Delhi Durbar

and Royal Visits

Delhi Durbar Their Majesties at the Fort, Delhi

Also see Medals

FIBIS Resources

• FIBIS Journal No 2 contains articles The Delhi Durbah by Tony Fuller, (pages 11-13), which gives the background and description of the three Delhi Durbahs held in 1878,1902 and 1911. Also The Delhi Durbah of 1911 by Peter Duckers, which discusses both the Durbah and its medal roll.
• Collection of images of Delhi Durbar held on Fibiwiki
• Unique original photos of 1911 Delhi Durbar held in FIBIS Gallery

External links

• "The Duke of Edinburgh in india" The Mercury (Hobart, Tasmania) 28 June 1870. Reprinted article from Bombay March 19th
• Delhi Durbar Wikipedia
• Photographs: Delhi Durbar of 1903.
• The greatest show on earth: the [1911] pageant that marked the high point of Empire Mail Online 15 December 2011
• The Coronation Durbar – Delhi December 1911 from the website "Major Roland Pillinger", who was in the 10th Hussars
• Details of the book A Glimpse of Empire by Jessica Douglas-Home, 2011, based on the diary and photographs of Lilah Wingfield who attended the 1911 Delhi Durbar. The website includes Slideshow of photographs by Lilah Wingfield
  • "Eye-witness to the Final Crowning Glory of the Raj" by Jessica Douglas-Home standpointmag.co.uk, archived.
• "Remembering the Delhi Durbar: Unsung century" The Economist 12 December 2011, archived.
• "At the 1911 Delhi Durbar" Wall Street Journal India Wednesday 9 November 2011, archived.

• Delhi Durbar 1911 Colonial Film: Moving Images of the British Empire
• The Delhi Durbar 1911 www.youtube.com. (2:12). Colour footage of the regimental marchpast at the Delhi Durbar 1911 from 'The British Empire in Colour' series, probably Program 1. The red coated unit marching past at the start is the 2nd Battalion Royal Berkshire Regiment.

The Great Coronation of Delhi Durbar 1911 YouTube video.(19:45)

Delhi Durbar Dawns (1912) - filmed in Mumbai and Delhi. YouTube video.(5:00)

Delhi Durbar (1912) YouTube video.(10:24)

• "On the Delhi Coronation Durbars, 1877, 1903, 1911" by Julie Codell. BRANCH (Britain, Representation, and Nineteenth-Century History) website
• A footnote on the Centenary of the Coronation Durbar: 1911 Rupee Coins by D. Chakravarthy, Coins of India Madras Musings Vol. XXI No. 17, December 16-31, 2011
• The Delhi Durbar 1903: A Complete Roll and Index of Recipients by Peter Duckers and Ian McInnes, was published in 2002. ISBN 9781900734011

The Delhi Durbar Medal 1911 to the British Army compiled by Peter Duckers was published c 1999. Available at the British Library UIN: BLL01008137354 .

There are medal rolls at The National Archives WO 100/399 Delhi Durbar 1903 and WO 100/400 Delhi Durbar 1911 which have been digitised and are available on the pay website Ancestry as part of the database UK, Military Campaign Medal and Award Rolls, 1793-1949.

• Buildings in Calcutta lit for the Royal visit 1912. The Writers Building, Royal Insurance Building 1, Royal Insurance Building 2, The 'new' Bengal Club, Chowringhee 1, The 'new' Bengal Club 2, Ochterlony Monument (Sahid Minar), H Hobbs & Co, 4 Esplanade East, Kolkata Canmore, Historic Environment Scotland

Historical books online

Delhi Durbar 1911. Royal Procession

1869-1870

The visit by Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh, 2nd son of Queen Victoria, in India 26 December 1869- March 1870. He was the first member of the royal family to visit British India.

• The Prince in Calcutta; Or Memorials of His Royal Highness the Duke of Edinburgh's Visit in December, 1869. Being a Collection of Descriptive Accounts, Etc.‬ by N A C 1870 Google Books
• "The Duke of Edinburgh in India 1869-70" page 159 of Joseph Fayrer's 1879 book, refer below. Covers part of the visit, from 7 January 1870 to 5 March 1870
• The Prince in India, and to India, by an Indian: a description of His Royal Highness the Duke of Edinburgh's landing and stay in Calcutta, and a commentary of His visit and reception in India, and on His farewell address to India, given in extensio; with an inquiry into the political use of princes and pageants, and the nature and conditions of loyalty, particularly the loyalty of India, under Moghul and Briton, the Company and the Crown by Sambhu Chandra Mukhopadhyaya 1871 SavifaDok University of Heidelberg
• The Duke of Edinburgh in Ceylon. A book of elephant and elk sport ... Illustrated with chromo-lithographs, etc. by John Capper 1871. British Library Digital Collection, British Library’s pdf version

1875-1876

The visit by Albert Edward, Prince of Wales, later King Edward VII 1875-1876

• The Prince of Wales' Tour: 
a Diary in India; with some account of the visits of His Royal Highness to the courts of Greece, Egypt, Spain, and Portugal 
by William Howard Russell. With illustrations by Sydney P. Hall 1877 Archive.org.
• The Prince of Wales in India or, From Pall Mall to the Punjaub by J. Drew Gay. (Special correspondent of London Daily Telegraph) Published 1877, New York Archive.org
• India in 1875-76: the Visit of the Prince of Wales by George Wheeler (Special correspondent of the Central News) 1876 Archive.org

• Notes of the Visits to India of Their Royal Highnesses the Prince of Wales and Duke of Edinburgh 1870—1875-6 by Joseph Fayrer (Hon.Physician to Her Majesty the Queen) 1879 Archive.org

• A pleasure trip to India : during the visit of H.R.H. the Prince of Wales : afterwards to Ceylon by M E Corbet 1880 Archive.org. Includes descriptions of some of the events taking place during the Royal visit.

