Few figures on Earth were recognised so globally or mourned so widely as Queen Elizabeth II, who passed away in September, 2022 aged 96. There are innumerable qualities expected of a British monarch, and one of them is to be well-travelled. Throughout her 70-year reign the Queen embarked on diplomatic missions and dined with heads of state in more than 120 countries, starting amid the embers of the British Empire and finishing in 2015 with a trip to Malta, the country in which she and Prince Philip lived as newlyweds before she ascended the throne. Here we round up some of the most significant stops on the Queen's extraordinary life journey.
On this momentous trip to Kenya, Elizabeth II arrived as Princess but left as Queen. Elizabeth and her husband, the Duke of Edinburgh, arrived in Nairobi on 1 February 1952 and were welcomed by Air Commodore LT Pankhurst, the Air Officer Commanding of the East Africa Command. Their visit to Kenya was the first stop on what was supposed to be a six-month international tour – but tragedy cut the trip short.
During their time in Kenya, 25-year-old Princess Elizabeth and the Duke of Edinburgh visited various sights and attended events, including a service at Nairobi Cathedral and a garden party at Government House. The Queen also spent time discovering the grounds of Sagana Lodge in Nyeri County, as pictured here. Tragically, the day after this photo was taken, Elizabeth's father, King George VI, passed away. It took four hours for word to reach the princess, where she was staying at the remote Treetops hotel. Elizabeth left for England the next day. Her coronation was the following year, on 2 June 1953.
In November 1953, five months after her coronation, the Queen visited Bermuda on the first stop of her Commonwealth tour, becoming the first British monarch to stay on the small island in the process. At the time, residents of the North Atlantic island referred to the Queen's visit as “[their] proudest moment”. Together with Prince Philip, Queen Elizabeth spent little more than 24 hours in Bermuda.
During their one-day tour of the island, the British royals were accompanied by Governor Alexander Hood and his wife. Together, they visited St Peter’s Church, Kindley Air Force base, Bermuda's Parliament and the Royal Bermuda Yacht Club (pictured). The Queen and Prince Philip also attended a parade in Bermuda's capital, Hamilton, to celebrate their visit. After a busy 24 hours, the couple left for Jamaica to continue the Coronation tour.
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The Queen flew to the US in June 1957 to commemorate the 350th anniversary celebration of the founding of England's first permanent settlement in America. During her US tour she visited various cities including Jamestown, Williamsburg and New York City. In this photo, she can be seen chatting with President Eisenhower during a visit to Washington DC.
During her stay in Washington DC, the Queen hosted a dinner at the British Embassy, where she also welcomed President Eisenhower. The 34th President of the United States returned the favour and invited the Queen and Prince Philip for dinner at the White House (pictured).
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Hosted by Governor-General Sir Maurice Henry Dorman, the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh landed in Sierra Leone in December 1961. During her stay in the West African country the Queen oversaw the opening of Parliament in Freetown. Though Sierra Leone had gained its independence earlier in the year, it remained a dominion with the Queen as Head of State until it became a republic in 1971.
During her Sierra Leone tour, the Queen and Prince Philip made an appearance at Port Loko for a display of traditional dancing and at the Paramount Hotel in Freetown for a banquet. Hosted by Prime Minister Sir Milton Margai and the Governor-General, the event was followed by a garden party, which concluded the visit.
The Queen’s tour of India in 1961 was packed with visits to Delhi, Jaipur, Bangalore, Madras and Calcutta, as well as a trip to the Taj Mahal in Agra. Here she is pictured on a visit to Jaipur. While in India, the Queen attended parades, banquets, processions and receptions. Among the most important appointments was the Republic Day Parade hosted by President Rajendra Prasad and Prime Minister Pandit Nehru.
In Jaipur, the royal couple were welcomed by the Maharaja of the region and visited the spectacular Rambagh Palace, where they took part in an elephant procession, a polo match and, controversially by today's standards, a tiger hunt. After this trip, the Queen returned to India twice more, in 1983 and 1997. In recent years other members of the royal family, including the then-Prince of Wales, the then-Duchess of Cornwall and the then-Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, have visited the country.
