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1939 Royal Tour

Article by Carolyn Harris

Published Online April 22, 2015

Last Edited March 25, 2022

Albert and Elizabeth

The future King George VI was born on 14 December 1895. At the insistence of his great-grandmother, Queen Victoria , he was named Albert after his great-grandfather, who died on the same day in 1861. As the second son of the future King George V , the young prince was not expected to succeed to the throne and instead trained for a naval career. At 17, he visited Canada for the first time on a six-month training cruise in 1913.

In 1930, the Canadian government requested that the Prince, who had become Duke of York in 1920, be chosen as Governor General . The British government decided against this because of the changing relationship between the United Kingdom and Canada — including Canada’s growing autonomy — soon to be enacted under the Statute of Westminster .

In 1923, the Duke of York married Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon, the ninth of the 10 children of the Earl and Countess of Strathmore, members of the Scottish aristocracy. The wedding and the arrival of the royal couple’s two daughters, the future Queen Elizabeth II (born 1926) and Princess Margaret (1930–2002), attracted public interest throughout the English-speaking world, including Canada. (When her daughter succeeded to the throne in 1952, Elizabeth became known as the Queen Mother .)

On 20 January 1936, King George V died and was succeeded by the Duke of York’s older brother, who became King Edward VIII . Almost a year later, Edward VIII abdicated to marry Wallis Simpson, a twice-divorced American socialite. The Duke of York became King as a result of the Abdication Crisis and assumed the name George VI to symbolize continuity with the reign of his father, George V.

King and Queen of Canada

In 1931, the Statute of Westminster granted Canada control over its own foreign policy. The Statute changed the relationship between Canada and the monarchy, creating a distinct Canadian Crown . Canada became the political equal of the United Kingdom, sharing a common monarch. The Governor General’s position transformed from representative of the British government to representative of the shared monarch alone. King George VI and Queen Elizabeth therefore toured in 1939 as King and Queen of Canada.

Lord Tweedsmuir , Governor General from 1935 to 1940, extended the invitation to the royal couple to visit Canada after a planned tour of India was cancelled in 1938. Tweedsmuir met with George VI on 24 September 1938 at Buckingham Palace, where the King confirmed the historic trip to Canada. The itinerary was published in newspapers on 4 January 1939. The threat of the Second World War influenced preparations. Queen Elizabeth later recalled, “We were going [to go to Canada] in a battleship and had to change to a liner in case [the warship] was wanted. It was as close as that.”

Canada by Train

The King and Queen spent a month in Canada, touring the country from 17 May to 15 June (excluding four days in the United States from 8 to 11 June). They crossed the country twice in a blue and silver royal train that became the most recognizable symbol of the tour. The tour began in Quebec City when the royal couple arrived on the Canadian Pacific liner Empress of Australia escorted by two destroyers and two cruisers of the Royal Canadian Navy . Prime Minister William Lyon Mackenzie King formally welcomed the couple with a speech that included the words, “Today as never before the throne has become the centre of our national life.”

The westbound journey included stops in Trois-Rivières , Montreal , Ottawa , Kingston , Toronto , Winnipeg , Regina , Calgary , Banff , Vancouver and Victoria , as well as numerous small towns and villages. The train then travelled east, stopping, among other places, in Jasper , Edmonton , Saskatoon , Sudbury , Guelph , Kitchener , Windsor , Hamilton , St. Catharines and Niagara Falls . After the visit to the United States, the royal couple returned to Canada and continued their tour through Rivière-du-Loup , Fredericton , Saint John , Moncton and Charlottetown before departing by ship from Halifax . Before returning to Britain, the royal couple sailed to St. John’s , capital of the separate Dominion of Newfoundland at the time.

Mackenzie King welcomed the royal couple at every stop on the tour. George VI gave royal assent to nine bills and became the first Canadian monarch to directly meet his Parliament . He and Elizabeth also dedicated the National War Memorial in Ottawa and laid the cornerstone on the new Supreme Court of Canada building then under construction.

King George VI and Queen Elizabeth with Prime Minister King

First Royal Walkabout

The now-familiar royal walkabout, where members of the royal family meet and greet crowds of citizens during their tours, was spontaneously born in Ottawa in 1939. After dedicating the National War Memorial on 21 May, the royal couple, instead of returning to their motorcade immediately afterward, spent half an hour mingling with the 25,000 First World War veterans who were part of a crowd of at least 100,000 people. It was a stunning gesture, especially in an age when members of the royalty were often perceived as distant figureheads. A CBC radio announcer covering the event observed the warm rapport between the royal couple and the crowd: “One these old veterans is patting the King most affectionately on the shoulder…Her Majesty is chattering with one of the veterans of the amputations association…The Queen is speaking to a blind veteran now…The King is shaking hands….”

