queen elizabeth visit serbia

Between Tito and the Serbian royals, the Queen's relationship with Yugoslavia was warm nevertheless

Queen Elizabeth II’s relationship with Yugoslavia was always a warm one -- despite the country's communist leadership eschewing its own monarchy.

In 1945, Elizabeth, Princess of York at the time, became godmother to Prince Aleksandar Karađorđević II, the son of the exiled Yugoslav King Petar II.

Petar II and his family found refuge in London after Nazi Germany occupied the southern Slavic kingdom over the course of 11 days in April 1941.

After the anti-fascist Partisans led by Josip Broz Tito liberated the country in 1945 with the help of their allies -- including British PM Winston Churchill -- the new communist government banned the royal family from returning to power.

Rumours at the time suggested that Churchill declared the room Aleksandar II was born in at London's Claridges Hotel Yugoslav territory for the day so that he could symbolically be declared king.

However, critics believe the relationship was not as welcome by the British royals as people thought.

Having supported the Partisans, the United Kingdom invited Tito to an official visit and an audience with the Queen in 1953 after he severed all ties with Joseph Stalin and the Soviet Union just five years prior.

Speaking to Euronews Serbia, Serbian historian Čedomir Antić said, ''when the British government and the British royal elite were favourable to Yugoslavia, it was usually when it benefited them, or they were forced to do so. There were never explosions of friendship, as we sometimes we like to believe."

In fact, it was the sudden onset of the Cold War as the UK and its allies emerged victorious from World War II that made the British authorities more amenable to having a neutral socialist country stay outside of the Iron Curtain, despite differences in politics.

Aleksandar II never acceded to the Yugoslav throne.

"The Serbian royal family lived a life of exile in London and never received neither adequate nor sufficient help from those with whom they allied themselves, although they did not have to," Antić continued.

Elizabeth II embarked on a return visit in 1972, making her the first British sovereign to visit a communist country.

Yugoslavia maintained good relations with the West and remained open to its cultural and other influences regardless of its proximity to Soviet Union's satellites and more similar ideological beliefs until its eventual break-up in the early 1990s.

After the break-up of Yugoslavia, the former royal family did not manage to regain the throne. But the family -- originating from Montenegro -- has been active in Serbian society, and the crown prince Aleksandar has lived in Belgrade's Dedinje Royal Palace since 2001.

Despite a small political movement turned party, POKS, platforming on Serbia returning to being a monarchy, the Karađorđević family has stated that it supports Serbia as a democratic country with its future in the European Union.

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Connections between the Royal Family of the United Kingdom and the Royal Family of Serbia

The connections between the Royal Families of the United Kingdom (House of Windsor) and Serbia (House of Karadjordjević) are over a century old. Starting out as the usual relationship between ruling monarch of two states, they have become closer through family ties and god-parental relationships.

HRH Regent Alexander and HRH Prince Albert in London, 1916

In 2018 an exhibition Karadjordjevićs and Windsors, Two Royal Families – Historical Ties was organised at the Royal Palace in Belgrade by Dragomir Acović and Dušan Babac, members of the Privy Council. HRH Crown Prince Alexander, the Head of the Royal Family of Serbia stated: ‘The history of the relations between Serbia and Great Britain had its ups and downs, but the history of the relations between the Karadjordjevićs and the Windsors has always been the history of close family ties and friendly relations. I hope that the closeness and understanding between our two families will help our countries to overcome all differences and restore the majestic splendor of their two wartime alliances.’

At the beginning of the 20th century almost all European rulers were related to the British Royal Family, while in Belgrade the Serbian dynasty had practically no relatives among the European rulers. The interests of just a few European countries shaped the entire world at the time, particularly Great Britain with its vast empire. Serbia was still not yet managing to rule itself; the vast territory of the Kingdom of Serbia was still occupied by the Ottoman Empire. While Britain saw an ally in Turkey, Serbia was looking to Austria and Russia for support in its bid for freedom. In both cases, the choice of allies determined the status and importance of the relationships between the countries.

