‘In October 1875, Prince Albert Edward (known as ‘Bertie’ to his family) set off on a four-month tour of the Indian subcontinent; as future King, he was expected to visit the Empire and learn about it, hopefully preparing him for his ultimate destiny of wearing the crown. The trip took Bertie to India, Sri Lanka, Pakistan and Nepal, travelling some 10,000 miles.  Diplomatic gifts, much like today, are an important part of relationship building, and no expense was spared for the British royal party. The locals lavished expensive gifts on the Prince to welcome him, as did the 90+ different local rulers he met, and it is these treasures that form the ‘Splendours of the Subcontinent’ exhibition’ (here). This is State Elephants at Baroda.