queen visits south africa

History of the Royal Family’s relationship with South Africa, as King Charles III welcomes President Cyril Ramaphosa

By Natasha Leake

Princess Elizabeth makes a broadcast from the gardens of Government House in Cape Town, South Africa, on her 21st birthday

Buckingham Palace today opened its doors to President Cyril Ramaphosa of South Africa , as King Charles III’s hosted his first state visit since ascending the throne. It marks the latest chapter in a storied relationship between the two countries, and is designed to celebrate and strengthen diplomatic ties. 

Details of President Cyril Ramaphosa of South Africa’s State Visit are revealed

By Stephanie Bridger-Linning

Not only is South Africa a member of the Commonwealth, but Nelson Mandela and the late Queen Elizabeth II were said to have talked on the phone frequently, using their first names as a sign of mutual respect and affection. 

Now, as King Charles hosts his first state visit , Tatler looks back…

President Nelson Mandela of South Africa, with Queen Elizabeth II, taking a carriage ride along the Mall to Buckingham Palace during a State Visit to the UK, 1996 

By Harriet Johnston

By Isaac Zamet

By Isaac Bickerstaff

The very first visit by a member of the British Royal Family to South Africa was in 1860, when Prince Alfred, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, the second son and fourth child of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, made the journey while serving as a midshipman on board HMS Euryalus.

Months of preparation, 2,000 pieces of cutlery and dozens of esteemed guests… Tatler reveals all that will go into King Charles III’s big night

Later, in 1901, the then Duke and Duchess of Cornwall (later King George V and Queen Mary) stopped off in South Africa during a tour of the British Empire that is thought to be one of the most expensive tours ever undertaken by a member of the Royal Family. His eldest son, Edward, Prince of Wales (later King Edward VIII), toured the country in 1925, while the Duke of Kent (later King George VI) visited in 1935, the year before he ascended the throne. 

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Arguably the most defining royal visit to South Africa came in 1947, when the then Princess Elizabeth visited for the first time with her father, King George VI. During the tour, the royal family travelled for 10,000 miles, mostly by train, and visited 400 cities. It was in South Africa that Princess Elizabeth celebrated her 21st Birthday, receiving her ‘best diamonds’ during the trip as a birthday present.

South African Deputy President Thabo Mbeki escorts Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip during their visit to Pretoria, South Africa

It was also in 1947 that the Queen delivered the famous speech broadcast around the Empire, in which she said, ‘I declare before you all that my whole life whether it be long or short shall be devoted to your service and the service of our great imperial family to which we all belong.’

The apartheid regime soon brought a tension to Royal relations: after 1947, members of the Royal Family avoided South Africa, despite the Queen being sovereign until 1961. In 1995, in support of reconciliation with the new South African government, the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh made a State Visit to South Africa on the Royal Yacht Britannia, hosted by President Mandela. 

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex with their son, Archie, in South Africa in 2019

In 1995, Mandela also made a State Visit to the United Kingdom – the first by a South African Head of State. During his visit, President Mandela presented the Duke of Edinburgh with a colourful chess set, as well as a beautiful silk scarf, decorated with a scene from Mandela's birthplace, the Drakensberg (Dragon) Mountains. The Queen returned to South Africa for the 16th Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting in Durban in 1999, and hosted State Visits from South Africa in 2001 and 2011.

Kate wore the sparkling Prince of Wales Feathers brooch

King Charles, then Prince Charles, visited South Africa with Prince Harry in November 1997, soon after the death of Diana, Princess of Wales, and later visited with the then Duchess of Cornwall for a five-day tour of South Africa in 2011. He also attended the Funeral of Nelson Mandela in 2013.

Cyril Ramaphosa is greeted by King Charles III and the Queen Consort during a Ceremonial Welcome on Horse Guards Parade

In 2008, Prince William and Prince Harry took part in the Enduro Africa 08 Charity Motorcycle Ride from Durban to Port Elizabeth in aid of UNICEF, the Nelson Mandela Children’s Fund and Sentebale - the charity Prince Harry co-founded with Prince Seeiso of Lesotho.

Prince Harry has visited the continent a number of times over the years and it played an important role in the early days of his and Meghan’s relationship.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex showed their commitment to the continent and its people when they undertook an official tour in 2019, accompanied by their then four-month-old son, Archie. The family stayed together in South Africa, while Prince Harry also made solo trips to Malawi, Angola and Botswana.

Following reports that Meghan was set to appear on Jimmy Fallon’s popular talk show, the US broadcasting company has revealed it made the announcement in error 

By Hope Coke

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Kate Middleton and Prince William Welcome South African President for First State Visit of New Reign

The Prince and Princess of Wales are helping to host the President Cyril Ramaphosa of South Africa of King Charles III's reign

Kate Middleton and Prince William took on an important royal role for the first state visit of King Charles III's reign.

The Prince and Princess of Wales welcomed South African President Cyril Ramaphosa in the first meeting of his trip to the U.K. Prince William and Kate, both 40, were called upon to do the initial welcome at London's Corinthia Hotel in their roles as next-in-line to the throne.

Kate accessorized her purple ensemble with the Princess of Wales Feather Brooch, marking the first time she's worn the piece since receiving her new title. The pendant has been worn by a number of royal women holding the title of Princess of Wales — including William's mother, Princess Diana — since it was made as a wedding gift for Princess Alexandra of Denmark in 1863.

They then joined their visitor for a drive to Horse Guards Parade, where the full pageantry of the British state was on display. There, King Charles III with his wife Queen Camilla made the official welcome to President Ramaphosa. The Guard of Honour gave a royal salute and the South African national anthem was played before King Charles and President Ramaphosa inspected the troops.

For more on the Royals, listen below to our daily podcast PEOPLE Every Day.

In Green Park, across the road from Buckingham Palace, there was a spectacular Royal Gun Salute from the King's Troop Royal Horse Artillery, at 12:10 p.m. local time.

Although the president's wife, First Lady Dr. Tshepo Motsepe, was announced to accompany her husband during the trip to the U.K. when the visit was announced in October , she did not join him.

President Ramaphosa's trip marks the first state visit of King Charles' reign. It is the first to the U.K. since then-U.S. President Donald Trump was hosted by the late Queen Elizabeth in 2019.

The visit is designed to help build on the close ties and friendship between the two countries. This state visit was already being prepared before Queen Elizabeth 's death in September — and there is a poignancy to the links, as she made one of the most important speeches of her life there, when she vowed on her 21st birthday to devote her life to the service of the country and the Commonwealth.

Later on Tuesday, after several visits around London, President Ramaphosa will be the guest of honor at a state banquet at Buckingham Palace, when jewelry, tiaras and the glittering pomp of the palace will be on show.

The palace gave a sneak peek at the preparations for the banquet, sharing a video from the kitchens, where staff were in the throes of preparing the food — and edible table adornments. They showed the creation of a decoration in the shape of the national flower of South Africa, the Protea.

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It shows that the palace is getting back to some kind of normality — not only in light of the late Queen's death and the COVID-19 pandemic but also of the ongoing renovation work at Buckingham Palace that has been underway for more than three years.

Kate attended her first state banquet in 2015, helping Queen Elizabeth host the President of China, Xi Jinping, and his wife, Madame Peng Liyuan.

Early on Tuesday, the royal family's official social media pages shared a video highlighting their relationship with South Africa through the years, including photos of the late Queen Elizabeth with Nelson Mandela, who was the country's president from 1994 to 1999.

Another sweet photo featured the then- Prince Charles with his son Prince Harry during a visit to Dukuduku in 1997, while Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are also featured in photos from their 2018 tour in Africa.

