queen elizabeth ii visit to chennai

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When the Queen came calling: Elizabeth’s three visits to India

During her reign she undertook three state visits to india, in 1961, 1983, and 1997. the queen and her royal consort, prince philip, the duke of edinburgh, first visited india in january 1961, the first royal british tour of india in 50 years..

Queen Elizabeth II, the head of state of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, and Britain’s longest serving monarch died at the age of 96 on Thursday (September 8), after holding the throne for nearly 70 years.

After her father, King George VI died in 1952, Elizabeth ascended to the throne five years after India attained independence from colonial rule, becoming the first British ruler to take the throne after the empire lost its ‘jewel in the crown’. During her reign she undertook three state visits to India, in 1961, 1983, and 1997.

First visit: 1961

The Queen and her royal consort, Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, first visited India in January 1961, the first royal British tour of India in 50 years. According to newspapers cited by the BBC, people were so excited to catch a glimpse of her during the visit, that nearly a million people thronged the route that took her from the airport to the official residence of the President of India, Dr Rajendra Prasad, in New Delhi.

The royal couple toured Bombay ( Mumbai ), Madras (Chennai), and Calcutta ( Kolkata ), and also visited the Taj Mahal in Agra and the Pink Palace in Rajasthan . She paid tribute to Mahatma Gandhi at Raj Ghat in New Delhi.

President Dr Rajendra Prasad invited them as Guests of Honour for the Republic Day parade on January 26 of that year, and the Queen addressed thousands of people at a meeting in Delhi’s Ramlila Ground.

Second visit: 1983

Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip’s next royal visit took place nearly two decades later, upon the invitation of President Giani Zail Singh, and they stayed at the visitors’ suite of the Rashtrapati Bhavan. According to a newspaper cited by the BBC, the Indian furnishings were replaced with Viceregal decor for the visit, and old Western style dishes were prepared for her, since the Queen was said to like “simple meals”.

Her royal visit was at the same time as the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) hosted by Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. During her visit, the Queen famously presented Mother Teresa — now Saint Teresa of Calcutta — with the honorary Order of Merit, an extremely exclusive reward that is only limited to 42 living members at one time, for her service to humanity.

Third visit: 1997

Her final and third royal visit to India in October 1997 was to mark the golden jubilee celebrations of India’s Independence. During her stay, Queen Elizabeth touched on the violence unleashed by British colonial rule in India. “It is no secret that there have been some difficult episodes in our past. Jallianwala Bagh is a distressing example,” she said in her banquet address.

Amidst the calls for an apology for the killing of thousands of peaceful protesters upon the orders of General Reginald Dyer for protesting against the Rowlatt Act in 1919, Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip visited Jallianwala Bagh in Amritsar and placed a wreath at the memorial.

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While her speech and visit did not satisfy those who had called for an explicit apology, the BBC reported that it seemed to appease the relatives of those who were killed, who had planned a protest at the Amritsar airport during her arrival. The Queen was allowed to enter the Golden Temple after taking off her shoes

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‘70 years on the throne’ When The Queen Visited India

Queen Elizabeth visited India in 1961, 1983 and 1997, but the first visit, which came near 15 years after India’s independence, was the most spectacular

• Editing: Panini Anand
• Compilation: Raman Pruthi

Thirteen years after Mahatma Gandhi's death, Queen Elizabeth stood outside the spot of his cremation and took off her sandals. Her husband and Duke of Edinburgh, Prince Philip, who was behind her, did the same. They replaced the footwear they were wearing with red velvet slippers before entering the memorial area.

This was the first royal visit of Queen Elizabeth II to India. The then Indian President Rajendra Prasad, Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru and Vice-President Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan had earlier received the royal couple at the Delhi airport.

Inside, the Queen would pay respect to the astute man who had fought her nation with non-violence. The Queen was the first British monarch to visit India in fifty years. Her grandfather King George V and Queen Mary had visited in 1911, decades before India got Independence. Elizabeth II had ascended the throne on February 6, 1952, after the death of her father King George VI.

The stay in the subcontinent, during which they'd also make visits to neighbouring Pakistan and Nepal, was a long one and would last more than a month. Everywhere the Queen went, thousands of people thronged the streets to get a glimpse.

In Delhi’s Rajpath, the Queen attended as guest-of-honour the Republic Day parade, which showcased India's fledgling military might. Prime Minister 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. During the event, the Delhi Corporation gifted the queen a two-feet long model of the Qutub Minar made of elephant tusk. The Duke received a silver candelabra.

