on they take it in two bites instead the Americans. A high US, om- cial with whom I raised this point was categorle. "This would be cheating," he said, "We would never allow the tarif frontiers

The problem seems to be to get the Russians and Chinese to accept

"neutral" Communist Government in Laos

of one

What the Russians and Chinese delegations must make of it all in the privacy of their pro- Jakeylde villas I do not know,

but there must be some rollick ing laughter In between their aftor-dinner belches.

instead of BA outright Cam- munist regime.

To persuade the Russians and

the Greek Royal title money after the famous Chinese to bite is delecinble

Magnificent

Mr Francols Andre of CanneH and Deauville casinos hnd through some aberration turned Foreign Omces arc down the option,

bail the British and French

"THIS IS

employing CHEATING'

at the sills and wiles thal

centuries of experience have The driving force behind its placed at their disposal. Spccurs as in the case of 50

heen,

hospital, interest

SAVING TIME The bed 11118 three scellons which rise up at different angles to the body out of a prone position. Movement up or down is senooth and gentle,

Mr Ronald Hostins, chairman of the firm which has just built the first model, told me today:

The British Army's new hover-stretcher,

TELL ME DOCTOR

of the Common Market to be here is nothing that a pallent can now bring the Mediterranean." extended to the other side ofkes to do more than to adjust instead of

Footnote: Switzerland is the

Another revolutionary advanco in battlefeld medleine — the It allows 150 hover-stretcher, casualties at once to be "floated" away safety on a cushion of air.

The first hover-strelcher — developed by Folland Aircraft and the Royal Army Medical Corps works on the "hovercralt principle invented bv Mr Christopher Cockerell. ita fang are driven by two small two-

sweet oblivion pain for British nfter his position every so

to servicemen injured In the field. keep comfortable.

"We belleve quite a lot of

1 contains anaesthetic - a precious nursing time can be mixture

u the gases cyclopro- land of unlined faces and the saved by giving the patient the page, oxygen at nitrogen. And

mugness is sometimes a tile power to do it hell. The bed it elios on to a rubber bag and stroke engines. hard to take. "This," said a should be particularly useful for mouthpiece to make up a port- Normally, four Swiss acquaintance with

heart cases

chronic able emergency pack which bearers are allocated to each around valids, sweeping gesture scrubbed and shining Geneva,

allows a surgeon seven minutes Injured serviceman. The hover- FOR THE BATTLEFIELD of "painless" operating time in stretcher, with a vicum lying A steel cylinder, four inches the front line. The normal comfortably on either side of ita Jong and weighing Ittle equipment needed weighs two heavily-silenced engine, can be

a cigarette lighter, hundredweight,

handled by two: without jolting.

A interesting point he looked like I could have

here in it cropped up

avolded two world wars."

If connection with current

The late King George of many Frepel enterprises, is the The Communists can have the Greece ዮና Impressed by wife of the owner Mrs Marle cherry, in short, but only him and made him confessor Therese Cretou

bustling.

to the whole Royal Family,

basemy, bejewelled woman in

At that time, just before the her late attles.

war, Balfour was a magnificent Mr Creton admits ruefully that gure in flowing robes and a he often referred to as "Mra beard several inches long. He Marie Therese. moved easily between the Royal

The casino's

success bas

Palace and the British Embassy, brough notable advantages to After the German attack on the village population of 1800. Gresce he become separated By law 15 per cent of its profits from the Royal Family and was have to go to the local munici- evacuated, mill in his priest's pality and this has so far bene- robes, to wartime Cairo. There to by building itself a new the Greek Church offered him school, a swimmaning pool and an

artifelal lake,

a parish in Alexandria,

Overnight Balfour shaved off his beard, cast aside his clerical garb and appeared

the uniform of a British Army captain altched to an import- ant Intelligence unit concerned with Easter Europe.

Alter the war he returned to Alheria and counsellor in Clie Britis Embassy and WEN 14

CHINESE

TORTURE

donunont gure in the stormy I

past-wor politlent life of Greece.

RECOMMEND to any- one who is interested

There followed minor posts to in experiencing a form of Smyrna and Tel Aviv where Chinese torture to try and Judaism began to excreiso a powerful fascination for him, follow the fourteen nation.

and finally his present post in

Geneva where na far as la known

he has not displayed any

special interest in Calvinism.

THE TOP

CASINO...

TALKING

POINTS:

HICH, financially W speaking, is the mont Free yourself from

the

important casino in France? slavery of ten and coffee.

-WILLIAM CODBETT.

COMMON MARKET

(London Expresa Service).

more than

COMMON WEALTH

نوشیم

stretcher

You would never guesa. It

is the casino in the amall

village of Dovienne les

Bains, Just oight miles In-

፡-

A houso la a nide the French frontler for living in.

machine

"Anyway, it's a good thing I'm the most unflappable Prime Minister you've got."

from Goneya.

LE CORDUSIER.

Cummings

London Express Bervice.