ROYAL ROMANCE

Otago Daily Times, Issue 26352, 6 January 1947, Page 5

ROYAL ROMANCE

REPORTS AGAIN DENIED POLITICAL SIGNIFICANCE CLOSER TIES WITH GREECE (Rec. 9 p.m.) LONDON, Jan. 4. The Evening News quotes a high authority for a detailed categorical denial of reports of the engagement between Princess Elizabeth and Prince Philip. It states that first, the engagement was never proposed, secondly, Mr Attlee’s advice has never been sought, thirdly, the matter has never been discussed between Mr Attlee and Cabinet members, and fourthly, there has been no communication with the dominions on the sub- - ject. The political correspondent of the Communist newspaper, the Daily Worker, repeats the gist of the London Evening newspapers’ report concerning Cabinet’s discussions of Princess Elizabeth’s engagement to Prince Philip of Greece. It says that a major political battle is threatening to develop over attempts to get Princess Elizabeth married to Prince Philip. In sptie of all the official and semi-official denials it is certain that the engagement between the two has been proposed, and is heavily favoured by certain Court and military circles. “A strenuous effort is being made to present this business as ‘ a simple love match’ without poiltical embarrassments, and it is hoped that as such the engagement can be ‘ sold ’ to the ‘sentimental’ British public. The fact is that for at least the last couple of years intrigues have been in progress with the purpose of using the existing links for forging new ones between the Royal families of Britain and Greece and to strengthen Britain’s hold on Greece as an imperial ‘outpost’ in the Mediterranean.” “The Government is profoundly embarrassed because such a marriage is seen as likely to have important politico-military consequences and it will probably keep on denying everything until after the Princess comes of age in April.”