The Queen inaugurated the institute buildings of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences on January 27, where she also planted a sapling in the premises.

Before the Republic Day parade, the Queen and the Duke had visited Jaipur, where, as anticipated, they had got a royal welcome. The Queen even rode on an elephant with the then Maharaja of Jaipur Sawai Man Singh II in the courtyard of the Maharaja’s palace.

Soon after the Republic Day, the Queen left for Agra, where she used an open car to drive to Taj Mahal while waving to the thousands who had gathered on pavements to welcome her.

The royals also visited Udaipur where the host was welcomed by the Maharana Bhagwat Singh Mewar, who introduced her to more than 50 nobles who had joined him in welcoming the royal couple.

The Queen would then head to Karachi in Pakistan. President Ayub Khan in the uniform of Field Marshal drove with the Queen in an open car. The royals visited the Khyber Pass on Pakistan’s border with Afghanistan.

After spending a fortnight in Pakistan, the Queen returned to India and visited the Durgapur Steel Plant, which was set up just a few years earlier with the help of the UK. The Queen met the workers in the steel plant before heading to Calcutta.

The city provided the biggest welcome of the tour with people crowding the route from the airport to the governor's residence the Raj Bhavan, which was the palace of the Viceroy before India's capital was moved to Delhi in December, 1911.

During her stay in the city, the royal couple visited the Victoria Memorial built by Lord Curzon when he was the Viceroy from 1899 to 1905. Both the Queen and her husband were the great-great grandchildren of Queen Victoria, so for the both the site had a strong family interest. Horse racing organisation founded in 1847, The Royal Calcutta Turf Club, organised a race to felicitate the Queen. The prize money for the race was Rs 30,000. The Queen presented the cup to the owner of the winning horse, a wife of a local businessman.

After Calcutta, the royal guests reached Bangalore in southern India, where the Maharaja of Mysore and the Mayor of Bangalore welcomed the Queen and the Duke. The Bible Society of India, with its headquarters in Bangalore, was celebrating its 100th anniversary and felicitated the Queen with a Bible translated in Hindi.

The Queen planted a sampling at the botanical garden Lal Bagh to commemorate her visit. Bangalore had timed the horticultural show for the Queen's trip. After Bangalore, the royal couple in the last leg of the tour went to Bombay and then to Banaras, where the Queen took a boat ride on the Ganges along the ghats flocked with hundreds of people who had come to watch her.

Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip made three visits to India – in 1961, 1983 and 1997. In the 1983 visit, the Queen met the then Prime Minister India Gandhi and also presented Mother Teresa with an honorary Order of Merit. In 1997, the Queen’s visit was timed to mark India’s celebration of 50 years of Independence.

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10 Pictures that take you inside the Queen's visits to India

By Vogue.in

Prince Phillip and Queen Elizabeth visited India several times, meeting with heads of state and touring the country's most-loved historical sites

Queen Elizabeth and Prince Phillip 's first visit to India was in 1961, where the royal couple was greeted by both heads of the Indian state. During their trip, the monarch and her consort took a tour of India's most-loved monuments, including the Taj Mahal. During Prince Phillip's lifetime, the two visited India three times: in 1961, 1983 and in 1997—the year the couple visited India to mark the republic's fiftieth anniversary of independence from British rule.

During their first visit, the Queen and Prince Phillip toured Mumbai (then Bombay), Jaipur, Agra, Calcutta and Chennai (then Madras). In Jaipur, the Maharaja of Jaipur hosted the royal couple for a round of hunting, and they were also the guests of honour for that year's Republic Day parade. The people of India came out in record numbers to witness this historic tour, lining the streets to watch the royal processions.

Look through a gallery of historic images that give us a glimpse into Queen Elizabeth II's tours of India, and the many people and places she visited while here.

Queen Elizabeth II with President Rajendra Prasad (1884 - 1963) and Prince Philip on the occasion of the President's reception at Rashtrapati Bhavan in Delhi following the Republic Day Parade (1961)

Queen Elizabeth II riding an elephant in Benares during a tour of India (1961)

Queen Elizabeth II shares a joke with husband Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh and Indian Prime Minister Pandit Nehru (1889 - 1964) during a National Cadet Corps rally in New Delhi (1961)

Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh visiting the Taj Mahal during their six week royal visit to India  (1961)

 Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip visit the shrine of Mahatma Gandhi in New Delhi (1961)

Queen Elizabeth II meets Prime Minister Indira Gandhi at Hyderabad House in New Delhi (1983)

Queen Elizabeth II at Hyderabad House in New Delhi (1983)

Queen Elizabeth II presents the Order of Merit to Mother Teresa at the Presidential Palace in New Delhi (1983)

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Queen Elizabeth's visits to India

The monarch visited the former british colony three times after her coronation — in 1961, 1983 and 1997.

