Monarchy
New Zealand
The Journal of The Monarchist League of New Zealand Incorporated
ISSN 1174-8435
Volume 7 Issue 1 February 2002
The Monarchist League of
New Zealand, Inc.
Patron: Capt Hon Sir Peter Tapsell, KNZM MBE MBChB FRCSEd FRCS RNZN(hon)
The Secretary, 1/39A Clonbern Road, Remuera,
Auckland 1005, New Zealand
Council:
Chairman: Noel Cox, Esq., LLM(Hons) PhD CertTertTchg HonCIL FCIL FFASL FBS
Vice-Chairman: Merv Tilsley, Esq.
Secretary: Chris Barradale, Esq.
Treasurer: Stephen Brewster, Esq., MBA BCA CA
Councillors:
Nicholas Albrecht, Esq., MA(Hons)
Roger Barnes, Esq., FHSNZ
John Cox, Esq., LLB MNZTA
Neville Johnson, Esq.
Ian Madden, Esq., MA LLB FSA(Scot)
Robert Mann, Esq., MSc PhD
Professor Peter Spiller, BA LLB PhD LLM MPhil PhD
League Officers:
Legal Adviser: Noel Cox, Esq., LLM(Hons) PhD CertTertTchg HonCIL FCIL FFASL FBS
Librarian and Archivist: Noel Cox, Esq., LLM(Hons) PhD CertTertTchg HonCIL FCIL FFASL FBS
Provincial Representative, Wellington: Mathew Norman, Esq.
Editor, Monarchy New Zealand: Noel Cox, Esq., LLM(Hons) PhD CertTertTchg HonCIL FCIL FFASL FBS
Assistant Editor and Advertising Manager, Monarchy New Zealand: John Cox, Esq., LLB MNZTA
Webmaster: Noel Cox, Esq., LLM(Hons) PhD CertTertTchg HonCIL FCIL FFASL FBS
Monarchy New Zealand is published by The Monarchist League of New Zealand Inc. Opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect the policy of The Monarchist League of New Zealand. Correspondence should be addressed to the Editor, Monarchy New Zealand, 123 Stanley Road, Glenfield, Auckland 1310, New Zealand. Tel: +64 9 444-7687; Fax: +64 9 444-7397; E-mail: [email protected]
Editorial
This month marks the beginning of the Golden Jubilee year. It was on the 6th February 1952 that Her Majesty Elizabeth II became Queen. This is the second jubilee to be celebrated by the Queen, the first being her 25th, or Silver Jubilee, in 1977. On that occasion, in the understated humour which has been characteristic of many of the Queen’s public utterances, she said:
When I was twenty-one I pledged my life to the service of our people, and I asked God’s help to make good that vow. Although that vow was made in my salad days, when I was green in judgment, I do not regret nor retract one word of it.
Fifty years is a long time to occupy the position- I do not write office, for the position of Sovereign is not something which can be described by that term. The wearer of the Crown does not reign for their own benefit, but for that of the people. Kingship is a service, the effectiveness of which is endorsed by over a thousand years of history.
The only Sovereigns to have celebrated a Golden Jubilee were the English kings Henry III in 1266 and Edward III in 1377, and British King George III in 1810 and Queen Victoria in 1887. King James VI of Scotland (James I of England) reigned for more than 50 years in his northern kingdom.
The Queen is therefore only the second New Zealand sovereign to have reigned for this length of time. Let us celebrate the Golden Jubilee year in whatever way each of us prefers. But remember that while Her Majesty pledged her life to the service of her people, the least we can do is show our appreciation and support for her dedication.
Dr Noel Cox
Editor
News in Brief
The Queen’s Christmas Broadcast
Her Majesty The Queen’s 2001 Christmas message spoke of disaster and faith. The Queen expressed the hope that communities would be strengthened in the coming year. The full text is as follows:
For many people all over the world, the year 2001 seems to have brought them more than their fair share of trials and disasters.
There have been storms and droughts as well as epidemics and famine. And this country has not been spared, with the floods this time last year and Foot and Mouth which has had such devastating consequences for our farmers and rural communities. They and others whose livelihoods have been affected continue to suffer hardship and anxiety long after the newspaper headlines have moved on.