Canada’s Prime Minister Lester B. Pearson invited the Queen and Prince Philip to the North American nation in 1964 to celebrate the centennial of two important pre-Confederation conferences in Charlottetown and Quebec City that were vital to the founding of Canada. To celebrate the opening of the Charlottetown Centre, the Queen and the Duke attended a gala performance that included a host of contemporary celebrities.
However, the Queen's visit to Quebec was not entirely welcomed, and she was met with large crowds of protesting separatists. Despite the unrest, the royal couple received a heartfelt farewell on leaving the country, with one thousand schoolchildren and 400 invited guests there to see them off as they departed from the Uplands Air Force Base.
This trip to Guyana in February 1966 as part of the Queen's Caribbean tour marked the first time a reigning monarch had visited the South American country. Guyana was under the British flag for 152 years, so the excitement was great when the Queen and Prince Philip travelled through the nation. On their first day, the royal couple visited Georgetown, the nation’s capital, and the D’urban Park race track.
During her two-day tour of Guyana, the Queen presented the winning trophy at the races and opened Queen Elizabeth II National Park, which is now called Guyana National Park. After knighting a Guyanese politician, Sir Lionel Luckhoo, the Queen and Prince Philip attended a reception held by Prime Minister Forbes Burnham. Pictured here is Queen Elizabeth at the reception together with Burnham and his wife Viola.
In March 1970, the Queen was invited to New Zealand to take part in the James Cook bicentenary, celebrating Captain James Cook’s first voyage to New Zealand. During the 18-day trip, she introduced Prince Charles and Princess Anne to New Zealand for the first time, and together they visited many parts of the country.
This tour of New Zealand was one of the first times the Queen and her family walked (rather than drove) through the towns they visited, chatting to people in the crowds along the way. This proved very popular among locals and established a new tradition for future royal tours. During the final two days of their visit, the royal family spent their time sailing along the northern coast on the Royal Yacht Britannia. The tour ended in Auckland, from where the Queen and her family left for Australia.
In 1975, the Queen and Prince Philip were invited by Japan’s Emperor Hirohito and Empress Nagako on their first state visit to the country. This was the first time a British monarch had visited Japan since the end of the Second World War. This photo shows the royal couple enjoying the Imperial Palace in Tokyo, where they attended a state banquet hosted by the Emperor and Empress.
During their tour of Japan, the Queen and Duke made appearances at a range of events including a procession through Tokyo, a dinner hosted by the prime minister and a traditional Japanese dinner in Kyoto. Another highlight of the trip was visiting a film set in Tokyo, where they talked with Japanese actors dressed in traditional costumes.
Hosted by Finnish President Urho Kekkonen, Queen Elizabeth II made her first state visit to Finland in May 1976. Together with the Duke of Edinburgh, the Queen arrived in Helsinki on the Royal Yacht Britannia.
The Queen was taken to see important attractions like the Presidential Palace and the president’s summer residence, as well as to stroll through the Haukanmaa forest. Pictured here with the Finnish President, the British monarch returned to the Scandinavian nation one more time in 1994.
During her six-nation tour of the Gulf states, Queen Elizabeth visited Saudi Arabia in 1979 after travelling through Kuwait and Bahrain. Arriving by plane in Riyadh, the Queen was welcomed by Saudi ruler King Khalid. This also marked the first time that a female head of state had made an official visit to the Middle Eastern country.
In Riyadh, the Queen paid a visit to the capital’s racetrack, where she walked a red carpet to enter the premises. Other events included a picnic in the desert, camel racing and a state dinner hosted by the King. The Queen and Duke returned the gesture by inviting the Saudi royals to a dinner on the Royal Yacht Britannia. She is pictured here with a local guide.
