Glory days of empire

New Zealand had never seen the likes of it before. It was late 1953 and the most famous woman in the world, Queen Elizabeth II, and her husband, the Duke of Edinburgh, were part-way through a months-long world tour.

Earlier that year the world’s eyes were on the Queen’s coronation. Fervour was high for all things royal.

The tour was part duty, part public relations, and part shoring up support for the monarchy, especially in the most far-flung parts of the post-war Commonwealth. And Prince Philip was a vital part of that monarchy machine.

The New Zealand leg was meticulously planned, photo opportunities were precisely choreographed, and ordinary Kiwis were given (for the time) unprecedented access to the Queen and Prince Philip – all for maximum impact – to reinforce the bond between the Crown and her subjects. They flocked to every public appearance.

The success of the tour can be measured by the way people can still clearly recall the visit, even if they were children at the time.

The mission of showing stability within the empire, which had wavered during the abdication of Edward VIII and the unexpected and unspectacular reign of George VI, had been accomplished.

A new, young, photogenic couple had ushered in a modern monarchy, that seemed in step with a young country like New Zealand – at that time.

His links with us were not always pleasant, as he could be brusque and impatient on occasion.

Last year a letter surfaced that he wrote in 1954, after the New Zealand tour. He said the country appeared to regard Maori as ‘‘somewhere between museum pieces and domestic pets’’. His off-hand remarks and racist quips, over many decades, were certainly not aimed at New Zealand alone.

Prince Philip made other trips here, not always with the Queen. They included the 1974 Commonwealth Games in Christchurch, and nine days in 1981.

By the time of the latter trip he was 60 years-old. His duty to protect the monarchy’s influence in places like New Zealand had peaked and passed. A new generation of royals were picking up the torch. Prince Philip’s final visit was in 2002, but it was his first one here some 50 years earlier that cemented his connection to a generation.

Now, with a royal family far more fragmented and with diminishing power, the death of Prince Philip severs a link to an era when the monarchy reigned supreme.