But whilst many of these events were of natural origin, it was the human conflicts and the wanton acts of crime and terror against fellow human beings which have so appalled us all. The terrorist outrages in the United States last September brought home to us the pain and grief of ordinary people the world over who find themselves innocently caught up in such evil.
During the following days we struggled to find ways of expressing our horror at what had happened. As so often in our lives at times of tragedy - just as on occasions of celebration and thanksgiving - we look to the Church to bring us together as a nation or as a community in commemoration and tribute. It is to the Church that we turn to give meaning to these moments of intense human experience through prayer, symbol and ceremony.
In these circumstances so many of us, whatever our religion, need our faith more than ever to sustain and guide us. Every one of us needs to believe in the value of all that is good and honest; we need to let this belief drive and influence our actions.
All the major faiths tell us to give support and hope to others in distress. We in this country have tried to bring comfort to all those who were bereaved, or who suffered loss or injury in September’s tragic events through those moving services at St Paul’s and more recently at Westminster Abbey.
On these occasions and during the countless other acts of worship during this past year, we came together as a community - of relations, friends and neighbours - to draw strength in troubled times from those around us.
I believe that strong and open communities matter both in good times as well as bad. Certainly they provide a way of helping one another. I would like to pay tribute to so many of you who work selflessly for others in your neighbourhood needing care and support.
Communities also give us an important sense of belonging, which is a compelling need in all of us. We all enjoy moments of great happiness and suffer times of profound sadness; the happiness is heightened, the sadness softened when it is shared.
But there is more than that. A sense of belonging to a group, which has in common the same desire for a fair and ordered society, helps to overcome differences and misunderstanding by reducing prejudice, ignorance and fear. We all have something to learn from one another, whatever our faith - be it Christian or Jewish, Muslim, Buddhist, Hindu or Sikh - whatever our background, whether we be young or old, from town or countryside.
This is an important lesson for us all during this festive season. For Christmas marks a moment to pause, to reflect and believe in the possibilities of rebirth and renewal. Christ’s birth in Bethlehem so long ago remains a powerful symbol of hope for a better future. After all the tribulations of this year, this is surely more relevant than ever.
As we come together amongst family and friends and look forward to the coming year, I hope that in the months to come we shall be able to find ways of strengthening our own communities as a sure support and comfort to us all - whatever may lie ahead.
May I, in this my fiftieth Christmas message to you, once again wish every one of you a very happy Christmas.
Elizabeth R
New Year’s Honours
The New Year’s honours list released 31st December 2001 contained the usual range of royal honours. Professor Alan MacDiarmid, Nobel Prize-winning scientist, topped the list with an appointment to the Order of New Zealand.
There were four DCNZM (Distinguished Companions of the New Zealand Order of Merit), childrens’ authoress Lynley Dodd, former Rural Womens’ New Zealand president Margaret Millard, Olympic triple gold medalist Peter Snell, and the Rt Hon Edmund (Ted) Thomas, retired judge of the Court of Appeal.
The fourteen Companions (CNZM) included film-maker Peter Jackson, Auckland University of Technology Dean of Science and Engineering Professor Roy Geddes, former Bishop of Auckland the Rt Revd Bruce Gilberd, Maori Catholic bishop the Most Revd Max Mariu, retired High Court Judge and Solicitor-General the Hon Paul Neazor, and jewellery store owner Michael Hill.
There were 26 Officers of the New Zealand Order of Merit (ONZM), as well as one additional and one honorary. Recipients included former MP and Auckland City Councillor Richard Northey, and historian Emeritus Professor Russell Stone.
The 55 new Members of the New Zealand Order of Merit (MNZM) included Dunedin English scholar Emeritus Professor Colin Gibson, Cambodian Chinese community leader Lim Nam Chhour, and Chhotubhai Sima, a leader of the Indian community. There were also one additional and two honorary MZNM.
There were also 14 new Companions of the Queen’s Service Orders (QSO), seven each for Public Service and Community Service. They included the former Mayor of Auckland, the Hon Christine Fletcher.