The officers’ coup in 1903 worsened the already fragile links between Britain and Serbia. The killing of the last King of the Obrenović Dynasty was not received well by the British Royal Court: relations between Britain and Serbia moved from cold to frozen. It was only several years later, in 1910, when the first connections between the Courts were established at the state funeral of HM Edward VII, the King of Great Britain and Ireland and Emperor of India. HM King Peter I and Serbia were represented by HRH Crown Prince Alexander (later HM King Alexander I), an event which was recorded on film. The following year, he again represented Serbia and his father, when he attended the coronation of HM King George V. This helped Crown Prince Alexander re-establish and improve diplomatic relations between the two kingdoms.

The outbreak of the First World War significantly changed the diplomatic situation in Europe. The wartime alliance between the Kingdom of Serbia and Great Britain led to the establishment of much more frequent and closer ties between the two countries, as well as between the two Royal Courts. In spring 1916, Regent Alexander visited England where he was received not only at the highest levels but also with the greatest cordiality. He proposed the first step to ending the war by convincing the Allies of the necessity to equip the Serbian Army and maintain the Thessaloniki Front. Although many disagreed at that point, they were persuaded by the words of the young military commander. His foresight ended the war.

After the Great War, relations between the two Royal Families were raised to a higher level. On 8 June 1922, HM King Alexander I married HRH Princess Maria of Romania, who became Queen of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes. She was a great-granddaughter of HM Queen Victoria. This marriage established closer family ties between the offspring of King Alexander I and Queen Maria and the British Royal Family. Many countries sent their envoys to the royal wedding in Belgrade. Representatives were sent by Persia and distant Japan, and even a guest from Austria arrived, with whom Serbia had been at war four years prior. The best man at the wedding was HM King George V of Great Britain, who was represented by his younger son, HM Prince Albert, the Duke of York.

HM King Alexander I and his best man, HRH Prince Albert of Great Britain, on the Royal wedding in Belgrade, 8 June 1922

The following year, on 6 September 1923, their first son was born – HRH Crown Prince Peter. The birth of an heir to the throne who would continue the family line and provide stability to the state was of the greatest importance to the Karadjordjević dynasty, as well as to the Kingdom. The birth of the first son of King Alexander I was therefore a significant event. The Crown Prince’s baptism was set for 21 October that year. A few days before the baptism, the esteemed guests from the European royal families started to arrive, among them the Duke of York, who later became HM King George VI, who acted as proxy-godfather on behalf of his father, King George V.

Baptism of HRH Crown Prince Peter, 21 October 1923 HM King Alexander with Royal Family of Romania and HRH Prince Albert

It is important to emphasise that for Serbian people, ‘kumstvo’ (a word that jointly represents both relations when somebody is someone’s godparent at baptism and/or best man/maid of honour at the wedding) is a sacred relation; it is considered either equal to or sometimes even more important than ‘blood relations’.

In March 1941, the Yugoslav government signed the Tripartite Pact with Nazi Germany, the people of Yugoslavia rebelled and declined the pact. HM King Peter II took his oath as an eligible adult, even though only seventeen years old, to stand up against Hitler. King Peter II, his people, and the country became the victims of Hitler’s wrath because of their opposition to the Tripartite Pact. With the invasion of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia by the Nazis and their allies, King Peter II and other members of the Royal Family were forced to leave their homeland and join the other heads of state from occupied Europe who were in London. At that time, King Peter II appealed to the leaders of the world to support the fight of the brave people of Yugoslavia against the Axis powers. He continually strived to get back to his country and be with his people. King Peter II made a tremendous effort to help the people of Yugoslavia in the fight against Nazism. He desperately looked for support for his countrymen and organised meetings with many important world leaders. These included President Roosevelt, Sir Winston Churchill and his godfather King George VI of Britain.

When King Peter II married HM Princess Alexandra of Greece and Denmark in 1944, it marked the foundation of a new connection between the two Royal Families. Queen Alexandra of Yugoslavia was the niece of the late Duke of Edinburgh, HRH Prince Philip, and a cousin and dear friend of HRH Crown Prince Alexander and the Royal Family. Prince Phillip was the son of the Greek and Danish Prince Andrew, the brother of the Greek King Constantine, the maternal great-grandfather of Crown Prince Alexander. HM King Peter II and HM Queen Alexandra also attended the wedding of Princess Elizabeth and Prince Phillip on 20 November 1947.

