The politics of pageantry: Royal tours and imperial pomp on the periphery of empire

Gifford, Jayne L. (2025) The politics of pageantry: Royal tours and imperial pomp on the periphery of empire. Diplomacy and Statecraft, 36 (1). pp. 139-163. ISSN 1557-301X

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Abstract

Royal tours are years in the making and the co-ordination between the Royal Household and the British representatives on the ground is vital. The work undertaken by mid-level administrators within the Royal Tour party itself or as a British Representative on the ground is critical to achieving the objectives of the tour. After the cataclysm of the First World War and the growth of nationalist movements across the British Empire, it was even more important that the Royal Tour serve as a political assertion of Britain’s presence and its dominance over colonial subjects. The financial constraints that resulted from the four years of warfare also made Britain’s projection of power though military methods alone more difficult. The Royal Tour was seen as a means by which Britain could assert its soft power and reaffirm imperial links with messages of thanks for the colonial efforts during the First World War. Within the ritual space of the Royal Tour, it also permitted nationalist actors the platform to challenge the political and cultural aims of imperial rule. The Duke of Connaught’s and the Prince of Wales’s tour to the subcontinent between 1921 and 1922 are examples of how nationalist agitators could disrupt these displays of British dominance. Royal tours are long in the making but their objectives can be undermined in a matter of hours. Their successful execution required agile responses from the political and military secretaries accompanying the tour party alongside a thorough and deep understanding of circumstances on the ground by the man-on-the-spot.

Item Type:	Article
Faculty \ School:	Faculty of Arts and Humanities > School of History
UEA Research Groups:	Faculty of Arts and Humanities > Research Groups > Global & Transnational History
Depositing User:	LivePure Connector
Date Deposited:	09 Dec 2023 01:38
Last Modified:	28 Mar 2025 12:28
URI:	https://ueaeprints.uea.ac.uk/id/eprint/93916
DOI:	10.1080/09592296.2024.2432102

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