The honours list also included 38 Queen’s Service Medals (QSM) for Community Service, and 40 QSM for Public Service. Recipients included Muriel Wehi, kapahaka and waiata expert.
CHOGM and royal visit
The postponed 2001 CHOGM is to be held 2nd to the 5th March 2002 at Hyatt Regency, Coolum, Sunshine Coast, Queensland.
The people of New Zealand will be pleased with the announcement that Her Majesty The Queen and His Royal Highness The Duke of Edinburgh will be visiting New Zealand this coming February, prior to the opening of CHOGM.
The tour originally scheduled for October was postponed late in September due to the international security situation. It is fitting that the rescheduled visit will be taking place in the month which sees the 50th anniversary of Her Majesty’s accession to the Throne.
We look forward to the Government’s announcement of the programme of official celebrations during 2002 of Her Majesty’s Golden Jubilee.
Due to the shortening of the tour, which will be from 22nd to 27th February, Dunedin will not now be included on the schedule, which will comprise Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch.
In Auckland, Her Majesty and His Royal Highness will host a garden reception to mark the Golden Jubilee of Her Majesty’s accession, visit Team New Zealand’s America’s Cup headquarters, and the Liggins Institute of the University of Auckland.
In Wellington the royal couple will attend a state dinner in the Beehive. They will visit the Ngai Tahu Rehua marae and Burnham Military Camp while in Christchurch.
Privy Council and Queen’s Counsel
In a Christmas message to members of the New Zealand Law Society, Attorney-General Miss Margaret Wilson stated that:
"discussion is now focused on the form of an appeal structure to replace the Privy Council with a strong consensus emerging for the establishment of a New Zealand court of final appeal to sit above the existing Court of Appeal. I have also continued to examine the future of the rank of Queen’s Counsel and expect to make an announcement in the new year."
It is expected that the Governments plans for the Privy Council, and for the future of Queen’s Counsel, will be announced in the next few months.
Royal Diary
The Princess Royal goes to the Deep South
The Princess Royal will spend five days in Christchurch and Antarctica in February, as patron of the Antarctic Heritage Trust. The visit is to mark the centenary of the arrival in Antarctica of Captain Robert Falcon Scott’s expedition.
The Chairman of the Trust, Rob Fenwick, announced the visit in December. The Princess has not visited Antarctica previously, though other members of the Royal Family, most recently the Earl of Wessex, have done so.
Princess Alice at 100
On 12th December 2001 a family gathering was held at Kensington Palace for Princess Alice, aunt of the Queen. The Queen, Princess Margaret, Prince of Wales, Duke and Duchess of Gloucester and their family were present. Princess Alice turned 100 on Christmas Day.
There was a musical tribute and a military parade by the Kings Own Scottish Borderers, of which the Princess has been Colonel-in-Chief since 1937. These were followed by a birthday reception.
The Princess is the daughter of the Duke of Buccleuch, and married Prince Henry, younger son of King George V, in 1934. HRH The Prince Henry Duke of Gloucester died in 1974.
The Princess, now Air Chief Marshal HRH Princess Alice Duchess of Gloucester, GCB CI GCVO GBE, has one surviving son, Richard Duke of Gloucester, and three grandchildren.
League News
Golden Jubilee mug
A commemorative mug has been specially commissioned by the Monarchist League to mark the Queen’s Golden Jubilee year. The distinctive piece has the Queen’s New Zealand coat of arms on one side, and the badge of The Monarchist League of New Zealand on the other. This is a unique souvenir of a momentous occasion.
These important commemorative items are for sale at a cost price of $19.95, postage and packing inclusive within New Zealand. Overseas postage is by arrangement.
The mugs are available from: The Secretary, 1/39A Clonbern Road, Remuera, Auckland 1005, New Zealand, telephone: +64 9 523-5052 (after hours); mobile phone: 025-759-034, email: [email protected]
Jubilee functions
A number of events are planned in New Zealand to mark the Golden Jubilee. Many local councils are entering into the spirit of the occasion. There remains however a dearth of planning for the jubilee at Government level.
The New Zealand Post was considering a commemorative coin, and commemorative stamps. There is uncertainty at this stage as to whether either proposal will proceed. The Government itself has yet to announce any events to mark the Golden Jubilee.