HM King George VI and HM King Peter II in London during World War II

HRH Crown Prince Alexander, the son of King Peter II and Queen Alexandra, was born in Claridge’s Hotel in London in suite 212 on 17 July 1945. King Peter II asked the British government to temporarily declare this hotel suite where the heir of the throne would be born to be Yugoslav territory.

Baptism of HRH Crown Prince Alexander on 24 October 1945 at Westminster Abbey Princess Elizabeth, now HM Queen Elizabeth II, >HM King George VI and HM King Peter II

The baptism of Crown Prince Alexander was officiated by Patriarch Gavrilo and Bishop Nikolaj Velimirović (now a Saint in the Serbian Orthodox Church) on 24 October 1945 at Westminster Abbey.

The godparents were the then Princess Elizabeth, now HM Queen Elizabeth II, and her father HM King George VI. In the decades following World War II, the Royal Family of Serbia was forced to live in exile. This was as a consequence of a decree by the non-democratic communist regime in Yugoslavia. This removed all the rights, including citizenship, from the members of the Karadjordjević Royal Family. Their entire private property was confiscated. Crown Prince Alexander was considered an enemy of the state, although he was not even two years old at the time of the decree.

In 1995, in that same London hotel where Crown Prince Alexander was born, HRH Crown Princess Katherine hosted the fiftieth birthday party for her husband. The celebration was attended by Queen Elizabeth II, together with many other royals. At the birthday celebration, Queen Elizabeth asked the Crown Prince Alexander what his birthday wish was, and he replied: ‘To be home with my people in my country.’ A wish that finally came true 10 years later on the Crown Prince’s 60th birthday, when in 2001 the Royal Family finally returned home to Serbia after decades of enforced exile.

Crown Prince Alexander and Crown Princess Katherine have attended all the major events of the British Royal Family, including the wedding in 2011 of HRH Prince William, the Duke of Cambridge and Catherine Middleton, now HRH The Duchess of Cambridge. They also attended Queen Elizabeth’s diamond jubilee in May 2012, where they were guests of Her Majesty.

HM Queen Elizabeth II and HRH Crown Prince Alexander, at the Crown Prince’s 50th birthday, 17 July 1995, London

Crown Prince Alexander has a close relationship with his godmother Queen Elizabeth. He shared with the public the fact that the Queen sent him a handwritten letter for his birthday, where she recalled his baptism and that he was ‘a very big baby, and it was hard for her to hold him’.

When HRH The Prince of Wales visited Serbia in March 2016, he was a guest of Crown Prince Alexander and Crown Princess Katherine. They greeted him in the Royal Palace and presented him with an icon of Saint George, the patron saint of England, and the finest wines from the royal vineyards in Oplenac. Crown Princess Katherine prepared a handmade Serbian shawl and handbag for HRH The Duchess of Cornwall. At the request of Crown Princess Katherine, the Prince of Wales donated to the Princess Katherine Foundation an autoclave sterilizer for the Gynecological Clinic within the Clinical Centre of Serbia. This valuable donation was delivered to the Centre by Crown Prince Alexander and Crown Princess Katherine in the presence of the UK Ambassador to Serbia.

This represents a timeline of the good relationship between the two Royal Families, the House of Windsor and the House of Karadjordjevic, a relationship that is sure to grow even stronger in the future.

‘Public Relations, The Royal Palace, Belgrade, Serbia’

This article originally appeared in the Serbian Month 2022 programme and is reproduced with permission. Read the full 112 page catalogue below:

britic.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/Serbian-Month-in-Great-Britain-2022.pdf

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The Queen: Around the World in 70 Years

Royal family.

In early 1952, the then princess Elizabeth visited Kenya - the first stop on a planned journey to numerous commonwealth countries. She was to leave the country a queen, however, after learning that her father, King George VI, had died during her trip. From then until the end of her reign upon her own death 70 years later, Queen Elizabeth ll visited 117 countries in an official capacity, covering well over a million miles in the process.

As this infographic illustrates, the queen covered a large proportion of the globe during her time on the throne. From her first stops in the Caribbean on a 1953/54 royal tour - setting sail as queen for the first time - to her final visit in 2015 to Malta. Since that final trip, Queen Elizabeth II passed on international travel duties to other senior members of the royal family .