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The Royal Watcher

Royal tour of south africa, 1947, embed from getty images window.gie=window.gie||function(c){(gie.q=gie.q||[]).push(c)};gie(function(){gie.widgets.load({id:'q9nnjr4-tihsconi9qoc1a',sig:'auy4nrrrh9ryvdcvjxcwgyzhc9yrzkak68odvz1vrac=',w:'594px',h:'429px',items:'115972656,115972741,115972653,514957972',caption: false ,tld:'com',is360: false })}); embed from getty images window.gie=window.gie||function(c){(gie.q=gie.q||[]).push(c)};gie(function(){gie.widgets.load({id:'pi4nptlwtl9nf8zb7p3jyq',sig:'nqmm7qsqyd4btccunvrfo4a_-xfmm8gx95xwa4ci1zo=',w:'594px',h:'470px',items:'535051741,535051881,80752059,564353453,79665282',caption: false ,tld:'com',is360: false })});, why did the royal family come to south africa in 1947: the royal family king george vi, his wife queen elizabeth and his two daughters, princess elizabeth and princess margaret undertook a leisurely 3 month journey through their southern african dominions..south africa itself... pic.twitter.com/jnsckgcty7 — sabelo ka lindamkhonto vi (@sabzerazoh) december 11, 2019, embed from getty images window.gie=window.gie||function(c){(gie.q=gie.q||[]).push(c)};gie(function(){gie.widgets.load({id:'fwmepr4ytspjguhitrsoyw',sig:'2qovgisb8gmoyjvbb_sjgnvjcix-twjw5txobochc50=',w:'594px',h:'457px',items:'79664962,79664963,79665286,79665245,852517400',caption: false ,tld:'com',is360: false })}); embed from getty images window.gie=window.gie||function(c){(gie.q=gie.q||[]).push(c)};gie(function(){gie.widgets.load({id:'w_dntwt6twpmajd9ejf6ra',sig:'7id8weksez3lktsjqvcd8v1zsra3ihenxjnwi0a7n5o=',w:'594px',h:'469px',items:'79665287,79656108,79665059,79029931,79665237',caption: false ,tld:'com',is360: false })}); embed from getty images window.gie=window.gie||function(c){(gie.q=gie.q||[]).push(c)};gie(function(){gie.widgets.load({id:'gzk12-mhsmjbqvnna-hsug',sig:'btftj3ngzon7w2aqdl_o6kki1qxvz_kyudorxyscs-q=',w:'594px',h:'475px',items:'141718026,78970286,79655116,79665280,79665283',caption: false ,tld:'com',is360: false })});, it's full steam ahead as the princesses elizabeth and margaret take the train on a royal visit to south africa in 1947. #queenelizabeth #princessmargaret #royalvisits pic.twitter.com/mnpo7pccen — true royalty tv (@trueroyaltytv) september 18, 2018, embed from getty images window.gie=window.gie||function(c){(gie.q=gie.q||[]).push(c)};gie(function(){gie.widgets.load({id:'qcvysvoht0vfdszimqq75g',sig:'v7sfbxanhyip9ea7uunsmambqip40c7hmsirn7p2gwi=',w:'594px',h:'459px',items:'828980846,3240381,79665241,79665242,3294388',caption: false ,tld:'com',is360: false })}); embed from getty images window.gie=window.gie||function(c){(gie.q=gie.q||[]).push(c)};gie(function(){gie.widgets.load({id:'qsowaeiktoj-obiwpxroow',sig:'bd5ifhojze78nsz08qripbx3xthq4r3fw9w5yaabvno=',w:'594px',h:'458px',items:'79665246,833876052,828965164,106480772,80752186',caption: false ,tld:'com',is360: false })});.

King George VI and Queen Elizabeth were joined by Princess Elizabeth and Princess Margaret for their three-month Tour of their Southern African dominions in 1947 (75 years ago), visiting South Africa, Southern Rhodesia, Swaziland, Basutoland and the Bechuanaland Protectorate on their only joint Tour as a family.  The Royal Family arrived on the HMS Vanguard, and then leisurely travelled 10 000 miles, including 4920 miles by rail, with hundreds of thousands of people turning out to welcome them.

State Banquet in Pretoria during the Royal Visit to South Africa in 1947 https://t.co/uSJ4qvCLTL pic.twitter.com/ipzLAPYXMu — The Royal Watcher (@saadsalman719) December 12, 2019

In die ou senaatsaal van die huise van die parlement. more on the 1947 cape town royal visit here: https://t.co/azthpmkzto pic.twitter.com/61mip45tyi — andrew cusack (@cusackandrew) june 16, 2021.

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

Wherever the Royal Family travelled, there were a variety of Receptions, Banquets and Balls hosted in honour of the King, Queen (usually wearing the Oriental Circlet Tiara or Greville Tiara ), and two Princesses. The official reason for the visit was for the King and Queen (wearing the Delhi Durbar Tiara ) to open the 1947 session of the Union Parliament in Cape Town.

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The highlight of the trip was when Princess Elizabeth celebrated her 21st Birthday ( receiving her ‘best diamonds’ ) during the trip and delivered the famous speech broadcast around the Empire:

On my twenty-first birthday I welcome the opportunity to speak to all the peoples of the British Commonwealth and Empire, wherever they live, whatever race they come from, and whatever language they speak. Let me begin by saying ‘thank you’ to all the thousands of kind people who have sent me messages of good will. This is a happy day for me; but it is also one that brings serious thoughts, thoughts of life looming ahead with all its challenges and with all its opportunity. At such a time it is a great help to know that there are multitudes of friends all round the world who are thinking of me and who wish me well. I am grateful and I am deeply moved. As I speak to you today from Cape Town I am six thousand miles from the country where I was born. But I am certainly not six thousand miles from home. Everywhere I have travelled in these lovely lands of South Africa and Rhodesia my parents, my sister and I have been taken to the heart of their people and made to feel that we are just as much at home here as if we had lived among them all our lives. That is the great privilege belonging to our place in the world-wide commonwealth – that there are homes ready to welcome us in every continent of the earth. Before I am much older I hope I shall come to know many of them. Although there is none of my father’s subjects from the oldest to the youngest whom I do not wish to greet, I am thinking especially today of all the young men and women who were born about the same time as myself and have grown up like me in terrible and glorious years of the second world war. Will you, the youth of the British family of nations, let me speak on my birthday as your representative? Now that we are coming to manhood and womanhood it is surely a great joy to us all to think that we shall be able to take some of the burden off the shoulders of our elders who have fought and worked and suffered to protect our childhood. We must not be daunted by the anxieties and hardships that the war has left behind for every nation of our commonwealth. We know that these things are the price we cheerfully undertook to pay for the high honour of standing alone, seven years ago, in defence of the liberty of the world. Let us say with Rupert Brooke: “Now God be thanked who has matched us with this hour”. I am sure that you will see our difficulties, in the light that I see them, as the great opportunity for you and me. Most of you have read in the history books the proud saying of William Pitt that England had saved herself by her exertions and would save Europe by her example. But in our time we may say that the British Empire has saved the world first, and has now to save itself after the battle is won. I think that is an even finer thing than was done in the days of Pitt; and it is for us, who have grown up in these years of danger and glory, to see that it is accomplished in the long years of peace that we all hope stretch ahead. If we all go forward together with an unwavering faith, a high courage, and a quiet heart, we shall be able to make of this ancient commonwealth, which we all love so dearly, an even grander thing – more free, more prosperous, more happy and a more powerful influence for good in the world – than it has been in the greatest days of our forefathers. To accomplish that we must give nothing less than the whole of ourselves. There is a motto which has been borne by many of my ancestors – a noble motto, “I serve”. Those words were an inspiration to many bygone heirs to the Throne when they made their knightly dedication as they came to manhood. I cannot do quite as they did. But through the inventions of science I can do what was not possible for any of them. I can make my solemn act of dedication with a whole Empire listening. I should like to make that dedication now. It is very simple. I declare before you all that my whole life whether it be long or short shall be devoted to your service and the service of our great imperial family to which we all belong. But I shall not have strength to carry out this resolution alone unless you join in it with me, as I now invite you to do: I know that your support will be unfailingly given. God help me to make good my vow, and God bless all of you who are willing to share in it.

