Queen Mum at Large

A grandmotherly looking lady walked into F.A.O. Schwarz, the fabulous Fifth-Avenue toy shop, one day last week and announced: "I'm interested in toys for a six-year-old boy and a four-year girl--and I'd like them to be very American." For half an hour she examined and tested a procession of toys before settling for a steam shovel ($5), a plastic tea set ($3), a baking set ($5), a chocolate-drink mixer ($5) and a collection of plastic bricks ($5). Except for her clipped accent and a certain bedlamic stir that trailed after her, the lady might have been any ordinary grandmother on a shopping spree in New York. She was Britain's Queen Mother Elizabeth, and the six-year-old she was shopping for is the heir-apparent to the British throne.

Tea & Western Sandwiches. The "Queen Mum," as New York's British colony calls her, arrived in the U.S. last week smiling and marveling at the sights of New York harbor. At week's end, after a schedule of shopping, sightseeing and partying that would have staggered women half her age, she was still going strong. Everywhere she appeared, she managed to break through the stiff cordon of protocol with her smile, her poise, or her dazzling jewels. On every hand the comment was the same: "Isn't she lovely?"

One afternoon she covered 44 galleries, six centuries of paintings and a formal tea at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, pausing to comment on a favorite Renoir or Rembrandt, and startling the sketching classes. That evening she went to see The Pajama Game. The show, she explained, was her own choice; for weeks she had listened to Princess Margaret's records of Hey There and Hernando's Hideaway, until the tunes "buzzed" in her ears. During the intermission she sipped champagne backstage with the enthralled cast and learned what a Western sandwich is ("It sounds delicious").* Three women from Cleveland who sat directly behind Her Majesty were almost overwhelmed by it all. "I just leaned over and touched her, just to say I did," commented one. "It has made our trip."

Higher Tea & Scrabble. On a trip to the top of the Empire State Building, Her Majesty was enchanted with the view, refused to come down until she had seen the full glory of a Manhattan sunset and consumed three cups of tea. When she emerged, in the five-o'clock rush hour, a swirling, near-hysterical crowd almost swept her off her feet, and only a flying wedge of policemen got her safely into her black Rolls-Royce.

On her third day in Manhattan she got down to serious shopping. A saleswoman showed Her Majesty around Hammacher Schlemmer and helped her select about $300 worth of gadgets--including bar equipment, a Scrabble game ("I'm just learning to play") and an umbrella-shaped umbrella stand. At Saks Fifth Avenue there was a mob scene as the Queen Mother bought jeweled cashmere sweaters for Queen Elizabeth (size 12) and Princess Margaret (size 10). "I'm afraid I'm buying too much," said the Queen, with a sudden womanly qualm. But then, in an equally womanly way, she comforted herself: "But I can see that Christmas is not going to be any trouble."

This week the royal grandmother, joining in the observance of Columbia University's 200th anniversary, donned a black cap and gown and marched with another touring VIP, Germany's sturdy old Chancellor Konrad Adenauer, in a solemn convocation at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine. Awarding her an honorary degree of Doctor of Laws, Columbia cited her as more than a queen. Said the citation: "A gifted musician, accomplished linguist, and understanding student of the arts."

* The cast's version: scrambled eggs, minced ham, green pepper and onions and a bit of pimiento.

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