Description

This chart shows the countries/States visited by Queen Elizabeth II during her reign.

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Ambassador of Serbia in London Aleksandra Joksimović presented Letters of Credence to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II

Cord recommends, miroslav lajčak appointed new eu ambassador to switzerland, french embassy and institute in serbia launch ‘rhythm of french culture’ event series, 1938 superman comic sold for record $6 million, white house calls for lunar time zone, nelt group announces executive appointments, tiktok faces potential us ban, mattoni 1873 completes acquisition of knjaz miloš for €90 million, eu parliament passes stringent packaging laws, mobi bank becomes yettel bank.

Ambassador of the Republic of Serbia to the United Kingdom Aleksandra Joksimović presented Letters of Credence to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II on 26 March 2019.

Ambassador Aleksandra Joksimović also communicated a message from Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić that the royal family is always welcome to Belgrade and that every visit, like the one in 2016, when Prince Charles visited Serbia, contributes to better mutual relations.

Ambassador Joksimović talked with The Queen about the common history of the two countries and reminded of the recent celebration of 180 years of the Serbian-British relations.

The Ambassador highlighted the First World War as important for the common history in which, along with Serbian fighters, Admiral Ernest Trubridge and Lady Padgett took part.

“We sincerely hope that the next generation of the royal family will be ready to visit Serbia,” said Ambassador Joksimović, who gave the Queen a Collection of Works on the topic of 180 years of Serbian-British relations.

The diplomatic staff of the Embassy of the Republic of Serbia in London was also presented to the Queen.

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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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Here’s every country Queen Elizabeth II visited in her 70-year reign

From Algeria to Zimbabwe, the Queen visited at least 117 different countries

Queen Elizabeth II, who died earlier today , was probably the best-travelled monarch in history. In her 70 years as UK monarch, Her Maj apparently travelled to at least 117 different countries – and covered over a million miles, according to The Telegraph .

The Queen travelled for loads of reasons, from ceremonial openings to official state visits, but she got around so much primarily because she was head of state for the Commonwealth: a political association of countries that were largely conquered by Britain back when it was an imperial power. RECOMMENDED: How the world is paying tribute to Queen Elizabeth II

In fact, Elizabeth II wasn’t just the Queen of the United Kingdom: during her time on the throne, she reigned over a total of 32 sovereign countries. Having started her reign in the final years of the British Empire, she ruled over a number of former British colonies as they became independent sovereign states. Many, but not all, later cut ties with the monarchy and became republics.

Queen Elizabeth II reigned, at various points, over Antigua and Barbuda, Australia, the Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Canada, Ceylon (later Sri Lanka), Fiji, Gambia, Ghana, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, Kenya, Malawi, Malta, Mauritius, New Zealand, Nigeria, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, St Vincent and the Grenadines, Sierra Leone, the Solomon Islands, South Africa, Tanganyika (later Tanzania), Trinidad and Tobago, Tuvalu, Uganda and, of course, the UK . She was also proclaimed as queen by Rhodesia, the predecessor to Zimbabwe.

By the time of her death, she was still the queen of 15 countries: Antigua and Barbuda, Australia, the Bahamas, Belize, Canada, Grenada, Jamaica, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, the Solomon Islands, Tuvalu and the UK. She was the Queen of Barbados until November 2021, when the Caribbean nation became a republic.

As you’d expect, the Queen visited all of these places – and plenty more – during her 70-year reign. Here is a full list of all the countries and states the Queen travelled to during her reign, and the dates when she visited.

Algeria (1980)

Antigua and Barbuda (1966, 1977, 1985)

Australia (1953, 1963, 1970, 1973, 1974, 1977, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1986, 1988, 1992, 2000, 2002, 2011)

Austria (1969)

Bahamas (1966, 1977, 1985, 1994)

Bahrain (1979)

Bangladesh (1983)

Barbados (1966, 1977, 1985, 1989)

Belgium (1966, 1993, 1998, 2007)

Belize (1985, 1994)

Bermuda (1953, 1975, 1983, 1994, 2009)

Botswana (1979)

Brazil  (1968)

British Virgin Islands (1966, 1977)

Brunei (1998)

