 |
| DIANA portable At left is a machine I've been after for quite some time. This is the DIANA portable, which according to various sources, including Wilfred Beeching, entered production in 1953 in Mannheim, West Germany. As some may already know, this machine was apparently very quickly transferred to Holland under the Royal name, and appeared in overall light gray as the Royal Diana. It also appeared in a wide-carriage form as the Royal Administrator; later, the regular-carriage machine was converted into new angular styling and renamed as the Royal Century. All of these machines are somewhat difficult to find. We did hope that the Diana would reveal something about itself, but in point of fact there is no marking whatsoever on the machine other than the "Diana" emblem on the top (which is admittedly Royal-like.) There are no markings on the rear at all, and only the serial number underneath (16062) which by serial number lists indicates 1954. |
 |
| There are quite a number of differences between the Diana above and the Royal Diana seen at right. First, the finish on the Diana is crinkled green, while the Royal version is two-tone flat enamel. The ribbon cover on the Diana hinges TOWARD the typist, while that on the Royal version pulls off and is secured only by four plastic pins that fit snugly into the opening of the top of the machine. The Diana lacks tabulator of any kind, but the Royal version not only has a tabulator but also has a keyboard tab stop set and clear lever (seen at the upper left of the keyboard.) The shape of the front frame also differs, as does the space bar. The keytops are quite close to identical, though, and there are very many design features that match perfectly. |
 |
 |
| Previously-mentioned ROYAL ADMINISTRATOR at left, and ROYAL CENTURY below. |
| We are on the hunt for information surrounding the development and history of this machine, and hope to bring details in the near future. But for now, if you have any details, please contact the author. |
| A few sparse details are known concerning the appearance of the early Diana machines. The initial version appears to have been that shown at the top of this page. This was followed by a visually identical version, with the exception of the name ROYAL appearing where the machine shown here says DIANA; the name DIANA then moves to the paper table. A following version is the same as just described in labeling but the paint changes from crinkled green to smooth enamel green. Next after this is the version seen on the gray DIANA shown earlier on this page. |