Evening star., 1934-06-24
WALES TURNING 40.
STILL BACHELOR.
Briton Believed by Many to
Be Most Popular Man
in World.
Special Dispatch to The Star.

Edward David, Prince of Wales, is
40 years old today. His charm
his personality, his still boyish smile
are world famous. He is. many be-
leve, the most popular man In the
world
But who knows the man behind
the prince. the brain-far from boy
ish-behind the smile? He is some
thing of an enigma, even to his closest
friends, this falr-haired young man,
who is heir to the English tnr; ne.
He has the secret of youthfulness-
an immense enthusiasm for life, in
every aspect and form. The only
thing that the prince really hates is
waste of time. That is why he always
cuts down formality to minimum
He is a "go getter' in the real sense
of the term. When he wants some
thing, be it information about gar
dening, his latest hobby; a talk with
the unemployed or a dance with a
pretty girl. and an evenings enter
tainment with some of his friends, ne
knows what he wants, and goes out to
get it without waste of time in un-
necessary archaic formalitieS.
Every one in England - almost
every one in the world, certainly
every woman, would be intensely in
terested to hear of his engagement
1t would be the best news story of the
day. But it is one that almost GER
tainly never will be written.
Never Really in Love
Why does he not marry, this young
man for whom nearly every woman
he has met feels a sense of affection
a protecting almost motherly friendli-
ness that his very manner seems tc
inspire automatically?
All kinds of stories have gone the
rounds in the past. They are period
ically revived. But the plain truth
is that the prince never has married
because he never has been really 1r
love. His name has been coupled
with the names of many women, In
many different ways. Several years
ago English society was full of the
runlor that he was about to become
engaged to Lady Rachel CavendiSh
the lovely daughter of the Duke o1
Devonshire, one of the Oldest English
peers. They were seen about to-
gether, vell-informed folk whispered
after dinner, and there was every
chance Of another royalty and COM
moner romance, like that between the
Duke Of York, the princes brother
and Lady Elizabeth Bowes Lyon. But
suddenly the rumorS stopped. The
young people were seen together nc
longer. What happened? The King
of England never would have stopped
a marriage between his heir and ar
English girl of breeding.
Those who are behind the scenes
say the Prince was the keener of the
two and that Lady Rachel decided
she did not feel strongly enough foi
him. This is borne out, perhaps, by
the fact that now she is happily
married to the Hon. James Gray
Stuart, youngest son of the Earl o.
Moray. She is 80, and they hav'
been married II years.
Ingrid Still Mentioned.
Astrid, now Queen of the Bel.
gians. and one of the prettiest womer
or a throne in Europe, is another
who once was said to be in the run.
ming as a future Queen of England
and her cousin, Princess Ingrid o.
Sweden, still is mentioned as a pos
sible" match-to the amusement ot
the prince and herself. both of whom
laugh heartily at the idea of marriage
between two good pals.
Yet another princess whose namt
was coupled with H. R. H. is Ileans
of Rumania. She is IA years young
er than the prince, tall and extremel,
attractive, but, three years ago, sh,
put an end to rumors which ignored
the religious diff1culty-she is a Cath
olic-by marrying Archduke Antoin,
of Austria.
Today, the princes name is no
linked matrimonially with that o
any woman. There has been tall
in court circles of Princess Irene o
Greece, where the religious question
would not be so difficult-she is
member of the Orthodox Greel
Church-but the wish is father t.
the thought.
The prince every day becomes NOR,
and more settled in his outlook am
habits. Comfortably established a
York House, st. James Palace, Wher
he has bachelor quarters that ar
the envy of most of his unmarried
friends, and at Fort Belvedere, thl
country house at Sunningdale, nea
Ascot. that is rapidly becoming, if i
is not already, home" to him. h
sees no reason why he should chang
his state.
No one ever can predict with GER
tainty what the prince will do next
That is one of his charms. Blu
those who are his closest associate
say that the only safe prophecy t.
make concerning him is that he neve
will marry Golf and gardening oc
cupy all the time he can spare from
the state and official duties, whicl
he takes with increasing seriousness
You may find him in the club room
yarning, or having a small whisk
after a good 18 holes-and it will b
only a small one, for the Prince /
the very opposite of a three-bottl
manor in the garden tool house
chatting with an old gardener, bu
the one place not to look for hir
is in my lady'S chamber. The prime
definitely is not a ladies man i