Tweedsmuir , who was also there, recognized the lasting impact of the walkabout on the eve of the Second World War : “One old fellow said to me, ‘Aye, man if Hitler could just see this.’ It was wonderful proof of what a people’s King means.”

Great Spectacle

The King and Queen were greeted by enormous crowds throughout the tour. The CBC described the reception as “a majestic mayhem.” Millions of Canadians gathered in cities, towns and rural railway crossings to see the royal couple or to simply watch the train pass through areas where no stop was scheduled. The enthusiasm was shared by Canadians of all backgrounds. In Quebec , prior to the Quiet Revolution of the 1960s, the Crown was viewed as a protector of minority rights within the larger democracy and the royal couple was well received by French Canadians. Queen Elizabeth wrote to her daughter, the future Queen Elizabeth II , “The French people in Quebec and Ottawa were wonderfully loyal; & [in] Montrea l there must have been 2,000,000 people, all very enthusiastic & glad to have an excuse to show their feelings. Yesterday in Toronto it was the same….”

The King and Queen gave speeches in both French and English. While the King still suffered from a mild stammer when giving speeches in English, he did not suffer the same impediment in his French addresses.

In his journals, Mackenzie King also made frequent mention of the enthusiastic crowds at every stop. For example, when the royal train reached Brandon , Manitoba , there was “wonderful cheering. A long bridge overhead crowded with people. The hour: 11 at night.”

French Canadian Responses

The enthusiastic response to the royal tour in Quebec was influenced by the views of French Canadian political and religious leaders. Two French Canadian cabinet ministers, Ernest Lapointe and Fernand Rinfret, encouraged public interest in the tour. Camillien Houde , the mayor of Montreal , ensured that Montreal spent more money on royal tour events than Toronto . Cardinal Jean-Marie-Rodrigue Villeneuve , archbishop of Quebec, had met King George V and supported the monarchy. At the time, the Roman Catholic school system in Quebec taught that the British conquest of Quebec had protected the region from the secular influence of the French Revolution.

The presence of the King and Queen in Quebec received extensive press coverage, and Quebec tourism increased by 65 per cent in the aftermath of the tour. French-language newspapers emphasized that French Canadians were loyal to the Crown and admired the royal couple on a personal level but did not support British imperialism or view themselves as having assimilated into the British Empire. La Presse criticized the displays of British flags and decorations in Quebec as “imperialistic propaganda” and instead placed the royal tour in a French Canadian context, stating, “Why don’t we, French Canadians, profit from the occasion to manifest our loyalty and attachment to our sovereigns, certainly, but also to our language, our nationality, our rights, our ethnic character. If we must have inscriptions, let them be worded in French, if we cheer, cheer in French….”

American coverage of the royal tour assumed that Quebec was comparatively indifferent or hostile to the presence of the King and Queen in the province. Both Time and Life magazines reported that the royal couple had travelled in bulletproof limousines in Quebec City and Montreal for security reasons without mentioning that the royal couple would use the same kind of vehicles at other stops across Canada. Quebec commentators objected to the implications of this coverage. Le Devoir declared, “The only gangsters or gunmen we have come to us from the US” and compared the fine French cuisine that the King and Queen had enjoyed in Quebec to the “hot dogs or peanut butter sandwiches” that the royal couple might receive in the United States.

Media Coverage in English Canada

Coverage of the 1939 Royal Tour was extensive in both Canada and the wider world. CBC Radio sent a staff of 100 to cover the tour, and newspapers reported extensively on the events. The tour provided the impetus for inaugurating a Canadian shortwave broadcasting service. There was an international press corps as well, which also travelled on the royal train.

Queen Elizabeth wrote to her mother-in-law, Queen Mary: “In Ottawa , we had a reception for all the journalists who are travelling with us on the pilot train — about 80 of them! The Americans are particularly easy and pleasant, and have been amazed I believe at the whole affair. Of course, they have no idea of our Constitution or how the monarchy works….”

There were a few mishaps in the media coverage, including a Winnipeg radio announcer who swore on the air during his live commentary after becoming tongue-tied trying to describe the reception of the King and Queen by Mackenzie King and Winnipeg mayor John Queen.

