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About Medford mail tribune. (Medford, Or.) 1909-1989 | View Entire Issue (March 17, 1963)
-v Princess Margrethe of Denmark Royalty on the Rocks For many a princess, the royal road to romance may lead to a dead end because there just aren't enough princes to'go around By BILL SURFACE JL'V "nJ Princess Margaret ha of Sweden Air 'fyt Princess Beatrix of the Netherlands 0 nce upon A. time, princes automat- - ically married princesses, and everyone lived happily ever after. To day this fairy-tale existence faces an embarrassing dilemma the princesses are having a hard time finding proper husbands. There are so many marriageable European princesses (26) and so few eligible princes (16) that royalty is on the rocks. Even first cousins are linked romantically, and authorized monthly newsletters publicize the merits and availability of princesses. The marriage plight grew so critical five years, ago that the queens of Great Britain, the Neth erlands, Sweden, and Denmark arranged an un precedented matrimonial "summit conference." But despite their efforts, the problem has wors ened. Since the conference, two prize catches, King Baudouin of Belgium and Prince Juan Carlos of Spain, have married, and a third, Crown Prince Constantine of Greece, has become engaged. Europe's most sensitive princess situation is in the Netherlands, where Queen Juliana repeatedly discusses relinquishing the throne to Crown Prin cess Beatrix, the oldest of her four spinster daughters. A likable, down-to-earth woman, Juliana has encouraged Beatrix to feel that "a queen is no body special." So the princess, a plump, good natured blonde with gleaming blue eyes, rented a 3Vi-room apartment and enrolled in law school at the University of Leyden. Juliana was im pressed when newspapers ran pictures of Beatrix (or "Trix" as the family calls her) pleasantly walking, talking, or mingling with her fellow students there. Only it was usually just one student, Jacob Steensma, a tall, bespectacled, 27-year-old son of a small-town lawyer. He had good grades, no title, and little money. But he and Beatrix soon wanted to get married. "I'm a law student," Trix told the Queen. "I know my rights." "I'm also a law graduate," the Queen shot back, "and the constitution says a queen must have consent of both chambers of the legislature to marry a commoner. And they would never give consent to that" Today, however, Beatrix seems to prefer roy alty. When photographers surrounded her during a trip to New York, she quipped : "Going to make me look like a cinema star?" "Want to be one?" a photographer hollered. "If I was," Beatrix sniggered, "there'd be a very big wedding, and I could marry a tall, handsome prince." At that time. Queen Juliana was promoting a friendship between Trix and the Duke of Kent But he wasn't interested. Now, at 25, Bea trix's marriage chances are slimmer than ever. A hereditary weight problem makes her appear much older than her actual age, and at last count there were no acceptable prospects in sight Princess marc aretha of Sweden has no diffi culty in finding boy friends. A robust six-foot blonde, she can be the life of the party even though some people say she does it to overcome her shyness. Recently, five reigning monarchs attending a Dutch anniversary party were extremely reluc tant to dance. Finally, however, they did an aloof waltz, then sat down. Bored by it all, Margaretha danced near the Italian band leader and whis pered : "How about a twist?" As the music blared out she pulled Prince Philip away from a startled Queen Elizabeth and out onto the dance floor. But what really angers King Gustav Adolf is his granddaughter's romances especially the one that began when the princess sat down in a booth at a London cocktail lounge and met the piano player, Robin Douglas-Home. When Margaretha and Home announced that they would be married, the royal family was flab bergasted. Neither Home's hours nor his salary suited them. His combined earnings from piano playing and an advertising-agency job fluctuated between $84 and $126 a week. And as a palace spokesman pointed out: "She'd have to. wait up until 2 a.m. for him to come home from the tavern." So Margaretha now is back in circulation. She has to be; she's pushing 30. Quite probably, Europe's most lonesome young princess is 22-year-old Margrethe, who will succeed her father. King Frederick IX, as ruler of Denmark. She has not been officially linked with anyone, despite the fact that she is a rea sonably attractive blue-eyed blonde with dimples and a turned-up nose. Although she is heir to the throne of the oldest continuous kingdom in Europe, Margrethe strives to be "just an ordinary kid." She is a good horse woman and athlete (she has high-jumped 3 feet 10 inches) and has participated in archeological expeditions in Egypt Recently her mother, Queen Ingrid, invited sev eral approved young men to a dance in the Amali enborg Palace. Midway through the party, the Queen nudged the King to show him that Daisy, as Margrethe is called, was consistently dancing with the "best boy here." But her enthusiasm soon disappeared. The boy, a count kept stuffing cotton in his nostrils, but he couldn't completely stop his nosebleed. He ruined Margrethe's pale blue gown and his romantic chances. Oh, well. Prince Charles heir to the British throne and the biggest catch of all is now 14 and has graduated to long pants. Family Wtvkly. March IT, IfM