Queen Elizabeth II on a visit to a community development project at Bakrota, on January 22, 1961 near Jaipur, during her visit to India. AFP

Queen Elizabeth II dies - follow the latest news as the world mourns

Queen Elizabeth II , who died on Thursday at the age of 96, made three state visits to the former British colony during her 70-year reign and cherished the “warmth and hospitality” she was accorded there.

The queen's visit in 1961 was the first visit by a British monarch since India gained independence in 1947, and was followed by visits in 1983 and in 1997 as the country marked 50 years of independence.

"The warmth and hospitality of the Indian people, and the richness and diversity of India itself have been an inspiration to all of us,” she said in one of her addresses.

On her maiden visit after taking the throne in 1952 after the death of her father and the last emperor of India, King George VI, she laid a wreath at the memorial to India's renowned freedom campaigner Mahatma Gandhi.

The queen and her husband, Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh , were invited as guests of honour at the Republic Day Parade.

Dressed in a fur coat and hat, the queen addressed a crowd of thousands of people at New Delhi's Ramlila Ground.

The royal couple also formally inaugurated the building of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences in the capital — the country’s premier hospital and medical institute — in a ceremony attended by the first President of India, Rajendra Prasad.

Watch: Queen Elizabeth II's three visits to India

Queen Elizabeth and her husband also visited India's other main cities, Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata, Rajasthan state and the Taj Mahal, the 17th-century Mughal-era mausoleum in Agra, during that trip.

She also took an elephant ride in a royal procession in Varanasi, a sacred Hindu city, while enjoying the hospitality of the erstwhile King of Benaras .

People perched on rooftops and balconies to catch a glimpse of the queen, whose grandfather King George V was the last British monarch to visit India before her in 1911.

Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip visited India again in 1983 at the invitation of President Giani Zail Singh.

The royal couple stayed in the refurbished wing of the opulent Rashtrapati Bhavan , the president's house, which was once the residence of British viceroys.

For their stay, the usual Kashmiri-style furnishings were replaced with viceregal decor, and the bed linen, curtains and tapestries were changed to blend with the regal past, according to a report by The New York Times .

The queen presented Mother Teresa with an Honorary Order of Merit during the visit.

On the queen's last visit in 1997, as India celebrated 50 years of independence, she visited the Jallianwala Bagh Memorial at Amritsar in Punjab.

The memorial commemorates those killed when British troops fired on a crowd of 10,000 men, women and children who had gathered to celebrate Baisakhi, a spring festival, in defiance of a ban on gatherings.

The garden had only one exit that was blocked by British soldiers, forcing many people to jump into a well to dodge bullets. The massacre was a turning point in India’s freedom movement.

Queen Elizabeth placed a wreath at the memorial and acknowledged that there were “difficult episodes” in India’s colonial history.

“It is no secret that there have been some difficult episodes in our past. Jallianwala Bagh is a distressing example,” she said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi joined other world leaders in paying tribute to Queen Elizabeth after her death was announced on Thursday.

Mr Modi, who met the queen in 2015 and 2018, described her as a "stalwart of our times".

"She provided inspiring leadership to her nation and people. She personified dignity and decency in public life," he wrote on Twitter.

Flags lowered to mark the passing of Queen Elizabeth II — in pictures

The Union flag is lowered at the Houses of Parliament following the death of Queen Elizabeth II on September 08, 2022 in London, England. Getty

Remembering Queen Elizabeth’s visit to India in 1961

Queen Elizabeth’s and Prince Philip’s first visit to what was then Madras in India (now Chennai) in 1961, as seen through the eyes of an eager schoolgirl.

It was 1961 when Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, made their first visit to Madras, India now called Chennai. Chosen groups of schoolgirls  in the city went through arduous practice for a week in the heat and dust for a parade and mass drill which the Queen would witness in a stadium readied for the occasion. Hours in the sun did not matter then to the girls who felt privileged to be chosen to perform before the Queen.  Physical fitness teachers of various schools had worked out a parade, a show of gymnastics and drill which the girls were put through heartlessly while broiling in the sun. But being chosen, meant they would get to see the Queen at close quarters and that was all that mattered to them.

