Card of the Day: The Prince of Wales at Ottawa

During the Silver Jubilee of his parents, King George V and Queen Mary, the Prince of Wales, was often celebrated as the next in line to the throne. Neither George nor Mary were particularly thrilled with the idea of their rather wild boy ascending to the throne, but he did…briefly. Of course, we all know what became of King Edward VIII. Had he not abdicated, there’s a chance that Queen Elizabeth II might not have been Queen.


This is the ninth in the series of cigarette cards produced by Wills Cigarette Company in 1935. The front shows the then-Prince of Wales during a visit to Ottawa. The reverse reads:

THE PRINCE OF WALES AT OTTAWA


The cornerstone of the Victory Tower of Parliament Buildings, Ottawa, was laid by the Prince of Wales on September 1, 1919, the third First of September on which such a ceremony was enacted on this site. King Edward laid the first foundation stone in 1860, and the Duke of Connaught repeated the work in 1916 when the Parliament Buildings had been burnt. This fate also chances to be celebrated in Canada as Labour Day, and the six contingents of trade unionists among the audience gave the Prince a rousing reception. After laying the corner stone of the tower, His Royal Highness inspected a parade of over 5000 war veterans.