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Though his Royal Highness spends much time in his hothouses and amid his beehives and poultry runs, he retains a robust interest in sport. Before leaving Brussels for Stockholm he issued instructions that detailed news of the Dempsey-Tunney fight be cabled to him. Interviewed by newsgatherers, he said: "I watched Tunney throughout the American Army boxing championship matches in 1919 [from General Pershing's box].
"I have never seen Dempsey fight, but any man defeating Tunney must be a world beater and deserves to be champion of the world. I will be greatly surprised if Dempsey succeeds in winning from Tunney."
Astrid. The Princess, a distinctly "healthy" beauty, is an excellent horsewoman, pursues enthusiastically the vigorous pastimes of Scandinavian aristocrats: hiking, hunting, skiing, yachting.
Belgian news organs gave space to a ridiculous fable concerning her prowess as a cook last week. Prince Leopold's infatuation, they declared, dates from the hour when he consumed an endive salad—his favorite dish—prepared with especial deftness by Princess Astrid.
*Should he ascend the throne he will reign as Leopold III, and will be Belgium's fourth king. Leopold I (1790-1865) was of course Queen Victoria's "wise uncle Leopold." Leopold II (1835-1909) was an uncle of the present king, Albert I, and although notoriously dissolute, and the ruthless exploiter of the Congo, spent much of his ill-gotten wealth on public buildings and improvements in Belgium.
*Princess Astrid is also a niece of King Christian X of Denmark and of King Haakon VII of Norway, since her mother, Princess Ingeborg, is their sister.
†The justly celebrated reputation of Swedes as valiant drinkers is due in considerable measure to the Swedish custom of drinking "healths" or "toasts" incessantly at even completely informal meals. Swedish, and indeed Scandinavian etiquette demands that when three or more people are at table no one of them shall drink so much as a sip of beer, wine or spirits except in pledging a toast. At a formal Swedish dinner the host rises, catches the eye of a guest who also rises, cries "Your health!" and they drink. The host must repeat this ritual at least once with every guest, and each guest must reply in kind to the host and hostess, and may similarly toast other guests. Naturally young girls of no great capacity are expected merely to touch a glass to their lips in response to the 30 or 40 toasts which they are sure to receive at a large dinner. No such quibbling is tolerated of Swedish males. Norwegians, less formal, usually dispense with "rising to the toast." Danes are adept at putting unwary foreign guests beneath the table by pledging them in Danish cherry brandy—a sweet potation, suitable for heroes.