The Royal Visits to South Africa

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A Look Back at Queen Elizabeth, Prince Harry, and More Royals on Their Visits to South Africa

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex land in the country this week.

Then-princess Elizabeth and her sister Princess Margaret sounded the whistle on a Beyer-Garratt locomotive on their royal tour in 1947.

Princess Elizabeth and her father took a casual walk in Natal National Park in South Africa.

King George VI, Queen Elizabeth (the future Queen Mother), and Princesses Margaret and Elizabeth during their royal tour.

November 1997

Just two months after Princess Diana died, Prince Charles and Prince Harry visited South Africa together. Here they are in a Zulu village.

Prince Charles took part in local customs, including drinking out of this traditional vessel, during the trip.

Harry and Charles also met with the Spice Girls while in South Africa in 1997.

Prince Edward and Countess Sophie sat in the garden at the Palace Hotel in Sun City, South Africa at the beginning of an eight-day tour in 2002.

Sophie, Countess of Wessex poses for a photo after taking in a performance in Grahamstown, South Africa.

Sophie walked with Nelson Mandela after attending an awards presentation at St. Andrew's College in Grahamstown.

November 2011

Camilla Parker-Bowles shook hands with people from the Soweto township on their royal tour of the country.

The Duke and Duchess of Cornwall visited South Africa to promote business and investment. Here the couple was out and about in Soweto.

Prince Charles stroked a sheep during a wool industry event in Cape Town, South Africa.

Princess Anne visited the Dido Commonwealth War Graves in Simonstown to commemorate fallen soldiers who died at the hand of the British.

Princess Anne spoke to Enos Mafokate, the chairman of the Soweto Equestrian Foundation, during a visit in 2012. Princess Anne is an expert equestrienne; she was the first royal family member to compete in the Olympics.

December 2015

Prince Harry, a known rugby fan, waved as he posed with children from the local rugby exchange on his 2015 solo tour of South Africa.

Prince Harry assisted with a de-horning operation with the organization Save The Rhino Trust. Wildlife conservation efforts are a longtime passion of the Prince's.

For more on the Prince's conservation work, read out February 2018 cover story about Harry's work with elephants in Africa.

Prince Harry posed for a photo at the International AIDS Conference in Durban, following in Princess Diana's footsteps as an AIDS activist.

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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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Rediscovering the 1947 royal visit to south africa.

Disclaimer: Any views expressed by individuals and organisations are their own and do not in any way represent the views of The Heritage Portal. If you find any mistakes or historical inaccuracies, please contact the editor.

The recent discovery in the cellar of a home in Saxonwold, Johannesburg of an old discoloured, brass plaque is a heritage opportunity and opens space for reviewing the motives and outcomes of the Royal Visit to South Africa in 1947.

The plaque commemorates the visit of the Royal Family to the Zoo Lake Sports Grounds on 5th April 1947. The current owner of the house does not know how the plaque came to be in the cellar of her home. She has generously passed the plaque on to the Johannesburg Heritage Foundation for preservation. The JHF has arranged for the professional restoration of the plaque by two of its members; it has been rebuffed and black enamel lettering repainted. A quality photograph will be taken and this will be presented to the Zoo Lake Sports Club, while the plaque will be presented to Museum Africa to become part of Johannesburg’s history. The Zoo Lake Sports Club’s website shows that it was renovated some years ago and it was possibly during that renovation that the plaque was discarded. It is time for a reappreciation.

This discovery has led me to delve into records of the 1947 Royal Visit. In 1947 the Royal Family (King George VI, his wife Queen Elizabeth and his two daughters, Princess Elizabeth and Princess Margaret) undertook a leisurely three month journey (February to April) through their Southern African dominions (South Africa itself, Southern Rhodesia, Swaziland, Basutoland and the Bechuanaland Protectorate).  The trip involved 10 000 miles of travel including 4920 miles by rail (though the family flew to Rhodesia). The journey to South Africa was by battle cruiser (the HMS Vanguard). It was a marathon endurance test in cheerful and gracious encounters with their African subjects; these were the moments of welcome, homage and delight. There must have been thousands of handshakes and platitudes exchanged that the people who met the King and Queen and the two princesses would remember the rest of their lives as “the day I met the Royal family”. Small girls curtseyed and presented bouquets of flowers (or in the case of Mary Oppenheimer a gift of diamonds from Kimberley was given). The occasions were many for cultural spectaculars whether Volkspiele dancing or massed Zulu impis in warrior stance. Thousands flocked to the railway stations along the route for the brief whistlestop halts; these were the speedy moments for local dignitaries  and guards of honour to be presented to royalty or to  stand to attention for inspection.

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HMS Vanguard in front of Table Mountain (via @tablemountainca)

A study of that Royal visit offers some insights into the politics of the day, social customs and history. I very much doubt that we would today go to the trouble of erecting an expensive brass commemorative plaque recording  a royal visit. We are no longer monarchists, though we are once again part of the Commonwealth and the Queen is represented in South Africa by a High Commissioner and similarly a South African High Commissioner is the South African diplomatic representative in London.

Why did the Royal Family come to South Africa? It must have been a hugely expensive project and a logistical nightmare. I think the answer is because General Jan Smuts, who as Prime Minister extended the invitation, seemingly wanted to consolidate ties between South Africa and Britain. An additional reason could have been possibly to strengthen or maybe invent a South African national identity. Royalty was a particularly British institution and while there was ready resonance with the English speaking component of  South Africa’s population, did royalty have the same meaning for Afrikaners, black Africans or South African Indians? What was Smuts thinking?  

There was an election looming in 1948 and with hindsight, perhaps that Royal Visit was not such a smart political move. It is thought that Smuts’ closeness to the establishment during and after the Second World War was very much a factor in his electoral defeat just over a year later in May 1948, when the United Party was defeated by Malan and the Afrikaner Nationalists rose to power ushering in the long dark years of apartheid. The nationalists had very different ideas about social order, race and hierarchy and hence the coming of the apartheid state. The controversies of the day were the questions of human rights, race and  segregation, the South African presence in South West Africa. The fascinating question is whether this Royal visit had negative consequences for South Africa and indeed there was some slippage between the issue of an invitation and the grand arrival in Cape Town.

What did the Royal visit achieve? In retrospect one can argue that it was a significant factor in costing Smuts and the United Party the 1948 election. But at the time it was seen as an opportunity to express good will and gratitude for the South African contribution to the Allied effort in the Second World War. Here was an opportunity to express patriotic feeling and monarchical fervour. We can argue that hereditary kingship was an essential glue that held the British Commonwealth and empire together. Could homage to King and Queen that symbolised those ties in wartime, not be extended into the peace time era. South Africa was a self-governing dominion but the King was the constitutional head of South Africa and one task was to open the 1947 session of the Union Parliament shortly after his arrival in Cape Town.  

