Evening star., 1961-11-05
By ELSPETH FLYNN
Rrgtish Information Services

LONDON. - Princess MdI-
garet is resting in her cream
walled, simply furnished bed
room on the third floor of
Clarence House. Her husband,
the Earl Of Snowdon, has
filled it with red roses. Here,
in the room she occupied as a
child, its windows overlooking
the autumn-hued trees, green
lawns and silver lakes OF st.
James Park, she will stay for
the next three or four weeks.
Miss Anne Thomson, one of
the two midwives who assisted
the team Of four royal doc
tors, moved in some days ago
and is expected to remain for
about a month.
Princess Anne was born in
the same room just IL "a years
ago.
Queen Elizabeth, then still
a Princess, had continued to
make her home there after
her marriage to Prince Philip,
and there is a beautifully
furnished nursery which was
used by Prince Charles as a
small child. When Queen
Elizabeth moved in, as Sow
ereign, to Buckingham Palace,
Queen Elizabeth the Queen
Mother returned to Clarence
House. and this is still her
London residence.
New Home
As a birth site Clarence
House, filled as it is with
memories Of Margaret's sim
gularly happy childhood, was
an obvious choice. The Snow
donS three-bedroom house
in KenSington Palace is too
small for such an event.
Meanwhile, a larger house
in Kensington Palace is being
prepared for the Earl and
Countess and their young son.
Just when it will be ready is
indefinite, but the Princess
feels it well worth waiting
for. The alternative would
be to look for a house outside
the confines of this palace.
with its long and comfortable
associations as a royal resi-
dence.
Here, at Kensington, Queen
Victoria was born in 1919,
and Queen Mary in 1867.
Here the Duke and Duchess
Of York, Princess Margaret's S
parents, began their married
life. Here is the London home
of the Princess aunt, Marina,
Duchess of Kent, and her
family.
Fifth in Line
The new baby is fifth IN
succession to the throne. Be-
fore him come the three chill
dren of the Queen-the Prince
Of Wales, little Prince Andrew
and Princess Anne-and Prin-
cess Margaret herself. After
him comes the Duke Of
Gloucester, the Queens uncle.
In the normal course of
events, the line of succession
will lengthen and not dimin-
ish. But no matter how re-
mote the possibility. the new
member of the royal family
will have to be educated with
that off-chance in mind. and
by tradition a number OF
careers will be automatically
closed to him.
How long is it since a child
without the title of Prince or
Princess was born so close to
the throne? The last was in
1925-before the sent
Queens birth-w en- the
Honorable George Lascelles,
eldest son of the Princess
ROYAL, was born. He was then
sixth in line Of succession.
Young Lord Linley
The new baby will be known
as Viscount Linley of Nymans
in the County of Sussex-the
subsidiary title granted to
Princess Margaret's husband
when he was created Earl of
Snowdon on october 3. Not
since 1903 had a Kings
daughter married an untitled
man. If little Lord Linley
has a sister, she will be the
Lady - Armstrong-Jo
Although no guns thun-
dered forth saluteS, and no
regular bulletins are being
posted at the palace gates for
this event, nevertheless very
nearly as much interest is
being displayed in Britain
over this baby as over the
birth of Prince Andrew a year
and a half ago.
Crowds outside Clarence
House cheered the news
wildly. as the nation prepared
to celebrate.
For months past, the Brit
ish papers have been quick
to print every tidbit of in
formation given out by Ma
jor John Griffin, Princess
Margaret'S press secretary
and to dig up real and specu-
lative items Of their own; as,
for example, that the new
crib arrived the day before
the birth decorated with blue
ribbon significant of royal
hopesO that Lord Snow
don has been engaged in
painting a portrait of his
wife that Princess Mar
garet dieted only "in a COM
nonsense way" and took
normal exercise" during hel
pregnancy or that a spe-
cial six-sided playpen was
made for the child at a tech
nical school for destitute
l.