Canada (1957, 1959, 1963, 1966, 1967, 1970, 1971, 1973, 1974, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1982, 1983, 1987, 1990, 1992, 1994, 1997, 2002, 2005, 2010)

Cayman Islands (1983, 1994)

Chile (1968)

China (1986)

Cook Islands (1974)

Cyprus (1961, 1983, 1984, 1993)

Czech Republic (1996)

Denmark (1957, 1979)

Dominica (1966, 1985, 1994)

Estonia (2006)

Ethiopia (1965)

Fiji (1953, 1963, 1970, 1973, 1977, 1982)

Finland (1976, 1994)

France (1957, 1972, 1992, 1994, 2004, 2014)

Gambia (1961)

Germany (1990, 1992, 2004, 2015)

Ghana (1961, 1999)

Grenada (1966, 1985)

Guyana (1966, 1994)

Hungary (1993)

Iceland (1990)

India (1961, 1983, 1997)

Indonesia (1974)

Iran (1961)

Ireland (2011)

Italy (1961, 1980, 2000, 2014)

Jamaica (1953, 1966, 1975, 1983, 1994, 2002)

Japan (1975)

Jordan (1984)

Kenya (1952, 1972, 1983, 1991)

Kiribati (1982)

Kuwait (1979)

Latvia (2006)

Liberia (1961)

Libya (1954)

Lithuania (2006)

Luxembourg (1976)

Malawi (1979)

Malaysia (1972, 1989, 1998)

Maldives (1972)

Malta (1954, 1967, 1992, 2005, 2015)

Mauritius (1972)

Mexico (1975, 1983)

Morocco (1980)

Mozambique (1999)

Namibia (1991)

Nauru (1982)

Nepal (1961, 1986)

Netherlands (1958, 1988, 2007)

New Zealand (1953, 1963, 1970, 1974, 1977, 1981, 1986, 1990, 1995, 2002)

Nigeria (1956, 2003)

Norway (1955, 1981, 2001)

Oman (1979, 2010)

Pakistan (1961, 1997)

Panama (1953)

Papua New Guinea (1974, 1977, 1982)

Poland (1996)

Portugal (1957, 1985)

Qatar (1979)

Russia (1994)

Saint Kitts and Nevis (1985)

Saint Lucia (1966, 1985)

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines (1966, 1985)

Samoa (1977)

Saudi Arabia (1979)

Seychelles (1972)

Sierra Leone (1961)

Singapore (1972, 1989)

Solomon Islands (1982)

South Africa (1995, 1999)

South Korea (1999)

Slovakia (2008)

Slovenia (2008)

Spain (1988)

Sri Lanka (1954, 1981)

Sudan (1965)

Sweden (1956, 1983)

Switzerland (1980)

Tanzania (1979)

Thailand (1972, 1996)

Tonga (1953, 1970, 1977)

Trinidad & Tobago (1966, 1985, 2009)

Tunisia (1980)

Turkey (1971, 2008)

Turks and Caicos Islands (1966)

Tuvalu (1982)

Uganda (1954, 2007)

UAE (1979, 2010)

USA (1957, 1976, 1983, 1991, 2007)

Vatican City (1961, 1980, 2000, 2014)

West Germany (1965, 1978, 1987)

Yugoslavia (1972)

Zambia (1979)

Zimbabwe (1991)

What will happen now that the Queen has died?

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Watch CBS News

Royal Family Of Serbia Visits Chicago

June 16, 2019 / 4:46 PM CDT / CBS Chicago

CHICAGO (CBS) --  Chicago welcomed the royal family of Serbia to town.

Crown Prince Alexander and Crown Princess Katherine celebrated the 25th anniversary of Lifeline Humanitarian Organization of Chicago Saturday night at the Union League Club. The charitable group helps those in need in Serbia. For more than two decades, they've organized hospital equipment donations, provided aid for children in orphanages and gone to remote areas of the country to provide mammograms.

"I'm so grateful for the board of directors of Lifeline and the support they've had from the people," Crown Princess Katherine said. "Everybody should feel the good deeds they've done and the lives they've saved."

The royal couple also paid a visit to Oscar Mayer Magnet School in Lincoln Park during their stay. The visit was organized by student Katarina Frank and music teacher Melissa Hooker. The children sang a song in Serbian for the royal couple.