I was not one of those school girls. 

I was not one of the lucky ones selected for the parade. So I  waited patiently and eagerly along with other friends and my parents for the Queen along the roadside. And my patience paid off. Still today I have a rose petal preserved between the pages of a tattered old diary that fell at my feet which I believed the Queen had thrown to me.

Some enterprising business-minded townsfolk made a quick penny by bringing in sofas and chairs from their homes to the pavements and sides of the roads. Those who wanted to be seated in front could buy their prime seats and wait until the Queen came into sight, when they would stand up and be caught by the cameras waving to her. 

I remember my father wanting all in the family to see the Queen. Knowing the importance of the occasion he saw to it and positioned us early in strategic places to have a good sighting of her. Those were my pavada (skirt) and blouse years, and I was not too tall so I was allowed to stand  in the front row. My aunt, called Elizabeth like the Queen,  was pregnant, and she was crestfallen because her husband would not let her get jostled by the crowds. But my father had promised to give her a good look at the Queen, which he executed marvellously. He carried a folding chair in his car and placed it on the pavement. The people on the spot, noticing my aunt’s voluminous stomach, let her stand on the chair, some of them concerned enough to see that she was not toppled or pushed from her standing position when others pushed forward. My father wanted me to stand by her as a guard. I at first refused to do that, but he would not take no for an answer. So I stood with a long face, holding my aunt and her fluttering sari in position.

When the Queen’s motorcade drove in from Meenampakkam airport on to Cathedral Road people in hordes gathered on both sides of the road to wave and greet her and have a glimpse of royalty.  She was dressed in pale powdery blue, a blue overcoat under which was a blue dress with an accompanying blue hat. She was standing in an open car with security guards. 

Prince Philip followed in another car behind her, and occasionally when the car stopped for her to be greeted by a dignitary, especially when they reached the stadium, he would walk up and say a word or two to her, pat her gloved hands, then get back to his own perch. Some of us girls thought maybe he wanted to kiss the Queen. The English as we knew them did not hold back in public display of affection. One smart thing amongst us said he would only be allowed to kiss her hand. 

The crowds craned their necks to see the Queen. Some held garlands just in case they could approach the vehicle as she passed. Such a reception had not been accorded in my memory to any visiting dignitary. 

I believe the Queen must have noticed my pregnant aunt on a chair as she stood tall and a head higher than the rest, and my crestfallen face beside her, so she threw a red rose at us.  I have never been so excited as when it landed like a spray of rose petals on us, one of which remains pressed within the pages of an old diary.

We waved and screamed, and the motorcade passed on. But the petal remains.

Please share our stories!

Gita Abraham

Gita Abraham is a journalist of 45-year standing and has worked in national dallies and magazines in New Delhi including   Hindustan Times and India Today . For 15 years she was the Feature Editor of   The City TAB in Bangalore. She was also  a Professor of Journalism, at the Asian College of Journalism in Chennai. Treading the thin line between fact and fiction, Gita has  launched her debut novel “Daughter of the Blue Hills”    early this year.  She  and her husband are snowbirds shuffling between Chennai and Ottawa. She has two daughters and two frisky grandsons who inhabit her world.

• Gita Abraham https://www.newcanadianmedia.ca/author/gitaabraham3agmail-com/ Canada's trucking industry needs thousands of drivers
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In Pics: Queen Elizabeth II's Three Royal Visits To India

The 96-year-old queen died on thursday at balmoral castle in scotland after remaining the uk's longest-serving monarch for 70 years..

She was the first British monarch to celebrate a platinum jubilee earlier this year.

Queen Elizabeth II was accorded a rousing reception in 1961 at Delhi's Ramlila Maidan where she addressed a massive gathering in presence of the then prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru during one of her three State visits to India and had also formally inaugurated the institute buildings of AIIMS.

The 96-year-old queen died on Thursday at Balmoral Castle in Scotland after remaining the UK's longest-serving monarch for 70 years. She was the first British monarch to celebrate a platinum jubilee earlier this year. Her husband Prince Philip predeceased her last year just a couple of months shy of turning 100.

Queen Elizabeth II addressing a large gathering at Ramleela Maidan.

Elizabeth II's grandfather King George V and royal consort Queen Mary visited India to attend the historic Delhi Durbar in December 1911 to mark his coronation, and 50 years later, Queen Elizabeth II became the serving British monarch to visit India.

