queen elizabeth visits boston

When Queen Elizabeth Visited Boston: Redcoats, the Royal Wave and American Cheering

British soldiers dressed in the red coats that were infamous during the time of the american revolution stood once again by massachusetts' old state house when the queen visited in 1976, by asher klein • published september 8, 2022 • updated on september 8, 2022 at 4:14 pm.

In her long time on the throne of the United Kingdom, Queen Elizabeth II visited Boston once, for an event marking a very crucial event in American history.

For her third visit to the United States, Elizabeth attended the Bicentennial ceremonies in 1976, and ended her trip where the country began: in Boston.

Images from the time show her smiling as she walked through the streets with then-Mayor Kevin White. British soldiers dressed in the red coats that were infamous during the time of the American Revolution stood once again by Massachusetts' Old State House.

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Tens of thousands of people came out to see Elizabeth and Prince Philip, The Boston Globe reported at the time.

"Everytime the queen smiled or let free one of her white gloved hands, barely bending the wrist fluttering regal waves, people responded in turn with beaming smiles, prolonged applause and an occasional American, but very un-British cheer," Robert Rosenthal and Nick King wrote.

But there were protests as well. As British soldiers marched in review past City Hall, demonstrators held up signs. Some read, "England: Get out of Ireland NOW!" and "No surrender to British imperialism."

Elizabeth was being remembered Thursday around the U.S. and the globe after her death at the age of 96. Boston Mayor Michelle Wu shared an image of the monarch in City Hall, which was then just seven years old, and called her an inspiration for her "grace & steadfast leadership."

Boston mourns the loss of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, whose grace & steadfast leadership have inspired generations around the world. Our hearts are with her family, loved ones & the people of the UK. pic.twitter.com/d8YG7sRYTN — Mayor Michelle Wu 吳弭 (@MayorWu) September 8, 2022

Elizabeth would make six trips to the United States in her 70-year reign. During the visit for the bicentennial, when she was 50 years old, she also stopped in Philadelphia, New York City, Charlottesville, Newport and Providence.

American's Bicentennial Celebration was a national party marking 200 years since the adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776. At a state dinner at the White House, Elizabeth and President Gerald Ford shared a dance.

After Boston, the queen traveled to Canada, where she opened the Montreal Olympics.

More on Queen Elizabeth II

Queen elizabeth ii, britain's longest-serving monarch, dies at age 96.

Operation Unicorn: Here's What Happens Now That Queen Elizabeth Has Died

‘Historic Reign': Local Officials React to the News of Queen Elizabeth II's Death

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See photographs of Queen Elizabeth's visit to Boston in 1976

• Meghan B. Kelly

In 1976, Queen Elizabeth II visited the United States as the country celebrated its 200th birthday. Her last stop on the tour was Boston.

The New York Times reported on July 11, 1976, that she spent her last day in the country in Boston "with its Revolutionary past and heavily Irish present. She was received with applause by large, friendly crowds and restrained protest by a relatively small number of demonstrators."

While in Boston, the queen met with Melnea Cass, who, according to Northeastern University Archives and Special Collections, was one of a few Bostonians who received such an invitation.

WCVB's archives has a short video of a speech the queen gave on her visit, which you can watch below.

Many of the people who showed up to protest the queen's visit called attention to the United Kingdom's role in Northern Ireland.

• Queen Elizabeth II dies at 96, surrounded by the royal family at Balmoral estate
• Queen Elizabeth II is the second-longest reigning monarch in history

Meghan B. Kelly Multi-platform Editor Meghan is the multi-platform editor for WBUR.

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That time the queen visited Boston - to honor our independence from her predecessors

Kathryn White, Mayor White and the queen on City Hall Plaza. Photo from Boston City Archive.

On July 11, 1976, Queen Elizabeth visited Boston as part of the Bicentennial celebrations that year. Mayor White greeted her outside City Hall, where she reviewed some of her troops:

Then White gave her a tour of City Hall, as Prince Philip and Kitty Dukakis trailed behind:

Cake was served:

The queen and the prince also visited the Old State House, once the seat of the royal government in the Massachusetts colony, and still adorned with the royal symbols of a lion and a unicorn. They waved to well wishers and the curious from the balcony from which the Declaration of Independence is read every July 4th:

She gave a speech at the Old State House, in which she allowed that Paul Revere, Sam Adams and others would have been "extremely surprised" to see a monarch standing there.

But perhaps they would also have been pleased. Pleased to know that, eventually, we came together again as free peoples and friends and defended together the very ideals for which the American Revolution was fought.

It was here, in Boston, where it all began... but we came together again, as free peoples and friends, to defend together the very ideals for which the American Revolution was fought.

