9 February 1972

Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II visits, Pomp and ceremony mark first-ever trip by reigning British monarch

Queen Elizabeth II arrived with Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, and Princess Anne for a six-day tour, the first visit by a reigning British monarch. They were greeted across the country with pageantry rarely witnessed for visiting officials, and their tour dominated local headlines for a week.

The three British royals arrived at U-Tapao military airbase before transferring to the Royal Yacht Britannia at Sattahip so they could enter Bangkok’s port in true grandeur, escorted by the HMS Cleopatra and HMS Swan. Docking at the Chao Phraya River’s Rajvoradit landing to meet King Bhumibol Adulyadej, Queen Sirikit and Princess Sirindhorn, Queen Elizabeth II shed her full-length fur coat to enjoy Thailand’s warm winter.

Highlights of their trip included lavish banquets plus visits to Chulalongkorn University, Buddhist temples and Christ Church on Convent Road. Thai officials, including Prime Minister Thanom Kittikachorn and army chief Gen Praphas Charusathien, also turned out to greet them. The royals then flew to Chiang Mai, where they met minority Meo, or Hmong, hilltribes who performed a cultural show.

9 February 1972

Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II visits, Pomp and ceremony mark first-ever trip by reigning British monarch

Queen Elizabeth II arrived with Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, and Princess Anne for a six-day tour, the first visit by a reigning British monarch. They were greeted across the country with pageantry rarely witnessed for visiting officials, and their tour dominated local headlines for a week.

The three British royals arrived at U-Tapao military airbase before transferring to the Royal Yacht Britannia at Sattahip so they could enter Bangkok’s port in true grandeur, escorted by the HMS Cleopatra and HMS Swan. Docking at the Chao Phraya River’s Rajvoradit landing to meet King Bhumibol Adulyadej, Queen Sirikit and Princess Sirindhorn, Queen Elizabeth II shed her full-length fur coat to enjoy Thailand’s warm winter.

Highlights of their trip included lavish banquets plus visits to Chulalongkorn University, Buddhist temples and Christ Church on Convent Road. Thai officials, including Prime Minister Thanom Kittikachorn and army chief Gen Praphas Charusathien, also turned out to greet them. The royals then flew to Chiang Mai, where they met minority Meo, or Hmong, hilltribes who performed a cultural show.