Practical Prince

Having less to do than other men, most Kings & Crown Princes are practical jokers. Thus Edward of Wales once sat down on the Royal Spanish "squirt bench," was soused by streams of water from concealed nozzles (TIME, May 30, 1927). Recently Naples learned of an elaborate joke which Crown Prince Umberto has been playing off & on at night ever since he and his Belgian-born Crown Princess moved into their ancient but gorgeously refurbished palace overlooking Naples' blue bay.

As even Italians know, Her Royal Highness and His Royal Highness got on each other's nerves from the first. To tease his wife and guests at the Palace, joking Prince Umberto said that it was haunted, that ghostly footsteps could be heard at night. They have been heard. Naples laughed last week with her popular practical joker. His Royal Highness had been making "ghost footsteps" by letting loose in the Palace at night a cat with walnut shells tied to its feet.

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