royal visit queen

Prince Harry, Meghan visit Queen Elizabeth for first time since giving up royal roles

LONDON — Prince Harry and his wife Meghan have visited Queen Elizabeth II at Windsor Castle on their first joint visit to the U.K. since they gave up formal royal roles and moved to the U.S. more than two years ago.

The couple’s office says they visited the 95-year-old queen, Harry’s grandmother, Thursday on their way to the Netherlands to attend the Invictus Games. Harry is a founder and patron of the international sports competition for wounded military veterans.

Full coverage:   Latest news and updates on Queen Elizabeth II

Harry and Meghan stepped down as senior working royals and moved to North America in 2020, citing the unbearable pressure of their roles and racist attitudes of the British media.

The couple, also known as the duke and duchess of Sussex, lost their taxpayer-funded police guard when they walked away, and Harry is suing the British government for refusing to let him pay for his own police security on his visits to the U.K. His lawyers say Harry wants to bring his children — Archie, who is almost 3, and 10-month-old Lilibet — to visit his home country but that it is too risky without police protection.

Harry and Meghan are expected to attend a reception in The Hague on Friday for the Invictus Games, which run from Saturday to April 22.

The visit to the queen came on Maundy Thursday, a day in the week before Easter that the queen for decades marked by distributing silver coins known as “Maundy money” to pensioners at a church service.

This year the queen, who has been experiencing mobility issues in recent months and came down with Covid-19 in February , did not attend. She was represented by her eldest son, Prince Charles, and his wife Camilla.

The monarch also is expected to miss the royal family’s Easter Sunday church service. She has continued to perform royal duties, including virtual audiences with politicians and diplomats.

The Queen of travel

Queen Elizabeth II 1926 - 2022

Queen Elizabeth II leaves Fiji during a royal tour in February 1977. Serge Lemoine/Getty Images

The Queen of travel Journeys of a lifetime

By Francesca Street and Mark Oliver, CNN September 13, 2022

S he was traveling the moment she ascended to the throne, and for much of the next seven decades, Queen Elizabeth II criss-crossed the world. Newly married and still just a princess, Britain’s future monarch was in Kenya with husband Prince Philip in February 1952 when she learned of her father’s death and her new regal status.

During her reign she would visit more than 120 countries, witnessing first-hand the revolutions in global travel that shrank the world as her own influence over it diminished.

The Queen lived through the advent of the Jet Age, flew supersonic on the Concorde, saw regimes change, countries form and dissolve, the end of the British Empire and the rise of globalization.

Here are some of the most memorable travel moments from her 70 years as monarch.

November 24-25, 1953

Less than six months after she was crowned at Westminster Abbey in London, Queen Elizabeth set off on her travels again. Her debut official state trip was an epic six-month tour of the Commonwealth -- the alliance of nations which were once British colonies. Traveling by air, sea and land she visited several countries, accompanied by her husband, Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh. First stop was the North Atlantic island of Bermuda, a British territory she would visit a further four times during her reign. The trip would go on to include stops in Jamaica, Tonga, New Zealand, Australia, Cocos Islands, Ceylon (now Sri Lanka), Aden (now part of Yemen), Uganda, Malta and Gibraltar.

December 19-20, 1953

At Queen Elizabeth’s coronation in June 1953, Queen Salote Tupou III of the Polynesian kingdom of Tonga won over the British public when she sat, rain-soaked, in her open carriage. They also took an interest when Elizabeth returned the visit later in the year. The two queens enjoyed an open-air feast, watched Tongan dancers and admired a tortoise that legend said was presented by explorer Captain James Cook to the King of Tonga in 1777.

December 23, 1953 – January 30, 1954

New zealand.

The Queen voyaged to New Zealand during the Antipodean summer of 1953-4. Over the course of the trip, it’s estimated that three out of every four New Zealanders got a glimpse of her. In preparation for the Queen’s visit, some New Zealand sheep were dyed in the UK flag colors of red, white and blue. The Queen returned to the country nine times over the years, including in 2002 as she marked half a century on the throne.

April 10-21, 1954

Ceylon (now sri lanka).

A visit to Ceylon, now Sri Lanka, coincided with the Queen’s 28th birthday. She visited the city of Colombo where crowds joined together to sing her “Happy Birthday.” She also visited the central city of Kandy, where she watched a procession featuring a reported 140 elephants and met local chiefs.

April 8-11, 1957

The Queen had visited France as a young princess, but her first state visit as monarch was a glamorous affair. She attended the Palais Garnier opera house in Paris, visited the Palace of Versailles, and dined at the Louvre with then-President Rene Coty. The Queen also laid a wreath on the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at the Arc de Triomphe and visited the Scottish Church of Paris.

October 17-20, 1957

United states.

Having met President Harry S. Truman in Washington in 1951 during a visit before ascending to the throne, Elizabeth was no stranger to America when she arrived on her first trip as Queen. Her 1957 visit marked the 350th anniversary of the first permanent British settlement on the continent, in Jamestown. The monarch attended a college football game at the former Byrd Stadium in Maryland where she watched the home team lose to North Carolina. She met with President Dwight D. Eisenhower in the White House and later traveled to New York, where she and Prince Philip drove through the streets and admired panoramic views of the city from the Empire State Building.

February 1-16, 1961

The Queen and Prince Philip visited Pakistan in 1961, arriving in the port city of Karachi after completing a visit to India as part of a wider tour of South Asia. She drove through the streets of Karachi in an open-top car, before going on to visit Lahore, where a torchlight military tattoo took place in her honor and Prince Philip played in a game of polo.

