PRINCESSES AT ZOO

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXIV, Issue 22774, 7 July 1937, Page 13

PRINCESSES AT ZOO

HOLIDAY FROM SOLEMNITY RIDE ON SHETLAND PONY LONDON. June 30 A fat penguin,' one of the old and knowing school, waddled toward Princess Elizabeth at the Zoo, and demanded a titbit by. excitedly flapping its wings. Princess Elizabeth, attracted by its Charlie Chaplin ways, bent down and patted tho whimsical bird, but instantly drew back, and, with a wry face, exclaimed: "Oh. what a mess. He is all slimy." Princess Margaret Rose, and a group of their little friends, and hosts of awed, admiring schoolchildren, who were looking on, laughed with her at her surprise. It was a rare day for the little Princesses. The circumstances were in sharp contrast to the pomp and solemnity which have hitherto encompassed all their public appearances since the Coronation.

No preparations were made for their unexpected visit. When Princess Elizabeth swung into the saddle of Iris, the diminutive Shetland pony, the children were wildly delighted, and cried: "Gee up, Neddy." Tiny Tim, one of the brown bears, obligingly rolled himself into a snug fur ball and turned over and over by way of thanks for the honey and condensed milk with which the Princesses plied him.