The first festival celebrated the opening of Leeds Town Hall by Queen Victoria on 7 September 1858.
[1] King George V was the festival's patron in 1922; his daughter, The Princess Royal, sister of King George VI, and her husband also became patrons in anticipation of their wedding in 1922.
[2][3] From the 1920s, Princess Mary had attended the opening nights and many of the festival's performances,[4] and later, with her son, George Lascelles, 7th Earl of Harewood, and his wife, the Countess of Harewood, née Marion Stein, a former concert pianist.
[7] In April 1953, members of the public were for the first time told by the festival's chairman, Sir George Martin, that they may not be permitted to attend the rehearsals of some of the performances.
[12] Middleton was also chairman of the Northern Philharmonic Orchestra, of which the Princess Royal was patron.