Prince Albert Edward was born on 9 Nov 1841, at St James’s Palace. He was the eldest son of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. He acceded to the throne on 22 Jan 1901 and was crowned at Westminster Abbey on 9 Aug 1902. He was married on 10 Mar 1863 to Princess Alexandra of Scheswig-Holstein-Sanderberg- Glucksburg, daughter of King Christian IX of Denmark. They had six children. King Edward died on 6 May 1910, at Buckingham palace. He was 68 years old.
On 1 Feb 1907 a notification appeared in the London Gazette: ‘The King has been graciously pleased to confer on the Norfolk Regiment the honour of becoming its Colonel-in-Chief.’ King Edward VII had a long and close association with Sandringham and was already Honorary Colonel of the Norfolk Yeomanry. In his capacity of Colonel-in-Chief he arranged to present new Colours to the regiment on 4 June 1909 in the grounds of Buckingham Palace, but bad weather caused plans to be changed and the presentation was made inside the Palace, in the State Ballroom. The King made the following speech:
‘Colonel Marriott, officers, non-commissioned officers and men of the 1st Battalion of the Norfolk Regiment, I have not forgotten that 22 years ago, at Aldershot, I presented you with new Colours. I did so on that occasion in order to identify myself with your regiment. I have lived now not far off half a century in the county of Norfolk, and as everything interests me so deeply in Norfolk, I was glad on that occasion, as I am on this, to associate myself with the regiment that bears the name of my county. I am sorry the elements do not permit of my presenting the Colours to you out of doors, but the fact of my presenting them to you inside the Palace shows you the deep interest I take in today’s ceremony.’
