1948 King George VI

The Royal Visit by Their Majesties King George VI and Queen Elizabeth in 1948 was to mark the Centenary of the College, the celebration having been delayed by the war. This was the first visit to the College by a reigning King and Queen.

The following account of the day is courtesy of the Evening World:

March 12th will always remain a day of happy recollections. Those who were fortunate enough to meet Their Majesties in person will remember their natural charm and easy manner, apparent even to the casual onlooker. But for those who did not have this honour there remains, above all, the vivid memory of what must be the finest scene Marlborough has ever witnessed, when Their Majesties arrived at the college gates and walked down the avenue, lined with boys and parents, to C. House, the Spring sunshine picking out the mellowed brick of North Block and the gay colours of the crowd outside the gates.

But the visit did more than bring a touch of colour into the life of a Public School. Hitherto there was only a vague conception of the part played by the monarchy in the life of the nation, and true appreciation of this can only come with a personal contact such as Marlborough enjoyed on March 12th.

You can read more from the day in articles published in A 1948 Marlburian Supplement and from London weekly newspaper The Sphere.