Working Princess (1961)

Fade into a painting of a Princess sitting on a throne as commentator says “Once upon a time there was a Princess... and she lived in a castle on top of a hill“, as we see a painting of a castle on a hill. Back in reality we see M/S of Her Royal Highness Princess Madelein von Dembinska coming out of a house and walking to the gate of a level crossing where she puts her lamp in place in a container. She is descended from Polish royalty, and does look quite Polish in her black cossack-style hat. We are told that here, at Long Melford in Suffolk, we have found probably the only Princess in the world who works on a railway. A bell starts to ring and the Princess walks to a small hut to answer a telephone; she talks into it, smiles and hangs up. M/Ss of her pushing open the level crossing gates as commentator says “For the past three years in her capacity as level crossing keeper, the Princess is on duty from the first train (before 6 am), until the last (after 9 at night).... six days a week“. We then