While here, she also met Roxbury civic leader Melnea Cass:

Melnea Cass, Boston leader, luminary, and "First Lady of Roxbury," was one of a few Bostonians who received invitation to meet Queen Elizabeth during her 1976 visit to Boston. Melnea Cass's meeting of Queen Elizabeth was noted in the Roxbury Goldenaire's newsletter...1/2 pic.twitter.com/IZ5Avz8Y2s — Northeastern Archives and Special Collections (@NU_Archives) September 8, 2022

Queen and Duke touring the North End (photo by Don Topaz):

The queen gave us a bird:

"Presented to @BostonianSoc by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and His Royal Highness the Prince Phillip Duke of Edinburgh on July 11, 1976." pic.twitter.com/H5VI5sbyKQ — Bostonian Society (@BostonianSoc) July 13, 2017

Photos from the Boston City Archives and the UK Consulate in Boston .

Best appearance

I thought her best appearance was in The Naked Gun. Quite the first pitch!

Not to mention when she passed the hot dogs

and drinks down the line. And then passed the money back to the vendor.

Frank Quote

"For no matter how silly the idea of having a queen might be to us, as Americans we must be gracious and considerate hosts."

Hey - it's ENRICO PALAZZO!

Hey - it's ENRICO PALAZZO!

America has plenty of

America has plenty of problems but at least we don’t embarrass ourselves by still having royalty in 2022.

Americans and Royalty

America may not have royalty, but it certainly shows a fascination with it, which I never understood. I'm sorry the old girl is dead, and she was certainly an icon of the 20th Century and beyond, but I never understood the obsession with royalty that Americans, especially American women, seem to have. the whole "princess" thing, for example. What's up with that? It seems to follow American women right through and into their weddings. There seem to be a whole industry around it.

What's old is new

We just have some politicians who think they are monarchs with limitless authority.

Million Dollar Question...

In that picture of Elizabeth waving from the open top of a limo with Dukakis, what upset you more: the fact that it it shows a monarch or the fact that she happened to be riding... in a car ? I imagine that viewing it caused you no small about of psychic trauma (or maybe you just looked away from that part and scrolled past it furiously).

I don't get it

Should she have been on a bike? Explain please

In a tank... Google it, if you seriously don't know

I think it's a dig at kinopio's supposed hatred of cars.

DING-DING-DING!

We have a winner, though I think it's safe to move beyond "supposed." Kinopio has as much love for cars as North Korea does for western capitalism--fitting because the rhetoric employed by both is eerily similar.

Rent free in your head

You are the best landlord evah!

That reminds me of how much …

… Mike Dukakis supported public transportation. Anyhow much Charlieboy Baker does not.

wearing sandals to meet the Queen!

During the visit by the Queen, a friend of mine was invited to the Old North Church by Reverend Golledge for the service. My friend wore sandals. I remember being so offended that he would disrespect the Queen with that footwear (my grandparents were British subjects), I gave him grief for weeks.

To this day we still laugh about it.

Somebody forgot to tell you

You were in the US, not Great Britain.

ahh, swirly, we were young

We knew nothing of protocols. We were innocents.That's why we laugh about it now.

I remember as a 10 year old

I remember as a 10 year old boy seeing the Royal Yacht Britannia sailing past Castle Island while being saluted by the USS Constitution - later remember seeing her address the crowd in front of the Old State House. Nice to be part of history.

Magoo has heard rumors that the royal family are not humans but are instead lizard people shapeshifters. Magoo is Magoo’s self a lizard person and is gladdened to hear that Magoo may not be alone in Magoo’s reptilian lonesome, seeing as others of Magoo’s kind might also inhabit Earth, or as it is known to Magoo’s kind, etheesnopeskaboodlebingbing. Magoo.

Does this mean...

The rest of them have to get jobs now?

I think my Dad sang for the Queen

He was part of Handel and Haydn’s chorus, and I am pretty sure they did something for her on the common. I was six, so memories are a tad hazy.

Imagine flying across the Atlantic to visit Boston and your itinerary includes a tour of City Hall.

Worth noting: Other photos of her speech show that the platform is right at the site of the Boston Massacre.

The British soldiers were framed

and John Adams got most of them off with no punishment including the commander of the troops. The two troopers who were punished were convicted of manslaughter and branded on their thumbs.

THE QUEEN IS DEAD: GOD SAVE THE KING!

King Charles...

