Our Greatest Ambassador

The Prince of Wales, later King Edward VIII, went on an extensive tour of India and the subcontinent in 1921-22. Arriving in Bombay (Mumbai), he travelled widely, visiting Jodhpur, Lucknow, Calcutta (Kolkata), Bangalore (Bengaluru) as well as many other parts of the country including Lahore, which is now in Pakistan. The tour also included stops in Nepal and Burma (Myanmar). This richly detailed film captures many key locations and events along the way.

Locations and events in the film include: welcoming ceremony in Bombay; presentation of new colours to the 7th Rajputs regiment; arrival at Laxmi Vilas Palace, Baroda (Vadodara) with state elephants; Prince welcomed by rulers of princely states of Rajputana in Ajmer; visit to Maharaja Sahib Bahadur at Ratanda Palace, Jodhpur; banks of the Ganges at Benares (Varanasi) - Hindu cremation on the burning ghats; tiger shoot on elephant-back in Nepal; Patna; Shwedagon Pagoda, Rangoon (Yangon), Burma; officers of the Burmese Army presented at Mandalay; boat races on the moat at Fort Dufferin (Mandalay Palace); chiefs of the Shan tribes; Mignon bell; tour of the lakes on a state barge; village snake charmer in Madras (Chennai); Cubbon Park, Bangalore; arrival in Mysore (Mysuru) and Maharaja’s state coach; Amba Vilas Palace; Juggernaut car; tiger shoot; Charminar, Hyderabad; elephants bathing and rice cultivation, Indore; state visit to the Begum at Sadar Manzil Palace, Bhopal; Gwalior - Prince and Maharajah of Gwalior in howdahs on elephant-back; Taj Mahal, Agra; Prince receives ruling princes of India at durbar held at Diwan-i-Am (Red Fort), Delhi; landowners at Patiala; banyan tree, Jullunder (Jalandhar); Wazir Khan Mosque, Lahore; market in Peshawar and presentation of provincial Durbaris; Tibetan dancers and Grand Lama in Kashmir.