Boat Tears

To an Antwerp shipyard last week went three-year-old Princess Josephine Charlotte, daughter of handsome dark-haired Crown Prince Leopold and Princess Astrid, to launch the S.S. Princess Josephine Charlotte, a new Channel steamer for the Dover-Ostend run. Since a champagne bottle would have been, unwieldy for her diminutive Highness, thoughtful company officials tied a bright pink ribbon from the ship's prow to the launching platform. At the appropriate moment Princess Josephine Charlotte toddled to the edge of the platform, snipped the ribbon with a tiny pair of gold-plated scissors. The steamer slid majestically into the water.

Amid the cheers of the crowd, sounded a royal wail from Her Highness: "I didn't mean to do it, maman! I didn't mean to make the boat go away!"

The four-year-old son of Antwerp's port administrator came to the rescue, silenced the weeping Princess by presenting her with a large pink-cheeked sailor doll with S.S. Princess Josephine Charlotte in gold letters on his hatband.

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