A Graceful and Charming Personality.

Auckland Star, Volume LVIII, Issue 44, 22 February 1927, Page 5

A Graceful and Charming Personality.

The Duchess of York Wins Affection of the British People

(By ELIZABETH A. C. CRANSTON.)

An anxious young hostess stood eagerly awaiting the arrival of the guest of honour —the last to come. The minutes ticked away. A troubled look came into her bine eyes, for the hostess was young, scarce nineteen years of age. Only two pressmen taking notes of the distinguished arrivals appeared to have any time to sympathise. At last the hostess could bear the suspense jjo longer. "Oh, will you look out of the hall window and gee if the Countess has arrived yet?" she appealed. And willingly the two kept vigil on the high hall window, for the hostess, dainty and petite, could not reach this coign of vantage—and at all costs she must be ready at her post. It might well have been any suburban girl striving her best to please ultra-critical visitors. Actually the anxious young hostess was Her Royal Highness the Duchess of York, then, of course, the Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon. It is this total lack of "la grande dame" manner which has won for the Duchess the affection of the British people and she has lost none of this girlish naturalness. Her greatest charm still is the spontaneous candour of her childhood days—and this combined with grace and beauty at once elusive and strangely compelling. I have not yet seen a picture which gave anything like a true impression of Her Highness. For one thing she possesses a wonderful complexion, an inheritance from her mother, and deep blue eves, almost violet in shade, which are soft and frill of expression. Neither shows to full advantage in a picture. She is really remarkably beautiful and above all essentially "feminine." The Duchess has never been a slave to fashion. Thus it comes about that she still retains her beautiful hair with its natural crisp wave. Her dark tresses along with her dark, strongly-marked eyebrows and long lashes give piquant contrast to her fair skin. She wears her hair, as a rule, parted in the middle, drawn softly down and coiled closely to her head. Still "Lady Betty." It has been the "little things that matter" which have made the Duchess the wonderful girl she is. It is no secret that Her Highness' family, though one of Scotland's finest and best, is far from wealthy. They have never sought the brilliant life of Court and the Duchess grew up in as simple a fashion as any little cottage girl on the Strathmore estates. Glamis has been her home in the true sense of the word, and to this day her "ain folk" in For far cling to the name by which they knew her best of all—Lady Betty. Even yet speakers at public functions forget her Royal title and refer to "Lady Betty," which never fails to draw a smile from everyone, including the Duchess. The Countess of Strathmore personally supervised the education of her youngest daughter, and in doing so showed wonderful foresight. The Duchess, thanks to her mother, is a splendid "all rounder" in practical subjects and in the arts. Her surroundings, too, so full of history and romance, may also have helped to mould her youthful imagination and to give her a wide, full interest in life. She has made a special study of Scottish history, and her services as guide at Glamis Castle were in great demand. Her knowledge of French and German is only equalled by the Duke's and travel in Europe, especially Italy, has given her a connoisseur's eye for beautiful furniture and clothes. Her wedding dress expressed a marked leaning towards Italian art, for it was on true Botticelli lines, complete with fillet for her hair. As I said before she does not follow La Mode with slavish devotion. She does not favour the stiff almost boyish lines of the present fashion, so her dresses, coats and hats have usually a soft contour wholly attractive and suitable to her particular type. Associated With the Drama of War. War broke out on the day the Duchess celebrated her fourteenth birthday. The old order of things changed. Society, as the world knew it before the war, seemed to fade away. Castles and mansions all over the country were converted into hospitals, and the historic Glamis became once more associated with the drama of war. Many New Zealand soldiers were nursed back to health in the castle, and one I know often recalls the days when Lady Betty led raids on the hothouses in quest of tJie famous Strathmore grapes. Those were the days! A real girl was Lady Betty with a live interest in everything going around her. In those days she sang a little and did her bit like all the rest to brighten things up. Here, possibly, Her Highness learned human sympathy, understanding and the democratic spirit which pervaded the times. Perhaps alao she caught some of the humour and love of badinage which the British soldiers developed to a fine art. For the Duchess has a keen sense of humour, and her laughter is worth listening to. The mere modern smile seems mechanical and stiff beside the eincere laugh of Her Highness. So free from affectation is it that one must needs laugh back. All these qualities, however, can only be based on one solid foundation —unselfishness. The Duchesa is unselfish and unstinting in service. Nothing ever seems a trouble to her and she has always a smile ready. At the bazaars and sales of work at Glamis she likes to be a stallholder, and in Dundee one year I remember she saw to it that the Duke did his bit too. His Highness thoroughly enjoyed himself vending wares, specialising in vases. To put a little "pep" into business His Highness commenced to juggle with them. After two or three successful attempts, however, the vases crashed and the Duchess, hearing the sound, promptly arrived and laughingly led him away. The Duchess above all things, has an air of simple dignity which fits her for the high position of third lady in the British Empire. I know of none else so thoroughly suited to the great and exacting part she has to fill. No trace of nervousness mars her unassuming charm, and what is more valuable still, ehe possesses the sure instinct which |>ronipu her to do the right thing in the right place with a tact any diplomat might envy. Amongst the Heather Hills. At work and play the Duchess shows the same enthusiasm. To Scotland is due lier great love for Nature and the open air. Passionately attached to dogs she likes nothing better than a day among the heather hills and glens with a few dogs by her side. Her favourite dog is a beautiful golden labrador, which she always takes to Glamis when she leaves London. Horses, too, interest her and though she rarely rides now her skill in managing a horse was a fcature-of her youthful days,

Social and other engagements occupy so much of her time that she devotes but little attention now to the game she likes best of all—tennis. But golf, polo and other sports she likes to watch. But she does not take an active part in .shooting or fishing, both of which sports are beloved of the Royal Family. The local corps of Girl Guides at Glamia was trained and commanded by her, and she was for some years a district commissioner; Fond of a Game of Cricket. New Zealand will find that the Duchess has a warm place in her heart for cricket, the game of games. Her father, the Earl of Strathmore, was a famous cricketer in his day and still turns out for the local eleven team of veterans when they play the present members of the club, and when her six uncles were at home the castle could raise a respectable eleven "of its own. Among the Duchess , special interests is a love for beautiful lace and hand-wrought embroidery. She has done much to nurture a love of this ancient British craft, which unfortunately has fallen on evil days through dame fashion's perverse mood. Herself a skilled needlewoman the Duchess appreciates beautiful handiwork. Her Highness has a preference for pastel shades of colour, her most favoured of all being the cornflower blue, now called "Betty" blue in her honour. In this shade and dove grey she perhaps looks best of all. Always, too, she has a little distinctive "fluffy" feature, such as a feathery plume in her hat or a soft iiliny scarf round her neck. But it is a mistake to suppose she wears nothing but greys or blues. I have seen her often wearing brilliant red or green hats to relieve as a rule a dark suit. All over the tastes of the Duchess are well defined in keeping with her unusual personalitv. There is nothing neutral about her any more than in the colours she loves best. The love for children of tit; ,. Duchess is proverbial. She rejoices to be among youth, and nothing pleases her more than a visit to a school, for instance. Young babies are a special attraction to her, and she played Mother Eve sii.ee her doll davs before she became a proud moth, r liprsalf. New Zealand will take the Duchess to her heart.