December 15, 1946
Politics is delaying the official announcement of the engagement of Princess Elizabeth, heiress to the British throne, to Prince Philip of Greece, reports the New York Times. The young couple --the Princess will celebrate her 21st birthday next April and Prince Philip is 25 - have every intention of getting married. This has been confirmed by "sources with close contacts with both the Government and the palace, notwithstanding official denials that they are engaged," reports the New York Times.
Before the official announcement can be made, King George VI must give his assent under the Royal Marriages Act. The Prime Minister and the Privy Councillors will also be consulted "on the desirability of a marriage that will make Prince Philip the Prince Consort," when Princess Elizabeth succeeds to the throne.
The engagement is being delayed "due to the troubled situation in Greece." The present time is considered "inauspicious" for an official announcement, which could "provide a new reason for criticism" of the British Government's "policy of keeping troops in Greece."
No "immediate announcement" of a betrothal is expected. According to reliable sources, "there may be further denials."
Prince Philip will become a British subject at the end of February 1947. He will also renounce his rights to the Greek throne. He is sixth in line.
Princess Elizabeth will be joining her parents, King George VI and Queen Elizabeth, and her younger sister, Princess Margaret, on an official trip to South Africa.
Prince Philip, who served in Royal Navy during the Second World War, is the only son and youngest child of Princess Alice of Battenberg and the late Prince Andrew of Greece and Denmark, He often visits his maternal grandmother, the Dowager Marchioness of Milford Haven at her apartment in Kensington Palace. The Marchioness is a granddaughter of Queen Victoria.
Who is the curly haired little girl????
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