Devonshire House Ball of 1897 participant Alexandra of Denmark
Devonshire House Ball
In 1897, The Duke and Duchess of Devonshire hosted the Devonshire House Ball at Devonshire House, the London residence (in Piccadilly) of the Dukes of Devonshire in the 18th and 19th centuries. The Duke had served as a Member of Parliament and a cabinet minister as a member of the Liberal Party and the Duchess, known as the Double Duchess, was the widow of the William Montagu, 7th Duke of Manchester.Following the death of Prince Albert in 1861, Queen Victoria had withdrawn from social life and "the mantle of royal entertaining" was passed to the Prince of Wales and his wife, Alexandra.  During the 1870s, they hosted a costume ball at Marlborough House, their London residence, which was considered a success and carried on the popularity of such events.  The Devonshires, who were close friends of the Prince and Princess of Wales, therefore, decided to throw a costume ball to celebrate Queen Victoria's diamond jubilee.  The Queen's Diamond Jubilee procession had taken place on 22 June 1897 and followed a route six miles long through London.  More than 700 invitations were sent out a month before the event, although some reports of the event stated up to 3,000 invites. By accident, Alfred, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha and Maria, the Duchess of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha did not receive invitations. When the Duchess of Devonshire saw her at a different jubilee fête and asked if she was coming, "the Duchess of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha freezingly replied, 'Certainly not'".While the Queen did not attend, almost all of the British royal family attended the ball and nearly every other European royal family was represented.  
The Duke of Devonshire invited the London photographic firm of James Lafayette, who had been awarded a Royal Warrant ten years previously, to set up a tent (in the garden behind the house) to photograph the guests in costume during the Ball.  In 1899, the studio of Walker & Boutal published 286 of the Lafayette photographs.Following the ball, The Duchess received a letter from Francis Knollys, Private Secretary to the Sovereign, indicating that the Prince, later King Edward VII, who arrived after 11 o'clock, thought the party a success.