Queen Elizabeth Once Visited Washington State, Can You Recall The Year?
Queen Elizabeth Has Only Been To Washington State One Time In 70 Years
In her amazing 70-year reign, Queen Elizabeth II only visited Washington State once in her lifetime. Do you recall the year?
The Royal Yacht Brittania Was Docked In Elliott Bay
I grew up enamored with the Royal Family. If you were a kid in the 1980s', the wedding of Prince Charles and Princess Diana was a big event that was televised around the world. In those days, you only had three local channels, CBS, ABC, and NBC carrying the storybook wedding.
Prince Charles and Princess Diana Were Married on July 29th In 1981
You didn't have to be a fan of the Royal Family and yet everyone was watching that day in 1981. As a young kid, I recall only a few events of my early youth but the hostages being released in Iran and the Royal Wedding are two moments in time I've never forgotten.
By the request of President Ronald Reagan, Queen Elizabeth touched down in Seattle Washington and departed from Air Force One on March 7th, 1983.
Queen Elizabeth also visited several other west coast cities like San Diego and Portland.
Jack Gordon Was The Official Greeter Along With Governer Spellman In 1983
There is a great archive of her official visit that's just fascinating at jackgordon.com
Jack Gordon was considered to be the "official" greeter of Presidents, Governors, Astronauts, and Heads of State when they came to Seattle and there is an amazing archive documenting the Queen's visit.
I couldn't find a video of Queen Elizabeth in Seattle but did manage to find a video of her visiting San Diego on the same tour.
If you were fortunate to see the Queen in 1983 in Seattle during her visit, you were truly a lucky person. It is unlikely that anyone in the future could surpass her 70 years on the throne.
You can read more about Queen Elizabeth's visit to see Seattle at jackgordon.org and you can read more about Queen Elizabeth's other tours here.