User:LegionesCataegis/1953-1954 Royal Tour of New Zealand
_(52344857395).jpg) Queen Elizabeth II and Mayor Macalister, in Wellington, January 11, 1954, during the royal tour of New Zealand | |
| Date | December 23, 1953 – January 31, 1954 |
|---|---|
| Venue | 46 towns and cities across New Zealand |
| Location | New Zealand |
| Coordinates | None |
| Type | Royal tour |
| Motive | Strengthen Commonwealth ties, celebrate the Queen's coronation |
| Organised by | New Zealand Government, Royal Household |
| Participants | Queen Elizabeth II, Prince Philip |
| First visit by a reigning monarch to New Zealand; toured 46 towns/cities and attended 110 functions | |
The 1953–54 Royal Visit to New Zealand took place from 23 December 1953 to 31 January 1954 and involved Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip touring 46 towns and cities across New Zealand. The tour marked first occasion on which a reigning British monarch visited the country.
Background
[edit]Previous royal tours of New Zealand had primarily been undertaken by princes, rather than reigning monarchs. Notably, Prince Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh, visited in 1869 and again in 1870 and 1871. Subsequent visits by other royal figures followed, including the Duke and Duchess of Cornwall and York in 1901, Edward, Prince of Wales in 1920, and the Duke and Duchess of York in 1927.
Plans for a royal visit to New Zealand had been discussed as early as 1939. Following the success of the King's visit to France, there was considerable interest in additional royal tours.[1] Discussions were had about a royal visit to New Zealand in 1940 to coincide with the country's centennial celebrations, however these plans were waylaid by the outbreak of the Second World War.
Following the end of the war, a planned visit by King George VI, Queen Elizabeth and Princess Margaret to Australia and New Zealand was announced in March 1948, intended to be the first visit of a reigning monarch to the dominions.[2] However, the king developed an arterial blockage in his right leg and on 23 November, Buckingham Palace announced that the planned Australasian tour had been postponed.[3] The royal visit was rescheduled for 1952 but, during this time, King George's health deteriorated further. In September 1951, he underwent an operation to remove one of his lungs, which ultimately left him unable to travel.
- ^ "Royal Tours Abroad". The New Zealand Herald. 10 August 1938. p. 13. Retrieved 10 December 2024.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ "Royal Visit to N.Z. in 1949 Announced". The Press. 8 March 1948. p. 7. Retrieved 10 December 2024.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ James, Robert Rhodes (1998). A Spirit Undaunted: The Political Role of George VI. London: Little, Brown and Co. pp. 315–316. ISBN 978-0-316-64765-6.