A ROYAL MOTHER

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXV, Issue 23124, 24 August 1938, Page 4

A ROYAL MOTHER

THE DUCHESS OF KENT

CHILDREN'S HAPPY HOME

[from our own correspondent]

LONDON, August 8

The Duchess of Kent has had a great success in Edinburgh, where she has won the hearts of young folk by her gracious and delightful manner and sympathy with them. It was eminently characteristic of her to be photographed with the Canadian schoolboys who arc visiting Great Britain and at present are in Scotland, for the Duchess is exceedingly fond of young people and enters into their interests with real and kindly zest. As everyone knows she is a devoted mother, and her children are being brought up in the happiest of homes. One who knows says that it is delightful to see the Duke and Duchess with the children. They are brought to their mother's room every morning, sometimes before she is up, and often enjoy a regular game of romps with both parents before breakfast. Another marked trait of her Royal Highness is her unfailing consideration for the members of her household and staff, a trait which needless to say has. endeared her greatly to all of them.

The Duchess is no believer in the Victorian methods of keeping small children quiet. On the contrary her two children's nurses have instructions to allow Prince Edward and Princess Alexandra to work off their high spirits by singing, talking and shouting, and not to suppress tliem unnecessarily. The Duchess told the matron of the Battersea Park open-air children's shelter of her ideas of nursery discipline at a private visit. "Mine do this all the time," she said, unperturbed by the almost deafening noise of hundreds of toddlers playing on the grass in the shelter. The Royal mother at once took a Coronation mug that a child was holding for a milk ration and had it filled. *