This film is part of Free
Nation Congratulates the Duke
Excited crowds gather to celebrate a new royal arrival - the future Queen Elizabeth II
Overview
Celebrations aplenty for the birth of the future Queen Elizabeth II: despite the seasonal rain, crowds pack the street outside 17 Bruton Street in Mayfair on April 21 1926, eager to catch sight of the newborn princess' royal visitors. One group of tenacious fans even squeeze onto a neighbouring balcony, surely the best seat in the house. Unfortunately, King George V and Queen Mary are all but obscured by umbrellas as they duck into a waiting car.
In the years after WWI, royal figures were increasingly popular subjects of newsreels such as Topical Budget, which took a generally pro-Establishment editorial line. For stories like this with little visual interest, alternative footage could be used to pad out the item; the shots at the end of the Prince of Wales were probably, judging by the much more clement weather, taken on a different occasion and included here to satisfy public longing for glimpses of the future King Edward VIII.
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