Gilbert and Sullivan well, and on 13 May 1883, at a party to celebrate the composer's 41st birthday, the guests, including the Prince of Wales (later Edward VII), heard a direct relay of parts of "Iolanthe" from the Savoy. This was probably the first live "broadcast" of an opera. During the run of "Iolanthe", in 1883, Sullivan was knighted by Queen Victoria. Although it was the operas with Gilbert that had earned him the broadest fame, the honour was conferred for his services to serious music. The musical establishment, and many critics, believed that this should put an end to his career as
Arthur Sullivan the leading lady, Nancy McIntosh, and refused to write another piece featuring her; Gilbert insisted that she must appear in his next opera. Instead, Sullivan teamed up again with his old partner, F. C. Burnand. "The Chieftain" (1894), a heavily revised version of their earlier two-act opera, "The Contrabandista", flopped. Gilbert and Sullivan reunited one more time, after McIntosh announced her retirement from the stage, for "The Grand Duke" (1896). It failed, and Sullivan never worked with Gilbert again, although their operas continued to be revived with success at the Savoy. In May 1897 Sullivan's full-length ballet, "Victoria and Merrie