The Queen has died at the age of 96. Most Canadians have never known a world in which she wasn’t the official head of state.
Queen Elizabeth II visited Alberta six times over the course of 54 years, with her first visit coming before she became monarch.
1951
Princess Elizabeth and the Duke of Edinburgh escorted by R.C.A.F. Officer during a visit to Edmonton in 1951.
Credit: City of Edmonton Archives
Her inaugural visit to Canada was made while she was still Princess Elizabeth. She and her new husband Prince Philip made a coast-to-coast tour of the country.
Princess Elizabeth’s first trip to Alberta was 111 days before she became Queen. The Calgary Stampede put on a special fall edition of the show just for the princess and she would go on to visit three more Stampedes over the decades.
Princess Elizabeth during a visit to Edmonton in 1951.
Credit: Northern Alberta Pioneers and Old Timers’ Association via City of Edmonton Archives
She also visited Edmonton for one day during that 33-day tour across Canada. More than 160,000 people lined the streets to see the Royal couple make a 32-kilometre procession through the Alberta capital.
It was during that trip when Portage Avenue from 101 Street to Kingsway would be paved and renamed Princess Elizabeth Avenue in honour of the visit.
Earlier in 1939, the thoroughfare was dubbed Kingsway in honour of the visit by her father, King George VI.
Princess Elizabeth at a dinner during a visit to Edmonton in 1951.
Credit: Northern Alberta Pioneers and Old Timers’ Association via City of Edmonton Archives
During the 1951 visit, the Royal couple was greeted at Alberta Legislature by Premier Ernest Manning and gifted a polar bear fur rug. The couple also attended Col. Mewburn Pavillion of University Hospital to visit with veterans, then on to the Imperial Refinery — now called Strathcona Refinery — for tea.
Princess Elizabeth and the Duke of Edinburgh at an Edmonton Eskimos game, where players Dick Huffman (Winnipeg Blue Bombers) and Frank Filchock (Edmonton Eskimos) were introduced to the Royal couple during a visit to the city in 1951.
Credit: City of Edmonton Archives
A state dinner hosted by the provincial government was held at the Hotel Macdonald. The couple also watched a CFL game, in which Edmonton beat Winnipeg 4-1 in the western semifinal, before leaving the city.
1959
The Queen with Prince Philip made a six-week tour of all provinces and territories. The tour lasted 45 days and included 90 stops.
Upon arrival in Calgary on July 9, Her Majesty and Prince Philip attended the Calgary Stampede. They watched chuckwagon races and attended a barbecue.
Alberta Premier Ralph Klein follows Queen Elizabeth II onto the seating platform during rainy Alberta centennial celebrations at Commonwealth Stadium Monday, May 23, 2005 in Edmonton. (CP PHOTO/Paul Chiasson).
Paul Chiasson, The Canadian Press
She began in Edmonton by returning to Commonwealth Stadium on Victoria Day but relentless rainfall put a damper on the day, causing many acts to cancel.
She also once again vested the legislature with Premier Ralph Klein. The Queen addressed Alberta in the legislature for the first time in the province’s history.