February 26 to March 1, 1961

In Nepal, the Queen inspected troops in Kathmandu and met Gurkha ex-servicemen in Pokhara. The monarch rode on an elephant and visited the Hanuman Dhoka Palace complex in Kathmandu. She took part in the rather grim spectacle of a tiger hunt although didn’t shoot any animals herself. She instead recorded the experience on cine camera – a recording device that she often carried with her on her earlier foreign trips.

March 2-6, 1961

The Queen visited pre-revolution Iran at the end of her 1961 South Asian tour. Hosted by Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, she toured ancient monuments including the ruins of Persepolis, once a capital of the Achaemenid Empire, later declared a World Heritage Site. She also saw Sheikh Lotfollah mosque in Esfahan and admired collections of the Archaeological Museum of Iran.

May 5, 1961

Vatican city.

In 1961, Elizabeth became the first British monarch to visit the Vatican. Dressed all in black, the Queen had an audience with Pope John XXIII, also attended by Prince Philip. She returned to the Vatican three more times during her reign, meeting Pope John Paul II and Pope Francis.

November 9-20, 1961

Bombing incidents in the capital Accra left officials worried about the safety of the Queen’s visit to Ghana but, after deliberation, UK Prime Minister Harold Macmillan confirmed it would go ahead. During the trip, the Queen famously shared a dance with Ghana’s then-president, Kwame Nkrumah. At the height of Cold War uncertainty, this seemingly innocuous moment was seen as significant in ensuring Ghana remained affiliated to Britain and not the USSR.

May 18-28, 1965

West germany (now germany).

The Queen’s visit to West Germany and West Berlin was viewed as a symbolic gesture of goodwill in the post-World War II landscape. It was the first royal trip to German territory for more than 50 years and photographs such as one of the Queen and Prince Philip in a car driving past the Brandenburg Gate had symbolic resonance.

November 5-11, 1968

Queen Elizabeth became the first reigning British monarch to visit South America when she landed in Brazil in late 1968. During the trip, the Queen wore a striking jewelry set made of Brazilian aquamarine, gifted to her in 1953 by the Brazilian president and added to over time. The monarch also attended a football match between Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo, and presented the winner’s trophy to Brazilian footballer Pele.

October 18-25, 1971

On the first of two trips to Turkey -- the second took place in 2008 -- the Queen visited the Gallipoli peninsula to remember the Allied soldiers who died there during World War I. The monarch also explored the ruins of the ancient Greek empire city of Ephesus. A media highlight of the visit came when she was photographed leaping ashore from a barge, after disembarking from her ship, the Royal Yacht Britannia.

February 10-15, 1972

Accompanied by Prince Philip and daughter Princess Anne, the Queen was greeted on arrival in Bangkok by a carpet of flower petals. The monarch was given a golden key to the city of Bangkok, attended a state banquet and visited Bang Pa-In Palace, the Thai royal family’s summer residence, north of the capital.

October 17-21, 1972

The Queen’s visit to Yugoslavia was her first trip to a communist country. The Central European country no longer exists -- the areas that the Queen visited are now part of Croatia. During her trip, she met Yugoslav political leader Josip Broz Tito and traveled on his famous Blue Train.

February 15-16, 1974

New hebrides (now vanuatu).

The Queen and Prince Philip visited the Pacific island archipelago of Vanuatu, then known as the New Hebrides, in 1974. It’s said the royal couple’s visit to Vanuatu may have strengthened the belief among some locals on Tanna island that the Duke of Edinburgh was a divine being.

February 24-March 1, 1975

On her first of two visits to Mexico, the Queen toured ancient sites -- including the pyramids of Uxmal, now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The monarch also received local crafts, met school children and attended a banquet. While she was driven through Mexico City, the Queen was showered in confetti.

February 17-20, 1979

Saudi arabia.

In 1979, the Queen became the first female head of state to visit Saudi Arabia, on a tour of Gulf States. At Riyadh Airport, she was met by King Khalid bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, pictured. The outfits she wore on the trip were carefully designed in accordance with Saudi Arabia’s conservative dress code for women. The Queen arrived on a British Airways supersonic Concorde aircraft and during the visit attended camel races and toured the National Museum.

October 26-27, 1982

The Queen visited Tuvalu, a group of nine islands in the South Pacific, in 1982. Upon arrival, the Queen and Prince Philip were carried in a flower-filled canoe from sea to shore. Thirty years later, in 2012, Prince William visited Tuvalu with his wife, the Duchess of Cambridge, who drank a coconut from a tree planted by Queen Elizabeth on this 1982 visit.

February 26 – March 6, 1983

On a star-studded trip to the United States, the Queen toured the 20th Century-Fox studios in Hollywood with then-First Lady Nancy Reagan and met Frank Sinatra, who she’d previously met in the 1950s, at a party given in her honor. The Queen and Prince Philip also visited Yosemite National Park in California, pictured.

November 10-14, 1983

The Queen returned to Kenya in 1983 for a state visit. When she was there 31 years previously, she'd learned that her father had passed away and she had become Britain’s reigning monarch. In 1983, the Queen and Prince Philip revisited the Treetops hotel, pictured, where they were staying at the time she was told the news.

October 12-18, 1986

The Queen’s trip to China was the first -- and, so far, only -- state visit by a British monarch to China. With Prince Philip by her side, the Queen visited the Great Wall of China, pictured, as well as the Forbidden City in Beijing.

