ABSTRACT
Royal endorsement has played an important part in the life of freemasonry in Britain. Classically, in 1867, the editor of The Economist newspaper observed: Most people when they read that the Queen walked on the slopes at Windsor that the Prince of Wales went to the Derby have imagined that too much thought and prominence were given to little things. The idea of erecting a Masonic Peace Memorial was an initiative that he claimed as his own and which he sustained by his strong personal endorsement. George V's oldest son, Edward Albert, proved to be an outstanding source of media attention for freemasonry. The suggestion that his interest began at Oxford gained even more strength later when the Prince chose to become Worshipful Master of St Mary Magdalen Lodge No. 1523 founded for members of Magdalen College. Freemasonry in Scotland and Ireland also became part of the Prince's media story in England and Wales.
