The Queen and Duke of Edinburgh completed a month-long Tour of the South Pacific on this day in 1982 (40 years ago), visiting Australia (for the Commonwealth Games), as well as Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Nauru, Kiribati, Tuvalu, and Fiji, travelling on the Royal Yacht Britannia.
Embed from Getty ImagesEmbed from Getty ImagesEmbed from Getty ImagesOctober 12, 1982: Queen Elizabeth II opened the National Gallery of Australia in Canberra. pic.twitter.com/jpTryVI4or
— Canberra Insider (@CanberraInsider) October 12, 2021
October 12, 1982: Queen Elizabeth II opened the National Gallery of Australia in Canberra. pic.twitter.com/jpTryVI4or
— Canberra Insider (@CanberraInsider) October 12, 2021The Queen and Duke of Edinburgh began the Tour in Australia, presiding over the closing ceremony of the 1982 Commonwealth Games in Brisbane. The Queen (in the Girls of Great Britain & Ireland Tiara) also attended a Commonwealth Variety Performance, and also attended a Gala at the Queensland Cultural Centre (in the Vladimir Tiara). Additionally, the Queen (in the Girls of Great Britain & Ireland Tiara) opened the National Gallery of Australia in Canberra.
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The next stop on the Tour was Papua New Guinea, where the Royal Couple received a traditional welcome before a State Banquet in honour of the Queen (wearing the Girls of Great Britain & Ireland Tiara and Cambridge Emerald Parure) and Duke that evening. The following day, after a sing-sing at Mount Hagen, the Queen (in the Vladimir Tiara and Japanese Pearl Choker) hosted a Dinner on the Royal Yacht Britannia for Governor General Sir Tore Lokoloko, Prime Minister Sir Michael Somare, and their families.
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In the Solomon Islands, the Royal Couple received a traditional welcome and met hundreds of islanders on visits to multiple islands, at the end of which the Queen (in the Belgian Sapphire Tiara) hosted a Dinner on the Royal Yacht Britannia.
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The Queen and Duke also visited Nauru and Kiribati, making brief visits to tour the sights and partake in traditional ceremonies.
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The Queen and Duke then went to Tuvalu, where they were carried ashore in a boat and were guests of honour at a traditional feast, taking part in a series of rituals and ceremonies as well as touring the Islands.
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The Tour ended in Fiji, where there was a traditional welcome ceremony, an investiture and a Banquet held for the Queen (wearing the Girls of Great Britain & Ireland Tiara) and Duke in in Suva, at the end of the Tour.
