Royalty
THE STATE VISIT OF ALEXANDER II
[VICTORIA
(1819-1901, Queen of Great Britain)]
Fine programme of entertainment for the evening of the arrival of Tsar Alexander II and his entourage at Windsor,
the evening begins with the Overture, Paradise and the Peri by W. S. Bennett and continues with works by Meyerbeer, Glinka and Gounod and also has The Galatea Waltz, H.R.H. The Duke of Edinburgh and ends with The Duchess of Edinburgh's March by Cusins, 1 side 8vo., wonderfully decorated with the embossed British and the Imperial crests hand coloured in gold, blue, black and red, Windsor Castle, 13th May
Item Date: 1874
Background
Tsar Alexander II's State Visit to Windsor in 1874 was a massive event and the Tsar came with an entourage of 70, including four cooks. He was due to step from his royal yacht at precisely 11.30am on May 13th at Gravesend. Thousands were waiting to watch the arrival, but instead they were told that His Imperial Majesty's yacht had run aground off Holland and could not be moved until high tide. The Tsar had to divert to Dover for a hastily arranged welcome and a dash by train to Windsor. Queen Victoria was warned by telegram. What a contretemps! she noted in her diary. We only sat down to dinner, in fact supper, at quarter to 11.
Stock No. 34911