October 17-20, 1994

In 1994, in another royal first, the Queen visited Russia. Over the three-day trip, the Queen met Moscow mayor Yuri Luzhkov, pictured here with the monarch outside St Basil’s Cathedral, as well as Russian President Boris Yeltsin. The Queen also attended the Bolshoi Ballet. In her traditional Christmas Day speech broadcast later that year, the Queen reflected on how times had changed, noting she “never thought it would be possible in [her] lifetime” to attend a service in Moscow’s famous cathedral.

March 19-25, 1995

South africa.

In 1994, after apartheid ended, South Africa rejoined the Commonwealth as a republic. The following year, the Queen traveled there, in a visit designed to renew ties between the two countries. The Queen met with President Nelson Mandela, pictured, and presented him with the Order of Merit.

October 12-18, 1997

The Queen visited India for the third time in 1997, her first public engagement since Princess Diana’s funeral just weeks before. The trip marked 50 years since India’s independence from Britain. Most memorably, the monarch visited the site of the Amritsar massacre, also known as the Jallianwala Bagh massacre, of April 13, 1919. She also expressed regret at a state banquet in New Delhi for the “distressing” episode in which British soldiers gunned down hundreds of unarmed civilians. The gesture was seen by some as inadequate. “The Queen is doing everything she can to make India like her. But so far it does not seem to be working,” wrote the UK’s Independent newspaper at the time.

October 4-15, 2002

The Queen visited Canada many times. In 2002, her trip to the North American country coincided with her Golden Jubilee festivities, celebrating 50 years of her reign. During the trip, the Queen attended an ice hockey game between the Vancouver Canucks and the San Jose Sharks, and dropped the ceremonial puck.

March 11-16, 2006

The Queen visited Australia 16 times as Head of State. In 2006, she traveled to Melbourne to open the Commonwealth Games. She was greeted by a welcoming party in Canberra, visited the Sydney Opera House, attended a Commonwealth Day service in St. Andrew’s Cathedral and toured Admiralty House, the Sydney residence of the Governor-General of Australia.

May 17-20, 2011

The Queen’s trip to Dublin was the first time a British monarch had set foot in the Irish Republic since its 1922 independence. At Dublin Castle the Queen delivered a well-received speech on the history of Anglo-Irish relations. In County Tipperary, she also toured the medieval Rock of Cashel, pictured, once a seat of power for Ireland’s ancient kings.

November 26-28, 2015

From 1949 to 1951, before she was Queen, Elizabeth and Prince Philip lived in Malta. In 2015, the monarch paid her last visit to the island, touring the Grand Harbour in a Maltese fishing boat and waving to members of the British Royal Navy.

United Kingdom

In the later years of her reign, the Queen cut back on foreign travel, passing on the mantle to the younger royals. In more recent years, royal tours have also been looked at with more skeptical eyes, as Britain reckons with its colonial past.

While she didn't travel abroad in the later years of her reign, the Queen continued to vacation in the UK. Most notably, the Queen’s ties with Scotland remained strong throughout her reign and her residence there, Balmoral Castle, was a favorite refuge. It was at Balmoral that the Queen died on September 8, 2022.

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Harry and Meghan visit Queen Elizabeth for 1st time since giving up their royal roles

The Associated Press

Prince Harry and his wife Meghan speak during the Global Citizen festival, on Sept. 25, 2021, in New York. The couple visited Queen Elizabeth II at Windsor Castle on Thursday. Stefan Jeremiah/AP hide caption

Prince Harry and his wife Meghan speak during the Global Citizen festival, on Sept. 25, 2021, in New York. The couple visited Queen Elizabeth II at Windsor Castle on Thursday.

LONDON — Prince Harry and his wife Meghan have visited Queen Elizabeth II at Windsor Castle on their first joint visit to the U.K. since they gave up formal royal roles and moved to the U.S. more than two years ago.

The couple's office says they visited the 95-year-old queen, Harry's grandmother, Thursday on their way to the Netherlands to attend the Invictus Games. Harry is a founder and patron of the international sports competition for wounded military veterans.

Harry and Meghan stepped down as senior working royals and moved to North America in 2020, citing the unbearable pressure of their roles and racist attitudes of the British media.

Why Meghan And Harry Named Their Daughter Lilibet Diana

The couple, also known as the duke and duchess of Sussex, lost their taxpayer-funded police guard when they walked away, and Harry is suing the British government for refusing to let him pay for his own police security on his visits to the U.K. His lawyers say Harry wants to bring his children — Archie , who is almost 3, and 10-month-old Lilibet — to visit his home country but that it is too risky without police protection.

Harry and Meghan are expected to attend a reception in The Hague on Friday for the Invictus Games, which run from Saturday to April 22.

Pop Culture Happy Hour

Harry and meghan: where things stand and 10 takeaways from the big oprah interview.

The visit to the queen came on Maundy Thursday , a day in the week before Easter that the queen for decades marked by distributing silver coins known as "Maundy money" to pensioners at a church service. This year the queen, who has been experiencing mobility issues in recent months and came down with COVID-19 in February, did not attend. She was represented by her eldest son, Prince Charles, and his wife Camilla.

The monarch also is expected to miss the royal family's Easter Sunday church service. She has continued to perform royal duties, including virtual audiences with politicians and diplomats.

• Queen Elizabeth
• Prince Harry

2024 Royal Visit

Royal Visit to Australia by His Majesty King Charles III and Her Majesty Queen Camilla.

Their Majesties will visit Australia from 18 to 23 October 2024. This will be The King’s first visit to Australia as Sovereign.

The King and Queen will travel to the Australian Capital Territory and New South Wales as part of this visit. Buckingham Palace has announced details of the program.

Details about where to see The King and Queen will be released closer to the visit.

