Historical Event on 1/1/1903

A vast crowd thronged the great plain outside Delhi today, waiting to hear the declaration that King Edward VII was Emperor of India. The crowd, clothed in brilliantly colored garments, was largely composed of common people who had come to the durbar to see India's princes pledge their fealty to the Emperor . The Duke of Connaught, representing King Edward, sat on the left of the Viceroy of India, Lord Curzon of Kedleston, who sat on a throne surrounded by giant silver footstools. Lord Curzon spoke briefly, then read a message from the King, who expressed regret at not being present at the durbar and his wishes for ""the increasing prosperity of my Indian Empire."" Among the dignitaries in the amphi-theater were 600 veterans of the Sepoy Mutiny of 1857-58.