September 21, 2022
The world is mourning the loss of Queen Elizabeth II, the longest reigning monarch in history. Throughout her 70 years on the throne, she dedicated her life to service and became an adored ambassador for her country.
Did you know?
The Queen visited at least 120 countries
She made over 270 State visits
She visited every country in the Commonwealth.
Her most active decade travelling was the 1970s. She made 73 trips, visiting 48 different countries.
Her total travel air miles over the years rack up to at least 1,032,000.
The Queen is the most travelled Head of State in history yet she doesn’t have a passport!
THE QUEEN’S TOP TRIPS OVER THE YEARS
CANADA
Oh Canada…you definitely held the Queen’s ❤️. As the country that she visited the most often (more than 22 times), it was clear that the Queen loved traveling to Canada.
Famous trips to CANADA:
1951 – Her 1st trip to Canada when she was still Princess
1959 – Her epic 45 day trip through all nine Provinces & 2 Territories (at the time)
1976 – When she attended the Montreal Olympics to watch her daughter, Princess Anne compete in the equestrian event with the Queen’s horse named ‘Goodwill’
AUSTRALIA
Australia was another of Queen Elizabeth II’s favorite destinations.
She visited a total of 16 times with the most famous being in 1954…aka ‘The Showstopper’
In 1954, she and Prince Phillip visited 57 towns and cities during the 58 days they spent in Australia…phew, that is exhausting!
They started in the north from Cairns to Broken Hill in the west and to Hobart in the south.
But the reason it is called ‘The Showstopper’ is because it literally halted the country of Australia as over 75% of the country’s population turned out to greet her…talk about a welcoming crowd!
She also visited in 1973 to open the Sydney Opera House.
KENYA
The Queen’s most noteworthy travel was to Kenya where she stayed at the now famous Treetops Lodge in 1952.
It was here when she learned of her father, King George VI’s passing and she became Queen
“For the first time in the history of the world, a young girl climbed into a tree one day a Princess and after having what she described as her most thrilling experience she climbed down from the tree next day a Queen — God bless her.”
-Jim Corbett, legendary hunter and naturalist who was accompanying her at the time
SOUTH AFRICA
April 21st, 1947 – while visiting Cape Town, South Africa with her parents & little sister, the Princess gave a historic speech broadcast over the radio where the Princess dedicated her life to the service of the Commonwealth.
“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.”
Her Majesty The Queen
