During the Royal Visit to South Africa in 1947 Princess Elizabeth celebrated her 21st Birthday. In a famous speech broadcast to mark the special occasion, and frequently re-broadcast since then, the Princess dedicated her entire life, "whether it be long or short" to the Commonwealth and Empire "to which we all belong".
Princess Elizabeth delivering her famous speech (Pathé News)
The media always mention that the speech was broadcast live from Cape Town on the day - but fail to note that the actual recording was made on the 11th April 1947 - ten days before her actual birthday - in the grounds of the Victoria Falls Hotel, Rhodesia, and not Cape Town's Mount Nelson Hotel.
Old postcard of the Victoria Falls Hotel
The speech was recorded, and flown by special flight to Salisbury, where it connected with a London-bound commercial flight, and rushed to Pathé News offices in the city. It was then copied and flown to Commonwealth countries to be screened in cinemas on the actual day of her birthday, 21st April.
On the occasion of her actual Birthday, the Royal Family were back in Cape Town, and another, identical broadcast was made...
