THE ROYAL COLLECTION TRUST The Heart of the Great Alone : Scott, Shackleton and Antarctic Photography Royal patronage and collection of polar images Royal interest in polar exploration began with Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, who followed the fortunes of the early adventurers. The royal couple acquired photographs and written accounts of voyages from the 1840s and 1850s, many associated with search expeditions for Sir John Franklin and his crew, who failed to return from an 1845 expedition to navigate a trade route between Europe and Asia via Canada. Queen Victoria’s interest in polar exploration continued throughout her reign. For example, she was presented with a painting by the American artist and explorer William Bradford of his voyage to the Arctic in 1869 and a set of photographs of the expedition. Queen Victoria also received photographs from the British Arctic Expedition of 1875-6, which she had followed keenly. During the ‘Heroic Age’ of Antarctic exploration in the early 20th century, new discoveries were made in the name of the King, on behalf of the Nation. King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra followed the progress of Captain Robert Falcon Scott’s first expedition south on board Discovery (1901-4). On his return, Scott was invited to Balmoral to lecture about his experiences. He showed slides taken by the expedition’s chief engineer and principal photographer, Reginald Skelton, to a group that included the King and Queen and the Prince of Wales (later King George V). Scott later wrote to his mother that the King had asked so many questions that they had talked for three quarters of an hour longer than had been scheduled. Edward Shackleton’s expedition aboard Nimrod three years later also received royal support and he left England in 1907 carrying a Union Jack flag presented by Queen Alexandra. Scott’s Terra Nova expedition to the South Pole was a source of national pride. When news broke of the explorer’s death in 1913, official messages of sympathy were sent to King George V. The expedition’s photographer, Herbert Ponting, delivered a lecture to the King and Queen Mary at Buckingham Palace on 12 May 1914, and the set of photographs now in the Royal Photograph Collection was probably presented at this time. King George V also took an interest in Shackleton’s career, meeting him on several occasions and receiving an album of images from the Endurance expedition of 1914-17. In July 1921, Shackleton visited the King at Buckingham Palace ahead of his final expedition on board the Quest. Shackleton suffered a heart attack and died in South Georgia on 5 January 1922. An album of photographs documenting the Quest expedition, including Shackleton’s burial, is also in the Royal Photograph Collection. His Royal Highness The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, continues the tradition of royal support of polar exploration today. The Duke is one of the few members of the Royal Family to have crossed the Antarctic Circle. On 12 January 1957, Prince Philip visited South Georgia, accompanied by Sir Raymond Priestley, a veteran of both the Nimrod and Terra Nova expeditions. The Duke paid tribute to Shackleton at a memorial cross. More recently, Prince Philip has been patron of a number of expeditions undertaken by the explorer David Hempleman-Adams, the first man to reach all four Geographic and Magnetic Poles, as well as climb the highest mountains on all seven continents. David Hempleman-Adams writes: When The Duke of Edinburgh agrees to be a patron he takes it very seriously. HRH always wants to know the objectives of the expedition and what makes my trip different to all the others. Following a successful trip he is the first to write and extend his congratulations. With this support I feel as if I am undertaking the expedition for my country and Queen. It is a wonderful feeling. .