Princess Elizabeth Expects Royal Birth During Next October

Otago Daily Times, Issue 26791, 7 June 1948, Page 5

Princess Elizabeth Expects Royal Birth During Next October

New Zealand Press Association—Reuter—Copyright. LONDON, June 4. Princess Elizabeth is expecting a baby about the middle of October. The first official indication was given to-night in a Buckingham Palace announcement which said: “ Her Royal Highness, Princess Elizabeth, Duchess of Edinburgh, will undertake no public engagements after the end of June.” The child will be second in line of succession to the British Throne. The announcement confirms strong rumours circulating during the past three months, in which palace officials have been besieged with inquiries.

The birth will be the first in direct line of succession since that of Princess Margaret 18 years ago, and will be the first grandchild of the King and Queen. The position of children born to Princess Elizabeth is not altered by the fact that she is Heiress Presumptive to the Throne, as the law does not exclude the possibility of the birth of

Queen Mary, who was the first homeopathist appointed to the Royal family; Dr Ivan McGill, famous anaesthetist; and Mr Cedric Lane-Roberts, gynaecologist, and one of Britain's foremost obstetricians. Princess Elizabeth’s immediate engagements include the Derby to-mor-row and the national festival of youth and sport at Wembley to-morrow evening; the drumhead service of the Grenadier Guards, of which she is colonel-in-chief, including the taking of the salute outside Buckingham Palace on Sunday; the Freedom of the City of London to the Duke of Edinburgh at the Guildhall on June 8; visits to the Ascot races with the Royal party on June 15, 16, 17 and 18. Since her return from the crowded five-day visit to Paris with her husband, Princess Elizabeth' has undertaken an even more strenuous programme than usual. Paris admired her for keeping many official private engagements. although she often looked wan and pale. At the Trooping of the Colour on June 10 Princess Elizabeth will watch from the Horse Guards Arch. Last year she rode with the King in the parade. The Princess’s last engagements in June are the inspection of the depot of companies of the Grenadier Guards at Caterham barracks in the morning of June 28. and the opening of the children’s hospital at Banstead in the afternoon. It is not known where Princess Elizabeth hopes to have her baby, but the probable choice is between Windlesham Moor, which she and her husband have leased and Balmoral, where the Princess may join the King and Queen for the summer. Clarence House, in St. James’s Square, will not be ready until next year.

a son to the King. The Princesses do not transmit titles to their children, therefore no title is provided for the children of Princess Elizabeth until after her succession to the Throne. The doctors in attendance are likely to be Sir John Weir, physician to the King and physician-in-ordinary to