Break With Tradition

Press, Volume CX, Issue 32383, 24 August 1970, Page 2

Break With Tradition

(By

GILLIAN FRANKS)

LONDON. The Duchess of Kent broke Royal tradition recently by not having her new baby at home. Her third child, Lord Windsor, was born in a London hospital. Both the Duke and Duchess of Kent’s other children, the Earl of St Andrews (8) and Lady Helen Windsor (6) were born at Coppins, their family home near Iver, Buckinghamshire. The Duchess, who is now 37, decided that however slight the risk of complications it was advisable to have her third child in hospital, regardless of precedent It was typical of her “no fuss” approach to life that she insisted on her husband taking up his six-month appointment with part of the United Nations’ peacekeeping force in Cyprus when she was expecting the baby. The Duke also missed the birth of his other children. The Earl of St Andrews arrived so quickly that the Duke did not get home from London in time. He was, in fact, having a cup of tea at

the War Office when he received a telephone call to say his first son had been born. He was serving in Germany when his daughter arrived. I But the former Katherine Worsley was not dismayed. She told friends, after the birth of her daughter, that it was “rather nice” to have her figure restored and home life back to normal before her husband returned. Born and brought up in Yorkshire, the Duchess believes that a man should be master of the house, and she puts his comforts first. Soon after her first child was born and the Duke was posted to Hong Kong for a year, she went too. She set up

house in a small flat, and soon to became a familiar figure—shopping with other service wives, but refusing to linger too long for a chat saying: “I must get back before Eddie gets in.” Nevertheless, in their courting days, it was the very fact that she treated him exactly

like anyone else that attracted the young Duke to her. When he became her husband, however, she decided she had to look after him. The Duchess prefers a simple life, When she moved into Coppins she hesitated to make too many changes at first, after her mother-in-law, the late Princess Marina left But she quickly dispensed with the services of butler and footman and served her husband his food from a hotplate on a side table. During the first few weeks there she did the cooking herself, because Princess Marina took her cook with her.

The young Duchess cooked steaks, chicken and lamb chops, which she chose herself. The local butcher in Iver High Street says she has an expert eye for a good piece of meat She is no stranger to other shops in the village, either, particularly the local sweet shops. “She usually comes in after school,” I was told, “when the place is packed with kids. But she never fusses about having to wait her turn, and. she is quite firm about not spoiling her own children. They don’t always get what they ask for.” STORE SWEATERS The Duchess also likes to drive herself to London, about 30 miles from home. She shops, or just browses around, in Chelsea and Mayfair, but buys sweaters and underwear from a well-known chain store. With her trim figure she can wear an “off-the-hook” size 10 dress for about £lO and make it look as if it cost 10 times as much. The Duchess can outshine the most glamorous film stars, but she is happiest in a simple dress or sweater and skirt at home with her husband and children. She rarely wears trouser suits.—Features International.