Review of the Indian Army Contingent, Horse Guards Parade, London, during Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee Celebrations, June 1897

Photograph, London, 1897.

On 22 September 1896, Victoria surpassed George III as the longest-reigning monarch in British history. In accordance with the Queen's request, all special public celebrations of the event were delayed until 1897, the Queen's Diamond Jubilee. The Colonial Secretary, Joseph Chamberlain, proposed that the Diamond Jubilee be made a festival of the British Empire. The processions in which the Queen participated included troops from each Dominion, British colony and dependency, together with soldiers sent by Indian princes and chiefs who were subordinate to Victoria, the Empress of India.