There’s an interesting article by Sarah Gertrude Millin ( The Spectator , 19th June 1947 ). Millin was at that time a popular thinking author, an early admirer and biographer of Smuts. She wrote:

What, then, did the visit achieve? Principally it showed the physical possibility of a closer Union between the Dominions and England and one another. The King of England was quite simply opening the South African Parliament in his capacity as the King of South Africa. It may indeed have set going the conference system, an important accomplishment that would be. It sweetened the atmosphere of South Africa. Here came four Royal people from England - and they were not at all like the King's grandfather with his goodwill tours in Paris. They were modest, lovable, so anxious to please, so eagerly pleased, that it was almost painful to watch them doing their duty, and another duty, and still another duty, and a further duty, and anything anyone considered a duty - more, indeed, than was necessary for duty.

It is interesting that Millin puts her finger on the personal appearance of the couple; that they were affable, modest, pleasing and easily pleased, carrying out their duties with dedication and commitment. They were a model King and Queen for a democratic age but with an empire trailing behind. It was an empire transitioning towards independence in the wake of the Second World War but with a future less clear at the time. Who better to make that transition than a modest second son king with a stammer and his slightly plump but feisty Scottish queen. The glamour factor was there too; the queen and her daughters must have required an entire train coach to convey their wardrobe. They wore light colours, pastel shades, beautiful hats (the Queen's were often adorned with those floating ostrich feathers from Oudshoorn) long white gloves, stylist forties peep toe shoes, neat handbags and of course magnificent jewellery. The King on the other hand dressed for the occasion whether in uniform, business suit, robes of state or nifty knee length shorts for the safari moments. The paparazzi had not yet come of age but official photographers, newsreel cameramen and journalists did dutiful duty. It was all so consciously but rather low key in stylish demeanour; the late forties fashion signalled a Britain coming out of war time austerity with dress designers such as Norman Hartnell (who designed the Queen’s Wedding dress later the same year) making do and being inventive. The Royal Tour of South Africa was  the first post war peace time celebration of empire and an African perambulation. There were all the many photo moments and there must be thousands of photographs of the entire vist. In turn too, the King carried a camera to photograph the game of the Kruger Park and whatever other moments took his eye.

The Economist in an article in May of 1947 , reflecting on the significance of the Royal Visit in the context of “a divided  dominion” and the political as they saw it of the three big racial divides. Between the planning of the Royal visit and the actual commencement, South Africa had been criticised severely at the fledgling United Nations because of its attitude to South West Africa and to Indian civil rights at home. Among the Afikaner Nationalists, republicanism was also in the air. Malan was already airing his views about “apartheid” (a word not yet in the dictionary), but while some political leaders boycotted and made their disapproval known, royal charm, official pomp and circumstance and warm South African hospitality meant that the tour was a triumph for fashion, memory making, personal good will and harmony. The Economist article pontificated then as much as it does today, warning that a move towards the nationalists (it was already seen that the election could be won by Malan) could sacrifice South Africa’s international stature and status. Prophetic words indeed.

The Royal party arrived in Cape Town by battleship cruiser, the HMS Vanguard in Cape Town on February 17th. The Vanguard was the pride of the Royal Navy, it was the largest, fastest, newest battleship of its day, built during World War II but only commissioned after the war. The Vanguard served between 1946 and 1960 and cost over 11.5 million pounds. On this 1947 visit it carried a staff complement (officers and crew) of 1 975 men. Below is an impressive photo of the Royal Family with the crew. It strikes one as somewhat excessive and extravagant that nearly 2000 naval personnel were required to care for the four royals.

Royal Family with the crew of the HMS Vanguard via collectingkgvi.wordpress com.png

The Royal Family and the Crew of the Vanguard.

The South African Railways published a substantial (red hardcover) souvenir book in anticipation of these Royal travels; complete with maps, colour plates (birds, flowers, wild life), and sepia toned photographs. It set out the planned itinerary and gave a romanticised view of history, sites and scenes to be encountered en route. Many such souvenirs were produced in 1947; most popular and still to be found are the medallions (given to school children and dignitaries) and commemorative mugs (not too difficult to find either). Pathe news reported on the Royal Visit and today you can find these adoring, patriotic news reels on You Tube. It was a well recorded visit with everyone armed with Brownie Box cameras lining the city streets to catch a glimpse of imperial grandeur.

Commemorative Medallion from 1947 Royal Visit.png

Commemorative Medallion

South African Coat of Arms 1947.png

South Africa’s Coat of Arms in 1947 reflecting the four provinces: Cape, Natal, Orange Free State and the Transvaal

In 1947 South Africa had two official languages, English and Afrikaans. It also had two official national anthems, one was God Save the King while the other was Die Stem (written by the poet C. J. Langenhoven in 1918 and was set to music by the Reverend Marthinus Lourens de Villiers in 1921). This was the arrangement between 1938 and 1957 when Die Stem became the sole national anthem until 1994.

Princess Elizabeth, as she was then, celebrated her 21st  birthday (21st April, 1926) in South Africa. For her it was a momentous year; a year of the great South African adventure, coming of age, then her engagement followed by marriage to Prince Philip. During the tour she had her first solo public engagement, the opening of the Princess Elizabeth graving dock in East London. Her sister Princess Margaret played second fiddle, though she was often seen as the prettier, more fun loving daughter.

This year, as the reigning Queen Elizabeth, she celebrated her 90th birthday. Her mother, who had a long innings as the Queen Mother, lived to the grand old age of 101 and died in 2002 as did Princess Margaret, but she was 71. The present Queen’s reign of over 60 years has been feted and celebrated, though such has been the change in political structures and climate that the diamond jubilee and the 90th birthday hardly mattered in South Africa. Queen Elizabeth is still queen of the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, New Zealand and some 12 island nations but many of the former British empire dominions have seized independence. Of course the Queen is still head of the Commonwealth, but in South Africa’s case there was the intervening history of withdrawal from the Commonwealth and then readmission after 1994. As a ruling monarch the Queen has surpassed the reign of her great grandmother, Queen Victoria.

Today, when royals travel abroad, the trips are shorter and the photo moments are many and eagerly sought by photographer and royal. Plus the dreaded paparazzi look for the unguarded moments. Prince William and his wife Kate, as Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and their two children, made a one week, intensely packed tour of Canada in September 2016. It seems far more informal though hardly more relaxed than back in 1947. Queen Elizabeth in support of reconciliation and the new government visited South Africa only again in 1995 (19-25 March), when she was met by 50 people at the airport and then made a short helicopter flip to Simons Town to spend a night on the royal yacht, Britannia. It was only a 6 day speedy tour of the main centres. The queen addressed the new Parliament, following the 1994 all race election with universal franchise. Mandela had become our “rainbow nation“ President. In 1999 the Queen returned to South Africa for the 16th Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting that took place in Durban. She came for exactly a week between 9–15 November. Thabo Mbeki was the President.

Looking back on the specifics of the Royal Visit of 1947 reminds us, how much South Africa has changed in 60 years. The past is indeed another country. In 1947 South Africa still had General Jan Smuts as Prime Minister and the country was a dominion within the British empire having made its contribution to that empire on the side of Britain and her allies in the Second World War. Soldiers who volunteered, enlisted and fought with determination in North Africa and in Italy were now being thanked for their contribution. In 1947 there was an aura of post war patriotic fervour. Most white English South Africans were royalists, almost by birth if not by political conviction. It is interesting that Indian South African political opinion was split and the Natal Indian Congress boycotted the Royal visit in the context of discrimination against “Asiatics” at that date. Gandhi in India supported the position. African decolonization did not come until the 1960s. 

What of this Royal Visit? Prime Minister Smuts took huge pride and pleasure being the gallant personal host of the Royal Family. His political responsibilities must have taken second place for many weeks when he was in attendance. He escorted the Royal family up Table Mountain and to the Royal Natal National Park. His wife, Isie Smuts did not accompany him or the Royal Family but they came on a visit to meet Ouma Smuts at Doornklooof. South Africa went to great lengths to commemorate the visit in the medallions mentioned above as well as in special issue stamps.

