I'd heard this about Queen Noor about two weeks ago from "very reliable" sources. But it is not my business to leak secrets. Still, now that it is out, I do have some comments. First, Michael Kinsley wrote an article for TNR about Noor, the Princeton graduate who was the daughter of the CEO of Pan American Airlines (now dead, I don't mean her father because I don't know but PAA which is long dead) and married the very eligible King Hussein, which made her a real queen. I don't have a feel for the how the family (the mishpocheh) felt about her. But my instincts are that they didn't feel so good. Anyway, what family doesn't have problems, at least with in-laws? I'd met the King and Her Majesty a few times, and he was always pleasant and very smart, really very smart. When we met, I recited a little Hebrew blessing for when one is in the presence of nobility. And noble, he was, too. He carried himself, like his nephews do, as a prince. And as how I imagine a descendant of the Prophet would carry himself. All of the respect he received at Yitzhak Rabin's funeral and at his own he deserved. I had dinner with him twice (once with her, once without) and the second time it was during Passover. He served us matzoh. (The next day, I crossed into Israel to visit cousins on a kibbutz, and they welcomed me with fresh baked bread. So was the Hashemite prince not truly noble!) In any case, when Mike and I met her--both of us a bit embarrassed--she made us a little more embarrassed. She still was a bit prickly about Mike's article. But I can't say that she wasn't hospitable, even gracious. Then we spoke about acupuncture (which was then not available in Jordan), and a friend who was with us suggested a Jerusalem acupuncturist to her. Let's get to the point of all this. She was so much more hostile to Israel than King Hussein that it was, I felt, more than a bit embarrassing to him. You can see it in her last book. Anyway, what is the "this" I alluded to in my first sentence? It is that Noor and George Soros seem to be a pair. The Daily News item which carries the news also reports that they have been "political allies for years. (They campaigned against land mines back in 1998.)" But they have another cause in common. The fight against Israel, and it is my guess that she is the more moderate fighter.