An album of 214 photographs collated and arranged by Queen Mary (1867-1953), when Duchess of York and Cornwall and later Princess of Wales, covering part of the Dominions tour of Australia, Mauritius, South Africa and Canada; and various events in 1902 in Britain. It starts on 14 July 1901 in Adelaide and ends in September 1902 at Sandringham. The photographs are RCINs 2301535-2301748.

The tour begun on 16 March 1901 when the Duke and Duchess of York and Cornwall (George V and Queen Mary) left England, sailing on HMS Ophir for Australia, via Gibraltar, Malta, Port Said, Colombo and Singapore. This album starts in Adelaide, and includes visits to Perth, Mauritius, South Africa - Durban, Pietermartzburg, Simon’s Town, Groote Schuur in Rondesbosch; Cape de Verde islands; then Canada - Quebec, Montreal, Winnipeg, Calgary, Vancouver, Banff in Alberta, Ontario, Newfoundland, and finally back in London in November. There were more visits, some official and some private, to Brocket Hall in Hertfordshire, Badminton, Bristol, Chatham, Copenhagen in Denmark (for King Christian IX’s birthday), Dinorwic Quarry in Llanberis, Ascot races, Frogmore, Westminster Abbey, London and finally at York Cottage, Sandringham with the children and their nanny, Charlotte Bill, in September 1902.

The photographs are arranged over 60 pages, some are by professional photographers (some identified) and some by amateurs. Many of the original photographs have been trimmed to fit a space on the page, so names and details may be lost. The amateur photographs, particularly those taken on the spot, may have been taken by members of the Royal household, like Sir Charles Cust and Bryan Godfrey-Faussett, or by spectators. It was not intended to be a private and intimate album, but a record of the places and people that were encountered on the tour. The captions are written by Queen Mary and are often brief.

Like all Collection records, this object and its contents are subject to ongoing research. Royal Collection Trust welcomes further information relating to the identity of those depicted.