Evening star., 1953-03-22
Date With Princess Margaret Expensive Her Escort Says

"A young man tDho belongs
to the exclusive circle in tUhich
Princess Margaret naoveS tells
for the first time Just hotD she
gets taken out for an eUening0
LONDON (N.A.N.A) - Prob
ably it will never happen to you,
but one enchanted evening it
might come true. You are taking
Princess Margaret out for the
evening!
And then what happens? Who
pays the bills? Who orders the
taxis? What does she like to
eat? What sort Of show does she
want to see? How about drinks
and cigarettes? Who is to see
the princess home?. What is 1t all
going to cost you?
There are very precise answers
to all these questions and they
add up to the fascinating. but
complicated, business Of escort
ing a royal princess around Lon
don'S west end in coronation
year.
To begin with, there is no such
thing as a blind date for Prin-
cess Margaret. You must have
met the princess previously to
have even q ghost of q chance of
taking her out.
It helps a lot If your father
has some official position.
The first thing to get into
your head is that Princess Mar
garet never makes q twosome
with a single escort.
A party-and I have been in
many Of them-muSt be arranged
of about half a dozen matched
couples. The princess must have
met them before. except, per-
haps, for one. You will be al
lowed to add Guest X"-some-
one, usually q woman, she has
never met.
Having fixed your party you
ring up Princess Margaret'S lady,
in-waiting. It is handler If she
knows your voice, because, then.
after a preliminary talk, she will
say: Would you care to speak
to Princess Margaret herself?"
Then Margaret's clear voice
comes on the line.
Please, ma'em," you say-and
however well you flatter yourself
you know the princess, that for
NAL style Of address Is never
dropped-"I am sorry to trouble
you, but would you care to join
q small party I am giving next
Thursday EVENING""
The chances are she will re-
ply: I'm sorry. I can't. ] have
an Official engagement on Thurs
day evening""
Gould you come at any other
time?" Is your next shot. And
the princess is likely to answer
crisply: Eyes, Tuesday week"
The next step is to assemble
your list Of guests, making sure
that they are witty, bright young
people. Bores are anathema to
Princess Margaret and so are
people who do not watch their
manners.
All the while you are haunted
by the thought that if, during a
long evening, there Is the slight
est breach of etiquette, it is the
very last time Princess Margaret
will ever join party Of yours.
For, make, no mistake about
It, sophisticated and modern
though she is, Princess Margaret
is a stickler for protocol. People
in her set still Shiver when they
recall the evening that a young
man referred to your father"
in Margaret'S hearing.
you mean the king, I sup
poSe," said Margaret icily-and
left the party. The same act of
accommodation would befall
anyone foolish enough to speak
of the queen as your sister,"
Having settled your guest list,
you send it to the lady-in-wait-
ing, asking her to submit it to
the princess. At the same time
you will mention the show for
which you intend to book-for
the theater is the princess favor
ite entertainment.
The princess arrives in her
own car-usually a Daimler-ac-
companied by her lady-in-wait-
ing and q plainclotheS detective.
He has been sitting In the front
seat with the driver.
Invariably she Is wearing q
Norman Hartneu dress. And
the dress tells you right away
whether Princess Margaret in
tends making q long night Of It.
# she wishes to go on from the