Queen Elizabeth II visits New York City, July 6, 2010. Mayor Bloomberg Photo Collection, NYC Municipal Archives.
The late Queen Elizabeth II traveled to New York City three times during her 70-year reign as the British monarch. The first visit took place on October 21, 1957. Her majesty had expressed a lifelong desire to see the famous Manhattan skyline from New York harbor. Her wish was granted as she traveled by ferry from Staten Island across the bay to the Battery for the start of a ticker-tape parade that brought her to City Hall and a welcome from Mayor Robert Wagner.
Ticker tape parade Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and His Royal Highness the Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, October 21, 1957. NYC Municipal Archives Collection.
Queen Elizabeth’s 24-hours in New York City was the culmination of a six-day visit to the United States. The details of her journey are well-documented in Mayor Wagner’s subject files. The records include a ten-page “Program for the Visit of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and His Royal Highness the Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, to the United States of America, October 16–21, 1957.” The program lists the fifteen members of the royal party as well as a minute-by-minute schedule, beginning with their 1:30 p.m. arrival at Williamsburg, Virginia on October 16. Other stops included the College of William and Mary, and three days of sightseeing and ceremonial luncheons and dinners in Washington D.C.
The program indicated that on the evening of October 20, the Queen and her party would depart from Union Station in Washington arriving at Stapleton, Staten Island the next morning at 10:10 a.m. to begin their day of festivities in New York City. A luncheon at the Waldorf Astoria hosted by Mayor Wagner followed the ticker-tape parade. Their itinerary included a stop at the United Nations and the Empire State Building and ended at 11:45 p.m. when the motorcade proceeded to Idlewild International Airport for a 12:45 a.m. departure by Royal Aircraft for London.
Waldorf Astoria program for a luncheon in honor of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. Mayor Wagner Papers, NYC Municipal Archives.
The folder in the Mayor Wagner collection also includes items such as a helpful memo issued by the Department of State, Office of the Chief of Protocol. The document specifies that “The Queen and Prince Philip prefer short, simple meals.” For beverages, “The Queen likes Rhine wine, sherry, and Canada Dry ginger ale. Prince Philip may ask for Scotch Whisky and Soda Water or Gin and Tonic Water.”
Queen Elizabeth II visited New York City again on July 9,1976, as part of a six-day tour of the United States marking the Bicentennial of America’s Declaration of Independence from Britain. Although Mayor Abraham Beame proclaimed her an honorary New Yorker, there is not documentary evidence of her visit in the processed records of his administration. However, the mayoral scrapbook series does provide a source of information. Beginning in 1904 clerks in the mayor’s offices clipped articles from local newspapers that referred to the mayor, or municipal events in general, and pasted them into scrapbooks. The practice continued through the administration of Mayor Edward I. Koch. Although many newspapers have been digitized in recent years, the scrapbooks contain clippings from all the daily newspapers. The scrapbooks also provide useful context for events and personalities that is not always apparent in on-line searching.
Not every New Yorker was happy with the Queen’s 1957 visit. The Queens chapter of the Ancient Order of Hibernians sent Mayor Wagner a letter protesting “the use of taxpayer’s money to entertain a British Queen.” Mayor Wagner Papers, NYC Municipal Archives.
Mayor Beame’s staff clipped several articles documenting the Queen’s day in New York City. According to the New York Times, it began with her arrival at the Battery aboard a “sleek 44-foot motorboat—from the royal yacht Britannia.” The Daily News reported that Queen Elizabeth accepted a welcoming bouquet from Mayor Beame’s granddaughter, Julie, at Battery Park. From there she went to Federal Hall and then “strolled, with Beame and Mrs. Beame, the 100 yards up Wall Street to Trinity Church.” Their itinerary included a luncheon at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel, and a stop at the Morris-Jumel mansion in Harlem. Several articles detail her 30-minute visit at Bloomingdale’s department store: “A Bloomin’ Good Day for Queen Elizabeth,” proclaimed the Daily News. The Times reported that the excursion had been suggested by the department store executives, “… as a very American experience,” and agreed to by the Queen. The article went on to note that “…the Queen seemed slightly bewildered—and perhaps that was because what she was doing was not exactly part of her everyday routine. In Britain, the Queen seldom goes shopping—the merchandise comes to her.”
Queen Elizabeth’s third and final visit to New York City took place on July 6, 2010. The Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg photograph collection includes several images of Queen Elizabeth during her visit. Bloomberg administration records have not yet been completely processed and it is not known if there is other documentation of the one-day visit. But newspaper accounts tell the story. According to the New York Times, the Queen and Prince Philip arrived by private plane from Canada. Her majesty made a short address to the United Nations. Next her motorcade traveled down to ground zero where “…she solemnly laid a wreath in remembrance of the lost lives. Then, along with her husband, she greeted some of the families of the victims and first responders.” Her final foray was to nearby Hanover Square to officially open the British Garden, a triangular park that opened in 2008 as a memorial to the 67 British citizens who died on September 11.
Thank you letter from Buckingham Palace, October 24, 1957. Mayor Wagner Papers, NYC Municipal Archives.