A Golden Jubilee Thanksgiving Service will be held at Holy Trinity Cathedral, Parnell, Auckland on Sunday 9th June. It will commence at 3 pm. This will be attended by members of the patriotic societies, the armed forces, churches, members of Parliament, local schools, youth groups, and other groups.
Whilst the visit of Her Majesty to New Zealand during February will provide a focus for Golden Jubilee celebrations, the jubilee may be marked at any time during the coming year. It is hoped that the Government will shortly announce plans to mark the Golden Jubilee in an appropriate manner.
Members are asked to advise the Editor of plans for jubilee events.
Overseas News
Prince William in St Andrews
The University of St Andrews enjoyed a 44.6% increase in student applications in 2001 over 2000, thanks to the announcement that Prince William of Wales would be studying there. The increase shows the remarkable effect that enrolling a royal undergraduate has had on the nearly six hundred year old Scottish university.
The increase in applications was second only to the newly enlarged and reconstituted Bath Spa University College, which saw a 47.4% increase. The third highest increase in student numbers at British universities was Liverpool Hope University, where applications rose a comparatively modest 18.9% over 2000.
Interestingly, Bath Spa University College also has a strong royal connection. It is based at Newton Park, an eighteenth century country house, at Newton St Loe, near Bath, Somerset. The house and estate were bought by the Duchy of Cornwall in 1941 from Lord Temple, and was intended as a possible home for a future duke.
The house was leased to the Bath City Council from 1945, and later used by the Bath College of Higher Education. In 1999 the college was renamed Bath Spa University College, and now has some 4,200 students.
The Newton St Loe estate remains the property of the duchy, and covers 4,797 acres in 14 farms (200-600 acres each), including 8 dairy farms. It contains the only village owned virtually entirely by the duchy.
Simon Upton in London
The Rt Hon Simon Upton, retired Minister of the Crown and now international bureaucrat, was sworn a member of the Privy Council in November. The following is a quote from "uptononline", Mr Upton’s regular email newsletter:
Sir Kenneth Keith and yours truly to Buckingham Palace on 14th November 2001 to do something that people have been doing since at least the time of the Norman Conquest: swearing loyalty to the reigning sovereign as newly appointed Counsellors.
The ceremony is perfectly simple and occurs as the first item of business at an ordinary monthly Privy Council meeting at which the Queen meets a small group of Ministers (led by the President of the Council – currently Robin Cook) to give her assent to a raft of regulations, proclamations, and judgements of the Judicial Committee. Sir Kenneth and upton-on-line were accompanied by a veritable old hand on the Council, Rt Hon Paul East QC, who was there to make sure the colonials watched their Ps & Qs.
The business side of the meeting was pretty familiar to upton-on-line who has watched two Governors-General – Dame Cath Tizard and Sir Michael Hardie Boys – personally wade through the reams of legislation and regulations we forced on them as Her Majesty’s representatives.
But the oath of office was a little different from the sort of oath taking that upton-on-line had undertaken in seven different New Zealand parliaments. Rather than sharing a bible with alphabetically proximate parliamentary colleagues under the Presbyterian eye of Dave McGhie (the Clerk of the House), upton-on-line found himself on one knee clutching a copy of the New Testament and then, two paces forward on another rose coloured kneeler, kissing Her Majesty’s outstretched hand.
This was slightly more familiar territory for Sir Kenneth whose legal valour has seen him kneel previously to arise as a knight of the realm. Today’s title-less NZ honours are apparently proof of the fact that chivalry has evaporated from this world. Her Majesty’s gloveless hand is the sole remaining link with that world. Here are the two oaths taken by new Privy Counsellors. First the familiar oath of allegiance:
"You do swear that you will be faithful and bear true allegiance to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth the Second, Her Heirs and Successors according to Law, so help you God".
