h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Not quite sure whether you would read this message in Gramps Hans, so will post it here in your pigeon hole:


Hello Frank, reading your message to Hans re the then Dutch Queen Wilhelmina, that reminded me of a hazy memory I have of her, strengthened by my mother's memory of that day. We had recently been repatriated from Indonesia and a special welcome would be extended by the Queen in Utrecht. I remember being quite excited to see a QUEEN! We were lucky to have a seat at the aisle and remember being terribly disappointed when a small and rotund person approached,covered from head to toes in fur. You could hardly see her face.
My mother supplied the rest: I had loudly protested that that could not be the queen, as she did not wear her crown! She then stopped, having heard my indignant shout, and told me that she had left her crown at home, as it was so cold outside.
This was my second brush with the House of Orange, as you probably have read that her daughter, the then Princess Juliana, had picked me up and cuddled me when she arrived on board the ship 'Nieuw Amsterdam' when we arrived in Holland in January 1946.
I have always felt guilty that I may have been contributing to the affliction of her youngest daughter, then called Marijke, now Christina. There was a lot of rubella on board and Juliana, being in her early pregnancy, had caught the disease. She had been warned not to go on board, but being typically Juliana, she had ignored this. Her people came first!
Mam told me that I did not have rubella, but I was just recovering from measles. I always hoped she was right!
Our royal house has always been very compassionate to their people. This was also shown by a personal telephone call my mother received years later from Queen Juliana, after she had heard from her daughters' governess Ammy Broers (who was my stepfather's niece) that my brother had been mentally affected by meningitis. She simply announced on the telephone she was Juliana and wanted a mother-to-mother conversation, as she understood exactly what my mother must be going through.
Regards, Rob