-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