American Visit

In the midst of their Canadian tour, the royal couple spent four days in the United States, which included a visit with US president Franklin Delano Roosevelt at his private residence at Hyde Park in New York and in Washington, DC. The royal couple visited the British and Canadian pavilions at the 1939 New York World’s Fair and enjoyed a picnic lunch of hot dogs with the Roosevelts.

The King and Queen developed a strong rapport with Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt, which lasted throughout the Second World War . Queen Elizabeth recalled decades later that the American visit “was very valuable because the King was able to talk to Roosevelt. Endless night talks they had, because Hitler was looming then.”

“Canada Made Us”

Although the original purpose of the 1939 tour was to allow the monarch to engage with Canadians as King of Canada, the impending outbreak of war shaped the significance of the event. Queen Elizabeth alluded to the threat of war in her thank you letter to Lady Tweedsmuir , stating, “Our chief emotion is one of deep thankfulness that [the tour] was such a success, for more & more one feels that a united Empire is the only hope for this troubled world of today.”

The separation of British and Canadian foreign policy in the Statute of Westminster meant that Canada did not automatically declare war on Germany along with the United Kingdom. The tour, however, renewed ties between Canadians and Britain, helping to ensure support for joining Britain in its war effort. On 10 September 1939, Mackenzie King advised George VI to declare war on Germany in his capacity as King of Canada — just one week after the United Kingdom had made its own declaration.

For Queen Elizabeth, the 1939 tour began a 50-year personal relationship with Canada that helped establish her and her husband as a modern royal couple and set precedents for future Canadian royal tours. She would say later that “Canada made us.” Her great-grandson Prince William, The Duke of Cambridge , repeated this sentiment in 2011 at the conclusion of his first royal tour in Canada with his wife, Catherine, The Duchess of Cambridge . As the Queen Mother, Queen Elizabeth visited Canada 14 times and became a patron of numerous Canadian charities and honorary colonel-in-chief of Canadian military regiments. In 2000, the Queen Mother was appointed to the Order of Canada at the age of 100.

Interested in the monarchy?

Royal Family

External Links

CBC's archived coverage of the first royal walkabout

A feature on the dazzling cars used by the royals on their 1939 tour

A National Film Board documentary of the 1939 royal tour

Associated Collections

Recommended, king george vi, queen mother (hm queen elizabeth the queen mother), king george v, royal tours of canada, 10 memorable royal tours of canada, 1901 royal tour, william lyon mackenzie king, john buchan, 1st baron tweedsmuir.

King Edward VIII

Queen elizabeth ii, prince william (hrh the prince of wales), catherine (hrh the princess of wales).

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The 1939 Royal Visit

Royal Visit, 1939.

Canada Dept. of National Defence / Library and Archives Canada / PA-063457

19 May 1939

In early May 1939, King George VI and his wife Queen Elizabeth sailed from England on the Empress of Australia bound for Canada on a month-tour of North America. It was the first visit by a reigning sovereign to Canada, for that matter to any overseas Dominion. It was also the first time that a British monarch had visited the United States of America. With the clouds of war darkening Europe, the tour had tremendous political significance as Britain sought allies in the expected conflict with Nazi Germany. Lesser known is the constitutional significance of the trip, with the King visiting Canada, not as the King of Great Britain, but as the King of Canada.

Lord Tweedsmuir, Canada’s Governor General, raised the possibility of a Canadian Royal Tour in early 1937, with Prime Minister Mackenzie King extending the official invitation while he was in London for the King George’s coronation in May of that year. Tweedsmuir, also known as John Buchan, the famous Scottish novelist, was a passionate supporter of Canada. He sought to give substance to the Statute of Westminster. The Statute, passed in Britain in December 1931, effectively gave Canada its autonomy, recognizing that the Canadian government was in no way subordinate to the Imperial government in either domestic or international affairs, although they shared a common allegiance to the Crown. At a time when many Canadians saw their first loyalty as being to the Empire, Tweedsmuir hoped that a Royal Tour of Canada would strengthen a still nascent Canadian nationalism. He believed that it was essential that King George be seen in Canada doing his kingly duties as the King of Canada rather than a symbol of Empire. Earning the ire of Canadian imperialists, Tweedsmuir publicly stated that “A Canadian’s first loyalty is not to the British Commonwealth of Nations but to Canada and Canada’s King.” When U.S. President Roosevelt heard that a trip to Canada was being planned for the royal couple, he extended an invitation to the King and Queen to come to the United States as well, writing that a visit would be “an excellent thing for Anglo-American relations.”

