Priest challenged to duel after criticizing Astrid's skirts

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August 30, 1926

The priest who considered the skirts of Crown Princess Astrid of Belgium to be too short has been challenged to a duel by an "unnamed member of the Belgian gentry," reports United Press.

The priest wrote his criticism of the Crown Princess' skirt lengths in a Belgian clerical newspaper.  The challenge "has not been answered."

The general public is said to be amused, "taking the view that Astrid's skirts simply conform to the modern fashion."   The article in the clerical newspaper included a photograph taken at a recent event in Mons, where the Crown Princess is seated "with her skits reaching just above her knees."  The writer did concede that "the radiant beauty of the princess aroused admiration in itself, without the addition of such a piece of trivial daring."