Evening star., 1952-05-25
Queen Mary Still Alert and Busy. at IS
By WiIIiom MeGoffin
Eereian cer..psnd.ni Of 1ha Star and
The Chicago Dolly News

Foreign Correspondent Of The Ssar cad
The chiease Dolly News
LONDON, May "a. - Britain's
beloved Queen Mary il in amaz-
1ngly good health for q woman
who win celebrate her S5th birth
day Monday.
Her interests and hobbies are
the same now as they have been
for the last 40 or 80 years-read-
ing, needleworks antiques, motor
ing, the theater and the movies.
She never relaxes during her wax
ing hours.
Her personal maid calls her in
the morning between 7:l5 and
T:45 and she gets up and gets
dressed for breakfast. which she
takes alone In her suite overlook
ing st. James's Park. She refuses
to breakfast in bed.
Breakfast. served between 8:45|
and 8. consists Of cereal, toast and
marmalade and coffee.
Queen Mary does not believe in|
pampering herself with the modern|
gadgets of comfortable living. Her
rooms in Marlborough House are|
cold for she does not like CENTRAL
heating. She has no running water
in her suite but uses q silver
pitcher and wash basin and cans
OF hot water which the maids |
carry up.
Widow for is Years.
incidentally, although she has
been a widow for 16 years, ever
since the death of King George VI
she has never called herself the
Queen Mother or the Dowager
Queen but simply Queen Mary.
This simplif1ed things considerably
when the untimely death Of hert
son. George VI. gave the nation a
second queen. It allowed Queent
Elizabeth to call herself the Queen
Mother without causing confusion.
There are only two things these
days that try Queen Mary's
patience. they say, and cause her
to show some Of the testiness oil.
old age. One Is getting dressed In
the morning. Some Of the old
fashioned gowns with their high
collars which she insists on wear
ing are difficult to get INTO and
her majesty may do a little an
noyed foot-tapping until the job
is done. She wears silk stockings
instead Of nylons, which she can't
abide, uses makeup, has her nails
buffed instead Of vanished. and
refuses to wear any perfume ex-
eept toilet water.
Dressed at last, she ignores tie
elevator and walks down the stairs.
The other thing that upsets her
majesty is to come across an In
accuracy in book she Is reading,
or having read to her while she
does her needlework. II she spots
an inaccuracy. she shuts the book
up at once and refuses to finish 1t.
She does not care for novels, but
is fond Of biographies and travel :
stories.
Roads in Straight Chair.
After she has finished her cor.
fespondence each morning-she
has q heavy mail which her lady
in waiting brings into her suite at
o:30-She likes to read the London
Times. She sits in q straight chair
with her back to the view Of the
park, which might be diStracting,I
and reads not only editorials and
news but births. deaths. birthdays
and anniversaries, and sends OF |
kilograms Of congratulation or
coincidence.
Sometimes she has the Times
read to her by her lady In waiting
while she sits at her embroidery
frame and stitches panels in gros
point for new carpet similar tol
the one she contributed to the ex.
port drive in 1850. When she
started this second carpet last
year she told friends, "I never
really knew if I would live to finish
the first so there is no reason why
I should not start a second"
Queen Mary's mornings are
rounded out by visits to what she
calls her bazaar room, where she
stores gifts she has bought at
charities as well as many Of the
things given to her over the years.
It is from this store that she
selects the many gifts she sends
OF almost daily to friends and
relatives, in memory Of birthdays
and other special occasions.
She is not one. however, to send
on gift and forget about 1t. She