Royal Family visiting Ouma Smuts in 1947.png

The Royal Family at Doornkloof in 1947, visiting Ouma Smuts.

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Special issue stamps

The itinerary was by White train and was hectic, with train station views of towns such as George, Oudtshoorn, Graaff-Reinet, Grahamstown, Umtata, Aliwal North. Larger centres must have put on more substantial receptions and banquets – a day in Bloemfontein, East London, Port Elizabeth. Game reserves came  high on the agenda. Towns prepared and printed  welcome programmes and agendas for receptions, and these are now most collectible items of royal memorabilia. The Natal National Park gave them a welcome weekend break and thereafter the Park became the Royal Natal National Park; today the hotel stands in ruins but it used to show off its royal suite and I can remember in the 1970s thinking we had moved into the upper classes to be allocated the royal bedroom (it was actually quite ordinary and hospitable in a homely way, having once been a hostel for hikers).

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The Royal Train 1947

Royal Natal National Park Hotel - Heritage Portal - June 2014 - 1.jpg

Royal Natal National Park Hotel in ruins (The Heritage Portal)

The Royals in South Africa were given the most royal red carpet welcomes. They saw the best of the country as well as some rather curious places – game reserves, wine farms, the Port Elizabeth Snake Park, the East London graving dock, clipping ostrich feathers in Oudshoorn, an official banquet in Pretoria, the award of an Honorary degree to Queen Elizabeth at UCT (towards the end of the visit – that colonial connection that featured quite prominently on the UCT history section of its website until recently), the vistas of Drakensberg at Mont aux Sources. 

Honourary Doctorate for Queen at UCT 1947.png

The awarding of an honorary degree ( UCT )

The brass plaque Sports Club visit reminds us that there were the large and the small occasions and events. I have followed up on the programme for 5th April 1947. I gather that there must have been some changes in the programme as the official Railways programme allocated only 1 day, 2nd April, to all of Johannesburg, the East and the West Rand and the following day they were supposed to be in Pietersburg followed by a weekend in Pretoria. How did it then happen that Saturday, 5th April saw the Royal family in Johannesburg for a programme that included a visit to the Crown Mines (photographs show them wearing hard hats and protective waterproof coats for the underground descent), a visit to Baragwanath Military Hospital and the conferring of awards to various World War Two military heroes. At Baragwanath a red carpet was laid out and some rare photos from the Arnott collection show the informality and delight of those who were honoured. Then too came the visit to the Zoo Lake Sports Grounds. The Thelma Gutsche book  A Very Smart Medal also shows the visit of the Royal Family to the Rand Easter Show, and there is also footage on a Pathe news clip.

Laying down the Red Carpet for the Royal Family at Baragwanath Military Hospital 1947.png

Visit to Baragwanath Military Hospital

There was a celebratory ball at the Johannesburg City Hall, with young women attired in gorgeous evening gowns forming a tableau to represent the Heart of Africa. Fireworks and bonfires blazed from the golden mine dumps and lit the almost lunar landscape of Johannesburg. The Royal family visited the Turfontein Race Course to see the running of the Kings Cup. There was a ceremony at the Cenotaph with the King unveiling an inscription to the fallen soldiers of World War II. There was a visit to the Benoni Town Hall, the Krugerdorp Town Hall and a garden party in Pretoria. At Standerton there was an open air banquet and a display of Volkspiele dancing (they were there from 12h45 to 15h30!). It must have been an endless succession of dinners, presentations and group displays. There was more Volkspiele dancing in Pietersburg. The Princesses and Queen were given diamonds in Kimberley, all presumably added to their personal collection and not the state crown jewels.

Princess Elizabeth inspecting diamonds in Kimberley - Royal Visit 1947.png

Visit to the Kimberley Diamond Mines – 18th April Friday. Princess Elizabeth inspecting graded diamonds.

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Standerton Programme Cover

Gerald Smith in a report  for the Adelaide Advertiser 3rd April 1947 (an Australian digitized newspaper found on line)  - tells us of the anticipated visit of the Royal Family to Crown Mines on the 5th - and I was amused that the entire report was written in advance of the actual descent down the Crown Mines shaft to 8500 feet. The Mine visit was recorded as a private visit added on to the itinery. During his visit to Johannesburg (the largest city in the Union), despite being of short duration, the Royal Family “saw more people in one day - and more saw them - than on any day of the tour. It was well over a million, black, white, and khaki.” By all accounts it was a  marvellous three months for the Royal Family, and the occasion was forever remembered by those who met them.

Reported in the Chicago Daily Tribune 19 April 1947 Princess Elizabeth was presented with a 6 carat perfect blue and white diamond and Princess Margaret received a 4.5 carat stone gift from the Oppenheimers (presented by Mary Oppenheimer). The Union government’s 21st birthday gift to Princess Elizabeth were 87 more diamonds suitable for setting in a necklace – 21 major stones  totalling  71.31carats.

Here is a strange addendum to my zoom in on the 1947 visit. In 1947 in late March following a severe icy winter, flooding on the Thames followed the thaw of ice sheets. Surprisingly and with open generosity South Africans collected funds for British flood relief. These were called the Great Floods of 1947 and the flooding of the Thames was the worst 20th Century flood of the River Thames. Canada too sent food parcels to Britain. The Royal Family did not cut short their South African sojourn but flood relief for Britain was a popular charity in South Africa. Back in 1947 we were not an underdeveloped country but had the sources to send gifts and donations to struggling Britain. Its all in perception!

If anyone can provide me with a copy of the programme of the Johannesburg visit of the Royal family this would add greatly to this contribution.

Kathy Munro is an Honorary Associate Professor in the School of Architecture and Planning at the University of the Witwatersrand. She enjoyed a long career as an academic and in management at Wits University. She trained as an economic historian. She is an enthusiastic book person and has built her own somewhat eclectic book collection over 40 years. Her interests cover Africana, Johannesburg history, history, art history, travel, business and banking histories.  She researches and writes on historical architecture and heritage matters. She is a member of the Board of the Johannesburg Heritage Foundation and is a docent at the Wits Arts Museum. She is currently working on a couple of projects on Johannesburg architects and is researching South African architects, war cemeteries and memorials. Kathy is a member of the online book community the Library thing and recommends this cataloging website and worldwide network as a book lover's haven.

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Queen Elizabeth Arrives For Visit To South Africa

Queen Elizabeth II arrived Sunday on a historic visit, her first trip back to South Africa since she came in 1947 as a young princess of 21.

About 50 onlookers and scores of journalists were on hand for the Queen’s low-key arrival at the airport, where she was greeted by Deputy President Thabo Mbeki and a 3-year-old girl bearing peach-colored roses.

An official welcome ceremony with President Nelson Mandela was scheduled for today.

The royal visit “signals the strength of relations between this country and the United Kingdom and I think it is particularly good that she has come … so soon after the change of government here,” Mbeki told reporters.

During the hectic, six-day visit, the queen was to address the parliament elected last year in South Africa’s first all-race vote. She also was expected to bestow a top British honor on Mandela and visit black townships, clinics and schools.

Zanele Ngakane, daughter of Mbeki’s personal assistant, Nomsa Ngakane, presented the queen with a bouquet at the airport Sunday.

The queen then climbed into a helicopter for a short flight to Simon’s Town to board the royal yacht Britannia, where she was to spend the night.

Combatting loneliness: Why staying connected is vital to your health

Staying connected – and in relationships – could be the cure you need to your health and stress issues.