Seven years after her coronation in June 1953, she undertook her first royal visit to India, along with Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, in January 1961. The royal couple toured Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata.

Seven years after her coronation in June 1953, she undertook her first royal visit to India, along with Prince Philip.

They also visited the Taj Mahal in Agra and paid tributes to Mahatma Gandhi at Rajghat in New Delhi.

In Delhi, the queen was given a rousing reception at the Ramlila Maidan, where she addressed a massive gathering of people, with Nehru and Prince Philip also present on the dais.

The royal couple also visited the Taj Mahal in Agra.

Several thousands of citizens cheered and waved small flags of both countries, as the royal couple were felicitated by the then mayor of Delhi Sham Nath, on a huge elevated oriental-style rostrum, with ceremonial Indian 'hars' (garlands).

The queen was gifted an artistic model of 12th-century minaret Qutub Minar, while the duke of Edinburgh received a silver candelabra, as per rare archival footage of the royal tour.

The platform, which now wears a rather faded look, and the Ramlila Maidan, located between New Delhi and Old Delhi, have witnessed some of the historic events that unfolded in the seven decades since Independence.

The queen was gifted an artistic model of 12th-century minaret Qutub Minar on her visit to India.

The queen, during the Delhi leg of her tour, had also attended the Republic Day celebrations at Rajpath (now renamed Kartavya Path).

Accompanied by Prince Philip, she also formally opened the institute buildings of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences on January 27 at a ceremony attended by the then president Rajendra Prasad.

AIIMS was established in 1956. A plaque commemorating the event still stands on a pillar inside the J L Nehru Auditorium building, and on its diamond jubilee in 2016, some of the rare images from her visit to the premier institute were displayed in an exhibition hosted on the campus.

The queen had also planted a tree on the grand opening of the campus, but it was lost to termites.

"It was a glittering ceremony and on the opening day, she had planted a tree. Unfortunately, we have lost that tree to termites. But we have planted new trees there," the then director of AIIMS Dr M C Misra had told PTI in 2016.

The royal family in the past has recalled memories of the queen's India visit, sharing old pictures from the tour on its official social media handles.

A portrait of the queen bearing "1926-2022" below it now has been put up on its social media page to mourn her death.

The queen also formally opened the institute buildings of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences.

"The Queen and The Royal Family have a personal connection with India and have visited several times," it had tweeted in 2017.

"The Queen's first State Visit to India was in 1961, as the guest of Dr Rajendra Prasad, the first President of India," the Royal Family had said in a subsequent tweet.

"Her Majesty has undertaken three State Visits to India, the first of which was in 1961 - The Queen addresses a crowd in Ramlila Ground and The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh on a walkabout in New Delhi, 1961," it had said in a tweet in 2019 and shared two rare pictures of the 1961 visit.

From India, the royal couple had gone to Pakistan.

Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip made two other visits to India - in 1983 and 1997, when India marked the 50th year of its independence.

Her son and heir Charles succeeds her on the throne as King Charles III.

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From India with Love: When Queen rode an elephant in Varanasi, showed Modi a gift from Mahatma Gandhi

Queen Elizabeth II’s first trip to India was in 1961 and she touched a chord. When she visited the Gandhi memorial, she took off her sandals to keep with Indian tradition. In 2015, she invited Narendra Modi for lunch at Buckingham Palace

Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II was the world’s most-travelled monarch. In her 70 years on the throne, she visited 140 countries, spending almost four years on state visits.

During her travails and the course of her life, she had many encounters with Indian greats. The Queen visited the country not once but thrice, meeting prime ministers and presidents, visiting monuments, and touching many a heart.

Also read: Queen Elizabeth II death live updates

In the event of her death on Thursday, we take a short trip down memory lane.

When Queen removed sandals before visiting Raj Ghat

In 1952, Elizabeth II was the first monarch to ascend to the throne after India fought the British and became independent. She made her first visit to the country nine years after becoming queen in 1961 with her husband Prince Phillip , Duke of Edinburgh.

The Queen was the first British monarch to visit India in 50 years. Her grandfather King George V and Queen Mary had visited in 1911, decades before India got Independence.

Elizabeth II and her husband were received at Delhi airport by then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, President Rajendra Prasad, and Vice President Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan The couple were Guests of Honour at the Republic Day Parade at the invitation of Dr Prasad.

