In 1897, on the occasion of Queen Victoria’s Jubilee, you proposed to me to go to London where you had secured a balcony on the second floor of a house in Piccadilly; but that was too high, and I could not have taken any good views. Fortunately I met on the steamer the Princess Louise, with whom I had lunched one day at Cannes, some years previously, at her aunt’s Lady Emma McNeil, whom I knew very well. Having asked the object of my visit to London (viz., the Jubilee), I told her my trouble about this balcony at Piccadilly. She promised me a good seat on the Official Tribune at St. Paul’s. As I had my own apparatus and did not require yours I managed to get for your man a good place at Billingsgate. But as it was raining no good photos could be obtained. As I was saying to a neighbour on the Tribune of St. Paul’s that it was a pity to have such bad weather, he exclaimed: “Oh! We shall have Queen’s weather!” and just as the Queen arrived the sun came out brilliantly. As she passed the Tribune, Princess Louise pointed me out and the Queen bowed graciously whilst I was turning the handle of my apparatus. Thus I was able to take the best view of Her Majesty which had been taken that day. I think that it was reproduced by Lever Brothers at Liverpool.
"The Cinema and Sunlight Soap, Early enterprise of Mr. Lavanchy-Clarke", Progress, Lever Brothers, Vol. 22 No 154 April 1922, p. 89-90.