After a long tour of the Mediterranean, which included state visits to Tunisia, Algeria, Italy and Vatican City, the Queen and the Duke visited Morocco in October 1980. Upon arriving in Rabat, the royal couple were welcomed by Moroccan King Hassan II and his family, pictured here. Their first evening in the capital concluded with a state banquet at the Royal Palace of Rabat. During their visit to the North African country, the King invited the British royals to an open-air lunch in the desert which included traditional dancing and equestrian performances.
This trip, however, is often remembered for an incident in which the Moroccan King threatened to break off a trade deal. When the Queen and Duke hosted a Moroccan delegation for dinner on the Royal Yacht Britannia, the King asked to postpone the meeting by an hour at the last minute. When his request was denied, he arrived in a rage and demanded that the British Ambassador leave the country the next day. The Queen smiled and carried on, and by the end of the dinner the King was pacified.
In March 1995, the Queen made a historically important trip to post-apartheid South Africa. Invited by President Nelson Mandela, the Queen and Prince Philip spent six days travelling around the nation and strengthening ties between South Africa and the Commonwealth. The African nation had previously been removed from the Commonwealth thanks to its apartheid policies. President Nelson Mandela described the royal visit as one of the most unforgettable moments in his country’s history.
On five of the six days, the royal couple were accompanied by President Mandela as they attended functions and festivities together. Here the Queen is pictured with President Mandela on the last evening of the tour.
This small Mediterranean nation holds a special place in Queen Elizabeth’s heart, as she and Prince Philip called Malta their home between 1949 and 1951 when they lived there as newlyweds, and her visit to Malta in 2005 was one of six official trips to the island. For her three-day tour in November 2005, the Queen and the Duke were specifically invited by the Maltese government.
During their visit, they attended the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM). The event took place in the capital, Valletta, and was hosted by Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi. Malta is the smallest country to have ever organised a CHOGM. In her three days on the Mediterranean island, the monarch’s time was mostly taken up by diplomatic conferences.
The Queen's 11-day tour of Australia in 2011 preceded her attendance at a gathering of Commonwealth leaders in Perth. Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip spent most of the trip in Canberra, but they also travelled to Brisbane and Melbourne. Upon their arrival, the royal couple received an official welcome and attended a national flower show the following day. The tour also included a tram ride through Melbourne (pictured) and a boat trip on the Brisbane River.
During this trip the Queen recognised the many Australian servicepeople, veterans, emergency services workers and families that helped during the Brisbane floods of 2011. In Melbourne, the monarch also opened the Royal Children’s Hospital and attended a reception hosted by Alex Cherno, the Governor of Victoria. She is pictured here with Queensland Premier Anna Bligh as they meet koalas during a visit to a Brisbane wildlife park.
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This royal tour of Ireland in 2011 marked the first time in a century that a British monarch had visited the nation (the last one was Queen Elizabeth’s grandfather King George V in 1911). Welcomed by Irish President Mary McAleese, the Queen gave a speech in which she spoke a few words in Irish, and laid a wreath in honour of those that gave their lives for Irish freedom in Dublin's Garden of Remembrance. Pictured is her visit to Croke Park, the main Gaelic games stadium in Dublin.
During their tour, the royal couple also visited a memorial for Irish soldiers who died fighting in the First World War, as well as the Rock of Cashel, Coolmore Stud and the English Market in Cork City. Pictured here is Irish Prime Minister Enda Kenny and the Queen as they shake hands before her return to the UK.
The years the Queen and Prince Philip spent in Malta were among the happiest of their lives, and the couple spent their 60th wedding anniversary there on a (non-official) trip in 2007. Their last official trip was to Malta too, when the tiny island nation again hosted the CHOGM in 2015. This picture shows the Queen walking with Maltese Prime Minister Joseph Muscat during the three-day stay, Prince Philip visible between them.
In her final speech of the tour, the Queen again spoke of her fondness for the nation she once called home, before taking a moment to look out over Valletta Harbour with Prince Philip, mirroring a photo of the couple from 1949. She was given a guard of honour by the Maltese Armed Forces before flying home from Malta International Airport. She spent the last seven years of her reign in the UK, before passing away, surrounded by family, at her favourite residence in Balmoral, Scotland.