The King’s Previous Visits to Australia

King Charles III has visited Australia 16 times. In 1966 at age 17, His Majesty completed two terms as an exchange student at Timbertop, Geelong Grammar School in Victoria. His Majesty’s most recent visit occurred in 2018, when he opened the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games on behalf of Queen Elizabeth II.

The Queen’s Previous Visits to Australia

Queen Camilla has visited Australia three times between 2012 and 2018. In 2012, as The Duchess of Cornwall, Queen Camilla visited Australia as Her Majesty The Queen Elizabeth II’s personal representative as part of the Diamond Jubilee year celebrations. In 2018, Queen Camilla returned to Australia alongside King Charles as a representative of Queen Elizabeth II to open the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games.

In Photos: The British Royal Family's Visits to Nigeria

As Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's trip to Nigeria is underway, look back on other royal visits by Queen Elizabeth, King Charles, and more.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's three-day visit to Nigeria kicked off on Friday , making them the latest members of the British royal family to visit the country.

Nigeria is former British colony; the country gained independence in 1960, but remains a member of the Commonwealth , a voluntary association of 56 countries. Following Queen Elizabeth's death in 2022, King Charles succeeded his mother as head of the organization. "It is my sincere wish that the Commonwealth will continue to offer stability and continuity for future generations and will decide that one day the Prince of Wales should carry on the important work started by my father in 1949," Queen Elizabeth said in 2018. During her reign, Queen Elizabeth visited Nigeria twice—in 1956, when Nigeria was still a colony, and 2003, for the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting. Thus far, King Charles has yet to visit in his capacity as head of the Commonwealth. He previously visited in 1990 with his then-wife, Princess Diana , and again in 1999, 2006, and 2018.

In chronological order, here are the best photos of British royals in Nigeria:

In 1956, Queen Elizabeth and Prince Phillip undertook a royal tour of Nigeria.

On their trip, they went to Lagos, Calabar, Enugu, Jos, Kaduna, Kano, and Port Harcourt. Here, the royal couple is pictured speaking with Cheif Okosoi at a reception at Enugu

At Kaduna Airport, Queen Elizabeth inspected a regiment.

The Queen met with Governor of the Western Region in Ijebu-ode.

In 1960, Nigeria declared independence, and Princess Alexandra traveled to the country to represent Queen Elizabeth at the independence celebrations. Here, she reads the Queen's speech in Lagos.

In 1990, Princess Diana and Prince Charles undertook a royal visit of Nigeria.

Diana and Charles each carried out a number of engagements solo.

See all the photos of Charles and Diana's trip to Nigeria here.

In 2001, the Princess Royal undertook a six-day royal visit to Nigeria.

In 2003, Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip returned to Nigeria for the annual Commonwealth heads meeting.

Here, Queen Elizabeth meets Noidi Okereke Onyiwke (L, wearing purple), Director General of the Nigerian stock exchange, during a reception shortly after her arrival.

In this photo, Queen Elizabeth tours the secretariat of Karu Local council, near Abuja.

Philip and Elizabeth wave goodbye at the airport.

Then-Prince Charles set out on a royal tour of West Africa, and Nigeria was the second leg of his trip.

Here, Charles visited the oldest church in northern Nigeria located in Zazzau.

He returned 12 years later, with Camilla, then the Duchess of Cornwall.

See all the best photos of Charles and Camilla's 2018 tour of West Africa, here .

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle kicked off their three-day visit to Nigeria at a school.

Meghan took a selfie with students as Harry made a funny face behind them.

Emily Burack (she/her) is the Senior News Editor for Town & Country, where she covers entertainment, culture, the royals, and a range of other subjects. Before joining T&C, she was the deputy managing editor at Hey Alma , a Jewish culture site. Follow her @emburack on Twitter and Instagram .

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Queen Elizabeth's Royal Visits to Canada

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Queen Elizabeth, Canada's head of state , always draws crowds when she visits Canada. Since her accession to the Throne in 1952, Queen Elizabeth has made 22 official Royal visits to Canada, usually accompanied by her husband Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh , and sometimes by her children Prince Charles , Princess Anne, Prince Andrew and Prince Edward. Queen Elizabeth has visited every province and territory in Canada.

2010 Royal Visit

Date: June 28 to July 6, 2010 Accompanied by Prince Philip The 2010 Royal Visit included celebrations in Halifax, Nova Scotia to mark the centennial of the founding of the Royal Canadian Navy, Canada Day celebrations on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, and a dedication of the cornerstone for the Museum of Human Rights in Winnipeg, Manitoba.

2005 Royal Visit

Date: May 17 to 25, 2005 Accompanied by Prince Philip Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip attended events in Saskatchewan and Alberta to celebrate the centennial of the entry of Saskatchewan and Alberta into Confederation.

2002 Royal Visit

Date: October 4 to 15, 2002 Accompanied by Prince Philip The 2002 Royal Visit to Canada was in celebration of the Queen's Golden Jubilee. The Royal couple visited Iqaluit, Nunavut; Victoria and Vancouver, British Columbia; Winnipeg, Manitoba; Toronto, Oakville, Hamilton and Ottawa, Ontario; Fredericton, Sussex, and Moncton, New Brunswick.

1997 Royal Visit

Date: June 23 to July 2, 1997 Accompanied by Prince Philip The 1997 Royal Visit marked the 500th anniversary of John Cabot's arrival in what is now Canada. Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip visited St. John's and Bonavista, Newfoundland; NorthWest River, Shetshatshiu, Happy Valley and Goose Bay, Labrador, They also visited London, Ontario and viewed the floods in Manitoba.

