HELLO! (June 2,1995)

As graduation ceremonies go, the diploma handout at Washington's Georgetown University this year was quite an event. After all, it's not every day that two European Princes pluck the rewards of years of hard work from the hands of their tutors.

Indeed, Spain's Prince Felipe and Prince Pavlos of Greece found themselves very much at the centre of attention during the ceremony a fortnight ago which drew dozens of avid photographers bent on immortalizing the blue-blooded students as they collected their coveted diplomas. The tall, urbane Crown Prince Felipe is heir to one of the world's most popular monarchies, while his cosmopolitan cousin, the son of King Constantine of Greece, has made news in his own right with his upcoming wedding in London this summer to be held at Hampton Court.

But a lot of the attention was also focused on the two Crown Princes' families: King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia, Prince Felipe's two sisters, the Infantas Cristina and Elena, and brother-in-law Jaime de Marichalar who, together with ex-King Constantine and Queen Anne-Marie of Greece, flew in for the event. The two Spanish royals were especially in the limelight since the university awarded them honorary doctorates which they collected robed in the university's traditional grey and blue gowns after delivering acceptance speeches. King Juan Carlos was praised by America's ambassador to Uraguay, Thomas Dodd, as a "model for all monarchs of the 21st century."

Twenty-seven-year-old Felipe, considered one of Europe's most eligible royal bachelors, was studying at the University's School of Foreign Service for the two-year Master of Science in International Relations. Both Felipe and his cousin, who picked up the same MA, gained reputations as hardworking students.

Unlike Felipe, however, Pavlos, 28, is not as "eligible" as his Spanish cousin, much to the chagrin of hundreds of hopeful debutantes, since he announced his engagement to American heiress Marie- Chantal Miller, who has converted to the Greek Orthodox Church from Catholicism in order to be able to marry Pavlos. The 26-year-old art student, daughter of American millionaire Robert Miller, and the Greek Crown Prince are expected to get mar- ried at the Greek Orthodox Church of St Sophia in Bayswater before a sumptuous reception at Hampton Court at the beginning of July. Some 1,000 guests are expected, including most members of the British and Spanish royal families.

Felipe, on the other hand, has remained faithful to his bachelor status and has kept the press guessing, despite repeated efforts to tie his name to any one of Europe's available princesses. A few days prior to the 75-minute graduation ceremony, the Spanish King and Queen, Prince Felipe, his sister Elena and her husband of two months, Jaime, met the American President and his wife, Hillary, for tea at the White House. The warm encounter between the two heads of state and their families lasted well over the allotted time of 35 minutes and insiders report that President Clinton and Prince Felipe exchanged anecdotes about Georgetown university, where President Clinton also studied.