Tuesday, July 26, 2011

Two princess saved at sea

July 26, 1961


Princess Paola of Belgium and Hereditary Grand Duchess Josephine-Charlotte of Luxembourg clung to a capsized sailboat,"a half mile from shore for 30 minutes" until their husbands, Prince Albert, and  Hereditary Grand Duke Jean were able to come to their rescue in a "rubber dinghy," reports Reuters.

Princess Paola, 23, and Hereditary Grand Duchess Josephine Charlotte, 33, had "gone boating alone while their husbands sunbathed on a beach."

When the vessel went over, the two princes "paddled out in the dinghy and pulled them aboard."
According to the Associated Press, the "sea was calm" and neither princess suffered any injuries.
The two couples had been spending their vacation at the Luxembourg royal family's summer residence, Tour Sarrazine, at nearby Cabasson, on the French Riviera.

Prince Albert and Hereditary Grand Duchess Josephine Charlotte are the siblings of King Baudouin of the Belgians.   Later this evening, Prince Albert and his wife left the "residence by car of an unknown destination."

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