And secondly the (much longer) Privy Counsellor’s oath which, mercifully, is read by the Clerk requiring only an "I Do". (Upton-on-line leaves it to readers to consider whether technically a Privy Counsellor can express republican sentiments without breaching the oath!):
"You do swear by Almighty God to be a true and faithful Servant unto The Queen’s Majesty as one of Her Majesty’s Privy Council. You will not know or understand of any manner of thing to be attempted, done or spoken against Her Majesty’s Person, Honour, Crown or Dignity Royal, but you will lett and withstand the same to the uttermost of your power, and either cause it to be revealed to Her Majesty Herself, or to such of Her Privy Council as shall advertise Her Majesty of the same. You will in all things to be moved, treated and debated in Council, faithfully and truly declare your Mind and Opinion, according to your Heart and Conscience; and will keep secret all matters committed and revealed unto you, or that shall be treated of secretly in Council. And if any of the said Treaties or Counsels shall touch any of the Counsellors you will not reveal it unto him but will keep the same until such time as, by the consent of Her Majesty or of the Council, Publication shall be made thereof. You will to your uttermost bear Faith and Allegiance to the Queen’s Majesty; and will assist and defend all Jurisdictions, Pre-eminences, and Authorities, granted to Her Majesty and annexed to the Crown by Acts of Parliament, or otherwise, against all Foreign Princes, Persons, Prelates, States, or Potentates. And generally in all things you will do as a faithful and true Servant ought to do to Her Majesty, SO HELP YOU GOD".
Oaths taken, the meeting reverted to its daily business, all dispatched in five minutes or so. Needless to say, having taken the above oath, upton-on-line is forsworn not to reveal its substance. But he can attest that, by tradition, meetings are held standing up – an ‘innovation’ instituted by Queen Victoria with any eye to assisting the speedy completion of business.
Death of last surviving sister to Duke of Edinburgh
Princess George of Hanover, the former Princess Sophie of Greece and Denmark, and sister of the Duke of Edinburgh, has died. She was born in 1914, and married Prince George of Hanover in 1946.
The Princess was formerly the wife of Prince Christopher of Hesse, killed in a flying accident in the Appenines in 1943. Prince George was born 1915, and was educated at Marlborough College, and later obtained a doctorate in international law. He was Headmaster of Salem School, the sister foundation to Gordonstoun School.
Princess George had two sons and a daughter. The eldest son died in India in 1981.
The Duke of Edinburgh had three other sisters. Princess Margarita was born 1905, and died 1981. She married Prince Gottried, 8th Prince of Hohenlohe-Langenburg (1897-1960), and had four sons and a daughter.
Princess Theodora was born 1906, and died 1969. She married Prince Berthold of Baden (1906-63), and had two sons and a daughter.
Princess Cecilie was born 1911. She married George Grand Duke of Hesse and the Rhine (1906-37), and died in 1937 with her husband, two sons and mother-in-law, when their plane crashed, just a month after the death of her father-in-law. A daughter survived them for eighteen months.
The Hesse family is now represented by a sole member, Ludwig V Prince of Hesse and the Rhine, a brother-in-law of Princess George. He has adopted his kinsman Moritz Landgrave of Hesse as his heir, in order to reunite two of the branches of the House of Lorraine-Brabant, landgraves of Hesse since the thirteenth century.
Golden Jubilee
The main celebrations in the United Kingdom of the 50th anniversary of The Queen’s Accession to the Throne will take place between May and July 2002 when Her Majesty will tour the regions of England and pay visits to Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. The Queen will visit Commonwealth countries earlier in the year.
The major Golden Jubilee celebrations in Britain will take place during the weekend of 1st June to 4th June. Monday 3rd June will be an additional Bank Holiday to mark the Golden Jubilee. The Spring Bank Holiday, which would otherwise fall on 27th May, will be moved to Tuesday 4th June when there will be a National Service of Thanksgiving at St Paul’s Cathedral. On Sunday, June 2nd, there will be celebratory church services and bell ringing.
The 500th anniversary of an historic treaty between England and Scotland will be marked with a jubilee exhibition in Scotland, from March 20th to May 20th. "The Thistle and the Rose" is at Stirling Castle, 37 miles north of Edinburgh. The two manuscripts that form the 1502 Treaty of Perpetual Peace will be brought together for the first time.
The most wide-ranging London event will be the String of Pearls Golden Jubilee Festival, March- December. More than 70 major buildings, institutions and organisations along or near the River Thames are to throw open their doors to the public - some of them for the first time - and mount special exhibitions and other events during the ten month festival.
