In January 1927, the Duke and Duchess of York embarked on an official tour of Australia and New Zealand, a trip that would take them six month. For the nine-month-old Princess Elizabeth of York, it meant being away from her parents for more than half of a young lifetime. The Duchess of York was so saddened by the thought of being away from her baby that long. “I felt very much leaving on Thursday,” the duchess wrote, “and the baby was so sweet and, playing with the buttons on Bertie’s uniform it quite broke me up.”
Weeks before her departure, the Duchess of York spent as many hours as she could with Princess Elizabeth. Before boarding the battleship Renown, she kissed her before placing her in the care of Clara Knight, the duchess’ own nanny when she was also a baby.
Her grandparents, King George V and Queen Mary, also dotted on the young one. What the king and queen never did to their children they showered upon the young princess (King George V was short-tempered, Queen Mary seemed distant).
“Your sweet little daughter has fourth teeth now which is quite good for eleven months,” the king wrote to his daughter-in-law.
The baby princess was described as a “good, quiet child,” having possessed “the sweetest air of serenity.” When her parents returned in June, they brought home with them about three tons of toys and letters.
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