Belgian King and Queen on first-ever state visit to South Africa

King Philippe and Queen Mathilde left today for South Africa for a state visit between March 22 and 27, at the invitation of South African President Cyril Ramaphosa. It marks the first Belgian state visit ever to South Africa.

The Belgian Royal Family will discuss with the South African leadership, among others, climate, migration, diamonds and vaccines, VRT reports. It was originally planned for 2021 but was postponed due to the Covid-19 crisis.

South Africa is Belgium's largest African trading partner, and Belgium is the country's third-largest. South Africa has been a growing regional superpower in Africa since the end of the apartheid era and is the only African country to be a member of the G20 group and BRICS – a group of new economic powers comprising Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.

South Africa's relationship with Russia has been scrutinised since the beginning of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. To date, Pretoria has still not explicitly condemned Russia for its invasion of Ukraine, choosing to push for open and active diplomatic channels despite Ukraine facing daily Russian bombardments.

Biggest Belgian population in Africa

Curiously, South Africa is also home to the largest Belgian population on the African continent, with 10,000 Belgians living there.

The country is one of the largest diamond-producing countries in the world, with diamonds accounting for over 40% of the total export value to Belgium.

"The programme of the monarchs will include official engagements with President Ramaphosa and members of the government as well as visits to Johannesburg and Cape Town where they will engage with academia, business, and civil society, and visit historical and cultural sites," the Presidency said.

The King and Queen will visit and discuss projects that are running in the country, such as the operations biotech company Afrigen, which – in collaboration with Belgian scientists – develops its own vaccines to lessen dependency on third countries, a need which was also highlighted during the Covid-19 crisis.

Another item high on the royals' agenda is climate change. South Africa is among the most vulnerable countries when it comes to climate change, with temperatures in the region at risk of rising by 4 degrees in the coming decades. Together with South African partners, Belgian companies are helping to find solutions.

While there are many economic interests on the royal couples' itinerary, King Phillipe also finds the themes of apartheid, racism, and reconciliation of great importance. The couple will visit historical sites in South Africa where they will reflect on the painful history of apartheid.

Related News

• South Africa's neutral stance criticised after joint Chinese-Russian military announcement
• Direct flights from Belgium to South Africa available from today with Air Belgium

Four politicians are also travelling along, including the Belgian Foreign Minister Hadja Lahbib, Wallonia Minister-President Elio Di Rupo, Brussels Minister-President Rudi Vervoort and, Flemish Finance Minister Matthias Diependaele will be replacing Flanders Minister-President Jan Jambon.

While this is the first-ever Belgian state visit to South Africa, it is not King Phillipe's first time in the country, having attended key historical moments such as when Nelson Mandela was sworn in as president in 1994, as well as at his funeral in 2013.

Copyright © 2024 The Brussels Times. All Rights Reserved.

State visit to South Africa, October 2023

His Majesty King Willem-Alexander and Her Majesty Queen Máxima are currently paying a state visit to South Africa , at the invitation of President Cyril Ramaphosa. The visit takes place from 18 to 20 October 2023.

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Woman&Home

Queen Elizabeth II's 31 best royal tour moments

Posted: April 27, 2024 | Last updated: April 27, 2024

The late Queen went on countless tours in her lifetime; we look back on some of the most significant ones

The late Queen Elizabeth II arguably broke the mould when it came to royal tours abroad. Though such visits are commonplace among the royal family nowadays, the late monarch was the first Queen to ever travel the world so extensively in an official capacity, thanks to the serious advancements in travel during her reign.

This means that Elizabeth travelled to more countries abroad in an official capacity than any other royal Queen (or King) before her – in fact, it’s reported that the Queen undertook more than 200 royal visits abroad during her 70-year reign, visiting almost all of the countries in the Commonwealth at least once, and many of them numerous times.

To celebrate her many royal visits, we take a look at Queen Elizabeth's best tour moments ever. These are some of the Queen’s best royal tour moments from across the decades.

Her first Commonwealth tour with Philip

One of the Queen's best royal tour moments was undoubtedly her biggest tour ever, which took place just a year after becoming monarch.

After her coronation in 1952, the Queen and Prince Philip embarked on a mammoth tour of all of the Commonwealth nations at that time, which took place across six months between November 1953 to May 1954. In that time, the monarch and her husband visited countless different places within the West Indies, Australasia, Asia and Africa, and covered an enormous 44,000 miles travelling.

Her tour to Kenya as a Princess - when she became Queen

The biggest moment of any of the Queen’s international tours occurred when she and Prince Philip were in the midst of a royal tour of Africa, Australia and New Zealand. The couple made the trip in place of Elizabeth’s father, King George VI, who was considered to be too unwell to travel.

The royal couple were enjoying a brief respite from their duties when they stopped for a few days holiday at a quiet lodge (now known as the Treetops Hotel), around 100 miles from Nairobi.

However, it was here that the then-Princess Elizabeth learnt of father’s passing on 2nd February, meaning that she would be taking the throne at the age of just 25. Due to how remote the location was, the news of King George's passing took some time to reach Elizabeth and Philip, and it's reported that the young Princess was one of the last people within the hotel to find out about his death.

Her first royal tour to the US as monarch

In 1957, Elizabeth made her very first trip abroad to the United States as the monarch of the United Kingdom. Though she had been to America before, this was her very first trip as Queen.

During her four-day October visit, she and Prince Philip met the President at the time, Dwight D Eisenhower, at the White House, before making various visits to organisations within Washington DC. She and the Duke of Edinburgh also paid a visit to Williamsburg, Virginia, and New York City, where there was a large parade for the royals on the streets.

This wasn’t the President and Elizabeth’s first meeting, however. President Eisenhower had actually met Elizabeth as a young girl – back when she was Princess Elizabeth – during a meeting with her father King George.

The Queen’s trip to Russia in 1994

In 1994, Queen Elizabeth II made a historic visit to Russia, marking the very first time that a UK monarch had ever visited the country. Making the trip following the dissolution of the Soviet Union, the Queen was hosted by Russia’s President at the time, Boris Yeltsin, who governed the country from 1991 to 1999.

During a State dinner, both Elizabeth and the President acknowledged Russia’s troubled past, with Yeltsin explaining in his speech, "For Russia, this visit is the utmost recognition that our country is on the road to democracy."

The Queen concurred, making this statement in her own speech: "You and I have spent most of our lives believing that this evening could never happen. I hope that you are as delighted as I am to be proved wrong."

Queen Elizabeth remains the only UK monarch to have visited Russia during their reign. Charles did visit the country as the Prince of Wales, taking a trip to St. Petersburg in 1994, but has not returned since becoming King.

Her final return to Malta with Philip

In 2015, Elizabeth embarked on her final royal tour abroad, returning to Malta with Prince Philip – an island they had both spent lots of time in during their marriage. While this photo looks fairly unremarkable, it's one of our favourite pictures of the late monarchs because of its back story.

At the age of 89, the Queen and 91-year-old Philip spent three days on the island during their final visit, attending the 24th CHOGM meeting – where the Queen delivered a speech praising Malta – and meeting people they had known during their time living there.

The Queen and Prince Philip spent a couple of happy years living in Malta as young newlyweds; Philip was stationed there between 1949 and 1951 as a naval officer, and it’s said to be the place where Elizabeth spent some of the most ‘normal’ years of her life, living simply as husband and wife without the pressure of their royal duties back home in the UK. So it seems very fitting that their final trip abroad together was to the place where they spent so many happy years.

Her meeting with Ronald Reagan in 1983

The Queen had a very close friendship with former President of the United States Ronald Reagan, and further bolstered their relationship during a visit to his and his wife Nancy Reagan’s California ranch in 1983, after first hosting them at Windsor Castle in 1982.

