I bought a great book in a charity shop last week. It's called "Royal Progress. A pageant of Regal travel". Really however it is a beautiful piece of goodwill marketing from the British oil companies, Shell and B.P, masquerading as a history book. It was produced to celebrate the Coronation Year of 1953. And as the copy at the back of the book says, the oil companies produced Royal Progress to "mark the Coronation of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and as an expression of our faith in the New Elizabethan Age."
The book itself is very well produced,with magnificent paintings by John Leigh Pemberton. And plum-in-mouth copywriting by James Laver. Here's a snippet " The twentieth century has seen the disappearance of many Monarchies,and the very institution of Kingship has become something of a rarity in the modern world. Many great nations have chosen ,in preference,the republican form of government. That is their own affair. But in Great Britain and in the great Dominions beyond the seas,we are of a different opinion."
There are two very interesting things I noticed whilst reading this book. And both of them are about progress, or the lack of progress we seem to have made since 1953. Firstly the book reveals that it has the backing of the "Anglo-Iranian Groups of oil companies." Now there is a relationship that has gone backward. Secondly, the Epilogue of the book is dedicated to Prince Charles. As you see here, sitting in a glorious racing green pedal car (the only car we see in the entire book and not even this petrol driven,so you'd have to agree this is hardly an exercise in hard sell from the oil companies). Now,read this prediction of the progress the writer thought we would have made by the time Charles "reaches man's estate, middle-life"..... "To judge by recent developments he may be able to visit Australia and return in a single day."
If you'd like to take a closer look at "Royal Progress",simply make progress to mightysmall mansion.