Although the British Government was supportive of a North American Royal Tour, the trip was delayed for almost two years owing to the political situation in Europe. When the decision was finally made to proceed in the spring of 1939, the original plan to use a battleship for the transatlantic voyage was scrapped in favour of a civilian ocean liner in case the warship was needed to defend Britain. Even so, the trip was almost stillborn given deteriorating European political conditions. The cruisers HMS Glasgow and HMS Southampton provided a military escort for the King and Queen. The two vessels also secretly carried fifty tons of British gold destined for the Bank of Canada’s vault on Wellington Street, out of reach of Germany, and ready to be used to buy war material and other supplies, from Canada and the United States.

After taking leave of their daughters, the Princesses Elizabeth and Margaret Rose, at Waterloo Station in London, the royal couple made their way to Portsmouth where they met the 20,000 ton Empress of Australia. Delayed two days by heavy seas and fog, the gleaming white ship received a rapturous welcome on its arrival in Québec City on 17 May. In the days before the Quiet Revolution, the Crown, seen as a guarantor of minority rights, was held in high esteem in French Canada. More than 250,000 people crammed onto the Plains of Abraham and along the heights overlooking the St Lawrence to greet the ocean liner, and for a glimpse of their King and Queen. The crowds roared Vive le Roi and Vive la Reine as the King and Queen alit on Canadian soil for the first time at Wolfe’s Cove. A National Film Board documentary covering the event described King George as the “symbol of the new Canada, a free nation inside a great Commonwealth.”

The royal couple was greeted by federal and provincial dignitaries, including Prime Minister Mackenzie King and Quebec Premier Maurice Duplessis, as well as an honour guard of the francophone Royal 22nd Regiment—colloquially known in English as the Van Doos—that escorted them through the crowded, flag-bedecked streets of old Québec to the provincial legislature building. There, the King and Queen were officially welcomed, with the King replying in both English and French in the slow, deliberate style he used to overcome his stammer.

The King and Queen spent two days in la belle province, also stopping in Trois Rivières, and Montreal before making their way to the nation’s capital. By one estimate, two million people were on the streets of Montreal to greet the monarchs. Their luxurious blue and white train, its twelve cars each equipped with a telephone and radio, stopped beside a reception platform located on Ottawa’s Island Park Drive at about 11am on 19 May. Despite the cold, inclement weather—drizzle and what suspiciously looked like snow—tens of thousands had assembled to greet the King and Queen. Many had gone early, either to the train station, or to find a viewing spot along the processional route. At morning rush hour, downtown Ottawa was deserted “as though its entire population had been mysteriously wiped out overnight” according to the Ottawa Citizen. In actual fact, the city’s population had doubled with many coming from outlying areas to see the King and Queen. Thousands of Americans had also come north to witness history in the making.

Descending from the train onto a red-carpeted platform under a canopy draped with bunting, King George and Queen Elizabeth were met by Lord and Lady Tweedsmuir, Prime Minister Mackenzie King, members of cabinet who were not presented at Québec City, and Ottawa’s mayor Stanley Lewis. A 21-gun salute was fired by the 1st Field Battery of the Royal Canadian Artillery to honour the sovereigns’ arrival. Church bells began pealing. With the clouds parting, the royal party, accompanied by an escort of the 4th Princess Louise’s Dragoon Guards, rode in an open landau from the Island Park Station through the Experimental Farm, along Highway 16, down the Driveway to Connaught Place, and finally along Mackenzie Avenue and Lady Grey Drive to Rideau Hall, the home of the Governor General. Along the route, the royal couple was greeted by a continuous rolling applause by the hundreds of thousands that line the eight-mile route.

That evening, a State Dinner was held at the Château Laurier hotel for more than 700 guests consisting of clear soup, a mousse of chicken, lamb with asparagus, carrots, peas, and potatoes, followed by a fruit pudding with maple syrup. While a formal affair, the meal was held “in an atmosphere of democratic ease.” Before dinner, the King and Queen stepped out on the balcony of the hotel to receive a thunderous applause from the 40,000 people in the Square below.