I. was executed II. was exiled under Camilla (err, Cromwell) and had no heirs but several illegitimate children III. No wonder he kept the name

You forgot to mention that II was restored to the throne, and took horrible revenge on those who had sentenced his father to death. Ten of them were hanged, drawn, and quartered - disemboweled alive. He did not neglect Cromwell, even though he was dead; his corpse was dug up and hanged in chains at Tyburn (where they do such things), and his head was displayed on a pole outside the Palace of Westminster (the Houses of Parliament) for twenty years.

Melania probably reads accounts of this to Donald at bedtime to help him sleep.

Kevin White, best mayor ever

He made modern Boston

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The visit to Boston by Queen Elizabeth II in 1976

Queen Elizabeth II is escorted by Massachusetts Gov. Michael S. Dukakis past honor guard as she arrives at Boston's Coast Guard Base on her yacht Britannia on Sunday, July 11, 1976. Boston is the last stop on her Bicentennial visit to America. (AP Photo) (Associated Press)

BOSTON — News of Queen Elizabeth II passing at the age of 96 will have many in Boston reminiscing about her visit to the city in 1976 to help celebrate the U.S. Bicentennial.

A report at the time from The New York Times says “Queen Elizabeth II spent her last day in the United States in this city with its Revolutionary past and heavily Irish present. She was received with applause by large, friendly crowds and restrained protest by a relatively small number of demonstrators.”

The Times says Queen Elizabeth was greeted by a 21-gun salute from the Old Ironsides, before making stops in the North End with Governor Michael Dukakis, and at City Hall for a lunch with Mayor Kevin White.

According to The New York Times, Elizabeth said in a speech at the old State House that it was not far from Boston “that ‘it all began.”

She was “very moved” by her welcome, she said.

“We have enjoyed tremendously joining with the people of America and celebrations of the Bicentenary,” she said. “We are deeply grateful for the kindness with which we have been welcomed everywhere, not least here in Boston.” according to the Times report.

Boston Mayor Michelle Wu reflected on the queen’s 1976 visit in a post to social media on Thursday.

“Boston mourns the loss of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, whose grace & steadfast leadership have inspired generations around the world. Our hearts are with her family, loved ones & the people of the UK,” said Mayor Wu.

Boston mourns the loss of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, whose grace & steadfast leadership have inspired generations around the world. Our hearts are with her family, loved ones & the people of the UK. pic.twitter.com/d8YG7sRYTN — Mayor Michelle Wu 吳弭 (@MayorWu) September 8, 2022

A gallery of the visit to Boston by Queen Elizabeth II is below.

Queen Elizabeth visit to Boston in 1976 Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip are as they attend special service at Old North Church in Boston, Mass., Sunday, July 11, 1976. It is the first visit of a reigning British monarch to Massachusetts. (AP Photo) (ASSOCIATED PRESS)

This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.

Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts.

Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter . | Watch Boston 25 News NOW

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The visit to Boston by Queen Elizabeth II in 1976

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News of Queen Elizabeth II passing at the age of 96 will have many in Boston reminiscing about her visit to the city in 1976 to help celebrate the U.S. Bicentennial.

A report at the time from The New York Times says “Queen Elizabeth II spent her last day in the United States in this city with its Revolutionary past and heavily Irish present. She was received with applause by large, friendly crowds and restrained protest by a relatively small number of demonstrators.”

The Times says Queen Elizabeth was greeted by a 21-gun salute from the Old Ironsides, before making stops in the North End with Governor Michael Dukakis, and at City Hall for a lunch with Mayor Kevin White.

According to The New York Times, Elizabeth said in a speech at the old State House that it was not far from Boston “that ‘it all began.”

She was “very moved” by her welcome, she said.

“We have enjoyed tremendously joining with the people of America and celebrations of the Bicentenary,” she said. “We are deeply grateful for the kindness with which we have been welcomed everywhere, not least here in Boston.” according to the Times report.

Boston Mayor Michelle Wu reflected on the queen’s 1976 visit in a post to social media on Thursday.

“Boston mourns the loss of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, whose grace & steadfast leadership have inspired generations around the world. Our hearts are with her family, loved ones & the people of the UK,” said Mayor Wu.

Boston mourns the loss of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, whose grace & steadfast leadership have inspired generations around the world. Our hearts are with her family, loved ones & the people of the UK. pic.twitter.com/d8YG7sRYTN — Mayor Michelle Wu 吳弭 (@MayorWu) September 8, 2022

A gallery of the visit to Boston by Queen Elizabeth II is below.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.

Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts.

Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter . | Watch Boston 25 News NOW

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See Queen Elizabeth's 1976 Trip to Boston in Honor of Prince William and Kate Middleton's U.S. Visit

The Prince and Princess of Wales are heading to Boston for the Earthshot Prize awards, nearly half a century after his grandmother the Queen paid a visit to Beantown

Stephanie Petit is a Royals Editor, Writer and Reporter at PEOPLE.

