Friday, November 21, 2014

Marina welcomed in London

November 21, 1934

Thousands "cheered" as Princess Marina of Greece arrived in London earlier today.  Her special train arrived "exactly on scheduled time at Victoria Station," although regular train service has been paralyzed by fog, reports the New York Times.

Princess Marina alighted from the train and was greeted by the King and Queen and other members of the Royal Family.  She was accompanied by her fiancé, the Duke of Kent, who had met her in Dover. 

The princess responded with affectionate kisses for the King and Queen.  The royal party drove "through wildly cheering crowds to Buckingham Palace."  Shortly after their arrival, the glass doors to the palace's balcony were opened and the Duke of Kent and Princess Marina stepped out to "acknowledge" the cheers from the crowd.

This afternoon, the couple slipped out of the palace, unrecognized, and were driven to St. James's Palace for tea with the Prince of Wales.  This was followed by a quiet evening at the palace where the couple were the guests of honor at an "informal dinner party."

The wedding will take place on November 29 at Westminster Abbey.  Tomorrow is expected to be a quiet day for the Princess and her family.  She is expected to spend some time shopping and see a "few intimate friends."

Princess Marina has become a fashion trend setter. Today, she "introduced a new hat fashion."  Instead of the "little pillbox already made famous,"  the princess wore a "shallow sailor hat of beige velvet with tiny beige ostrich feathers curling over the brim."  Her coat, also beige, had a "big fox fur collar," with a matching dress.

One of the bridesmaids, Princess Juliana of the Netherlands, was "held up for five hours by the fog in the Thames," before she could land at Gravesend.

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