It was a visit that mixed both personal and professional, as the Queen and Prince Philip stayed in their ranch in the mountains of Santa Barbara, enjoying a few horseback riding ventures around the estate during their few days there.

During her trip to California, the Queen also toured a Los Angeles film studio, attended an official dinner in San Francisco hosted by Ronald and Nancy Reagan (where she delivered a speech), toured the Bay area in the Royal Yacht Britannia toured Yosemite, and visited Stanford University.

Her historic visit to India in 1961

Queen Elizabeth’s 1961 visit to India was a highly significant one, as it was the very first visit from a UK monarch following the end of the rule of the British Empire in the country.

The country gained independence in 1947, but prior to this, Elizabeth’s parents King George VI and Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother were considered Emperor and Empress of India – titles which ceased to be used following the end of the Empire in India.

As such, Queen Elizabeth’s visit to India in the early 60s was significant, as it was the first time a monarch had visited without being considered as 'head' of the country. During her trip, alongside Prince Philip, she paid a visit to the Taj Mahal and to New Delhi, and attended the annual Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting. She also met with Mother Theresa, whom she presented with an honorary Order of Merit.

Her meeting with Nelson Mandela

In 1995, Queen Elizabeth II, accompanied by Prince Philip, made her first official visit to South Africa as monarch – though she had visited previously in 1947, before she became Queen. The Queen was unable to take any visits to the country before the 90s, due to the ongoing apartheid there.

However, in 1995, Queen Elizabeth and Philip were invited by President Nelson Mandela to visit once again. Though the pair had met in Zimbabwe five years prior, this trip was the first time that Mandela had officially hosted the monarch. The visit was just a year after Mandela had been elected as President, so it was certainly a significant moment to see the meeting of two highly revered public figures.

Her trip to the races in 1970 in Sydney

Queen Elizabeth II indulged in one of the greatest passions in her life during a trip to Sydney, Australia, when she visited the Randwick Racecourse in April 1970 alongside Princess Anne.

She first visited the racecourse during her 1954 visit to the country, during which they named a race after her, the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes.

During her second visit in the 70s, the horse Panvale won with 100/1 odds, and the apprentice jockey riding him, Peter Cook, won his first race as a jockey. To celebrate, the Queen presented Peter with his winning trophy, and appeared delighted at his early success in a sport she loved so much.

Riding an elephant in 1961 in India

During her 1961 trip to India following the breakdown of the British Empire, Queen Elizabeth II showed off her adventurous streak, opting to ride on top of an elephant in Jaipur.

She rode the elegantly decorated elephant within the courtyard of the royal palace, alongside Sir Man Singh, the Maharajah (Prince) of Jaipur at the time. To ensure she was dressed appropriately, the Queen is seen in the picture were a regal gold outfit. What a picture!

Her tour with Princess Anne and Prince Charles in Australia

In 1970, the Queen, Prince Philip, the then-Prince Charles and Princess Anne undertook a hugely popular tour of Australia, which coincided with the centenary of Captain James Cook’s sailing of the Australian coat in 1770.

The royal foursome drew huge crowds during the weeks-long tour, and toured around both Brisbane and Queensland whilst there, visiting the James Cook University, Green Island, the Great Barrier Reef, Cairns, Mount Isa and many more. While they carried out many engagements as a family, they also spent some time visiting organisations on their own; the Queen and Prince Philip, for example, visited the town of Longreach without their two eldest children.

A banquet on the floor in Tuvalu

In 1982, the Queen and her husband paid a visit to the island country of Tuvalu, in the South Pacific – the country formerly known as the Ellice Islands.

The couple spent two days in Tuvalu, during which they enjoyed a feast of traditional local dishes at a banquet which saw them seated on the floor and wearing floral headpieces; a rather unusual sight for the usually very formal Queen and her husband.

During their trip, the royal couple also ceremonially installed a piece of concrete at a future Parliament building. To mark the visit, a range of commemorative stamps were issued by the Tuvalu Philatelic Bureau. Since that visit, both King Charles and the Prince and Princess of Wales have visited Tuvalu too.

Meeting crowds in New Zealand in 1977

The Queen was seen beaming from ear-to-ear on a walkabout during an official visit to New Zealand in 1977, which was made to mark her Silver jubilee and 25 years since her accession to the throne.

The Queen was accompanied by her husband the Duke of Edinburgh for this tour – and interestingly, the schedule they undertook actually mirrored that of the tour they took in 1953-1954, when Elizabeth first came to the throne, as an homage to her 25th year on the throne.

Everywhere the pair went they were greeted with adoring crowds lining the streets, ensuring it was a special moment for the royal couple.

Her significant tour of Sudan

During a time of significant political turmoil and unrest within the country, Queen Elizabeth took the time to pay an important visit to the Republic of the Sudan in February 1965.

It was a significant move due to the unrest there at the time, which many thought might make it dangerous for the UK monarch. However, it appears the Queen gladly spent a few days there and was greeted with a warm welcome, with crowds of onlookers lining the streets to say hello.

She spent part of her time on state duties whilst there, whilst also squeezing in the chance to explore some of her interests during the trip. For example, she spent her first day at the Khartoum racecourse, before then visiting the construction of the Roseires dam. She also visited the Gezira irrigation project in Medani, which had been set up by the British government some decades earlier.

Receiving local crafts in Mexico in 1975

The Queen made two trips to Mexico during her reign, and the first took place in 1975. She toured across Yucatán, Mexico City, Oaxaca, Guanajuato and Veracruz in the space of a week, and took in a whole range of sights and activities during that time.

She and Philip arrived on the royal yacht and headed straight to Mexico City. Whilst there, they had a meeting with former President Luis Echeverría and his wife, María, before heading to Oaxaca city. While there, they spent some time in the local markets being shown creations from locals. It’s even reported that they purchased a few items themselves!

Visiting a newly-unified Germany in 1990

The Queen paid a significant visit to Germany in 1990, shortly after the unification of East and West Germany as a result of the tearing down of the Berlin Wall.

The Berlin Wall fell in November 1989, signalling the end of the Cold War and the Soviet Union, which had occupied Germany for years. East and West Germany were officially unified on October 3, 1990, and the Queen visited towards the end of that month, at the tail-end of the political unrest.

While the Queen was largely welcomed in West Germany and had visited that area on previous tours, she met with a slightly more tense reaction when she visited Dresden in former East Germany, which had experienced more of a difficult relationship with the United Kingdom.

When she poked fun at Justin Trudeau

During her 2015 trip to Malta, Queen Elizabeth II opened the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, delivering a speech to everyone gathered there. Before the meeting, the monarch and various heads of the other Commonwealth countries gathered for a State dinner, during which the then newly crowned Prime Minister of Canada, Justin Trudeau, made a speech introducing Her Majesty.

During his speech, he noted that he was the 12th Canadian Prime Minister the Queen had seen during her reign – a comment which prompted a hilarious response from the lady herself. She opened her speech by saying, "Thank you, Mr Prime Minister of Canada, for making me feel so old!"

Dancing in Ottawa in 1951

It was rare to see Queen Elizabeth being anything less than formal, such was her important royal role as monarch.

However, in 1951, before she was Queen, she let her hair down during a royal tour of Canada with Prince Philip; her very first visit to the country.

During a private dance event at Ottawa’s Government House in between other official duties, the then-Princess Elizabeth was seen square dancing with her husband, wearing relaxed and informal American clothing.

The event was strictly invitation only, and largely included people from the Canadian government and their guests – but the pictures are certainly a brilliant memory of a more informal Elizabeth on a royal tour. Tony Griffin, an attendee at the event, recalls that the royal couple's dancing came quite naturally. He said that they "caught on very quickly, due in part to the pair's knowledge of Highland Dancing."