Kate Middleton and Prince William are bringing the Earthshot Prize to Boston this week — 46 years after his grandparents Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip paid a visit to Beantown.

Prince Philip , who died in 2021 at age 99, and the Queen, who died in September at age 96, toured Boston on July 11, 1976, as part of the U.S.'s bicentenary celebrations. Their trip to United States of America's East Coast also included stops in Philadelphia, Washington, D.C. and New York City.

For the busy day in Boston, Queen Elizabeth wore a pink patterned dress with a matching hat and white accessories, including a pair of gloves. She chose a few pieces that are still commonly associated with her to this day, including carrying a handbag and sporting a three-strand pearl necklace.

Crowds packed Congress Street outside City Hall trying to catch a glimpse of the monarch and Boston Mayor Kevin White as they rode in an open-top car.

The Queen and Prince Philip also waved to those gathered outside the Old State House from the building's balcony.

The Queen's youngest child, Prince Edward, has also paid a visit to Boston, traveling there in September 2000 to receive the Bette Davis Special Achievement Award at Boston University.

More recently, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were on-hand in London to welcome the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees for a special two-game series at London Stadium in June 2019. The couple, who relocated to Meghan's home state of California in 2020, posed with the baseball teams in their locker rooms.

Red Sox All-Star Xander Bogaerts helped Prince William and Kate announce that the city was hosting the 2022 Earthshot Prize awards, appearing in the reveal video from Fenway Park that was released in July.

"In 2022, we're back and bringing Earthshot to the U.S.A., where we'll award the next five winners of the Prize," Prince William , who created the global environment awards in October 2020, said in a video shared on social media.

"And we will be doing it right here in Boston," Bogaerts said from Fenway's outfield.

Inspired by President John F. Kennedy 's famed 10-year goal of landing on the moon (known as Moonshot ), the Earthshot Prize aims to promote impactful approaches to the world's most pressing environmental challenges.

The choice of having the prizes awarded in Boston no doubt pays tribute to Kennedy's home state. The president was born outside Boston in Brookline, Massachusetts. Kennedy's maternal grandfather, John F. Fitzgerald, served as a U.S. Congressman and was elected to two terms as the city's mayor.

Can't get enough of PEOPLE 's Royals coverage? Sign up for our free Royals newsletter to get the latest updates on Kate Middleton , Meghan Markle and more!

During their visit to Boston, Massachusetts, Prince William and Kate, both 40, will also spotlight and celebrate the "inspiring" city for their work on addressing the impacts of climate change and building a resilient future, they said in a statement.

The couple's three-day visit will conclude with the second annual Earthshot Prize Awards Ceremony at MGM Music Hall on Dec. 2.

The Prince and Princess of Wales were last in the U.S. in 2014 during their visit to New York. Their first visit to the U.S. together was shortly after their royal wedding in 2011, when they headed to Los Angeles.

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Boston, Where It Began, Salutes the English Queen

BOSTON, July 11 — Queen Elizabeth II spent her last day in the United States in this city with its Revolutionary past and heavily Irish present. She was received with applause by large, friendly crowds and restrained protest by a relatively small number of demonstrators.

Special to The New York Times

Most of her day was spent moving from one reminder of 1776 to another from the moment her yacht, the Britannia, was greeted in Boston harbor by a 21‐gun salute fired from the U.S.S. Constitution.

On docking, the Britannia scraped her side, a mishap hurriedly remedied as the Queen went on to services at Old North Church, to ceremonies at the State House, to a lunch at City Hall and “walkabouts” through the crowds.

The Queen then reviewed a parade of Massachusetts militia companies in Revolution uniforms before visiting the Constitution and returning to the Britannia for a reception, before sailing to Canada this evening.

Elizabeth recalled in a speech at the old State House that it was not far from Boston “that ‘it all began.” She was “very moved” by her welcome, she said, and once again stressed the strength of the ties that bind the United States and Britai.

‘Grateful for Kindness’

“We have enjoyed tremendously joining with the people of America and celebrations of the Bicentenary,” she said. “We are deeply grateful for the kindness with which we have been welcomed everywhere, not least here in Boston.

Security here was heavier than at any other stop on the Queen's six‐day tour. The Boston police, state police, and Secret Service were augmented by units of the Massachusetts National Guard. Military helicopters buzzed overhead. All police leaves were canceled for the day. The security, however, did not seem to deter the crowds from at least a glimpse of the straight‐backed figure in her mulberry‐and‐white print dress and straw hat.