The following day, 20 May, was declared the King’s official birthday; his actual birthday was 14 December. With great pageantry, a Trooping of the Colours was held on Parliament Hill to mark the event. This was followed by the laying of the cornerstone of Canada’s Supreme Court building on Wellington Street by Queen Elizabeth as her husband looked on. Speaking in English and French, the Queen remarked that “Perhaps it is not inappropriate that this task [laying the cornerstone] should be performed by a woman; for a woman’s position in civilized society has depended upon the growth of law.”

After the laying the Supreme Court’s cornerstone, the royal couple had a quick tour of Hull, with an impromptu stop in front of the Normal School so that the Queen could accept a bouquet of flowers. They then returned to Ottawa via the Alexandra Bridge for a private lunch with the Prime Minister at Laurier House. That afternoon, the King and Queen took a break from their official duties to tour the Quebec countryside near Aylmer. On their way back home to Rideau Hall, they stopped at Dow’s Lake where they talked to a small boy who was fishing. When informed that he was talking to the King and Queen, the little boy fled.

On Sunday, 21 May, the King formally unveiled the National War Memorial in front of more than 100,000 spectators and 10,000 veterans of the Great War. Commenting on the allegorical figures of Peace and Freedom at the top of the memorial, the King said that “It is well that we have in one of the world’s capitals a visible reminder of so great a truth that without freedom there can be no enduring peace, and without peace, no enduring freedom.”

After the unveiling, God Save the King and O Canada were played. There was considerable press commentary that the King remained in salute for O Canada, which was until then just a popular patriotic song. It is from this point that the song became Canada’s unofficial national anthem, something which was finally officially recognized in 1980. The King and Queen then strolled into the crowd of veterans to greet and talk to them personally. This was an unprecedented event. Never before had the King and Queen walked unescorted and unprotected through such crowds; an act that delighted the ex-servicemen and terrified the security men.

Mid-afternoon, the King and Queen returned to their train, leaving Ottawa for Toronto, their next stop on their month-long Royal Tour of Canada and the United States. Interestingly, on their short U.S. visit, no British minister accompanied the King and Queen. Instead, Canadian Prime Minister Mackenzie King was the sole minister present to advise the King. This underscored the point that King George was visiting the United States as King of Canada. After four days in the United States, with stops in Washington and New York, including a visit to Canada’s pavilion at the World Fair, the King and Queen resumed their Canadian tour in eastern Canada.

After crisscrossing the continent by train, King George and Queen Elizabeth bade farewell to Canada on 15 June, leaving Halifax on the Empress of Britain, bound for St John’s, capital of Newfoundland, then a separate Dominion. The royal couple left North America two days later, returning to England on 21 June.

The trip was an overwhelming success. The King was seen and widely acclaimed as King of Canada—the objective of the Governor General. It was a political triumph for Prime Minister Mackenzie King who accompanied the royal couple throughout their trip. It was also a huge success for the King and Queen. Later, the Queen remarked that “Canada had made us, the King and I.” The handsome, young couple charmed their Canadian subjects. With the world on the brink of war, they pushed the grim international headlines to the back pages, and reminded Canadians of their democratic institutions, and the freedoms they enjoyed. The King and Queen also enchanted President Roosevelt and the U.S. public. The goodwill they earned was to be of huge importance following the outbreak of war less than three months later. Lastly, the visit was a triumph for the new Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC). With more than 100 journalists covering the Royal Tour, the event established the broadcaster as the authoritative voice of Canada.

Bousfield, Arthur and Toffoli, Garry, 1989. Royal Spring: The Royal Tour of 1939 and the Queen Mother in Canada , Dundurn Press Ltd: Toronto.

British Pathé, 1939. Royal Banners Over Ottawa ,

Canadian Crown, 2015. The Royal Tour of King George VI ,

Galbraith, J. William, 1989. “ Fiftieth Anniversary of the 1939 Royal Visit ,” Canadian Parliamentary Review,

————————-, 2013. John Buchan: Model Governor General , Dundurn Press Ltd: Toronto.

Harris, Carolyn, 2015. “ 1939 Royal Tour ,” Historica Canada ,

Lanctôt, Gustave, 1964. The Royal Tour of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth in Canada and the United States of America , 1939. E.P. Taylor Foundation: Toronto.

National Film Board, 1939. “ The Royal Visit ,”

National Post , 2004. “ It made Us, the King and I ,”

The Ottawa Citizen , 1939. “Over 10,000 Veterans Ready To Line Route For Royalty,”1 May.