London events include the first-ever public concerts in the gardens of Buckingham Palace. The first features classical music (1st June), followed on 3rd June by a pop concert. Free tickets will be allocated by ballot but there will also be giant screens in the vicinity of the palace, so that thousands more can enjoy the concerts.
The same day, a fire beacon is to be lit by the Queen and a spectacular firework display staged. A chain of beacons will light up across the United Kingdom. The Queen is expected to attend an equestrian spectacular at Windsor, "All the Queen's Horses" (May 16th-18th), re-creating the glittering Coronation procession of 1953.
The Queen will also open the Commonwealth Games in Manchester on 25th July and close them on 4th August.
Royal Poetry
The renowned poet A E Housman (1859-1936) published "A Shropshire Lad" in London in 1896. The work is in several parts. Part 1 contains the following verse concerning the events of Queen Victoria’s Golden Jubilee year. At a time when we are preparing to celebrate the Jubilee of our present Queen, it is pertinent to look back at the attitudes of the Victorians to their Queen’s Golden Jubilee.
A major feature of the 1887 Jubilee was the lighting of beacons, the traditional sign of war. The beacons reminded the poet of the soldiers who had fallen for their Queen and country, and who would not be witnessing their bright flames.
From Clee to heaven the beacon burns,
The shires have seen it plain,
From north and south the sign returns
And beacons burn again.
Look left, look right, the hills are bright,
The dales are light between,
Because 'tis fifty years to-night
That God has saved the Queen.
Now, when the flame they watch not towers
About the soil they trod,
Lads, we'll remember friends of ours
Who shared the work with God.
To skies that knit their heartstrings right,
To fields that bred them brave,
The saviours come not home to-night:
Themselves they could not save.
It dawns in Asia, tombstones show
And Shropshire names are read;
And the Nile spills his overflow
Beside the Severn's dead.
We pledge in peace by farm and town
The Queen they served in war,
And fire the beacons up and down
The land they perished for.
"God save the Queen" we living sing,
From height to height 'tis heard;
And with the rest your voices ring,
Lads of the Fifty-third.
Oh, God will save her, fear you not:
Be you the men you've been,
Get you the sons your fathers got,
And God will save the Queen.
A. E. Housman
Royal visits
Earl Mountbatten of Burma, 1946
Earl Mountbatten of Burma, or Lord Louis Mountbatten as he was more familiarly known, visited New Zealand in 1946. Although not a member of the immediate royal family, he was uncle to the Duke of Edinburgh, and friend and confidant of the present Prince of Wales as well as his immediate predecessor.
HSH Prince Louis Francis Albert Victor Nicholas of Battenberg was born at Frogmore House, Windsor 25th June 1900, the younger son of Admiral of the Fleet HSH Prince Louis of Battenberg (later Marquess of Milford Haven) and of HRH Princess Victoria of Hesse, daughter of Louis IV Grand Duke of Hesse and of HRH Princess Alice, daughter of Queen Victoria. After 1917 he was known as Lord Louis Mounbatten, after his father renounced his German titles- something which was necessary given Prince Louis senior’s royal status and position as retired First Sea Lord.
Lord Louis, who accompanied the Prince of Wales on his world tour in 1920-21, married 18th July 1922 Edwina Annette, daughter of Lord Mount Temple.
He served in the Royal Navy with great distinction from 1913 to 1965, and was able to achieve his lifelong ambition of reaching the position his father reached- that of First Sea Lord. He never forgot the fact that his father lost his job just after the beginning of the Great War because of sensitivity over his German connections. Mountbatten himself was devoted to genealogy, and was a leading exponent of the science.
Earl Mountbatten, rather unorthodoxly, chose the signals specialisation. This proved ideal for a man with endless imagination and led to a number of technical innovations- some of which were to continue in use for many years. He had reached the rank of captain by the outbreak of the Second World War, when he was appointed to command a destroyer flotilla.
Churchill had confidence in Mountbatten’s abilities both as a leader of men and as an innovator, and he was soon to move on to new responsibilities as chief of combined operations. Appointed commodore 1st class 1941, he was an acting Vice Admiral in 1942, and acting Admiral 1943.
