This must be the saddest British Pathé
newsreel ever. And they don't even include Albania,
Serbia/Montenegro/Yugoslavia, or Bulgaria, not to mention all the
regional German ones. (France, of course, the only major European
monarchy of which no film footage exists, had fallen long before the
20th century.) Excellent old footage though, with more recent captions
reflecting the perspective of no earlier than the 1970s. (At least one
error in the narration: in the beginning of the Russian portion, it is
the Tsar's mother, not his wife, on his arm in the procession; Russian
protocol gave the Dowager Empress precedence. At the end of the segment,
it is indeed Empress Alexandra who walks with her husband.) Beyond
Europe, the second half of the 20th century would prove as disastrous
for monarchy in Asia and Africa as the first half was for monarchy in
Europe.
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1 comment:
Really enjoyed this rare footage!
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