The Queen greets an excited crowd at Balmoral. The show grounds bulge with a frenzy of excited youths. Join them in their pursuit the royal car, if you too are eager to get a glimpse of the new monarch.

The deafening welcome of 20,000 excited youths may be missing from this historic event, but their enthusiasm for the royal visitors is still tangible. Enjoy a glimpse of the newly crowned Queen Elizabeth II as she begins her coronation tour of Northern Ireland. This rare colour footage reveals the beautiful smoky blue coat described by Lady Wakehurst in the black and white film A Governor’s Notebook. As the glamorous royal couple depart we get to peek their next destination.

This film was digitised as part of the BFI's Unlocking Film Heritage project


 

These are previously unseen colour rushes from A Governor’s Notebook. The finished film was released in black and white. It is a personal record of scenes that Lord and Lady Wakehurst like to remember from their time in Northern Ireland. During the Royal visit Lord Wakehurst declared a public holiday to encourage as many people as possible to come out and see the new Queen with Prince Phillip. These scenes are a stark contrast to the tight security of future visits.

Digitised as part of the BFI's Unlocking Film Heritage Project   

Filmed by John de Vere Loder. The second Baron Wakehurst (1895-1970) was Governor of Northern Ireland from 1952-1964. Throughout his life he was a prolific filmmaker who used his privileged access to capture historic moments in glorious colour.

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