———————–, 1939. “Magnificent Royal Welcome Given By Quebec,” 17 May.

———————-, 1939. “Complete Official Program For Royal Visit To Ottawa Contains Ceremonial Detail,” 18 May.

———————, 1939. “Palace on Wheels Official Residence Of King And Queen,” 18 May.

———————, 1939. “Our King And Queen, God Bless Them!” 19 May.

———————, 1939. “Their Canadian Capital Extends Affectionate, Warm-Hearted, Greeting,”19 May.

ThemeTrains.com, 2015. “ The Story of the Canadian: Royal Train of 1939 ,”

Vipond, Mary, 2010. “The Royal Tour of 1939 as a Media Event,” Canadian Journal of Communications , Vol. 35, 149-172.

Royal Visit, 1939. Credit: Canada. Dept. of National Defence / Library and Archives Canada / PA-063457.

King George VI and Queen Elizabeth giving Royal Assent to Bills in Canada’s Senate, 19 May 1939, Imperial War Museum, C-033278.

Story written by James Powell, the author of the blog Today in Ottawa's History .

Retired from the Bank of Canada, James is the author or co-author of three books dealing with some aspect of Canadian history. These comprise: A History of the Canadian Dollar, 2005, Bank of Canada, The Bank of Canada of James Elliott Coyne: Challenges, Confrontation and Change,” 2009, Queen’s University Press, and with Jill Moxley, Faking It! A History of Counterfeiting in Canada, 2013, General Store Publishing House, Renfrew, Ontario. James is a Director of The Historical Society of Ottawa.

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The 1939 Royal Tour: Visiting BC

The politics of the 1939 royal tour.

George VI understood that with war approaching the support of both Canada and the United States of America would be crucial. It was with this in mind that the 1939 Royal Tour became one of the most carefully orchestrated Royal Tours in history. Even the cars used were custom-built to create maximum visual impact. Note the emphasis on alliance with the joined flags in the officially approved memorabilia. George VI was the first British King to tour Canada and the United States of America.

Visiting British Columbia

Highlights of the 1939 Royal Tour in British Columbia included travel by Royal Train, an engine type ever after called the Royal Hudson. On May 29th they left Banff, stopping briefly at Kamloops and then entered Vancouver, where large enthusiastic crowds greeted them. The King and Queen boarded the Princess Margueritefor Victoria, where they opened the Legislature, lunched at the Empress and presented Colours to the Royal Canadian Navy in Beaconhill Park before returning across western Canada to New York State.

The 1939 Royal Tour

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By the time 1939 rolled around, 72 years had gone by since Canada had become a country. Amazingly, despite seven decades passing, it was not until 1939 that a reigning Canadian monarch set foot in the country. When King George VI and Queen Elizabeth arrived at the shores of Canada, it would be an event unlike any other in Canadian history to that point.

While there have been many Royal Tours since then, it could be argued this was the most successful Royal Tour in Canadian history.

Canada had a strong history with King George VI, going back to when he was the Duke of York. In 1930, he was offered the role of Governor General of Canada, but the British government decided against this as Canada was becoming more autonomous from the United Kingdom, especially as the Statute of Westminster was about to be enacted that would greatly reduce the power of the Governor General in the country.

On Jan. 20, 1936, King George V died and was succeeded by King Edward VIII but just under a year later, Edward abdicated to marry Wallis Simpson, this then made the Duke of York the new King.

There was talk of the couple coming in the fall of 1938 but that would fall through as the Royal Couple needed a holiday following the death of the Queen’s mother. Prime Minister William Lyon Mackenzie King would write in his diary on May 29, 1938, quote:

“Personally, I should like to be the one to receive the King and Queen while in officer as Prime Minister.”

It then came down to Lord Tweedsmuir, the Governor General of Canada at the time, to extend an invitation to the Royal Couple to tour Canada after their planned tour of India in 1938 was cancelled.

On Sept. 24, 1938, after meeting with King George VI, Lord Tweedsmuir was able to get a confirmation that the King and Queen would indeed be touring Canada. At first, the plan was for the King to come to Ottawa and then return home, but the King then said he wanted to visit the provincial capitals. From there, the itinerary just grew.

The Calgary Herald would report quote:

“The high and unprecedented event of the coming visit to Canada of the King and Queen will give the government a great deal to think about and arrange for the coming months. Among the public at large, it will create the thrill of an expectant emotion. Such a thing has never happened before.”