Kicking off a hockey game in Slovenia

In 2008, the Queen and Prince Philip paid a visit to Central Europe, embarking on a days-long tour of Slovakia and Slovenia in October of that year.

One of the best moments was during the couple’s last day of their visit to Slovakia when they attended an ice hockey game between Guildford Flames and the Aquacity Poprad.

Not only did the monarch look chic in a hat and a coat with a faux fur lining, but she also kicked off the game by ceremonially dropping the puck, alongside Slovakia’s Prime Minister.

Visiting Finland in 1976

Queen Elizabeth II looked happy and enthusiastic on a 1976 visit to Finland - her very first visit to the country.

She was joined by Prince Philip for this tour and as ever, it was a busy one. The couple toured the country’s capital of Helsinki and also spent time strolling around a Finnish forest. Elizabeth and her husband were officially hosted by the President at the time, Urho Kekkonen, and enjoyed an official dinner at the Presidential Palace one night, and an evening at his summer residence, too.

Waving from the royal yacht in Kuwait

Prince Philip and the Queen delighted crowds in Kuwait when they visited the country in February 1979.

Though the pair arrived via plane (a Concord no less), they also had the Royal Yacht Britannia on hand as they travelled on their three-week tour of the Gulf.

One of the most iconic images of this royal tour is the pair waving from the deck of the royal yacht at the start of the tour in Kuwait. The royal yacht was also where they hosted the Emir Of Kuwait at the time, Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, for a dinner reception. This moment was historic for another reason too; it was the very first time in history that a British monarch had visited the country.

On a boat in Funafuti, in Tuvalu

On the Queen and Elizabeth’s trip to Tuvalu in October of 1982 – their first royal trip to the island nation – the couple travelled there and back in the Royal Yacht Britannia, which they also used to move around the island.

But the yacht was unable to dock in the shallow water around Tuvalu, so the couple were required to be transported from the yacht to the shore and back, giving us one of the best Queen Elizabeth tour moments ever. The Queen and Philip were transported on a fleet of canoes that had been elaborately decorated by the locals, with the monarch in one and her husband in another. What a great moment!

Drinking from a coconut in Kiribati

Philip and Elizabeth made sure to get stuck into the local culture when they visited Kiribati in the South Pacific in 1982.

It was rare to ever see the Queen (or her husband) eat or drink anything while in view of the public on royal tours, so it was quite the moment to see the royal couple enjoy a sip from a coconut as part of their welcome ceremony in Tarawa, Kiribati. The couple enjoyed their drinks as they watched some traditional dancing from locals.

A visit to the Vatican to meet the Pope

The Queen visited a total of five different popes during various royal tours across her lifetime, but she arguably had a special connection with Pope John Paul II.

One of the most significant royal tour moments of the monarch’s life was when she visited the Vatican in Rome in October 2000. The Pope and the Queen, two of the biggest figureheads of the Catholic religion, shared a private conversation before exchanging gifts in Pope John Paul II's private office in the Vatican City. Before this, she had spent time at the Vatican with Pope John Paul II back in 1980, when she also delivered a speech in front of him and members of the clergy within the room.

Relaxed in Bahrain

A brilliant image of Queen Elizabeth on one of her countless royal tours is when she was captured looking relaxed whilst leaning across a chair to talk to the Emir of Bahrain at the time, Isa bin Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, whilst the pair were taking in a day of horse racing and camel racing. The picture was taken during Elizabeth and Philip’s tour of the Gulf between February and March of 1979.

The image shows the monarch looking informal and engrossed in her conversation; a somewhat unusual picture of the Queen, as she was often seen in more formal positions, be it sat upright at a state dinner, or stating up for an audience with a Prime Minister.

On tour with King George, Princess Margaret and the Queen Mother

One of the biggest royal tours of Queen Elizabeth II’s life was her 1947 tour alongside her parents, King George VI, Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother, and her sister Princess Margaret. It was the first time that the immediate royal family had undertaken a royal tour together as adults, and the then-Princess Elizabeth even celebrated her 21st birthday during that tour, making it a very special trip indeed.

The foursome visited an enormous 400 cities during this tour covering over 10,000 miles mostly by train. It was also the first State visit abroad from the royal family since 1939, as a result of the lack of travelling that was possible during the Second World War.

It was also on this tour that Princess Elizabeth made her now iconic speech from the grounds of Government House in Cape Town, South Africa. To mark her 21st birthday, she delivered the now world-famous line: "I declare before you all that my whole life, whether it be long or short, shall be devoted to your service."

Inspecting a guard of honour in Trinidad

On a royal tour of the Caribbean in 1996, the Queen inspected a guard of honour at the Teteron Barracks in Trinidad, a military base that formed part of Trinidad and Tobago’s Defence Force.

The image is strikingly similar to many taken in the UK. The Queen would often inspect UK military troops during important milestones, such as the annual Trooping the Colour celebrations.

The Queen’s visit to Trinidad & Tobago formed part of a larger, and very busy, Caribbean tour, in which she and the Duke of Edinburgh stopped in Saint Kitts & Nevis, the Bahamas, Antigua, Barbados, Jamaica, Grenada, Saint Lucia, Montserrat, and many more.

Taking a photo in Sri Lanka

Though most of her life was spent in front of the camera, on the rare occasion, Queen Elizabeth II was seen taking photographs of her own during her royal tours. One such occasion was during an October 1981 trip to Sri Lanka.

During this trip, the Queen was photographed taking a snap on her Canon Sure Shot 110 camera, one of her many beloved cameras. It wasn’t clear what she was taking a photo of, but the aim of the trip – the second of three she made during her reign – was to visit the construction of Sri Lanka’s Victoria Dam, Sri Lanka’s largest hydroelectric project, which was constructed by a UK firm.

A serious fashion moment with Anne in Vienna

In 1969, the Queen, Prince Philip, and their only daughter, Princess Anne, undertook a visit to Austria. The family started their tour in Vienna, where they visited the Spanish Riding School, took in a Horse Show, and attended a glamorous Gala Reception held by the Austrian President at the time, Franz Jonas.

But arguably the highlight of the proceedings in Vienna was when Anne, the Queen and Philip hosted a Return Banquet for the Austrian President. For the special evening, both Anne and her mother coordinated brilliantly in some fantastically glamorous outfits and tiaras.

While Anne wore a seriously chic white gown and tiara, the Queen matched her daughter in a stunning green ensemble, and the glittering Girls of Great Britain and Ireland Tiara, making for an iconic fashion moment.

Her final visit to Canada in 2010

Queen Elizabeth undertook her final tour of Canada in 2010, and it was an important visit, as Canada was the country the monarch visited the most throughout her 70-year reign.

It’s estimated that she undertook 22 different royal tours of Canada, one of the member states of the Commonwealth, so it was fitting that it was one of her very final visits abroad at the age of 84.

But despite being in her 80s, she and Philip’s trip to Canada was no less busy than usual! They visited between June and July, meaning they were there for Canada Day, a day of annual celebrations. In fact, it was the seventh time the Queen was in the country for Canada Day. In a speech on Parliament Hill that day, she highly praised the country, saying, "This nation has dedicated itself to being a caring home for its own, a sanctuary for others and an example to the world."

Her 1986 visit to China

Queen Elizabeth II was the very first UK monarch to visit China in 1986, and it was considered to be an important visit in bolstering relations between China and the United Kingdom.

During the trip, the Queen and Prince Philip were shown numerous important sites in China, including the Great Wall, as well as the Forbidden City in Beijing. She also visited the Terracotta Warriors in Xi'an. This remains the only visit to China from a serving British monarch; Charles and William have both visited the country previously, but not (of course) as the UK monarch.

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