Demonstrators carrying placards saying “Ireland Unfree Shall Never Be At‐Peace” and “The Queen's Soldiers Murder Irish People” were in evidence throughout the day, but were not disruptive. The Queen gave no indication of seeing them.

‘A Lovely Creature’

As she walked through the clapping crowd on her way to la cold lunch at City Hall, she (stopped in front of William S. McGlynn, a 31‐year‐old plumber from Taunton, Mass., who wore the uniform of a captain of the Taunton Militia, formed in 1774.

Mr. McGlynn, who is half Irish and half Albanian, said the Queen asked him if he was enjoying the Bicentennial and he replied, “Yes, ma'am.” The militia's flag, a red field with the British flag in the upper right corner, was the first to be raised “in defiance of the British,” said Mr. McGlynn, who stood at a salute during his brief conversation with the Queen.

“A lovely creature,” he said with a grin.

Relief for the British

British officials were visibly relieved by the warmth and uneventfulness of the Queen's reception here. “We thought, this was going to be the touchy’ one, and it wasn't,” an official said. Their briefing for city officials involved with the Queen's visit reportedly included a plea to Mayor Kevm White to restrain his politician's impulses — not to put his arm around the Queen's shoulders or pat her on the back.

After the lunch, Elizabeth reviewed a State Street parade. Several groups slowed the march to sweep low in a mass curtsey, a touch that seemed to please Prince Philip. As the paraders rose, many whipped out cameras for snapshots.

The Queen sailed out of Boston harbor, with Britannia's ‘band playing “Auld Lang Syne,” at shout 8:30 P.M.

The last official act of the state visit was to have been the release of a brief farewell statement. But in the general confusion and the scramble by reporters and British officials to get out of Boston, the message never reached the news agencies, which normally distribute such material. It was expected to be released later.

The Queen's overseas tour will end July 26 in Canada. She is to open the Olympic Games next week in Montreal.

Organizer Knighted

BOSTON, July 11 (AP)—Queen Elizabeth knighted a British minister to the United States aboard the royal yacht in Boston Harbor today.

The minister, John Moreton, made most of the arrangements for the Queen's Bicentennial visit.

Barbara Fachas, a British consulate official here, said that as far she could determine it was the first knighting by a British monarch while in the United States.

Queen Elizabeth visits Boston, MA, in 1976 for U.S. Bicentennial

“Revived the spirit of Massachusetts”: Governor Dukakis remembers Queen Elizabeth’s historic visit

Sep 11, 2022 News

July 11, 1976, was a day for the history books. It was the  first trip to the United States  from a British Monarch, and the first stop for Queen Elizabeth was Boston, Massachusetts.

“People talk about the Miracle in Massachusetts, but when did it begin? The morning of July 11, 1976,” former Massachusetts Governor Michael Dukakis told WBZ.

He’s almost 90-years-old now, but remembers Queen Elizabeth’s visit like it was yesterday.

One memory in particular still makes him chuckle. “Whatever you do, never touch her,” he said were the instructions from the Queen’s people. “Never touch her.”

But Dukakis nearly had to break that rule when he says the Queen started to slide down the exit ramp of the Royal Yacht after it parked in the Charlestown Navy Yard. “I must have been kind of leaning forward, because I wasn’t going to let her fall, I don’t care what the folks said,” he joked. Fortunately, Queen Elizabeth caught herself at the end of the ramp without falling, and without Dukakis breaking the rules.

He told WBZ Queen Elizabeth’s trip to Boston came at the perfect time in 1976. “Things were rough around here,” he said. “I mean, the economy was in terrible shape and we were not doing well, and there was something about her arrival here and her spending a day with us that had a profound effect on us.”

Still, he recognizes the irony. “She was particularly popular here in the United States, you know? Our former ‘enemy’ several centuries ago,” he explained.

https://www.cbsnews.com/boston/news/queen-elizabeth-boston-visit-jack-williams-michael-dukakis/

Watch CBS News

USS Constitution, Old North Church to celebrate Queen Elizabeth II's jubilee

By WBZ-News Staff

June 3, 2022 / 4:36 PM EDT / CBS Boston

BOSTON - Historic locations in Boston will be joining the celebration of Queen Elizabeth's platinum jubilee across the pond.

Old North Church, where Paul Revere's famous "one if by land, two if by sea" lantern signal was sent, will host a service at 11 a.m. marking 70 years on the throne for the queen. Church bells will chime to mark the jubilee, with the British Consulate-General and the Royal Naval Attache to the United States in attendance. 

In the afternoon, the USS Constitution will host a special ceremony on board. "Old Ironsides" may have fought against the British in the War of 1812, but on Sunday it will fire a cannon salute and have a ceremonial raising of the UK Union Flag in recognition of the jubilee.

