Evening star., 1942-08-07
First American>Born Lady in Waiting
Attends Queen Wilhelmina at Reception
Talented Baroness
Is Well Prepared
For High Position

Baroness van Boetzelaer van
Oosterhout, the first American
born lady In waiting to a ruling
Queen, stood close beside her
majesty, Wilhelmina, Queen Of the
Netherlands, at the Embassy last
night. The dinner and reception
given by command of her majesty,
her Ambassador and Mime. Loudon
acting as hosts, was the Queens first
formal state function in this coun-
try, and the guests were limited to
only officials and heads of diplo-
matte missions of the United Ma
tionS
Baroness van Boetzelaer-the van
Oosterhout has been dropped from
their names in the current diplo-
matte list-formerly was Miss Ethel
Litchfield, daughter of the late DR..
and Mrs. Lawrence Litchf1eld of
Pittsburgh. She Is well fitted for
her new honors as she is a gifted
lineuist and has mastered the Dutch
language so well that she speaks 1t
like a native. After her graduation
from Vassar College. where she
matored in literature, she went to
Paris to continue her study Of sing
ing. Here she met Baron Willem
n. van Boetzelaer, who was building
q technique with fingers and bow
for his violin, and later they were
married.
Baron and Baroness van Boetze-
laer have many friends in WASH
ington, made when he first came
here some years ago as Second Sec
retary of the mission, then Lega-
tion. They renewed these friend
ships and have added to them since
their return here two years ago. In
the meantime, they have been at
Brussels, where he was First Secre-
tary and then Counselor, and his
last post before coming here in 1910
was Counselor of the Netherlands
Embassy in Berlin. Baroness van
Boetzelaer and their two daughters,
Margaret and Susan, came to this
country for the summer two years
ago and were with her brother and
sister -in-law, Mr.. and Mrs. Law
renee Litchfield, at their summer
home at New Canaan, Conn. The
Baron, on leave from his Berlin
post, joined them here, arriving in
this country the day his native land
was invaded, and he found himself
without an Embassy to return to.
Shortly after he was appointed Min
lister at Washington and their many
friends gave them warm welcome.
In other years Baron and Baron
ess van Boetzelaer enjoyed their
m,,sic together and frequently gave
in1promptu musicales for their
guests, but today they find no time
to enjoy this pastime, for he works
long hours at his deck and her time
has been given over to the Red
Cross and Netherlands -elief work.
The Van Boetzelaer daughters are
with their uncle and aunt, Mr.. and
Mrs. Litchfleld, at New Canaan,
where the Baroness will join them
after her duties with Queen VIII
helmina are completed. Her majes-
ty will leave late this afternoon to
return to Lee, Mass, where she is
spending the summer with her
daughter, Princess Juliana, and the
latter's daughters.
The duties OF lady in waiting to
the Queen of the Netherlands are
little dinefent from the ladies In
waiting to Queen Elizabeth Of Eng
land, but the lady in waiting to
Crown Princess Martha OF Norway
not only is . companion but must
be q social secretary as well. Queen
Elizabeth Of England has number
Of ladies In waiting who alternate In
accompanying her on public ap-
pearances and act as = companion
to her. Lady Halifax, wife OF his
Britannia majesty's Ambassador, Is
one Of these.
Baroness van Boetzelaer was
chosen by Queen Wilhelmina as her
lady in waiting for her visit to
Washington. The honor was be-
slowed because her majesty was
unable to bring an entourage with
her to this country.