Monarchical Display and the Politics of Empire: Princes of Wales and India 1870-1920s

This article analyses the evolving use of the institution of the British Monarchy as an instrument of imperial politics and propaganda in the Indian empire. Through an analysis of a series of royal tours by Princes of Wales, ranging from the little known visits of Prince Alfred and Prince Albert Victor to the celebrated tours of the future Edward VII, George V and Edward VIII, it outlines the methods deployed by the Government to make the monarchy appeal not just to an Indian audience, thereby helping enhance the Raj's legitimacy and counter the rising tide of nationalist critique, but equally significantly, to the British public to symbolize imperial power and assuage doubts concerning the future of the empire. Such a strategy depended, crucially, upon the persons of the Princes themselves and the article accordingly gives attention to the personality and political proclivities of these Princes and their perceptions of their role as guardians of the British imperial heritage. It is argued that this emblematic exploitation of royal prestige was of limited effectiveness and royal manipulation could not function in a contested paradigm, especially after the impact of the First World War and the advent of Gandhi. While the monarchical presence could work to consolidate loyalty and power where it already existed, it was less successful in creating it when contested.