When Pt Nehru invited Queen Elizabeth II as Guest of Honour on Republic Day 1967; See pics
Queen Elizabeth II was invited as Guest of Honour at the 1967 Republic Day Parade at the invitation of the then President Dr. Rajendra Prasad.
Queen Elizabeth II, who died aged 96 on Thursday, was the first British monarch to accede to the throne after India’s Independence from colonial rule in 1952. She had three State Visits to the country over the course of her reign – in 1961, 1983, and 1997.
In one of her addresses, the late Queen said she cherished the “warmth and hospitality” of the Indian people, adding that the “richness and diversity of India is an inspiration” to all.
UK Queen Elizabeth II first visited India, along with her husband Prince Phillip – Duke of Edinburgh, in 1961. They were invited as Guests of Honour at the Republic Day Parade at the invitation of the then President Dr. Rajendra Prasad. This was the first visit of a British Monarch after India gained Independence in 1947, and Elizabeth II ascended the throne in 1952.
The then Indian President Rajendra Prasad, Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, and Vice-President Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan received the royal couple at the Delhi airport on January 21, 1961.
At the President’s House in New Delhi, Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip took a walk through the garden with Indira Gandhi, and Jawaharlal Nehru.
In the picture below, the royal couple could be seen arriving at the Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi for a banquet given in their honour.
In Delhi’s Rajpath, the Queen attended as guest-of-honor the Republic Day parade, which showcased India’s military might, twilve years since independence
Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru also hosted an event at Ramlila Maidan to welcome the Queen, where she gave a speech in which she thanked India for the warm welcome
In an enduring image from the tour, the Queen was seen addressing a massive crowd of several thousand people packed into Ramlila Grounds in Delhi. She was dressed in a fur coat and hat.
During their 1961 tour, the Queen and her husband also toured Mumbai, Chennai, and Kolkata – then Bombay, Madras, and Calcutta – and also visited the Taj Mahal in Agra and paid tribute to Mahatma Gandhi at Raj Ghat in New Delhi.
The royal couple visited the Gateway of India in Mumbai.
The Queen and the Duke also visited Jaipur, where they received a traditional welcome. The Queen even rode on an elephant with the then Maharaja of Jaipur Sawai Man Singh II in the courtyard of the City palace.
She was seen riding a specially decorated elephant in Varanasi too.
In Madras, Queen Elizabeth II was welcomed with a gigantic garland that amazed her.
Over the years, the Queen has also hosted three Indian presidents – Dr. Radhakrishnan in 1963, R. Venkataraman in 1990, and Pratibha Patil in 2009.
After presiding over the throne for an unprecedented 70 years, Queen Elizabeth II Queen had passed away peacefully at Balmoral on September 8. Her final journey will take place in London, where several members of the Royal Family have descended since Thursday.
The United Kingdom celebrated the Platinum Jubilee of its longest-serving monarch on a grand scale in June, coinciding with Queen Elizabeth II’s official birthday. Her husband, Prince Philip, passed away aged 99 last April.