The queen was a guest on board the USS Constitution during her visit to Boston in 1976, the first Massachusetts visit by a reigning British monarch.

"It's going to be a really exciting day," consul-general Peter Abbott told WBZ-TV.

The events are free and open to the public. The first 100 people on board the ship will get special Platinum Jubilee coins and pins. Guests are asked to arrive by 2:30 p.m. at the Charlestown Navy Yard.

The WBZ News team is a group of experienced journalists who bring you the content on WBZ.com.

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‘an historic visit': natalie jacobson recalls queen elizabeth’s boston visit.

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Legendary WCVB news anchor Natalie Jacobson recalls the day-long coverage of Queen Elizabeth's visit to Boston, Massachusetts, back in the 1970s.

Queen Elizabeth II visited Boston to attend the Bicentennial ceremonies in 1976 as the United States celebrated its 200th birthday.

"It was extraordinary, Ted. It was the first time any TV station had ever done anything like it," Jacobson told WCVB's Ted Wayman.

Full-day coverage was anchored by Jacobson and Chet Curtis.

"We fielded 11 live cameras," Jacobson said. "We covered the queen live nonstop from the moment she got off the Britannia till she went back home."

Then-Gov. Michael Dukakis said the city was buzzing about the visit in a way he had never seen before or since.

"There was something about that day. The queen was coming, the first monarch to ever step foot on American soil," said Dukakis, who spent time with the monarch and her husband during the visit.

The queen's visit included attendance at a speech at the Old State House, a special service at Old North Church, lunch at Boston's City Hall and a tour of the USS Constitution in Boston Harbor.

The queen died Thursday after 70 years on the throne. She was 96.

Tracing Queen Elizabeth’s steps through the U.S.

By Danielle Paquette | Sep 10, 2022

During her seven-decade reign, Queen Elizabeth II visited more than two dozen cities across the United States. She chatted with Girl Scouts, football players, presidents and Frank Sinatra . She cheered on race horses in Kentucky. She requested a ham sandwich with the crust removed in Texas. She sported a tweed skirt-suit in Yosemite National Park.

Wherever England’s longest-serving monarch went, photographers followed, capturing generations of Americans in the throes of Royal fever (and more than a few signature handbags ).

Oct. 17, 1957 | Washington

Queen Elizabeth II heads to the White House as crowd's line Washington streets to see the royal monarch.

Oct. 18, 1957 | Washington

Queen Elizabeth II accepts a doll for Princess Anne from 7-year-old Pamela Springmann during a visit at Children's Hospital.

Queen Elizabeth II and Vice President Richard Nixon tilt their heads for a better view of the oil paintings on the interior of the Capitol dome during a tour.

Oct. 19, 1957 | College Park, Md.

Co-captains of North Carolina and Maryland meet Queen Elizabeth II before the start of a game.

Oct. 21, 1957 | New York

Queen Elizabeth II, wearing a mink stole, and Prince Philip, standing next to a viewing telescope, view New York City from the observatory roof of the Empire State Building. The Queen said, "It's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen."

Queen Elizabeth II, in a plastic domed car, rides up lower Broadway through a shower of ticker tape and confetti during procession to City Hall.

Queen Elizabeth II addresses the United Nations General Assembly.

Her Majesty kicked off a seven-city tour of the nation’s east in 1976 with a stop in Philadelphia, where she unveiled a gift for the City of Brotherly Love: a Bicentennial Bell to celebrate 200 years of American independence from English rule. (The bell remains in storage .)

July 7, 1976 | Andrews Air Force Base, Md.

Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip walk down the ramp of their aircraft near Washington.

July 7, 1976 | Philadelphia

Queen Elizabeth II is greeted by the Girl Scouts of America.

July 8, 1976 | Washington

Queen Elizabeth II arrives at the U.S. Capitol.

On her New York leg, Elizabeth was spotted squeezing through city throngs, underscoring the lighter security protocols of yesteryear.

July 10, 1976 | New York

Thousands surround Queen Elizabeth II as she walks from the Federal Building up Wall Street to Trinity Church with Mayor Abraham Beame.

J Walter Green

July 10, 1976 | Charlottesville, Va.

Queen Elizabeth II tours Thomas Jefferson's Monticello home.

July 11, 1976 | Boston

Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip wave to spectators below from the balcony of the Old State House before the Queen descended to street level to address the crowd. The location is the site of the Boston massacre, an event which led to the Revolutionary War.

