The Duke And Duchess Of Edinburgh

Scottish Country Dance Instruction

1- 8 1s+2s+3s advance and retire and turn partners 2H
9-16 1s cast, lead down between 3s, cast up behind 3s, lead up between 2s and cast back to 2nd place (2s step up 15-16)
17-24 1s dance RH across (Lady with 2s and Man with 3s), pass RSh and dance LH across with other couple to end facing 1st corners
25-32 1s turn 1st corner, partner, 2nd corner and partner to own sides 2nd place
33-40 2s+1s+3s circle 6H round and back

(MINICRIB. Dance crib compiled by Charles Upton, Deeside Caledonian Society, and his successors)

(MAXICRIB. Scottish country dancing instructions compiled by Reuben Freemantle)

Dance Notes

Keith Rose's Crib Diagrams

The Duke And Duchess Of Edinburgh - Full Size And Key To Symbols

Dance Instruction Videos

Dance Information

Lesslie died in Hastings, New Zealand, in 1991, where she had been a member of the SCD group. Anderson may also have died there three years later. But whether they were already living in NZ when the dance was created, isn't clear.

The music was composed by John Robertson who ran his own fairly large SCD band, the John Robertson Country Dance Players. He was also vice-president of the Edinburgh Highland Reel and Strathspey Society, which suggests that he lived in Edinburgh. That is also where the dance, with its own music, was published at the time.

(Dance information by Sir Christopher MacRae, KCMG)

In honour of their wedding, her father, King George VI, re-created the Duchy of Edinburgh, naming the newlyweds HRH Princess Elizabeth, Duchess of Edinburgh and her husband HRH The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. King George died five years later at the age of 57 and she became Queen. Perhaps an advantage of advancing years is that I well remember watching her coronation at an English pub in my home town of Derby. The coronation was on the "telly" as we called it, and I did not have one at home in those days.

At least among Royalists, it might be a burning question, albeit academic, as to whether HM Elizabeth II is still able to carry the secondary title as Duchess. After a little research, I learn that there are numerous points of view, both for and against the question. I also learn that Royal watchers are quite a sensitive lot who look upon such issues very seriously. Can one be a Queen and a Duchess at the same time? Or for that matter, be both a Prince and a Duke? The rankings of lesser members of the nobility can be even more complicated. In diminishing order of importance from Dukes, there are Marquesses and Earls, and Viscounts, and Barons, and Baronets. And that's only the males of nobility. Their spouses' titles are even more complex. Did you know that Mrs. Marquess is a Marchioness and that Mrs. Earl is a Countess? It is to boggle the mind! So I say... enough already!

Here's something we should recirculate. I remember that on the 60th anniversary of Queen Elizabeth's Coronation four years ago, there was cause for some special celebration at the RSCDS Toronto Association. To wit, our very own Carole Skinner, teacher of the Petronella social group, and an accomplished deviser of Scottish country dances, created a dance called Lilibet's Strathspey. The dance was submitted to Buckingham Palace to the delight of the Queen herself, who, as we all should know, has been the Patron of the Royal Scottish Country Dance Society as an international entity since 1947. Lilibet was a term of endearment used by King George for his daughter Elizabeth. Well done, Carole!

The Barry Pipes Canon 085- June, 2016.

(Dance information from set and link, RSCDS Toronto Newsletter - What's In A Name? The Barry Pipes Canon 2005-2018, reproduced here with kind permission. Copyright Barry Pipes. All rights reserved)

The Duke And Duchess Of Edinburgh Tune - Information Video

The Duke And Duchess Of Edinburgh, 2007

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