Crown Prince Alexander once worked in Chicago. The godson of Queen Elizabeth said the city has always had a special place in his heart and now, so do these children.

"They organized a Serbian event, which was extraordinary. There was even 'Marširala Kralja Petra', which was one of our great songs that were sung. The students received my wife with roses. They had a flag. They were so sweet," he said.

"I feel that philanthropy and caring for people has to start when children are young. I had parents who taught me the joy of giving, not the joy of taking," Crown Princess Katherine said.

Among the questions the children asked was "what does it feel like to be a princess?" Crown Princess Katherine told them it's just a title. What matters most is what you have in your heart.

For more information on the royal family's charity work, visit www.royal.rs .

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Launch of Serbian edition of the Queen Elizabeth II biography

The Serbian language edition of the “Queen Elizabeth – Life of a Modern Monarch” biography was launched at the British Residence on 13 February.

The book, ‘Queen Elizabeth - The Life of a Modern Monarch’, by New York Times bestselling author Sally Bedell Smith, was originally published in honour of the Diamond Jubilee.

Chargé d’Affaires to Serbia David McFarlane, Uroš Balov, founder and director of the publishing house “Albion Books” and Ivan Cvejic, Editor-in-Chief of BETA News Agency, addressed the guests, which included many journalists, local historians and Anglophiles, public figures and members of the Serbian-British community. Chargé McFarlane praised this engaging biography, and shared brief impressions on his professional encounters with the Queen Elizabeth II. Director of “Albion Books” spoke of the reasons to publish biography of this “global icon” in the year when she is approaching the possibility to become the longest reigning British Monarch. Cvejic gave a sneak preview of some of the interesting insights in the book about Her Majesty the Queen’s life and her importance in the global context.

They were joined on stage by the Serbian-British actress Ana Sofrenovic, who performed selected readings from the book depicting Her Majesty the Queen’s education, coronation and fulfilling her professional obligations as a head of the state.

During the reception which followed the presentation, a four-piece chamber orchestra continued the British theme and performed Haydn’s London trio.

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SERBIAN ROYAL COUPLE AT THE FUNERAL OF QUEEN ELIZABETH II

TRH Crown Prince Alexander and Crown Princess Katherine attended today in London the state funeral of HM Queen Elizabeth II, Crown Prince Alexander’s beloved godmother.

The day before, on Sunday, 18 September, Their Royal Highnesses attended a reception for Royal families and heads of state, held by Their Majesties King Charles III and Queen Consort Camilla at Buckingham Palace. Crown Prince and Crown Princess on the same day also paid their respect to the late Queen at Lying-in-State in Westminster Hall.

“This is a very sad day, the day when we said final fare-well to my beloved godmother, a remarkable monarch who most significantly marked the times that we all lived in as the longest reigning sovereign of the United Kingdom. She passed away, but the memory of her will live forever, fondly kept by all of us who knew her. I am grateful for all the moments we shared together, for her kind and caring words, and for her love.

I am sure that my dear uncle, HM King Charles III will be a worthy follower of his great mother, and I know that he will, with the same devotion and determination that Queen Elizabeth II had, serve his people and his country as the monarch of the United Kingdom and the other Commonwealth realms. The Queen’s shining example will lead him in performing his important duty”, stated HRH Crown Prince Alexander on this occasion.

The members of the Royal Family of the United Kingdom, led by TM King Charles III and Queen Consort Camilla, HRH the Prince of Wales, William and The Duchess of Cornwall HRH Princess Catherine, were accompanied by many distinguished people in saying goodbye to the late Queen and setting her off to her eternal rest. Together with the Royal Couple of Serbia, the Royal families of Europe and the world were present including: TIM Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako of Japan, HM King Carl XVI Gustaf and HM Queen Silvia of Sweden, King Philippe and HM Queen Mathilde of Belgium, HM King Felipe VI and HM Queen Letizia of Spain, HM King Willem-Alexander and HM Queen Máxima of Netherlands, HM Queen Margrethe II and HRH Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark, HM King Harald V and HM Queen Sonja of Norway, HSH Prince Albert II and Princess Charlene of Monaco, HRH Henri, the Grand Duke of Luxembourg, HSH Prince Hans-Adam II of Liechtenstein, HM King Abdullah II and Queen Rania of Jordan,  HM the Sultan of Brunei Hassanal Bolkiah ibni Omar Ali Saifuddien III, HM the Sultan of Oman Haitham bin Tariq Al Said, HM the King of Malaysia Abdullah of Pahang, Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani of Qatar,  as well as HM Custodian of the Crown of Romania Margareta, HM Czar Simeon of the Bulgarians, HM Queen Anne Marie and HRH Crown Prince Pavlos of Greece, and many other Royals.

