Over the years, members of the Royal Family made a number of 78s: mostly these were taken from broadcasts such as the Christmas address to the nation, but in the 1920s there were a few studio recordings. Special labels were designed for each Royal record to make them stand apart from the normal records.

This talk on 'Sportsmanship' was recorded by the Prince of Wales in 1924: in 1936 he became Edward VIII on the death of King George V, but abdicated before he was crowned because of his desire to marry Mrs. Simpson, a divorcée: he became the Duke of Windsor. The real reason for this recording becomes clear at the end: an appeal for charity for injured ex-First-World-War servicemen, many of whom were having a very hard time.


The duration is 4m 03s and the file size is 2.8MB.




© Roger Wilmut