Edward VII (when Prince of Wales) trip toThe Holy Land

[cepe]

Apparently Edward, Prince of Wales went to visit the ancient cites of Bethlehem, Jerusalem and Egypt in 1862 - 150 years ago!

The pictures are amazing.

Photograph taken by future King Edward VII in 1862 to prove Bethlehem existed to be displayed for the first time as part of Royal Collection exhibition | Mail Online

[AdmirerUS]

cepe - thanks for pointing this out! Bertie was only 21 at the time, The snaps are great. I'm going to make suse by biblical scholar friend sees them!

[Iluvbertie]

This was a tour that Albert planned for him and Victoria insisted that he go as it had been planned by her beloved Albert and everything Albert planned had to be fulfilled. It also meant that he avoided the absolute worst excesses of his mother's grief as he was sent away very soon after the funeral.

The headline is inaccurate as it implies that Bertie took the pictures when they were actually taken by the official photographer on the tour. The group was rather large.

It was a fun tour though in many ways for a young man, particularly when back at home was a woman in the depths of grief and given the belief that Victoria held that Bertie was responsible for Albert's death it would also give him some breathing space at that time.

[cepe]

I like the idea that the future Head of the Church of England had to go and get proof that Bethlehem etc actually existed. This is the DM at its dimmest!

[AdmirerUS]

Originally Posted by Iluvbertie

This was a tour that Albert planned for him and Victoria insisted that he go as it had been planned by her beloved Albert and everything Albert planned had to be fulfilled. It also meant that he avoided the absolute worst excesses of his mother's grief as he was sent away very soon after the funeral.

The headline is inaccurate as it implies that Bertie took the pictures when they were actually taken by the official photographer on the tour. The group was rather large.

It was a fun tour though in many ways for a young man, particularly when back at home was a woman in the depths of grief and given the belief that Victoria held that Bertie was responsible for Albert's death it would also give him some breathing space at that time.

Iluvbertie - what book(s) would you recommend that cover this trip with any detail? Thanks!

[Iluvbertie]

Originally Posted by cepe

I like the idea that the future Head of the Church of England had to go and get proof that Bethlehem etc actually existed. This is the DM at its dimmest!

Due to the limited nature of travel at the time and the limited media there were people who were questioning the existence of these places.

It was for this reason that the heir to the throne was sent, along with to further his own education and to get him out of his mother's way after Albert's death.

The idea was that if the heir to the throne was able to say that he had been there then the people who were questioning the Bible and its teachings would stop doing so as he was a believable person to say that places like Bethlehem etc were real - to the average British person in the street this was not something that they were able to do for themselves, unlike you and I today who can go there, if we so desire, and do see it on the media all the time.

[Iluvbertie]

Originally Posted by AdmirerUS

Iluvbertie - what book(s) would you recommend that cover this trip with any detail? Thanks!

I haven't come across any book that deals with this trip in any detail - it tends to get overlooked in the desire to move to his marriage and the grief of the family around Albert's death - most books I have read about him at this time, or about any other members of the family, tend to spend maybe a page or so on it and concentrate on the reasons for the trip rather than the trip itself - sadly.