The Royal Watcher - Prince Ricardo De La Cerda
Crown Princess Margrethe of Denmark, Princess Margaretha of Sweden and Princess Astrid of Norway met Elvis, visited Disneyland and attended a Ball on their visit to California on this day in 1960, 65 years ago, to mark Scandinavian Airlines’ first transatlantic flight.
Crown Princess Margrethe of Denmark, her first cousin, Princess Margaretha of Sweden, and their cousin, Princess Astrid of Norway, went to California on the the first transatlantic flight by Scandinavian Airlines to Los Angeles.
The photographs document the activities of the three 20-something Scandinavian Princesses: Princess (now Queen) Margrethe of Denmark, Princess Astrid of Norway, and Princess Margaretha of Sweden, accompanied by other Scandinavian dignitaries. SAS (now Scandinavian Airlines) was and remains jointly operated by Sweden, Denmark, and Norway.
The images include the princesses at the airport, their deluxe accommodations in the first class section of the plane, being served by an impeccably dressed chef (who also appears to be knighted by another dignitary in one image), and visiting with the pilots in the cockpit.
When they arrive they are seen touring Los Angeles and Orange County, with a couple of images of them visiting a roadside diner, touring Hollywood, where they meet Jerry Lewis and seen delighted to be photographed with Elvis Presley, who is wearing an Army uniform. Elvis is seen kneeling in front of the princesses on the set of *G.I. Blues*.
Perhaps a little less than half of the images are devoted to their trip to Disneyland where they are seen on several rides: riding in a firetruck, on Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride, demurely posed in a spinning teacup at the Mad Tea Party ride, and engaged in high level discussions with Mickey Mouse. They later visited Sea World, and in another image, a Princess rides shotgun in a California Highway Patrol car.
The highlight of the visit was a Ball attended by Crown Princess Margrethe (wearing the Alexandrine Drop Tiara), Princess Margaretha (in the Four-Button Tiara), and Princess Astrid (wearing the Vasa Tiara) to celebrate Scandinavian Airlines’ first transatlantic flight.