The Chronicle-star combined with the Moss Point advertiser., 1948-06-04

Happily at home now, with 4
lot OF new friends and an ardent
interest In everything, the pretty
lg-year-old daughter Of U. s.
Ambassador and Mrs. Lewis
Douglas c~onfesses she still has a
story book feeling about II all.
Prineesses Eiizabesh and Mar
garet, taken by her unassuming
: ways, have made her a friend and
that naturally has something 10
: do with II, although Sharman her.
self is far too modest 10 ssy 50.
But there IL much more.
1T has all been s~uper-and q
marvellous education" she said In
an interview.
- How does British royalty,
shesthsd in traditions, strike such
q girl with her all-Americsn
backgroundsf
VERY, very thrillingl" she de-
clared. f 3
Il was Just like any other
American would be nj first" she
bald Il had only vague notions
eof what to expect, especially
where royalty 10 concerned. We
Americans, Of course, don't know
much about royalty except what
we read--and that's usually piece
meal So most of IN can't under
sfand why people In a country
like this feel the way they do
about q king and queen.
well, I found out.
= The royal family 10 50 demo-
cratic, kind and friendly
: The princesses are absolutely
charming and a lot Of fun. And 80
Il Prince Philip. S
- ssEhxabcth 10 a real princess,
there's no mistake about that.
When she smilesi Then nobody
can help warming to her. As for
Princess Margaret, who could be
zsweeter or more sttractiver
- Sherman has been with the
younger royal set q good deal -
at the theater, dinner parties,
sports arenas, Windsor, Bucking.
ham Palace garden pinties. They
get along well together, share
similar interests, and laugh about
the same things.
That's one side Of her life In
London. But for every hour passed
in royalty's company there are
many hours devoted to more Or
binary pursuits.
Deep In an exaeting business
college course, she applies her.
self faithfully and steadily TO the
routine. At school she mingles
with q cross section 81 British
teen-agers, chats with them about
their ambitions and problems. She
.aims to get about among oil kinds
sof people. a. would any eager girl
in . foreign country.
She has found that young peo-
pie here are pretty much the
same as they are ut home"
Elm spite Of what some people
say she observed, II can't see
that there Is a lot OF difference.
At least there isn't when you
really get to know the people
here.
Neither the British girls nor
the British boys have been hard
TO get acquainted with. l haven't
found them snobbish, stand-offish,
or inclined to think you're funny
because you say and do things
differently. And you certainly
eouldn't ask for potter young peo-
PIE!
Prankishness breaks out here.
as it does in Arizona, New York
or Illinois.
Two young gunrdsmen friends
of Sharman's circle, for example,
have made 1t something Of q habit
to ride their horses up the steps
Of the Douglas home In IA Princes
Gate. overlooking Kensington
Gardens, and ring the doorbell
without dismounting. One Of these
is Lord Blandford, known as
Sonny" to his pals. who has re-
Gently escorted Sharman on So
cial occasions, and whose name
mas been linked with hers roman
!. tically.
Both Sharman and her mother
have been amazed by this kind Of
speculation, in which have fig
ured also the names Of the Mar
guess Of Milford Haven. best man
at the wedding of Elizabeth and
Philip. and Lord Hope, another
young peer of the realm.
Chairman disnisses all these
runors with laughter. So do her
friends.
The gossips have had her en-
gagged a half dozen different
tines Mrs. Douglas said. Where
they get their information | don't
know. I'm sure II there any
truth in the talk. Sharman's faith
er and / would know about II.
There isn't. Shafman has other
things to think about right now
besides getting engaged.
IF the glamorizers wer to be
believed" she continued, people