From August 1943 to 1946 he served as the Supreme Allied Commander, South East Asia, with Headquarters at Kandy in Ceylon. His determination and dedication to detail were sorely tested. But he proved himself up to the task.
After the war Mountbatten reverted to his substantive rank of captain, but in 1946 he was promoted to Rear Admiral. It was at this time that he visited New Zealand. His visit is described in his diaries, which were edited by Philip Ziegler as the Personal diary of Admiral the Lord Louis Mountbatten, Supreme Allied Commander, South-East Asia, 1943-1946, and published in 1988
Lord Louis served as the last Viceroy of India, from March to July 1947, and as the first Governor-General of the new Dominion of India, from August 1947 to June 1948. He was created Viscount Mountbatten of Burma in 1947.
Mountbatten returned to naval duties, being appointed Flag Officer Commanding 1st Cruiser Squadron, Mediterranean in October 1948. From April 1950 he was Fourth Sea Lord and Chief of Supplies and Transport
From 1952 to 1954 he served as Commander in Chief Mediterranean, and also concurrently as NATO Commander in Chief Allied Forces Mediterranean May 1953-1954. It was during this time that The Queen, then HRH Princess Elizabeth, Prince Charles and Princess Anne, lived in Malta, while the Duke of Edinburgh was stationed with the Mediterranean Fleet.
Mountbatten was First Sea Lord and Chief of Naval Staff 1955-59, and was promoted to Admiral of the Fleet in 1956. From 1959 to 1965 he served as Chief of Defence Staff and Chairman of Chiefs of Staff Committee, and was instrumental in introducing the Ministry of Defence. His experience with joint operations in the Second World War proved invaluable.
Earl Mountbatten died 27th August 1979, the victim of an Irish republican plot. He is buried in Broadlands Chapel, Romsey Abbey, Hampshire, near his country home.
Royal Residences past and present
The Jewel House, HM Tower of London
Although there has been a treasury in the Tower of London from the earliest times, often in the sub-crypt of St John’s Chapel in the White Tower, from 1255 the Tower housed a Jewel House for the safeguarding of state crowns and regalia. The coronation regalia remained at Westminster Abbey.
Following a robbery in 1303 by Richard de Podenecott of the Chamber of the Pyx, where the coronation regalia had been kept, the coronation regalia themselves, including the ancient crown of King Edward the Confessor, were moved to the Tower for safekeeping.
Over the centuries many items passed through the hands of the Jewel House, until in 1649 the crown jewels were dispersed by the victorious Roundheads.
After the Restoration, and the creation of a complete new set of coronation regalia, these were stored again at the Tower of London. Now, for the first time, they were open for public display. This nearly led to disaster however, when in 1671 the notorious Colonel Blood almost succeeded in an audacious attempt to steal the Crown Jewels.
In 1782 the post of Master of the Jewel House, then held the Earl of Darlington, was abolished, and responsibility for the Crown Jewels passed to the Lord Chamberlain of HM Household, where it remains.
From 1782 till 1814 only a resident caretaker remained at the Tower, though the crown jewels were kept in a purpose-built tower after 1378 at the latest. The regalia left the chamber only rarely, and never for long, except when wartime security required it. During the Second World War the Crown Jewels were kept in Windsor Castle.
In 1957 the last battalion departed the Tower, leaving the Waterloo Barracks, built in the early years of Victoria’s reign to house 1,000 soldiers, largely empty. 1967 a new Jewel House was built beneath the west wing of the Waterloo Barracks, and the Yeomen Wardens gave up responsibility for the safekeeping of the regalia to a new independent body of Wardens responsible to the Keeper of the Jewel House. These number about 20.
A combined strongroom/display area in the basement of the building extended out into the Parade Ground, and was used to house the coronation regalia itself. An upper floor was used to display additional items of royal plate, decorations and other related items of interest.
The entrance to the ground floor chamber was past plain untreated concrete walls, down 49 steps and through a massive Chubb strongroom door. The vault floor itself was 60 feet below ground, and electronic beams and steel shutters were used to protect the glass cases containing the regalia, which were arranged in a circle.
