Today 6 February 2022 marks 70 years since The Queen acceded to the throne on the death of her father King George VI and she has reigned longer than any other British Monarch in history, and to become a beloved figure around the world.
As the Head of State in the Solomon Islands, Her Majesty first visited the Solomon Islands in 1974 on the royal yacht Britannia, accompanied by His Royal Highness the late Duke of Edinburgh, Her Royal Highness Princess Anne, Captain Mark Phillips and the late Lord Louis Mountbatten.
Prior to the Solomon Islands visit, the Royal Party had made a brief tour of the then New Hebrides Condominium (now Vanuatu).
“The Britannia arrived on the afternoon of Monday, 18 February, and the Queen first landed at Star Harbour on the east coast of Makira. The greeting, as was repeated at each place visited, was a blend of custom ceremonies, traditional singing and dancing. It was raining on Makira, and conditions were similar the next day when the Queen disembarked in Honiara to inspect a guard of honour and visit the Cenotaph.
“Two programmes were planned, one for wet and one for dry weather, but the dry weather programme remained in place despite the weather, and the royal party moved on to the waterlogged sports ground in torrential rain.
“Thereafter dry weather continued for the rest of the day. The next day, the royal party flew to Malaita, landing at Auki to watch an impressive display of traditional dancing. The royal party then flew on to Yandina in the Russell Islands where the Britannia was waiting, and after a brief tour of a copra plantation and a research station the party embarked for a cruise to Gizo, where the next day similar custom ceremonies brought the royal visit to a close. “
Copyright @ Solomon Islands Historical Encyclopedia, 1893-1978, 2000
Footnote.
The New Hebrides was a rare form of colonial territory in which sovereignty was shared by two powers, Britain and France, instead of being exercised by just one. Under the Condominium there were three separate governments – one French, one British, and one joint administration that was partially elected after 1975.
Yours sincerely
Frank Short
