History of British and Other Royal Visitors
One commentator has observed that, notwithstanding the high unemployment resulting from the loss of full passports during 1981–2002, the level of loyalty to the British monarchy by the St Helena population is probably not exceeded in any other part of the world.
The first royal visit is speculated to have been by Prince Rupert of the Rhine (1619–1682), probably on his voyage home in India. No contemporary documents exist, but no other explanation has been given for naming Rupert’s Bay, adjacent to Jamestown.
The Prince de Joinville arrived in 1840 to return the body of Napoleon I to France. The Prince Alfred visited the island in 1860 en-route to Tristan Da Cunha. Empress Eugénie (widow of Napoleon III) arrived in 1880 and the same year Prince Henry of Prussia arrived in a German frigate. The Duke of Connaught arrived in 1911 on his journey back from Cape Town. The Prince of Wales (later Edward VIII) visited in 1925.
George VI is the only reigning monarch to visit the island. This was in 1947 when the King, accompanied by Queen Elizabeth (later Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother), Princess Elizabeth (later Elizabeth II) and Princess Margaret were travelling to South Africa.
The Duke of Edinburgh arrived at St Helena in 1957 and then his son The Prince Andrew visited as a member of the armed forces in 1984 and his sister The Princess Royal arrived in 2002.
The last serving British Ministerial visit was in 1699.
Read more about this topic: History Of Saint Helena
Famous quotes containing the words history of, history, british, royal and/or visitors:
“Universal history is the history of a few metaphors.”
—Jorge Luis Borges (18991986)
“If you look at history youll find that no state has been so plagued by its rulers as when power has fallen into the hands of some dabbler in philosophy or literary addict.”
—Desiderius Erasmus (c. 14661536)
“The inhabitants of St. Johns and vicinity are described by an English traveler as singularly unprepossessing, and before completing his period he adds, besides, they are generally very much disaffected to the British crown. I suspect that that besides should have been a because.”
—Henry David Thoreau (18171862)
“Dearest dealer,
I with my royal straight flush,
love you so for your wild card,
that untamable, eternal, gut-driven, ha-ha
and lucky love.”
—Anne Sexton (19281974)
“For most visitors to Manhattan, both foreign and domestic, New York is the Shrine of the Good Time. I dont see how you stand it, they often say to the native New Yorker who has been sitting up past his bedtime for a week in an attempt to tire his guest out. Its all right for a week or so, but give me the little old home town when it comes to living. And, under his breath, the New Yorker endorses the transfer and wonders himself how he stands it.”
—Robert Benchley (18891945)