1882

Part of a world cruise by Prince Albert Victor and Prince George of Wales 1879-1882. Includes Singapore and Ceylon in 1882.

• The Cruise of Her Majesty's ship "Bacchante", 1879-1882, Volume II- The East Compiled from the Private Journals etc of Prince Albert Victor and Prince George of Wales 1886 Archive.org. Includes China, Singapore, Ceylon. (Volume I)
• The “Grand Tour” of the British Princes: the visit of ... Prince Albert Victor and Prince George to Ceylon Reprinted from the Ceylon Observer 1882 Archive.org

1889-1890

The visit by Prince Albert Victor (1864-1892), eldest son of Albert Edward, Prince of Wales and the grandson of Queen Victoria. who embarked on seven months tour to India in October 1889.

• "The visit of H R H Prince Albert Victor to Burma" page 104 And that reminds me 
being incidents of a life spent at sea, and in the Andaman Islands, Burma, Australia, and India 
by Stanley W. Coxon 1915 Archive.org

1903

• See also Fibis page Railways of the Delhi Durbar 1903
• The Delhi Durbar 1902-03 by Valentia Steer, Higginbotham and Co., Madras 1903 Archive.org
• The Durbar. Illustrations by Mortimer Menpes, text by Dorothy Menpes 1903 Archive.org
• At Delhi by Lovat Fraser 1903 Archive.org
• Imperial India: letters from the East by John Oliver Hobbes (pseud) 1903 Archive.org
• "The Durbars" Chapter 2, page 16 Indian Peepshow by Henry Newman 1937 Archive.org. The author was a journalist. The chapter is mainly about the 1903 Durbar.

1906

The visit by the Prince and Princess of Wales, (later King George V and Queen Mary) November 1905 to March 1906

• Through India with the Prince by G. F. Abbott. (Special correspondent of the Calcutta Statesman) 1906 Archive.org
• India under Royal Eyes by H. F. Prevost Battersby (Henry Francis). 1906 Archive.org. Some chapters first appeared in the Morning Post. He appears to be Francis Prevost (Wikipedia) novelist and journalist.
• The Royal Tour in India by Stanley Reed 1906 Archive.org, Public Library of India Collection.
• References In The Press To The Visit Of Their Royal Highnesses, The Prince And Princess Of Wales To India, 1905-06 1907 Archive.org, Public Library of India Collection.
• Souvenir Album; Descriptive Of The Indian Tour..... Full title: Souvenir Album Descriptive of the Indian Tour of Their Royal Highnesses the Prince and Princess of Wales, November 1905 to March 1906 published 1906, Madras. Archive.org, mirror from Digital Library of India.

1911-1912

• See also Fibis page Railways of the Delhi Durbar 1911-12
• also Fibis image Delhi Durbar 1911 - Royal Procession
• and Fibis image Delhi Durbar of 1911 - The King's arrival at the Red Fort, Delhi
• and Fibis map Coronation Durbar 1911 Map
• Coronation Durbar: Delhi 1911. Official Directory Archive.org
• Narrative of the visit to India of their majesties King George V and Queen Mary and of the Coronation Durbar held at Delhi 12th December, 1911 by the Hon. John Fortescue 1912 Archive.org
• Supplement to Who's who in India: containing lives and photographs of the recipients of honours on 12th December 1911, together with an illustrated account of the visit of Their Imperial Majesties the King-Emperor and Queen-Empress to India and the Coronation Durbar. Popular edition. 1912 Archive.org
• India and the Durbar: a reprint of the Indian articles in the 'Empire Day' edition of 'The Times', May 24th, 1911 1911 Archive.org
• The King and Queen in India by Stanley Reed 1912 is available Archive.org version, mirror from Digital Library of India. (Subsidiary title) A Record of the Visit of Their Imperial Majesties the King Emperor and Queen Empress to India, from December 2nd 1911, to January 10th 1912
• The Historical Record Of The Imperial Visit To India 1914. Archive.org version, mirror from Digital Library of India. Full title: The Historical record of the imperial visit to India, 1911 compiled from the official records under the orders of the Viceroy and Governor-General of India.
• Footslogger An Autobiography by Graham Seton (Lieutenant- Colonel G S Hutchinson) 4th Impression 1933 Archive.org. The author became involved with the Durbar page 82

1921-1922

The visit by Edward, Prince of Wales, later Duke of Windsor, November 17, 1921-March 7, 1922

• The Prince of Wales' Eastern Book: a pictorial record of the voyages of H.M.S. "Renown", 1921-1922 1922 Archive.org Photographs
• H R H The Prince Of Wales’s Sport In India by Bernard C. Ellison 1925 Archive.org.
• With The Prince In The East : A Record Of The Royal Visit To India And Japan by Sir Herbert Russell, Reuter's correspondent throughout the tour, 1921-2. 1922. Archive.org