Tuesday, May 3, 2011

Princess Benedikte arrives in the USA

May 3, 1965

Princess Benedikte of Denmark arrived earlier today in New York City for a nine-day visit to New York and Washington, D.C., reports the New York Times.  This is the first visit to the United States for the 21-year-old princess, who is the second of three daughters of King Frederik IX and Queen Ingrid.

The princess flew from Copenhagen to Kennedy International airport aboard a Scandinavian Airlines jet.  She arrived at 5:45 p.m.   She walked down the plane's steps onto the "traditional red carpet."   She was greeted by seven-year-old Linda Aaberg, the daughter of Henning Aaberg,  the Danish consul in New York City.  She handed the princess a nosegay of yellow roses.

The trip did not start out well.  As the princess and her party left the airport, they got stuck in a stalled elevator between a lounge and the ground floor. 

Princess Benedikte is in New York to take part in the official celebration of Denmark Week.  She will meet this evening with New York's Mayor Robert Wagner, and tomorrow she will visit the World's Fair.

On Sunday, the princess will travel to Washington, D.C., to meet President Lyndon B. Johnson.  She will return to Copenhagen on May 12.

The princess was wearing a woolen dress, and told reporters that the weather "was much warmer in New York than in Copenhagen."

Benedikite's older sister,  Margrethe, is the heir to the throne.

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