CAPE TIMES – 1951, November 17
Photographs published throughout the British Press today are
the first pictures of the King issued since his lung operation over seven weeks
ago. Their appearance has renewed in every part of the country expressions of
warm thankfulness for the King’s steady return to good health.
His evident enjoyment of the occasion as he listens to
Prince Charles tell ‘grandfather’ all about his third birthday has been noted
with delight by a public which had become used to a mental picture of the King
as a sick man whose recovery must necessarily be slow and gradual.
These pictures, taken by a photographer of THE TIMES on
behalf of all the British Press, were taken by Royal command.
THE KING’S REQUEST
They show the King and Queen with Prince Charles and
Princess Anne in the Bow Room at Buckingham Palace, where – also at the special
request of the King – Prince Charles’s birthday party was held this year in
order that his grandfather could be present.
THE TIMES itself today publishes these pictures to the
exclusion of all other illustrations and other leading British daily newspapers
print them across the whole width of the front page and treat their appearance
as the day’s most important news.
BRITAIN’S DELIGHT
The DAILY EXPRESS describes them as ‘two pictures to delight
all Britain,’ and the DAILY HERALD heads them: ‘The King, well again, has a
party.’ For two hours the King took a full part in the Royal Family’s
enjoyment of the occasion without a sign of fatigue.
Although the photographs show the King rather thinner than
in many pictures taken before his illness became so pronounced during the
summer, it is acknowledged that he looks much better than most people had dares
to expect in view of the seriousness of his operation.
‘DID NOT LOOK ILL’
The photographer who took these pictures afterwards told the
DAILY HERALD: ‘If I had not known, I should never have thought the King
had just been so ill. He did not look ill at all. He was laughing and chatting
happily with the Queen and Prince Charles, spoke to me often, and made no
reference at all to his operation. He moved freely about the room, apparently
without pain. He never faltered nor asked for help in getting up. He did not
need a stick for moving about, and he did not move slowly either. No doctors or
nurses were in the room.’
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