Elizabeth returned in 1983 for a trek through the West Coast. She visited a Southern California retirement home, led a champagne toast with then-president Ronald Reagan and absorbed the mountain views at Yosemite National Park.

Feb. 26, 1983 | San Diego

Queen Elizabeth II reviews the U.S. Marine Corps honor guard as she arrives for a State visit.

Feb. 28, 1983 | Sierra Madre

Queen Elizabeth II shares a smile with 97-year-old Sibyl Jones-Bateman after the monarch was presented with a bouquet during tour of the British Home retirement community near Los Angeles.

March 3, 1983 | San Francisco

President Ronald Reagan and Queen Elizabeth II raise their glasses in a toast during a state dinner at the M. H. de Young Museum in Golden Gate Park.

Ed Reinke/AP

March 5, 1983 | Yosemite, Calif.

Park superintendent Bob Binnewies points out highlights from Inspiration Point to Queen Elizabeth II during her visit to Yosemite National Park.

The queen, a horse racing enthusiast, landed in Kentucky five times between 1984 and 2007, according to the Courier-Journal . She was known to turn up at horse farms, admiring the mares and foals.

May 23, 1986 | Versailles, Ky.

Queen Elizabeth II puts out her hand to her filly foal by the mare Christchurch and Alydar during a visit to Lane's End Farm.

May 27, 1986 | Lexington, Ky.

Queen Elizabeth II exchanges pleasantries with a line of Fayette County (Ky.) and Kentucky State Troopers on the tarmac as prepares to depart following a five-day visit.

Amy Sancetta/Associated Press

May 26, 1989 | Lexington, Ky.

Queen Elizabeth II is welcomed by a child upon her arrival during a private visit to the U.S.

David Banks

During her 1991 visit, Elizabeth addressed Congress. Lawmakers gave the monarch a standing ovation, while opponents of British occupation in Northern Ireland protested outside the Capitol.

May 14, 1991 | Washington

Queen Elizabeth II and President George H.W. Bush review the troops after the Queen's arrival at the White House.

May 15, 1991 | Washington

Queen Elizabeth II holds flowers presented to her at Drake Place, a housing project.

May 16, 1991 | Washington

Queen Elizabeth II is applauded by Vice President Dan Quayle and House Speaker Thomas Foley before her address to the U.S. Congress.

Doug Mills/AP

Elizabeth’s last U.S. state visit came in 2007, when she arrived for the 400th anniversary of England establishing its first permanent North American settlement in Jamestown, Va.

She dined with then-president George W. Bush, watched the Kentucky Derby through bulletproof glass and checked out Washington memorials.

May 4, 2007 | Lexington, Ky.

Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip look out of the window of an SUV as they leave the Bluegrass Airport after arriving.

Morry Gash/AP

May 5, 2007 | Louisville, Ky.

Queen Elizabeth II chats with Prince Philip as Susan Lucci (black hat) looks on at the 133rd Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs.

Rob Carr/AP

May 7, 2007, | Washington

President Bush smiles at Queen Elizabeth II before the start of a State Dinner at the White House.

Evan Vucci/AP

May 8, 2007 | Washington

Queen Elizabeth II and U.S. Park Service Director Mary Bomar walk around the National World War II Memorial during a visit by the Queen and Duke.

TIMOTHY A. CLARY/AFP via Getty Images

May 8, 2007 | Greenbelt, Md.

Queen Elizabeth II accepts flowers from children while walking during a visit to the Goddard Space Flight Center.

Larry Downing

Elizabeth made her final stop on American soil in 2010 to address the United Nations General Assembly. “I believe I was last here in 1957,” she deadpanned to her New York audience.

July 6, 2010 | New York

Queen Elizabeth II leaves a wreath of flowers at the site of the September 11, 2001 World Trade Center attack during her visit.

Lucas Jackson

Queen Elizabeth II speaks at the United Nations Headquarters.

Seth Wenig/AP

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Queen Elizabeth II made a stop in Rhode Island during her 70-year reign

The queen and prince philip dined with president ford on the royal yacht off of newport in 1976.

Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip hosted President Gerald Ford aboard the HMS Britannia in an elegant silver service offshore from Newport in July 1976.

Globe reporters Rachelle Patterson and Walter Robinson covered the formal affair, which was a black tie for men and gowns for women, they reported. President Ford attended with his daughter, Susan, and 20 distinguished guests.

Queen Elizabeth, Britain’s longest-reigning monarch and a rock of stability across much of a turbulent century, died Thursday after 70 years on the throne, The Associated Press reports. She was 96.

The Newport banquet was the only time the queen came to the Ocean State in six US visits during her celebrated reign. She came to the US during the American Bicentennial of 1976, according to the White House Historical Association.

