The Royal Story

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To mark the Golden Jubilee of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II in 2002 the National Sound Archive has released 'The Royal Story' - the story of the House of Windsor in words and music, narrated by Dame Judi Dench. The recordings date from the years 1911 to 2001 and include the voices of each of the reigning monarchs of that period: King George V, King Edward VIII, King George VI and Queen Elizabeth II. There are personal reminiscences of the royal family and live recordings that capture some of the great events of the 20th century, including the funeral of King George V and the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II.

The Royal Story - £9.95
Catalogue number: NSACD 11

40 tracks of words and music
narration by Dame Judi Dench
rare and unpublished recordings
great royal events captured live
a history of the British royal family in the 20th century

Listen to Real Player Excerpts:

'A broadcast message to children': Princess Elizabeth, later Queen Elizabeth II,
speaks to the children of Britain during the Second World War [track 15]

Sir Hugh Casson recalls a weekend at Balmoral with the royal family [track 28]

The Royal Story - NSACD 11
The British Library 2002

Track Listing

1. Elgar: Coronation March Op. 65
Performers: London Philharmonic Orchestra/Landon Ronald (rec 1935)

King George V

2. The coronation of 1911
Speaker: Vita Sackville-West (rec 1937)

3. Your King and country want you (Rubens)
Performer: Howard Roberts (rec 1914)

4. Empire Day messages
Speakers: King George V and Queen Mary (rec 1923)

5. The opening of the World Monetary and Economic Conference
Speaker: King George V (rec 1933)

6. Speech on voluntary service and unemployment
Speaker: Edward, Prince of Wales [later King Edward VIII] (rec 1934)

'God bless the Prince of Wales' (Richards)
Performers: The Band of the Coldstream Guards conducted by Lieut. R.G. Evans

7. Reminiscences of Queen Mary
Speaker: Sir Hugh Casson (rec 1990-1)

8. Tolling of bell of St. Paul's Cathedral (rec 1936)

Tribute to the memory of King George V
Speaker: Prime Minister, Stanley Baldwin (rec 1936)

9. Minute gun salute in Hyde Park (rec 1936)

Funeral of King George V [extracts]
Live recording (rec 1936)

King Edward VIII

10. The day of abdication
Speaker: Lord Louis Mountbatten [later Earl Mountbatten of Burma] (rec 1980)

11. Abdication speech
Speaker: King Edward VIII (rec 1936)

King George VI

12. King George VI meets President Franklin D. Roosevelt
Speakers: American radio commentators (rec 1939)

13. 'The King to his Peoples'
Speaker: King George VI (rec 1939)

14. 'A message to the Women of the Empire'
Speaker: Queen Elizabeth [later the Queen Mother] (rec 1939)

15. 'A broadcast message to children'
Speakers: Princess Elizabeth and Princess Margaret (rec 1940)

16. Princesses among the crowds on VE Day
Speaker: Edward Stanley, 18th Earl of Derby (rec 1993)

VJ Day celebrations
Speaker: Michael Standing (rec 1945)

17. Princess Elizabeth broadcasts from Cape Town on the occasion of her 21st birthday
Speaker: Princess Elizabeth [later Queen Elizabeth II] (rec 1947)

18. Princess Elizabeth [Crean]
Performers: Webster Booth, London Palladium Orchestra, c. Richard Crean (rec 1930)

19. Opening of the Festival of Britain
Speaker: King George VI (rec 1951)

20. 'Don't make fun of the fair' from 'The Lyric Revue' (Coward)
Performers: Noel Coward, accompanied by Norman Hackforth (rec 1951)

21. Reminiscences of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth
Speakers: Harold Wilson [later Prime Minister] and A. Haydock (rec 1976)

Queen Elizabeth II

22. Broadcast to the nation on the death of King George VI
Speaker: Prime Minister, Winston Churchill (rec 1952)

23. The Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II
Live recording (rec 1953)

24. 'The Royal Tour' - a calypso (Rafael De Leon)
Performer: Roaring Lion (rec 1954)

25. Independence of Jamaica
Speaker: Princess Margaret (rec 1962)

26. First Christmas Day broadcast on TV
Speaker: Queen Elizabeth II (rec 1957)

27. The daily life of the Queen
Speaker: Dorothy Laird (rec 1965)

28. A weekend at Balmoral
Speaker: Sir Hugh Casson (rec 1990-1)

29. Monarchy or republic?
Speaker: Gough Whitlam, former Prime Minister of Australia (rec late 1970s)
Speaker: Michael Manley, former Prime Minister of Jamaica (rec 1981)
Speaker: John McAllion (rec 1999)

30. The Silver Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II: Buckingham Palace crowds
Speaker: R. Maynard (rec 1977)

31. Allegretto from 'Jubilee Serenade' (Horovitz)
Performers: Royal Ballet Sinfonia/Horovitz (rec 1998)

32. Launch of Silver Jubilee Appeal
Speakers: Prince Charles and Noel Edmonds (rec 1977)

33. Princess Anne in Beirut
Speakers: P. Donaldson, C. Drake (rec 1982)

34. The Falklands conflict
Speakers: Prince Andrew and M. Hanrahan (rec 1982)

35. 'Annus horribilis: speech at London Guildhall
Speaker: Queen Elizabeth II (rec 1992)

36. Queen to pay tax: announcement in House of Commons
Speaker: Prime Minister, John Major (rec 1993)

37. Diana, Princess of Wales
Speakers: Princess Diana and Martin Bashir (rec 1995)

38. 'Spring Time in Angus: Elizabeth of Glamis' (Coates)
Performers: City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra/Reginald Kilbey (rec 1971)

39. 100th birthday of Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother
Speaker: Prime Minister, Tony Blair (rec 2000)

40. Queen's speech to Heads of Commonwealth
Speaker: Queen Elizabeth II (rec 1999)

Walton: Orb and Sceptre
Performers: Philharmonia Orch/Walton (rec 1953)

Thanks to Jan M.