Daylight Upon Magic

12th September 1933 - Duke and Duchess of York (King George VI and Queen Elizabeth) landing at Kyleakin, on the Isle of Skye. 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

Memorial plaque in the floor of the Thistle Chapel at St Giles’ Cathedral in Edinburgh.

This was a surprise find for me - just stumbled across it! I always love to see beloved Bertie remembered!

🥹 🤴🏻

A little about the plaque:

It is set into the floor of the Thistle Chapel and was unveiled by Queen Elizabeth II on 4 July 1962, ten years after her father's death in February 1952.

The plaque is a panel of granite with a bronze border and bronze lettering. The Royal Arms of Scotland in the middle are made from inlaid pieces of marble.

The designer was Esmé Gordon, a Scottish architect who knew the chapel well; he had published a guidebook to St Giles' and the Thistle Chapel in 1959.

St Giles’ Cathedral is the spiritual headquarters of the Order of the Thistle, Scotland’s highest chivalric order. George VI was Sovereign of the Order of the Thistle, so the chapel was the natural Scottish setting to commemorate him.

It was part of a wider commemorative effort for the King that included a plaque dedicated at Sandringham in December 1956 and a bust at Crathie Kirk near Balmoral in September 1957.

His permanent burial place at the King George VI Memorial Chapel at Windsor wasn't dedicated until March 1969, so for years these remembrances, as well as the William McMillan statue of him on the Mall in London (unveiled by his daughter the Queen in 1955), were the main physical memorials to him.

The Chapel itself was dedicated by his father, King George V, in 1911.

The top of the Thistle Chapel, looking up from the King George VI memorial plaque. A beautiful setting.

King George VI visiting naval ships in 1942.

Of one of the King's many visits to the Fleet, war correspondent Commander Anthony Kimmins described in a BBC broadcast:

"... when our King comes to visit his ships, we feel it is just a little bit different. Just a little bit extra. You see, to us he isn't only a very distinguished visitor; he isn't only our King. He's a sailor; one of us.

A man who has been through all our early Naval training, who has experienced all the hard discipline of the Naval College, who has weathered all the traditional leg-haulings and pitfalls of those first days at sea, and above all has had actual battle experience at Jutland.

Watch him coming down the steep ladders from the fore-bridge. There's no taking them backwards or grasping the hand-rails and cautiously picking his way down on his heels.

Oh no, it's a surefooted run down with a swing off the handrail at the bottom. Countless hours as a midshipman of the watch taught him that little trick. He moves like us and he speaks our language, so do not blame us if we feel just a little — what shall I say? — possessive."

Coronation Day, May 12, 1937. HM King George VI and Queen Elizabeth appear on the balcony at Buckingham Palace with members of the Royal Family and attendants.

📷  Interesting historical note about this image for photography nerds like me. It was taken by photojournalist and official army photographer Edward G. Malindine, and became one of his best known images. 

Malindine took the photo from the Victoria Monument using a home made telephoto lens which he built using components salvaged from a German First World War aerial camera. The lens, nicknamed "Long Tom", is believed to have been the first of its kind and was soon copied by other Fleet Street photographers.

I'm always struck by how emotional Queen Mary looks in this scene, quite overcome. Perhaps she didn't realize how well she could be seen by "Long Tom"!

The order of service for the wedding of the Duke and Duchess of York, April 26, 1923.

"...with my body I Thee worship.." 👀

Bertie & Elizabeth 💕💍

King George VI riding with Princess Elizabeth and the Duke of Gloucester during the Trooping the Colour ceremony in 1947.

This was the first Birthday Parade held after the Second World War, hence expensive ceremonial uniforms were not a priority. It was also Princess Elizabeth's first appearance at a Trooping ceremony, which she attended as Colonel of the Grenadier Guards, an appointment she took on in 1942.

As no tailored uniforms existed for women in the Household Division, the King had a custom outfit designed for her, including a skirt for riding side-saddle. (Of course he did - would you expect any less? 🤣)

A few of the more interesting items at the otherwise pretty stodgy Guards Museum in London are these uniforms worn by the Princess, and later as Queen, for the Birthday Parade ceremonies.

On the left is the blue jacket and cap she wore in the 1947 photo above, and I'm pretty sure she wore it until 1951, when she appeared in the red more formal uniform on the right. That one was also custom designed with the split jacket that enabled riding side-saddle (which was expected for women riding in parades in those days.) During that appearance in 1951, she took the salute for her father, who was too ill to attend. 😢

What impressed me most was how tiny those jackets are!! She was very petite indeed! Not sure who did that portrait of her either - but she seems to wearing a rather impish expression!

Showing Elizabeth a little love on what would have been her 100 birthday! 🎂

The Duke and Duchess of York with little Princess Elizabeth at Glamis Castle, circa 1928-29.

To mark this important date, the 100th anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II's birth on April 21, 1926, I am sharing this lovely reel posted by Glamis Castle on Instagram today, featuring photos of the young princess superimposed over the same locations at Glamis as they exist today.

Happy Heavenly birthday Your Majesty Queen Elizabeth II!

(she will always be her papa's little girl!)

“You don't know what a tremendous joy it is to Elizabeth & me to have our little girl. We always wanted a child to make our happiness complete, & now that it has at last happened, it seems so wonderful & strange ...”