Nehru also hosted an event at Ramlila Maidan to welcome the Queen, where she gave a speech thanking India for the warm welcome. An enduring image from the tour, shows the Queen addressing a massive crowd of several thousand people packed into Ramlila Grounds, dressed in a fur coat and hat.

Also read: Will the Kohinoor go to Camilla? Examining the murky history and fate of world’s most famous diamond

During the event, the Delhi Corporation gifted the queen a two-feet long model of the Qutub Minar made of elephant tusk. The Duke received a silver candelabra, reports India Today . In Delhi, she inaugurated the institute buildings of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences on 27 January, where she planted a sapling on the premises.

The royal couple visited Mahatma Gandhi’s memorial Raj Ghat in the Capital and the Queen, keeping with the Indian tradition, took off her sandals; her husband did the same. She also wrote a tribute in the visitor’s book. It is said that it’s rare for her to write anything other than her signature. Interestingly, Gandhi had personally woven a shawl as a gift to the Queen (then a princess) for her wedding. Adventures in India

The British royals’ next stop was the Taj Mahal in Agra to which they drove in an open car, waving to hundreds who gathered on the roads to get a glimpse of the monarch. They then visited Udaipur, where they got a royal welcome from the Maharana Bhagwat Singh Mewar and in Jaipur, they were invited to a hunting day by the maharaja and Philip reportedly killed a tiger. In Varanasi, she took an elephant ride in a royal procession, enjoying the hospitality of the erstwhile Maharaja of Benares.

The Queen and Prince Philip toured Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata — then Bombay, Madras, and Calcutta, reports news agency PTI .

Meeting Indira Gandhi, Mother Teresa

The Queen’s next visit to India came two decades later in 1983. She visited the country at the invitation of then-President Giani Zail Singh. This time, the royal couple stayed at the refurbished wing of the Rashtrapati Bhavan.

During this visit, the monarch met the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. She also Mother Teresa and presented her with the honorary Order of the Merit, a British award for eminent service. The order is limited to only 24 members, although the British monarch can appoint foreigners as “honorary members”.

Visiting Jallianwala Bagh, Golden Temple

The Queen’s last visit to India came in 1997, as India marked 50 years of Independence. It was significant in more ways than one, as she referred to “difficult episodes” of colonial history.

“It is no secret that there have been some difficult episodes in our past. Jallianwala Bagh is a distressing example,” the monarch noted in her banquet address.

The royal couple later paid a visit to the scene of the 1919 Jallianwala Bagh massacre in Amritsar and placed a wreath at the memorial, amid widespread calls for an apology for the thousands killed at the orders of British General Reginald Dyer during the Raj. She also visited the Golden Temple, where she was presented with a replica of the holy site.

#WATCH | Queen Elizabeth II visited Golden Temple in Punjab's Amritsar, back in the year 1997 (File footage) pic.twitter.com/wGgYUW5dI5 — ANI (@ANI) September 8, 2022

In Delhi, she met with then President KR Narayanan and his wife Usha Narayanan, and then Prime Minister Inder Kumar Gujral and his wife Sheela Gujral. She also visited St Thomas school in the Capital.

Hosting India’s presidents

Over the years, the sovereign has hosted three Indian presidents – Dr Radhakrishnan in 1963, R Venkataraman in 1990, and Pratibha Patil in 2009, reports PTI .

“Britain and India have a long-shared history which today is a source of great strength in building a new partnership fit for this new century,” the Queen said in her state banquet address for President Patil at Buckingham Palace.

“Nearly two million of our own citizens are tied by descent and enduring family links to India. They represent one of the United Kingdom’s most dynamic and successful communities… relations between our two countries are built on strong and deep foundations, and are set fair for the 21st century,” she added.

Meeting Manmohan Singh and Modi

In the two last decades, the Queen met former PM Dr Manmohan Singh and Prime Minister Narendra Modi several times.

In April 2009, the Queen met Dr Manmohan Singh during a reception hosted for G20 leaders at Buckingham Palace in London.

She met Modi during his visits to the United Kingdom in 2015 and 2018. In 2015, the PM was invited to lunch at Buckingham Palace in London. Her Royal Highness gave him a tour of the palace and showcased the royal art and artefact collection.

I had memorable meetings with Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II during my UK visits in 2015 and 2018. I will never forget her warmth and kindness. During one of the meetings she showed me the handkerchief Mahatma Gandhi gifted her on her wedding. I will always cherish that gesture. pic.twitter.com/3aACbxhLgC — Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) September 8, 2022

The second meeting between the duo took place in April 2018 when PM Modi was on a four-day visit to the UK. He met Elizabeth II ahead of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM), which saw a gathering of 53 heads of government. This meeting again culminated in a royal dinner gala which was hosted by the Queen for the world leaders.