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The Newport Historical Society said that Queen Elizabeth II and the President dined on the yacht and later dedicated Queen Anne Square in Newport after attending services at Trinity Church. The Historical Society said that all of her children have visited Newport over the years.

The visit to Newport was part of a US goodwill tour, and the royal couple was also hosted by the president and first lady Betty Ford at a state dinner on July 7, 1976, in the Rose Garden, the Historical Association said.

The Newport menu included shrimp scampi mornay, boned chicken stuffed with chicken mousse in a Champagne sauce, and dessert that was a favorite of the queen’s, vanilla ice cream with mint chocolate chips, the Globe reported.

The service lasted around two hours aboard the 412-foot Royal yacht. It was the third formal party President Ford attended with the royal family during their US visit that year.

US Senator Jack Reed remembered the queen in a statement Thursday as an adept leader who changed with the times “yet still managed to be timeless.”

“She declared to her people that her whole life would be devoted to their service. She certainly kept that promise and never wavered in her duty.

“As the sovereign, she took on great responsibility at a young age and in an age when there weren’t many female heads of state. Her skill, poise, and boundless devotion to duty and her countrymen was exemplary.

“When she ascended to the throne at the age of 25, she was the right person to meet the moment and went on to play a remarkable role in British and world history and became a unifying force for many,” Reed said.

Congressman David N. Cicilline underscored the queen’s dedication to country and tradition in a tweet Thursday.

“Queen Elizabeth II’s legacy will be long remembered by the British people and the global community. Throughout her seven decades-long reign, she has stood as an example of dignity, grace, and dedication to country and public service that will continue to inspire her family as they carry on the traditions of the monarchy.”

My thoughts and prayers are with the Royal Family and all of the United Kingdom and Commonwealth as we mourn the loss of Queen Elizabeth II. pic.twitter.com/fJ8gfk26HC — Congressman David N. Cicilline (@RepCicilline) September 8, 2022

Governor Dan McKee said, “On behalf of all Rhode Islanders, I send our deepest condolences to the Royal Family and the people of the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth. For over 7 decades, Queen Elizabeth II led with strength and sincerity. Her legacy will live on for generations to come.”

Carlos Muñoz can be reached at [email protected] . Follow him @ReadCarlos and on Instagram @Carlosbrknews .

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How Queen Elizabeth II Broke Protocol at Prince William and Princess Kate’s Wedding

On one of the biggest days in modern royal history, Queen Elizabeth II was the victim of a major faux pas.

When the late queen arrived at the April 2011 wedding of Prince William and Princess Kate Middleton at Westminster Abbey, her vehicle pulled up on the wrong side of the pavement. So, rather than simply exit out of the car door that had been opened on the correct side, Elizabeth was forced to stand up and shuffle out the door where her husband, the late Prince Philip , had been seated.

“I spotted that the car conveying the queen and the Duke of Edinburgh pulled up in entirely the wrong way in Dean’s Yard at Westminster Abbey,” etiquette expert Alexandra Messervy told Hello! ’s “A Right Royal” podcast on an upcoming episode.

“The queen got out on the wrong side and there was a bit of a fluster,” Messervy continued. “I think the [guard] who opened the door appeared flustered when the queen was actually not where she would normally be. The correct protocol for her was to be on the curbside, and she was on the reverse side.”

Related: Prince William and Kate Middleton’s Relationship Timeline

Messervy acknowledged that the mishap could have an actual explanation, theorizing that perhaps the queen had “a sore leg that day and she couldn’t let herself out on the left.”

Regardless, Messervy explained, “It is correct for the female to get out on the curbside.”

“It’s all because of the days of carriages and horses,” she explained of the tradition. “The gentlemen enjoyed the outside of the pavement while the women were on the other to avoid the mud.”

Of course, Elizabeth eventually made it inside Westminster Abbey to witness the nuptials of her grandson William, 41, and Kate, 42.

To celebrate the couple’s wedding anniversary on Monday, April 29, the Prince and Princess of Wales shared a never-before-seen portrait from their big day.

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Related: Prince William, Princess Kate and More Royals With Surprising Talents

“13 years ago today!” read the caption on the black-and-white snap shared via Instagram.

This year’s anniversary comes with a tinge of bittersweetness for the couple in the wake of Kate revealing her cancer diagnosis in March. Throughout the process, William has been a dutiful support system for his wife.

“Having William by my side is a great source of comfort and reassurance too, as is the love, support and kindness that has been shown by so many of you,” Kate said in a March 22 video. “It means so much to us both. We hope that you’ll understand that as a family, we now need some time, space, and privacy while I complete my treatment.”

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