29th June 1997

Those Royal encounters

Extracts from a speech by Dr. Selvie Perera President of Sri Lanka -UK Society at a banquet held in honour of the Queen’s Birthday.

Why you may well ask do we celebrate the Queen’s Birthday on the 2nd Saturday in June when 21st of April is in fact her birthday? Well the concept of an official birthday originated during the reign of Queen Victoria, whose birthday was the 24th of May. May happened to be the month she usually spent at Balmoral. So it was decided to celebrate her birthday officially in June when the court returned to London. Her son Edward VII who succeeded her was born in November, a month noted for its inclement weather; so he too decided it was best to retain the idea of an official celebration of the sovereign’s birthday in June. That tradition has continued ever since.

This may be the appropriate point to take a closer look at some of the contacts Sri Lanka has had with Royalty in the years gone by. The first royal visit to Ceylon was in 1879 by Queen Victoria’s son Prince Alfred Earnest Arthur, the then Duke of Edinburgh. He was accompanied by John Capper a Times Correspondent who authored a beautifully illustrated book titled "Visit of the Prince Alfred to Ceylon". In it he said, and I quote; "the subjects of Queen Victoria were anxious to see in person the son of their queen who ruled over them with such kindness and efficiency. Never was the orient sky more cloudless, never did the fringe of palms that sweep the ocean with their feathery leaves add more beauty to the scene, the Peak of Adam clear in the distance and in between, a long bright vista of verdant hill and dale".

Prince Alfred, on that visit was entertained in the 120-acre de Soysa Mansion that was Bagatalle House - renamed "Alfred House" in the Prince’s honour and which was described by Capper as being elegantly furnished with furniture of calamander, ebony and satin and the whole building lit up presenting a brilliant appearance. The Prince dined off plates and goblets of gold and knives and porks set with rubies, pearls and sapphires. Alas only the street name, Alfred House Gardens, now remains. Today we have with us here the great-grand -sons of C.H. de Soysa.

The Prince’s sons, the Duke of Clarence and Prince George, came to Colombo in 1882 as midshipmen on board the HMS Bachante as part of their naval training. It was the only time two Royal brothers visited Ceylon together. They lunched with Sir Frederick Saunders the Government Agent at Hanwella and Solomon Dias Bandaranaiake Senior the great grandfather of our President was invested by the Duke of Clarence with the sword, belt and rank of Mahamuhandiram of Colombo the rank equivalent to a queens Equerry.

Other members of Royalty visited Ceylon between 1901 and 1924, but the next visit of some importance, even significance, was that of duke of Gloucester in 1934, who stopped over on his way to Australia to return to its rightful owners the Throne and Crown of the Sinhalese Kings which King George the 5th had graciously ordered to given back to the people of Ceylon.

The handing over ceremony took place in the audience Hall in Kandy where, after the Kandyan chiefs were presented to the Prince, the Throne and Crown were formally handed over to Sir Edward Stubbs as the representative of the people. A Pandal was erected for the occasion by Mr E C de Fonseka, known then as the Plumbago King, and whose grandchildren, Lalith and Karmini, are here with us today. We gained our Independence on the 4th February, 1948. The Duke and Duchess of Gloucester representing the Queen arrived 4 days later to open the first new Parliament I quote the Ceylon Independent a News Paper ‘This morning the Duke of Gloucester carrying a message of goodwill from the King inaugurated the first session of parliament of the Dominion of Ceylon. Henceforth Ceylon will enjoy full dominion status with the Govenrnor General appointed on the advice of the Prime Minister, and a high Commissioner representing the British Government.

Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II was the first reigning monarch to visit Sri Lanka. Accompanied by her husband Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, she paid a ten -day visit during which she ceremonially opened the 3rd session of Parliament wearing her splendid Coronation dress and Coronet. The event, needless to say was spectacular for its colour and pageantry.

In 1981 the Queen again arrived in Sri Lanka in a Royal Air Force plane "fresh as a summer bloom despite her long flight from Australia her English complexion glowing through her golden tan" as described by the Ceylon Daily News. She was welcomed by Mr & Mrs J. R. Jayawardene and the British High Commissioner, Mr J. W. Nicholas. This was in connection with Universal Franchise Day. She also opened the New British Council Builiding.The most recent Royal Visitors, Prince Philip The Duke of Edinburgh, as Head of the World Wild Life Fund; Princess Anne in her capacity as Patron of the "Save the Children Fund" and the Duke of Kent.

Forty-nine years after independence, it is true to say Sri Lanka is still in some ways ‘a little bit of England’. Besides Royal College and many royal cakes, royal bakeries and even royal barber saloons, there is one area in which we can lay claim to being more British than the British - and that is the passion with which our people both young and old have taken to the game which someone once described as the English Madness. Do I discern a streak of pure one upmanship here? No matter, for it is all symptomatic of the cultural pyramid bequeathed to us by Britain and symbolised today by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth, whose birthday I invite you all now to join in celebrating this evening.

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