1994 Royal Visit

Date: August 13 to 22, 1994 Accompanied by Prince Philip Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip toured Halifax, Sydney, the Fortress of Louisbourg, and Dartmouth, Nova Scotia; attended the Commonwealth Games in Victoria, British Columbia; and visited Yellowknife , Rankin Inlet and Iqaluit (then part of the Northwest Territories).

1992 Royal Visit

Date: June 30 to July 2, 1992 Queen Elizabeth visited Ottawa, Canada's capital, marking the 125th anniversary of Canadian Confederation and the 40th anniversary of her accession to the Throne.

1990 Royal Visit

Date: June 27 to July 1, 1990 Queen Elizabeth visited Calgary and Red Deer, Alberta, and then joined the celebrations for Canada Day in Ottawa, Canada's capital.

1987 Royal Visit

Date: October 9 to 24, 1987 Accompanied by Prince Philip On the 1987 Royal Visit, Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip toured Vancouver, Victoria and Esquimalt, British Columbia; Regina, Saskatoon, Yorkton, Canora, Veregin, Kamsack and Kindersley, Saskatchewan; and Sillery, Cap Tourmente, Rivière-du-Loup and La Pocatière, Quebec.

1984 Royal Visit

Date: September 24 to October 7, 1984 Accompanied by Prince Philip for all parts of the visit except Manitoba Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip toured New Brunswick and Ontario to participate in events marking the bicentennials of those two provinces. Queen Elizabeth also visited Manitoba.

1983 Royal Visit

Date: March 8 to 11, 1983 Accompanied by Prince Philip At the end of a tour of the U.S. West Coast, Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip visited Victoria, Vancouver, Nanaimo, Vernon, Kamloops and New Westminster, British Columbia.

1982 Royal Visit

Date: April 15 to 19, 1982 Accompanied by Prince Philip This Royal Visit was to Ottawa, Canada's capital, for the Proclamation of the Constitution Act, 1982.

1978 Royal Visit

Date: July 26 to August 6, 1978 Accompanied by Prince Philip, Prince Andrew, and Prince Edward Toured Newfoundland, Saskatchewan and Alberta, attending the Commonwealth Games in Edmonton, Alberta.

1977 Royal Visit

Date: October 14 to 19, 1977 Accompanied by Prince Philip This Royal Visit was to Ottawa, Canada's capital, in celebration of the Queen's Silver Jubilee Year.

1976 Royal Visit

Date: June 28 to July 6, 1976 Accompanied by Prince Philip, Prince Charles, Prince Andrew and Prince Edward The Royal family visited Nova Scotia and New Brunswick, and then Montreal, Quebec for the 1976 Olympics. Princess Anne was a member of the British equestrian team competing in the Olympics in Montreal.

1973 Royal Visit (2)

Date: July 31 to August 4, 1973 Accompanied by Prince Philip Queen Elizabeth was in Ottawa, Canada's capital, for the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting. Prince Philip had his own program of events.

1973 Royal Visit (1)

Date: June 25 to July 5, 1973 Accompanied by Prince Philip Queen Elizabeth's first visit to Canada in 1973 included an extended tour of Ontario, including events to mark the 300th anniversary of Kingston. The Royal couple spent time in Prince Edward Island marking the centennial of PEI's entry into Canadian Confederation, and they went on to Regina, Saskatchewan, and Calgary, Alberta to participate in events marking the RCMP centennial.

1971 Royal Visit

Date: May 3 to May 12, 1971 Accompanied by Princess Anne Queen Elizabeth and Princess Anne marked the centennial of British Columbia's entry into Canadian Confederation by visiting Victoria, Vancouver, Tofino, Kelowna, Vernon, Penticton, William Lake and Comox, B.C.

1970 Royal Visit

Date: July 5 to 15, 1970 Accompanied by Prince Charles and Princess Anne The 1970 Royal Visit to Canada included a tour of Manitoba to celebrate the centennial of Manitoba's entry into Canadian Confederation. The Royal Family also visited the Northwest Territories to mark its centennial.

1967 Royal Visit

Date: June 29 to July 5, 1967 Accompanied by Prince Philip Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip were in Ottawa, Canada's capital, to celebrate Canada's centennial. They also went to Montreal, Quebec to attend Expo '67.

1964 Royal Visit

Date: October 5 to 13, 1964 Accompanied by Prince Philip Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip Visited Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, Quebec City, Quebec and Ottawa, Ontario to attend the commemoration of the three major conferences that led up to Canadian Confederation in 1867.

1959 Royal Visit

Date: June 18 to August 1, 1959 Accompanied by Prince Philip This was Queen Elizabeth's first major tour of Canada. She officially opened the St. Lawrence Seaway and visited all Canadian provinces and territories over the span of six weeks.

1957 Royal Visit

Date: October 12 to 16, 1957 Accompanied by Prince Philip On her first official visit to Canada as Queen, Queen Elizabeth spent four days in Ottawa, Canada's capital, and officially opened the first session of the 23rd Parliament of Canada.

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The Queen in Canada: 22 visits during her reign

Elizabeth made nearly 2 dozen official visits to canada since 1952.

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The Queen, who died Thursday at her Balmoral estate  in Scotland, made 22 official visits to Canada after ascending to the throne in 1952. Her first time here as Queen was in 1957, the last in 2010. During those years, she visited every province and territory. 

Here are some highlights from those visits.

1957: First visit, first live TV address

Prince Philip accompanied Elizabeth on her first official visit as Queen to Canada. The couple had visited previously in 1951 while Elizabeth was a princess.

They spent four days in Ottawa and the Queen became the first reigning sovereign to open the Canadian Parliament. 

