BFI

This film is effectively a much more elaborate extension of Royal Train, thought to have been shot a decade earlier - with the crucial difference that the royal party disembarking at Southampton after a lengthy trip to India has been clearly captured by the cameras. At the time, the Prince and Princess of Wales were five years away from being crowned George V and Queen Mary.

The tour in question started in 1905, and film historian Ian Christie claims that it was the most extensive survey of the Indian sub-continent (then a key part of the British Empire) by members of the Royal Family. They were both deeply impressed, with Mary in particular falling passionately in love with the country, even to the point of compiling 29 photograph albums.

Michael Brooke

*This film is included in the BFI DVD compilation 'R.W. Paul: The Collected Films 1895-1908', with music by Stephen Horne and optional commentary by Ian Christie.

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