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This coming Monday, April 27, Charles and Camilla will kick off their first royal tour of the U.S. as King and Queen. Their visit coincides with America’s 250th anniversary—a trip which mirrors a visit Charles’ mother, the late Queen Elizabeth II, made in 1976 to toast to America’s bicentennial.
Charles and Camilla only plan to spend about four days in the U.S., with stops mapped out in D.C., New York City, and Virginia. But 50 years ago, Elizabeth went all out for the United States’ milestone 200th birthday. Setting sail aboard her Royal Yacht, Britannia, Elizabeth embarked on a six-day tour all along the East Coast that started in Philadelphia on July 6 and ended in Boston on July 11. Over those six days, she and Prince Phillip stopped in six different states. Here’s where they went to ring in America’s Bicentennial birthday.
Philadelphia
Elizabeth and Phillip docked at Philadelphia’s Penn’s Landing on July 6, 1976—just two days 200th anniversary of the 4th of July Declaration of Independence.
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Queen Elizabeth standing in front of the Liberty Bell in Philadelphia.
Liberty Bell: Following a visit to City Hall, Elizabeth presented the United States with a birthday gift from the British in front of the Liberty Bell: a shiny new “Bicentennial bell.” Described by The New York Times as a “six‐and‐one‐half‐ton bell,” the piece was cast in the Whitechapel Foundry in London, the same place the original Liberty Bell was made. The bell bore the inscription “For the people of the United States from the people of Britain 4 July 1976. Let Freedom Ring.”
Philadelphia Museum of Modern Art: To finish off the day, Elizabeth attended a dinner and reception hosted by the City of Philadelphia and dined amid the collection of the city’s Museum of Modern Art.
Washington, D.C.
The Queen and Prince spent July 7 and 8 attending events and seeing the sights of the nation’s capital.
White House Rose Garden: President Gerald Ford and his wife, Betty, hosted Elizabeth and Philip for a State Dinner in the White House’s verdant Rose Garden. There, the Queen presented the President with a soup tureen painted with a vignette of the White House and Independence Hall, as well as the seals of the President and the Queen.
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Queen Elizabeth making a speech at the White House State Dinner.
U.S. Capitol: Elizabeth attended a luncheon in the Capitol’s National Statuary Hall and viewed a copy of the Magna Carta in the Rotunda. Her son would do the very same thing years later during a 2015 visit to the U.S.
Smithsonian: Here, the Queen toured the famous museum, meeting with Vice President Nelson Rockefeller and Secretary S. Dillon Ripley.
New York
After their arrival in Battery Park, Phillip and Elizabeth toured Manhattan like any other pair of New York City tourists—their day was jam packed with sightseeing stops (and even a little bit of shopping).
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Queen Elizabeth greeting the rector of Trinity Church, Reverend Robert Parks.
Trinity Church: This historic church at the intersection of Broadway and Wall Street actually got its charter in 1697 from Queen Elizabeth’s ancestor, William III. The rent on the charter was one peppercorn each year. That amount had never never been paid—until July 9, 1976, when Queen Elizabeth was presented with 279 peppercorns worth of “backrent” on the steps of the very church her ancestor leased. The New York Times reported the backrent was presented to Her Majesty in a “Steuben glass container.”
Federal Hall: After collecting the rent from Trinity Church, Elizabeth stopped at the very same place George Washington was first inaugurated to make a “short speech of thanks,” as The New York Times called it. The Times also reported that Union Jacks and American flags dangled from the lampposts, while Elizabeth’s own standard flew from the pediment.
Morris-Jumel Mansion: After reportedly changing her dress and hat, according to The New York Times, Elizabeth took her afternoon tea at this historic house, the borough’s oldest residential building.
Bloomingdale’s: Though decked out in a cream dress, matching jacket, and airy wide brimmed straw hat, Elizabeth stopped at the iconic department store for a quick shopping trip. The visit caused a bit of a stir, with The Times reporting that “the store was inundated with photographers.”
Connecticut
After sailing over night from New York, the royal duo arrived in New Haven, Connecticut on July 10. Upon docking, they were greeted by then-Connecticut Governor Ella T. Grasso and New Haven Mayor Frank Logue, who presented them with a pewter Bicentennial plate. Phillip and Elizabeth then went to Connecticut’s Tweed-New Haven Airport to board a plane that would take them on the next leg of their journey. The New York Times reported that “50,000 people lined the docks, streets, and airport” to catch a glimpse of the royals during their 40-minute layover in the state.
Virginia
Elizabeth and Phillip landed in Virginia around mid-day on July 10, where they stayed for a few hours to visit the sites of the state.
Monticello: Upon landing at Virginia’s Charlottesville-Albemarle Airport, Elizabeth and Phillip traveled via motorcade to tour the home of the 3rd president, Thomas Jefferson.
University of Virginia: Elizabeth attended a luncheon then-Virginia Gov. Mills E. Godwin hosted in her honor inside the University of Virginia’s Rotunda building. UVA Today reported “18,000 people crowded onto Grounds” as the Queen strolled the university’s lawn.
Rhode Island
Queen Elizabeth ended her busy day by flying to Rhode Island. The Royal Yacht had sailed from Connecticut to meet the monarch in Newport, according to an itinerary of the visit available on the Gerald Ford Library website. The pair spent some time in the coastal resort town, even hosting President Ford and his wife for a dinner aboard the Britannia, before sailing overnight to Boston.
Queen Anne Square: Elizabeth visited this one-acre public park named after the British monarch, Queen Anne, for a dedication ceremony. She then visited the nearby Trinity Church, according to local Rhode Island news station WPRI.
Boston
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Elizabeth riding through Boston’s North End with then-Boston Governor Michael Dukakis.
Elizabeth and Phillip spent their sixth and final day in Boston. With their Bicentennial tour of America finished, the pair then sailed off to Canada.
Old North Church: In 1775, Paul Revere used this church to hang his signal lanterns during the American Revolution. One lantern meant the British were coming by land, two meant by sea. Over 200 years later, Queen Elizabeth toured the historic site and attended a special church service during her American tour for the country’s Bicentennial anniversary.
Old State House: Elizabeth greeted the citizens of Boston from the balcony of the city’s Old State House, just steps away from where the Declaration of Independence was first read to the public. “We have been very moved by the welcome we have received in this city, particularly since it was here, in Boston, that it all began,” the Queen reportedly said at the time.