WATCH | Queen Elizabeth opens Parliament in Ottawa: 

The Queen opens Canada's Parliament

She delivered the throne speech for the 23rd Parliament on Oct. 14. 

WATCH | The full speech from the throne: 

Queen Elizabeth: 1957 Opening of Parliament

She also made a televised address, the first one she had done live, during which she praised Canada's population growth and strong currency.

The address was one of the first examples of the monarchy adapting new technologies during her reign. As communications evolved, attention continued to focus on the Queen's first forays on new platforms such as Twitter or Instagram. 

1964: An angry reception in Quebec

The Queen and Prince Philip visited Charlottetown, Quebec City and Ottawa. 

She was invited by the prime minister to attend the centennial of two 1864 pre-Confederation conferences in Charlottetown and Quebec City. Elizabeth was warmly welcomed to Charlottetown, but when she got to Quebec City, she was greeted by anti-monarchist and separatist protesters. 

WATCH | Protesters greet Queen Elizabeth: 

Protests greet the Queen in Quebec

Quebec's relationship with the monarchy wasn't always strained. When the Queen's father, King George VI, and his wife, Queen Elizabeth, visited in 1939, they received a warm welcome, as Canadians rallied in support of the war effort.

But the emergence of Quebec nationalism and the Quiet Revolution led to the separatist movement, which was inherently republican. 

WATCH | CBC journalists Knowlton Nash and William Depoe talk about the incident on the news that night: 

Queen's visit to Quebec City marred by violence

It was a very different story upon her departure from Ottawa, though, as nearly 1,500 well-wishers turned out to see her off (Philip had left a few hours earlier).

WATCH | Queen Elizabeth leaves Canada after visiting in 1964:

Queen departs after 1964 visit to Canada

1967: the centennial and a huge cake.

The year 1967 was significant for Canada. The country was marking its centennial and the Queen was there for celebrations on Parliament Hill. 

She delivered a speech that day, describing Canada as "a nation that has grown and prospered in an atmosphere of freedom where differences are respected and where the rights of individual men and women to work out their own salvations have never been long denied."  

You can watch here full speech from that day here . 

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After their time in Ottawa, the Queen and Prince Philip travelled to Montreal, arriving there on July 3 to visit Expo 67.

There was some concern about how the royal couple would be received in Quebec, given the protests just a few years earlier. But on this visit, they got a warm reception. 

They visited the British and Canadian pavilions and toured the full site on the Expo minirail.  

1976: The whole family cheers on Anne

If the Montreal Olympics weren't reason enough for the Queen to visit Canada in 1976, she and her family, who accompanied her on the trip, had the added bonus of seeing their daughter and sister Anne competing on the British equestrian team.

The visit was noteworthy because it was the only time the Queen's entire immediate family was in the country at the same time. Prince Philip and Anne's brothers Charles, Andrew and Edward were also on hand to cheer Anne on.

WATCH | Queen Elizabeth opens the Olympics in Montreal:

The Queen opens the 1976 Olympics

The Queen also visited New Brunswick and Nova Scotia on this trip. 

1982: The Constitution and a mystery giggle

The Queen returned to Canada in 1982 for the proclamation of the Constitution. An estimated 32,000 people came out in the rain in Ottawa on April 17, 1982 for the ceremony on Parliament Hill. 

And there was a memorable moment during the ceremony that was only reported years later. While signing the document after the Queen, Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau broke the tip of the pen. When the justice minister, Jean Chrétien, went to sign it, he couldn't, and uttered "merde," causing the Queen to laugh. He was forced to reach for a second pen. 

WATCH | The signing ceremony for the proclamation of the Constitution (the moment when the Queen laughs begins at about the 1:56 mark): 

The Queen proclaims the Constitution Act

Following the signing, the Queen delivered a speech, stating, "Today I have proclaimed this new Constitution, one that is truly Canadian at last. There could be no better moment for me as Queen of Canada to declare again my unbounded confidence in the future of this wonderful country."

WATCH | The Queen's full speech: 

The Queen's speech after proclaiming the Constitution Act

2002: golden jubilee with a twist of controversy.

Her 2002 visit to Canada was part of a year of celebration for the Queen as she marked 50 years as monarch.

Elizabeth came to Canada as part of her Golden Jubilee tour — which also took her to New Zealand, Australia and Jamaica — and thanked Canadians for their "loyalty, encouragement and support" during her reign.

But there was a bit of controversy courtesy of Canada's deputy prime minister, who was assigned to be her escort in Ottawa during the visit.

John Manley had said that he hoped to see the end of the monarchy in Canada after Elizabeth's reign.

WATCH | The Queen presents a horse to the RCMP following a performance of the Musical Ride:

The Queen gives the RCMP a horse

2010: the final visit to a place like 'home'.

The Queen's final visit to Canada was in 2010. She visited five cities and spent Canada Day in Ottawa with about 100,000 others on Parliament Hill.

"This nation has dedicated itself to being a caring home for its own, a sanctuary for others and an example to the world," she said during the visit.

Elizabeth visited Canada more times as Queen than any other Commonwealth country. And she referred to Canada as "home" as she arrived in Halifax — a term she used throughout her reign when speaking of this country. 

WATCH | The Queen's last speech on Canada Day from Parliament Hill:

The Queen on Canada Day

WATCH | A collection of highlights from the Queen's visits to Canada from 1957 to 2010:

The Queen in Canada 1957-1976

The Queen in Canada 1977-2010

• Queen Elizabeth, Canada's head of state, dead at 96
• With Queen Elizabeth's death, Canada prepares for an official mourning period

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Past Royal Tours

Members of the Royal Family have made several official and personal tours of Canada over the years, further strengthening the bond between the Crown and Canada.

