Since matronly Queen Wilhelmina of The Netherlands and her massive daughter Crown Princess Juliana still uphold standards once upheld in England by King George, deep was the resentment of Dutchmen last week as some British journals printed sour-grape stories striving to make it appear that Juliana is some what the same kind of person as Edward VIII.
The London paper of largest circulation, Baron Beaverbrook's Daily Express, carried a leering rumor from The Hague that in the Royal Gardens "someone did catch a glimpse" of the Crown Princess and her fiance, Prince Bernhard zu Lippe-Biesterfeld (TIME, Dec. 7 et ante}, "just at a moment when the Prince put his arm around the Princess's neck and kissed her." The "someone" who observed the engaged couple may have been Queen Wilhelmina herself or any other Dutch chaperon for all the Daily Express appeared to know, but Lord Beaverbrook's paper carried the story under this seven-word head : "DUTCH ROYAL WEDDING IS BEING HUSHED UP "Somebody Saw Prince and Princess Kissing " It isn't done say clubmen." In The Netherlands the popular marriage of the Crown Princess has not been hushed up, like King Edward's intentions toward Mrs. Simpson, but proclaimed to take place Jan. 7. Last week the Dutch were as happy about Juliana as the British were upset over Edward. Dutchmen do not stand about in clubs muttering vaguely, "It isn't done." In blunt, indignant Dutch they said straight out last week what they thought of attempts to pretty up the House of Windsor by slinging sour grapes at the House of Orange-Nassau.