In a tribute to the Queen after her death, PM recalled the time she had shown him a gift from Mahatma Gandhi. “I will never forget her warmth and kindness. I will always cherish that gesture,” he wrote on Twitter.

With inputs from agencies

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Queen Elizabeth II dies at 96: Recounting her India visits, meeting with PM

During the course of her reign, queen elizabeth ii made three state visits to india - in 1961, 1983, and 1997..

Queen Elizabeth II, who died aged 96 on Thursday, had been on three State visits to India after acceding to the throne in 1952. The late queen cherished the "warmth and hospitality” she received from the country during the visits over the course of her reign. (Also Read | 'Op Unicorn' or 'London Bridge is down'? Queen Elizabeth II's funeral plan )

"The warmth and hospitality of the Indian people, and the richness and diversity of India itself have been an inspiration to all of us,” she said in one of her addresses.

Her first State visit as Britain's sovereign was in 1961 when she, accompanied by her husband, the late Prince Phillip, toured Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata and visited the Taj Mahal in Agra. She also paid tribute to Mahatma Gandhi at Raj Ghat in New Delhi.

Dressed in a signature fur coat and hat, the Queen addressed a massive crowd at a jam-packed Delhi's Ramlila ground. The royal couple was in India as Guests of Honour at the Republic Day Parade on the invitation of the then President, Dr. Rajendra Prasad.

During her second visit, she famously presented Mother Teresa with an honorary Order of the Merit. Her third and final visit was significant since it was the first time she made a reference to "difficult episodes" of colonial history, particularly the Jallianwala Bagh massacre.

"It is no secret that there have been some difficult episodes in our past. Jallianwala Bagh is a distressing example,” the monarch noted in her banquet address.

The Queen and her husband later paid a visit to the massacre site to place a wreath at the memorial.

Over the years, the longest-reigning sovereign has hosted three Indian presidents – Dr. Radhakrishnan in 1963, R. Venkataraman in 1990 and Pratibha Patil in 2009.

"Britain and India have a long-shared history which today is a source of great strength in building a new partnership fit for this new century,” the Queen said in her State Banquet address for President Patil at Buckingham Palace.

"Nearly 2 million of our own citizens are tied by descent and enduring family links to India. They represent one of the United Kingdom's most dynamic and successful communities… relations between our two countries are built on strong and deep foundations, and are set fair for the 21st century,” she added.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi condoled her death, calling the Queen “a stalwart of our times.” PM Modi hailed her inspiring leadership to her nation and people and said she personified dignity and decency in public life. He also recalled his memorable meetings during his visits to Britain in 2015 and 2018.

“I will never forget her warmth and kindness. During one of the meetings she showed me the handkerchief Mahatma Gandhi gifted her on her wedding. I will always cherish that gesture,” he tweeted.

(With PTI inputs)

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History | Today in History: Queen Elizabeth II crowned at…

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History | Today in History: Queen Elizabeth II crowned at age 27

The Archbishop of Canterbury holds the ritual crown of England, the crown of St. Edward, over the head of Queen Elizabeth II, prior to the actual crowning at the coronation ceremony in Westminster Abbey in London on June 2, 1953.

Associated Press

Queen Elizabeth II, wearing the Imperial Crown, carries the symbols of authority, the orb and the sceptre, as she leaves Westminster Abbey on June 2, 1953, at the end of the Coronation Ceremony.

Britain's Queen Elizabeth II is crowned the Monarch of Britain holding the Royal Scepter, sat on throne, wearing St. Edward's crown, at Westminster Abbey, in London, June 2, 1953.

Surrounded by high clerics and ladies-in-waiting, Queen Elizabeth II sits in the Chair of Estate in Westminster Abbey in London on June 2, 1953, as she is crowned queen. In the royal gallery in the background Queen Mother Elizabeth leans over to attend to the unseen Prince Charles as Princess Margaret lends a hand.

STF / AFP/Getty Images

Queen Elizabeth II, left, accompanied by Prince Philip waves to the crowd after being crowned during her coronation at Westminter Abbey in London on June 2, 1953.

Leslie Priest/AP

Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, wave to supporters from the balcony at Buckingham Palace, following her coronation at Westminster Abbey in London on June 2, 1953.