2022 Royal Tour

The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall visited Canada from May 17 to 19, 2022 to mark Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee.

Private and official tours since 1953

History buffs will enjoy going back in time for a look at past monarchs who toured Canada from 1786 to 1951 .

Throughout her 70-year reign, The Queen made 22 official tours of Canada, more than any other Commonwealth country. She made her first tour as Princess Elizabeth in 1951 with her husband, The Duke of Edinburgh. She travelled to all regions of the country and was a constant presence in the lives of Canadians, witnessing growth and significant change in Canadian society.

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The Royal Watcher

King charles and queen camilla at the scottish parliament.

King Charles III  and  Queen Camilla attended a Ceremony to mark the 25th Anniversary of the Scottish Parliament in Edinburgh on September 28th, three years after attending the Scottish Opening of Parliament in 2021 .

Ahead of the Ceremony, Mace and the Crown of Scotland were carried by the Duke of Hamilton from Edinburgh Castle into the Debating Chamber of the Scottish Parliament in procession to a Fanfare sounded by the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by The Royal Watcher (@the_royal_watcher)

King Charles III and Queen Camilla were received by the First Minster of Scotland and other Officials as they arrived at the Scottish Parliament, where the Duke of Hamilton and the Duke of Buccleuch and Queensberry were in attendance.

“The Queen and I are so very pleased to be able to join you today in marking the 25th anniversary of the Scottish Parliament.” HM The King addresses the chamber. pic.twitter.com/sWYRosoBia — Daniel J. Devane 🇬🇧 (@DanielJDevane) September 28, 2024  

King Charles gave an address to the Scottish Parliament.

The Queen and I are so very pleased to be able to join you today in marking the 25th anniversary of the Scottish Parliament My beloved grandmother was proudly Scottish, my late mother especially treasured the time spent at Balmoral, and it was there, in the most beloved of places, that she chose to spend her final days. We are all, at the end of each day, united by our love of Scotland.  Because of its natural beauty, of course, but also because of its strength of character, based as it is on the extraordinary diversity of its peoples, whose range of ideas, skills, energy, passions, and frequently deeply-held beliefs, never cease to inspire me..”

Following the ceremonial proceedings in the Debating Chamber, the King and Queen attended a reception for local people nominated by MSPs in the Main Hall of the Scottish Parliament.

Queen Camilla wore Queen Mary’s Diamond Thistle Brooch .

The King, as Prince of Wales, attended the official opening of the Scottish Parliament with the late Queen in 1999 .

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Independent TV

Showing now | lifestyle.

Sophie Thompson | Saturday 28 September 2024 14:09 BST

King and Queen arrive at Holyrood in tartan to mark 25 years of Scottish Parliament

King Charles and Queen Camilla are marking 25 years of Scottish Parliament with a trip to Holyrood , wearing matching tartan outfits for the occasion.

The King opted for a kilt, while the Camilla nodded to the country with tartan accents on her blue coat.

The royals will meet with "local heroes", as well as hear performances from the likes of the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland and the charity, Sistema Scotland.

King Charles has made six visits to the Parliament since 1999.

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PHOTOS: Pope Francis meets king and queen of Belgium at Laeken Castle

September 27, 2024 Catholic News Agency News Briefs 0 Print

Rome Newsroom, Sep 27, 2024 / 10:55 am (CNA).

Pope Francis visited Laeken Castle on Friday, where he met with King Philippe and Queen Mathilde of the Belgians.

King Philippe ascended the Belgian throne in 2013 and holds the title “Rex Catholicissimus,” or “(Most) Catholic Majesty.”

Queen Mathilde, as a Catholic queen, has the “privilège du blanc,” meaning she is one of only a few women in the world who can wear white, rather than the customary black, when meeting the pope for an official private audience at the Vatican.

The papal privilege is currently granted only to the Catholic royalty from Spain, Luxembourg, Belgium, and Monaco, as well as the House of Savoy.

On his first full day in Belgium on Sept. 27, Pope Francis celebrated a morning Mass in private before making his way to the castle.

A mounted guard of honor accompanied him to the main palace entrance, where he was greeted by the Belgian royal family.

The meeting included an exchange of gifts and an opportunity for the pope to sign the Book of Honor, symbolic gestures that reinforce the ties between the Vatican and the Belgian monarchy.

“I am grateful to visit Belgium, a sign and bridge of peace, where different languages, cultures, and peoples live in mutual respect. May God bless Belgium!” the pope wrote in the castle’s Book of Honor.

Nearly 50% of Belgians identify as Catholic, according to the Pew Research Center. The members of the Belgian Royal Family are Catholic but do not have an official role within the Catholic Church in the country.

King Philippe and Queen Mathilde were married in 1999 in Belgium’s 11th-century Cathedral of St. Michael and St. Gudula in Brussels and have four children. Their eldest daughter, Princess Elisabeth, is first in the line of succession.

After the formal reception, the pope met privately with the King and Queen before moving to the castle’s Grand Gallery, where he addressed 300 dignitaries and political authorities, including Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo.

In the speech, the pope lamented the country’s clerical abuse crisis and advocated for peace.

“There are two calamities at the moment,” Pope Francis said. “The hell of war … which could turn into a world war and a demographic winter. This is why we must be practical. Have children! Have children!”

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Related Articles

Vandals deface image of Poland’s Black Madonna in Dutch city

CNA Staff, Jun 24, 2020 / 09:30 am ( CNA ).- The mayor of a Dutch town has condemned vandals who defaced an image of Our Lady of Częstochowa and daubed the letters “BLM” beneath it.