The sad event began with the funeral procession, and the Queen’s coffin was conveyed from Westminster Hall to Westminster Abbey. HM King Charles III, HRH the Prince of Wales, William, together with other senior members of the Royal family of the United Kingdom walked behind the Queen’s coffin during the procession, where the coffin was carried on the gun carriage that was used for the funerals of King Edward VII, King George V, and the Queen’s father, HM King George VI who was Crown Prince Alexander’s godfather.

The state funeral at Westminster Abbey is likely one of the biggest single ceremonial events that happened in Great Britain since World War Two. The order of service, with its choice of music and readings, reflected the Queen’s personal choices for the funeral, since Her Majesty, a long time before her death, made arrangements and was consulted regarding the protocol of her funeral.

After the Abbey service, the Queen’s coffin was carried in a further procession to Wellington Arch and finally was conveyed to Windsor for a committal service at St George’s Chapel Windsor, where Crown Prince Alexander and Crown Princess also were. The Queen will be buried later today in the King George VI Memorial Chapel, where she will rests with her husband Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, who died last year.

HM Queen Elizabeth II passed away on 8 September 2022, the year when she marked the 70th anniversary of being the British monarch. Together with her father, HM King George VI, she was the godmother of HRH Crown Prince Alexander. The baptism was officiated by Patriarch Gavrilo and Bishop Nikolaj Velimirovic (who is now a Saint in the Serbian Orthodox Church) on October 24th, 1945 at Westminster Abbey. HM King Charles III is Crown Prince Alexander’s uncle, since his father, HRH Prince Philip, late Duke of Edinburgh, was the son of the Greek and Danish Prince Andrew, the brother of the Greek King Constantine, the maternal great-grandfather of Crown Prince Alexander.

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Why was Queen Elizabeth II’s first state visit to Norway?

This year brings another special anniversary for the Queen’s long and historic reign. This summer marks 65 years since Queen Elizabeth’s first State Visit. It took place in June 1955 and saw the new Monarch travel to the the Kingdom of Norway. So, why was Norway the first nation that the Queen visited after her coronation?

The first reason was that the British and Norwegian Royal Family enjoy a strong and historic friendship. They are also close relatives. Queen Elizabeth is a second cousin of the present King Harald V of Norway, who has ruled since 1991. At the time of the visit in 1955 King Harald was only a Prince of Norway and his grandfather, Haakon VII, was the ruling King.

Princess Maud, the daughter of King Edward VII (Queen Elizabeth’s great-grandfather), married Prince Carl of Denmark who in 1905 became King Haakon VII of Norway. This made the British born Maud, Queen of Norway. During World War II, King Haakon VII and Crown Prince Olav were in exile in the United Kingdom. During this period, they met their British relatives regularly and became very good friends. The future Queen Elizabeth, who at that time was a princess, developed a very good relationship and friendly bond with King Haakon, a man she referred to as “Uncle Haakon” for the rest of her life.

The second reason was to strengthen an already close diplomatic and military tie between the two nations. Norway and the UK were important allies during World War II and ever since the 18th century the UK and Norway have had close and important trade relations. In the 1950s, trade between the two nations was focused on fish and timber. The Queen’s visit in 1955 was central to establishing good trade agreements.

In 2001, Her Majesty the Queen spoke of the close ties to Norway at a state banquet with King Harald. Then the Queen said: “Your Majesty, we are proud of our kinship and common heritage with Norway. We are equally proud of the richness and diversity of our modern relationship. Our cultural ties are also strong. Our kinship and our common heritage now underpin a rich and diverse relationship as advanced industrial societies. This is what makes Britain and Norway such natural partners.”

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