Today’s Highlight in History:

On June 2, 1953, Queen Elizabeth II was crowned at age 27 at a ceremony in London’s Westminster Abbey, 16 months after the death of her father, King George VI.

On this date:

In 1924, Congress passed, and President Calvin Coolidge signed, a measure guaranteeing full American citizenship for all Native Americans born within U.S. territorial limits.

In 1941, baseball’s “Iron Horse,” Lou Gehrig, died in New York of a degenerative disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as ALS; he was 37.

In 1961, playwright and director George S. Kaufman, 71, died in New York.

In 1962, Soviet forces opened fire on striking workers in the Russian city of Novocherkassk; a retired general in 1989 put the death toll at 22 to 24.

In 1966, U.S. space probe Surveyor 1 landed on the moon and began transmitting detailed photographs of the lunar surface.

In 1979, Pope John Paul II arrived in his native Poland on the first visit by a pope to a Communist country.

In 1981, the Japanese video arcade game “Donkey Kong” was released by Nintendo.

In 1997, Timothy McVeigh was convicted of murder and conspiracy in the 1995 bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City that killed 168 people. (McVeigh was executed in June 2001.)

In 1999, South Africans went to the polls in their second post-apartheid election, giving the African National Congress a decisive victory; retiring president Nelson Mandela was succeeded by Thabo Mbeki (TAH’-boh um-BEH’-kee).

In 2011, a judge in Placerville, California, sentenced serial sex offender Phillip Garrido to life in prison for kidnapping and raping Jaycee Dugard; Garrido’s wife, Nancy, received a decades-long sentence.

In 2012, ousted Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak was sentenced to life in prison after a court convicted him on charges of complicity in the killing of protesters during the 2011 uprising that forced him from power (Mubarak was later acquitted and freed in March 2017; he died in February 2020).

In 2016, autopsy results showed superstar musician Prince died of an accidental overdose of fentanyl, a powerful opioid painkiller.

In 2018, the number of homes destroyed reached 80 in an eruption of Hawaii’s Kilauea Volcano. (The eruption would eventually destroy more than 700 homes.)

In 2020, defying curfews, protesters streamed back into the nation’s streets, hours after President Donald Trump urged governors to put down the violence set off by the death of George Floyd. Police said four officers were hit by gunfire after protests in St. Louis that began peacefully became violent.

In 2021, the NFL pledged to stop the use of “race-norming” in a $1 billion settlement of brain injury claims; the practice had made it harder for Black players to show a deficit and qualify for an award.

In 2022, Queen Elizabeth II drew wild cheers from a crowd of tens of thousands as she carefully stepped on to the Buckingham Palace balcony at the start of four days of celebrations of her 70 years on the throne. (The queen’s reign would end with her death three months later).

In 2023, a massive train derailment involving two passenger trains in India left more than 280 people dead and hundreds injured.

Today’s Birthdays: Actor Ron Ely is 86. Filmmaker and movie historian Kevin Brownlow is 86. Actor Stacy Keach is 83. Actor Charles Haid is 81. R&B singer Chubby Tavares (Tavares) is 80. Movie director Lasse Hallstrom is 78. Actor Jerry Mathers is 76. Actor Joanna Gleason is 74. NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman is 72. Actor Dennis Haysbert is 70. Comedian Dana Carvey is 69. Actor Gary Grimes is 69. Pop musician Michael Steele is 69. Rock singer Tony Hadley (Spandau Ballet) is 64. Actor Liam Cunningham is 63. Actor Navid Negahban is 60. Singer Merril Bainbridge is 56. TV personality-producer Andy Cohen (“The Real Housewives” TV franchise) is 56. Rapper B-Real (Cypress Hill) is 54. Actor Paula Cale is 54. Actor Anthony Montgomery is 53. Actor-comedian Wayne Brady is 52. Actor Wentworth Miller is 52. Rock musician Tim Rice-Oxley (Keane) is 48. Actor Zachary Quinto is 47. Actor Dominic Cooper is 46. Actor Nikki Cox is 46. Actor Justin Long is 46. Actor Deon Richmond is 46. Actor Morena Baccarin is 45. Rock musician Fabrizio Moretti (The Strokes) is 44. Olympic gold medal soccer player Abby Wambach is 44. Singer-songwriter ZZ Ward is 38. Rapper/actor Awkwafina is 36. Actor Brittany Curran is 34. Actor Sterling Beaumon is 29.

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