Paul Depla, the mayor of Breda, a city in the southern Netherlands, said the incident was “particularly sad for the Polish community, for which the monument is of great value,” the Dutch regional newspaper BN DeStem reported June 22.

The image of Our Lady, which is revered by Poles and also known as the Black Madonna, was erected in a park in Breda in 1954 in thanksgiving for the city’s liberation from the Nazis. 

The Polish 1st Armored Division, commanded by General Stanisław Maczek, freed the city on October 29, 1944, After the war, 40,000 inhabitants of Breda signed a petition to award Maczek honorary Dutch citizenship. When Maczek died in 1994, he was buried alongside his fallen soldiers at a cemetery in the city.

The Black Madonna in Breda has been defaced and vandalised with the letters BLM.

The mosaic is dedicated to Polish soldiers of General Maczek who liberated the city in 1944 from the German Nazis.

We denounce this act of vandalism, which is offensive to Poles and Catholics.

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— Visegrad 24 ???????? (@visegrad24) June 23, 2020

The organizers of a recent protest for racial justice in the city also deplored the vandalism. 

Spokesman Patrick van Lunteren told BN DeStem that the organizers did not know who had carried out the act.

He said: “This hurts the Polish community and that is not the intention [of the demonstration]. People are now open to dialogue, but with these kinds of actions you lose sympathy.”

BN DeStem also reported comments by Frans Ruczynski, a former chairman of the General Maczek Museum, which commemorates the city’s liberators.

“This is very insulting to the Polish community,” the newspaper quoted him as saying.

“Polish people are very religious. Every Sunday they go to church, with hundreds in Breda. Why would you want to hurt them? We don’t know if it comes from the left or right corner. But when it comes to Black Lives Matter, I don’t understand it. The Black Madonna has nothing to do with oppression at all.”

The original image of the Black Madonna is housed at the Jasna Góra Monastery in Częstochowa, Poland’s most popular place of pilgrimage. 

The authorities in Breda promised to remove the graffiti swiftly, but said initially that it would be difficult as the Marian image is made of mosaic tiles.

“This will involve specialist work for which the first steps will be taken tomorrow morning by the cleaning department of the municipality of Breda,” a spokesperson for the municipality told BN DeStem June 22.

The newspaper reported June 23 that the municipality had removed the graffiti successfully.

Eastern Orthodox priest shot in France emerges from coma

Rome Newsroom, Nov 5, 2020 / 09:00 am (CNA).- Fr. Nikolas Kakavelakis, a Greek Orthodox priest who was seriously wounded in a shooting Saturday, has emerged from coma, according to French media.

“He came out of a coma … and has start… […]

UK bishops say law criminalizing prayer outside of abortion clinics is discriminatory

Father Sean Gough, a Catholic priest of the Archdiocese of Birmingham, England, faced criminal charges for praying for free speech outside an abortion clinic after business hours in violation of a strict buffer zone law in the English city of Bi… […]

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Queen Mary to visit Brazil next week, palace announces

By Natalie Oliveri | 4 days ago

Queen Mary is preparing to travel abroad without her husband for an important visit focusing on women's rights and the environment.

The Queen will be in Brazil next week where she will tour Manaus and Brasilia, the Danish Royal Household has announced.

King Frederik will not join the Queen on the visit.

READ MORE: Princess of Wales to host Christmas carols concert in December

Queen Mary will be in Brazil from October 2 – 5 with sustainability, biodiversity and climate on the agenda.

Her Majesty will visit the Amazon rainforest and its river systems as well as the Brazilian savannah, the Cerrado.

READ MORE: Harry shows photo of Archie, Lili as he warns of 'pervasive threat'

In her role as patron of the United Nations Environmental Programme, the Queen will attend an event focused on biodiversity and conservation.

She is also due to meet with female leaders and representatives from the United Nations Population Fund, to discuss equality and the fight against gender-based violence in Brazil, which has been a key focus of Queen Mary's royal work .

Mary was last in Brazil for the Rio Olympics in 2016.

Mary's visit to the South American country is her second tour abroad without King Frederik since the change of throne on January 14 .

Two weeks after the proclamation, Mary was in Cologne, Germany, to attend the European Men's Handball Championship between Denmark and France for her first solo trip abroad as Queen.

READ MORE:  James Middleton says his son wears royal hand-me-downs

The King and Queen will next travel to Germany for their first state visit since Queen Margrethe II's abdication, on October 21 and 22.

The tour will follow state visits to Norway and Sweden earlier this year, and the summer cruises to Greenland and various Danish cities on board the royal yacht Dannebrog .

For a daily dose of 9honey, subscribe to our newsletter here .

At the weekend, Queen Mary acted as regent of Denmark for the first time since the change of throne.

Although Mary has been able to do so since 2019, and she has on many occasions, this marked the first time she has formally governed Denmark in her role as Queen Consort.

The 52-year-old took on the role as her husband, King Frederik , was out of the country, Crown Prince Christian is in Africa and Queen Margrethe was unwell following a fall at Fredensborg Palace last week.

The 84-year-old was taken to the Rigshospitalet in Copenhagen as a precaution where doctors discovered the queen had damaged vertebrae in her neck and suffered a fracture in her left hand.

On Monday, Queen Mary was asked about her mother-in-law's condition while attending the National Conference for Health Care Nurses, in partnership with the Mary Foundation, at the Tivoli Hotel & Congress Centre .

"Under the circumstances, she is doing very well," Queen Mary told Danish magazine Billed Bladet.

"I have had the opportunity to visit her a few times since she came home."

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