THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, January 12, 1995 TAG: 9501100109
SECTION: NORFOLK COMPASS PAGE: 04 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY JOAN C. STANUS, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 63 lines
In a knee-length, burnt-orange suit, black opaque tights, Victorian shoes and teardrop pearl earrings, 23-year-old Polly Astor looked every bit the hip Londoner that she is.
But come April in a coronation at the Norfolk Botanical Garden, this dark-haired university student who loves to sit in pubs and read the discordant writings of the American beat poets will be decked out in white gloves and formal gown for her crowning as Norfolk's Azalea Queen.
``I come from a country with a queen, but I never thought I'd be one, especially in America,'' she quipped during a Jan. 3 visit to a gathering held in her honor at the Chrysler Museum.
``All this attention is a quite embarrassing, but I'm enjoying the taste of the limelight,'' she conceded. ``My friends keep teasing me; they call me a prom queen. But I assure them I'm not so regal. I think they're green with envy ... they want to come here, too.''
The gathering was Astor's official introduction to Norfolk. It was also an opportunity for festival organizers to announce preliminary plans for this year's celebration.
Now in its 42nd year, the festival is an annual celebration of NATO's presence in Norfolk. This year, the weeklong celebration of cultural, educational, athletic and trade events will be held April 23-30. Great Britain has been selected as 1995's most honored nation.
As her country's representative, Astor's selection as queen ``seemed perfectly logical,'' festival chairman Anne Lankford explained.
The new queen's grandmother is Lady Astor, the former Nancy Witcher Langhorne of Charlottesville, who was the first woman to serve in British Parliament.
Even though this January trip to Norfolk was Polly Astor's first to Virginia, she said she feels a kinship with the state.
``I'm returning to my roots, actually,'' she said. ``My grandmother always told me, `Virginia blood is like chewing gum - it sticks to you, and you can't get rid of it.' ''
During the spring, Astor intends on touring her grandmother's ancestral home near Charlottesville as well as other Virginia sights, such as Monticello and the Blue Ridge Mountains.
``I'm planning to come early to see all that because I won't have time during the week I'm going to be queen,'' she said.
Astor says she's excited about the upcoming festival. Being a queen is something totally foreign to her life at home in England.
``I'm just a typical student,'' she said. ``I love to go the cinema ... and sit in pubs with my friends. Norwich is a very mellow place; it's quite peaceful. I lived in London for 11 years, so I'm enjoying the change.''
Astor studies English and American literature at the University of East Anglia in Norwich, where she writes for the school newspaper. After graduation in June 1996, she hopes to work as a literary agent.
Before coming to Norwich, Astor worked for a literary agent in London reviewing manuscripts submitted by aspiring writers. ILLUSTRATION: Staff photo by JIM WALKER
Queen Azalea XLII, 23-year-old Polly Astor of Great Britain, is
welcomed to Norfolk by Mayor Paul Fraim.
by CNB