Card of the Day: The Three Princes at the Derby

After the First World War, the Royal Family made a point of showing the public that life could and should return to normal by making dozens of appearances at important, traditional events and by trying to seem as casual and well-adjusted as possible. King George V and Queen Mary led the way and relied heavily on their sons to do the same. The Prince of Wales (later, briefly, King Edward VIII) was always up for a party, The Duke of York (later, King George VI and father of the present Queen) wasn’t so keen on public appearances, The Duke of Kent (Prince Henry) had no problem mingling, and the Duke of Gloucester had an easy way with the people.


The twelfth in the Wills Cigarette Card series commemorating the Silver Jubilee of King George V and Mary of Teck shows three of the four Princes attending the Derby in June and demonstrates their role in rebuilding British moral.

The reverse of the card reads:

THE THREE PRINCES AT THE DERBY


On June 1st, 1921, a perfect Derby Day, the Prince of Wales, the Duke of York, and the Duke of Gloucester (then Prince Henry) watched Humorist fight out the last furlong with Lord Astor’s Craig an Eran and win by a neck. Mr. J.B. Joel thus scored his second triumph in the great race and Steve Donoghue began his record sequence of Derby successes. Before the start, the three Princes, with complete informality, mingled with the crowds in the paddock, and the King and Queen set a precedent by motoring down the course from Tattenham Corner. So great was the press of vehicles that the airship R 33 was employed to control the traffic by wireless.