But even this Jewel House was to prove inadequate. The numbers of visitors increased to such an extent that new premises were required. Fortunately, HM Treasury could see that expenditure on such a building would be a sound investment, and approval was given for a new chamber.
A new Jewel House was constructed 1992-94. It is also in the Waterloo Barracks. The new display area is on the ground floor, above the previous subterranean display. The construction of the new Jewel House was funded by entry fees.
The chamber is three times the size of the old, occupying the whole ground floor of the barracks. Through the provision of a moving pavement the Jewel House can handle up to 20,000 visitors each day, four times as many as the old chamber.
The custody of the crown jewels remains in the hands of the Curator of the Jewel House, Bob Melling, RVM. Regalia are removed only on the authority of the Comptroller of the Lord Chamberlain’s Office, who signs a chit on receipt of the items from the Deputy Governor (Operations).
The security of the regalia was not ignored. The Crown Jewels are protected by new technology, and are behind 2" thick shatter-proof glass. A prototype of the 15 new brass and glass cases (which contains inert materials and clean air) was blown up by the army to test its strength.
A new control room, manned by the army garrison, was opened shortly before the regalia were moved to their new quarters. This will command the whole Tower, and is capable of dealing with any emergency.
The regalia were moved to their new chamber on the 2nd of January 1994, and the Jewel House was opened by Her Majesty The Queen on the 24th of March 1994.
Book Review
For The King’s Pleasure: The Furnishing and Decoration of George IV’s Apartments at Windsor Castle, by Sir Hugh Roberts
King George IV (1762-1830) was among the most gifted of all royal patrons. His love of fine objects and taste for the theatrical and the romantic are well documented. In this pioneering study, Hugh Roberts focuses on the King’s last and greatest commission, the rebuilding and refurnishing of the Private Apartments at Windsor Castle - one of the most lavish and costly interior decoration schemes ever carried out in England.
Drawing on much previously unpublished material, including royal correspondence, original accounts and detailed inventories, Hugh Roberts reconstructs George IV’s ambitious decorative programme. The author used much of the research that he carried out in the royal archives and elsewhere when advising on the restoration of these rooms after the devastating fire at Windsor Castle in 1992.
Always over budget and never delivered swiftly enough for the King’s liking, the furnishings and the new Apartments were just completed at the time of his death in 1830. Now, by means of an acute analysis of newly discovered documents, the author is able to throw light on George IV’s often complex relationships with his advisers and with the various architects, artists and craftsmen he favoured, in particular Jeffry Wyatville; leading exponents of the Gothic Style, A.C. and A.W.N. Pugin; and the principal suppliers of the new furniture and furnishings, Nicholas Morel and George Seddon.
Much of the surviving furniture is still in its original setting at Windsor Castle and is published here for the first time. It includes both pre-existing pieces of the finest eighteenth-century English and French furniture from Carlton House, the King’s London residence, and newly commissioned pieces in styles ranging from late Empire to Gothic Revival.
The book’s superb illustrations include the richly coloured room designs and original drawings requested by the King for some of his most imaginative and expensive commissions. Now part of the Royal Collection, the furniture, fabrics and fittings can still be seen in their superb surroundings when the Apartments, known as the Semi-State Rooms, are opened to the public each year from October to March.
Hugh Roberts’s elegant and scholarly study, the latest addition to the published research on the Royal Collection, provides an unparalleled insight into George IV’s patronage of the arts. With its detailed transcriptions and copious illustrations, it will be a rich source of reference for historians of architecture and furniture, textiles, interior decoration and design.
Sir Hugh Roberts is Director of the Royal Collection and Surveyor of The Queen’s Works of Art. He was previously a Director of Christie’s and was head of the Decorative Arts Departments there. His particular area of expertise is French and English furniture and interior decoration of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, and he has written extensively on these subjects in Royal Collection exhibition catalogues and major journals. He was closely involved in the restoration of Windsor Castle after the serious fire in 1992.
Published by the Royal Collection (from which it is available).
Size: 300 x 245 mm 464
pp 333 colour illustrations, 170 b/w illustrations
Cloth bound
ISBN: 1 902163 04
Publication date: 15 October 2001
Price: £75.00