Ipoh World

The first photograph shows Sultan Idris Murshidul'adzam Shah of Perak, (centre) with Sir Hugh Clifford (left) and Raja Chulan (Raja di-Hilir), in London for the Coronation of King Edward VII.

The second photograph is of the Sultan and Raja Chulan at the same time and place.

The coronation of Edward VII and his wife Alexandra as king and queen of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions took place at Westminster Abbey, London, on 9 August 1902.

Ipoh Remembered added some points of interest:

Raja Chulan was the son of Sultan Abdullah, who had been deposed in 1875. A few years later when Hugh Clifford arrived in Perak as a teen-ager, he lived in Kuala Kangsar in Hugh Low’s hill-top Residency compound – as did Raja Chulan. Only a few years apart in age, the two boys became friends.

Raja Chulan was also a son-in-law of Sultan Idris. His wife was Raja Puteh Kalsom; and her mother, the Sultan’s second wife, was part of this group that attended Edward’s coronation in 1902.

In other circumstances Raja Chulan might eventually have become Sultan. When Sultan Idris died, he was the successor candidate that all local powers found most acceptable – and even some British officials supported him – but others were opposed and he was denied. He did, however, have a long career as an administrator and was made CMG and KBE.

As for the photograph itself: Various sources say that it was taken at Buckingham Palace but that’s an error. It was taken at the Palace of Westminster, where Parliament sits, and the photographer was himself a member of the House of Commons. If the camera had been aimed upwards and towards the left, we’d be looking at the Clock Tower.

To read more about Sultan Idris Murshidul'adzam Shah, click here.

To read more about Sir Hugh Clifford, click here.

To read more about Raja Chulan, second son of Sultan Abdullah, click here.

To see a photograph of Sultan Idris and some of his staff on the evening before leaving Kuala Kangsar for England, click here.