The Prince of Wales and the newlywed Princess Anne and Captain Mark Phillips joined the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh in the Cook Islands, New Zealand, Norfolk Island, New Hebrides, the Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea, and Australia on their month-long Tour of Oceania in 1974, 50 years ago, which was cut short by a political crisis back in Britain.
Back in cold old Britain in March, in the centre of a political crisis and a fuel shortage, Queen Elizabeth was warming herself no doubt on the memories of her royal tour of the South Pacific. She was forced unexpectedly to return to London because of the political crisis, and as a result had to cancel the major part of her Australian tour, and a tour of Indonesia. But she did complete the month-long Islands sector, which was satisfying for her and the people she visited.
Following a refuelling stop in Canada, the Tour began with a two-day stop in the Cook Islands where the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh, as well as Princess Anne and Mark Phillips, were received with a traditional welcome ceremony.
It was something more than a routine royal progress—this visit she made to the Cook Islands, Norfolk Island, the New Hebrides, the British Solomons and Papua New Guinea. Prince Philip had been urging her to do it for years. He himself has travelled widely and mostly well off the beaten track since he and the Queen first visited Tonga and Fiji . together 20 years ago. He’s very well-informed on the Islands, As the Queen said in Port Moresby,
“Although this is my first visit to Papua New Guinea, I have been well prepared by my husband, who has been here twice already, and my son, who came here while he was at school in Australia, and I’m delighted to have been able to confirm their glowing accounts for myself”.
Most times on her tour the Queen was accompanied by Philip, Princess Anne and her husband, Captain Mark Phillips, and Lord Louis Mountbatten. In the Cooks the Queen was greeted by 10,000 warriors, including 100 high ranking chiefs, then borne aloft by burly warriors on an ata, a portable throne reserved for high chiefs and royalty. There was a two- seater version for Princess Anne and Captain Phillips.
After welcoming speeches by High Commissioner, Mr G. Brocklehurst, and Premier, Sir Albert Henry, the Queen knighted Sir Albert in a quick, private ceremony in the old terminal building, attended by only 27 members of the Henry family. The next day, she officially opened Rarotonga’s new $l4 million jetport, cautioning the Cook Islanders to guard their traditions against the influences of the jet-age world, before flying to the Commonwealth Games at Christchurch—leaving Sir Albert wondering how to foot the bill for the 28-hour royal visit . . . $40,000.
The next stop was a 10-day visit to New Zealand, where the Royal Group were joined by the Prince of Wales for the 1974 Commonwealth Games in Christchurch and New Zealand Day events at Waitangi, which ended with a Farewell Banquet for the Queen (wearing Girls of Great Britain and Ireland Tiara and the Cambridge Emerald Parure) and Duke of Edinburgh as well as Princess Anne (in the Aquamarine Pine Flower Tiara) and Captain Mark Phillips.
The Prince of Wales also joined the Queen (wearing Queen Alexandra’s Kokoshnik Tiara and the Coronation Necklace and Earrings) and Duke for the Opening of Parliament in Wellington.
Afterwards, the Royal Party set off on a Tour of the Pacific Islands on the Royal Yacht Britannia, with a one day visit to Norfolk Island, two days in the New Hebrides, and three days in the Solomon Islands.
On Norfolk Island, which has no wharf, the sea was in an exception- ally bad temper thanks to the pass- ing of cyclone Pam, but skilled boatmen descended from the Bounty mutineers got the Queen and her party ashore in 20ft government launches without so much as a wet foot, and ahead of schedule.
Said senior boatman, Richard Douran: “The Queen was a better sailor than half the others we took from the yacht during the day!” The Royal party picnicked informally in the grounds of Government House with about half the island’s population but cancelled dinner and returned early to the Britannia through rising seas, leaving the Administrator, Air Commodore Pickerd, with enough roast lamb to last a month.
A short shipboard spell, then on to Vila where three New Hebrideans, not affiliated with any political party, quietly raised a banner to the Queen reading: “You are not our Queen. We are stateless. We are unprotected. We are fed up”—a pretty accurate criticism of the condominium which didn’t appear to upset anyone.
There was concern among the royal party later, however, when they witnessed the remarkable Pentecost land divers and saw one man crash head first into the ground when the vines about his ankles broke. He died two days later.
A French writer in a local news- paper wrote this about the Queen’s visit to the New Hebrides: “The Empire has crumbled. Indeed the Empire is dead. But the Royal Family remains—for the British, a factor in their stability. But what did the royal family’s visit mean? For the great majority of New Heb- rideans, a warm curiosity”.
And for a select few, an honour bestowed by the Queen. French Resident Commissioner, Mr Robert Langlois, was made an honorary Commander of the Royal Victorian Order; Mr Michael Townsend, Assistant British Resident Commis ioner, and Mr Anthony Worner, Royal Visit Co-ordinator, were named Members of the order, and Messrs Silas Manggu and Andre Djamouth, both British Residency staff members, received the Royal Victorian Medal. Further north in the Solomons there wasn’t just warm curiosity— there was great excitement, large crowds, spirited dancing (mostly in teeming rain) and enthusiastic expressions of loyalty.
Towards the end of February, the Royal Party, including Lord Mountbatten, were in Papua New Guinea for a five-day visit:
But the crowds could never equal in size those of Papua New Guinea, where the Queen was clearly welcome, even by those politicians so fervently nationalistic as to be anti- white. The royal visit began in Bougainville where hundreds of spear-carrying warriors greeted “Mrs Queen”. The Royal party was greeted by Chief Minister Michael Somare and Australian High Commissioner Les Johnson and introduced to local leaders and MPs, among them Paul Lapun and Donnatus Mola. Absent were Father John Momis, Bougainville’s Regional member and outspoken critic of the Bougainville Copper company, who said, “Sorry, too busy”, and Raphael Bele, the Bougainville Central member who said nothing from his village three miles away!
Unofficially greeting the Queen were a Buka Islander who presented a secessionist petition to intervening hands and a colourful local eccentric who changed his mind and gave his homemade flag to Mr Somare instead.
On to Rabaul, where a crowd of thousands gave the royal family a subdued welcome—they were disappointed that the Queen was wearing street clothes and not a crown and robes!
Then Goroka, where about 8,000 tribesmen who had come from as far as 200 miles away put on the biggest display of finery and war dances seen in the Highlands. Royal cameras clicked away as Asaro mud men, moss men in green fuzz and Tufa men in towering headgear performed their art. Lord Snowdon will be jealous.
In Port Moresby an estimated 50,000 shouting and waving people lined the route from the airport to the town. There was no support for the lone voice of Miss Josephine Abaijah, who wanted to make a political issue out of this tour, describing it as an affront to the Papuan and nothing but a colonial stunt.
Finally, with a political crisis in Britain, the Queen (wearing Queen Alexandra’s Kokoshnik Tiara and the King George VI Festoon Necklace) opened the Australian Parliament in Canberra before retiring to Britain while Duke of Edinburgh completed the Tour of Australia, with the Queen joining him back in mid-March for a week-long State Visit to Indonesia.