War was on the horizon, but that was not going to stop the journey, the itinerary of which was published in newspapers across Canada on Jan. 4, 1939. Originally, the Royal Couple were going to come to Canada in a battleship, but the Second World War looming would change that. Queen Elizabeth would say later quote:

“We were going in a battleship and had to change to a liner in case the warship was wanted. It was as close as that.”

Not everyone was happy about the royal visit though, especially with Canada in the throes of the Great Depression. One man was quoted as saying quote:

“I am not disloyal, but I don’t think the city should pay when our people haven’t bread.”

In Vancouver, city councilor Helena Guteridge would state that the city of Vancouver should not be called upon to bear costs from celebrations of the planned visit. She would say quote:

“I am not retracing anything. I feel those who will reap a profit from the celebrations should bear the cost, not the city.”

On May 1, 1939, the Canadian Royal Train would do a round trip test with six of the Royal Train Cars, pulled by Locomotive 6028, from Montreal to Brockville, Ontario. On May 9, another test run was conducted with 12 cars and Locomotive CP 2850 taking over. The 12 cars would include room for 20 domestic servants for the Royal Couple, Prime Minister King, Lady Katherine Seymour, the Earl of Eldon, the Earl of Airlie, as well as several journalists.

The couple would arrive in Canada on May 17, 1939, and they would spend the next month touring the country by train. The couple would travel in a blue and silver royal train, which made it instantly recognizable to the many Canadians who waited along the tracks to see the train go by.

In order to cover the historic tour, CBC radio had a staff of 100 people covering the events on the tour. On the train with the Royal Couple were 80 international journalists as well.

The tour officially began in Quebec City when the Royal Couple arrived on the Empress of Australia, escorted by two destroyers and two cruisers.

Prime Minister King would go aboard the Empress of Australia to meet with the King and Queen before the disembarked onto Canadian soil for the first visit by a reigning monarch. He would write in his diary, quote:

“The King was standing at the open door of one of the saloons. The Queen was beside him. His Majesty came forward and put out his hand to shake hands and expressed a word of greeting to the effect that he was glad to see me again. I said Welcome Sire to Your Majesty’s Realm of Canada. The Queen came forward and shook hands and spoke of being pleased to be here. I said to her Welcome ma’am to Canada.”

Prime Minister King would say in a speech, quote:

“Today as never before the throne has become the centre of our national life.”

The Royal Couple, the prime minister and others then drove to the Legislative buildings. King would write quote:

“The streets were lined with people who were quite enthusiastic. Great crowds.”

The Ottawa Journal reported quote:

“Roar like mighty thunder greets their majesties as they set foot ashore.”

A total of 35,000 schoolchildren would cheer for the King and Queen during their visit.

In his speech to the crowd, King would say quote:

“May it please Your Majesty. On behalf of the Canadian people, I respectfully extend to Your Majesty and to Her Majesty the Queen, a Royal welcome to your Dominion of Canada.”

A large luncheon was then held for the Royal Couple, which was enjoyed by everyone according to King, who wrote quote:

“The King was in very good form. Laughed a good deal. He had a wholesome, almost boyish way, seeing humour in things. I spoke to him of the main incidents in the history of Quebec. Spoke of the Privy Council being assembled at the gathering. He noticed Howard Ferguson in the audience and spoke of him and of the time he was in London.”

After more receptions, with roads lined with cheering people, a long day came to an end for the Royal Couple and King. Prime Minister King would write at the end of his diary entry for that day, one of the longest of all his entries, quote:

“Needless to say, all day I have had thoughts of my father and mother and grandparents, and Sir Wilfrid and Lady Laurier, in my mind, but have been so tired that there were moments when I seemed to almost be forgetful of their existence. Have thought too of King George V a good deal but can say that I am very tired. However, Providence had been kind in giving me strength through the day and I have reason to rejoice that all has gone so well.”

The couple would make two trips across Canada, visiting nearly every major city along the way. At every stop of the tour, Prime Minister King was there to welcome them.

The next day, it was on to Montreal where the couple was greeted enthusiastically. King would write at the end of the day quote:

“I shall never forget today, however scenes of rejoicing, etc.”

While in Montreal, two Boer War veterans of Scottish heritage would ask the Queen, hoping to settle an argument, quote:

“Are you Scots, or are you English”

The Queen responded quote:

“Since I have landed in Quebec, I think we can say that I am Canadian.”

Queen Elizabeth would write to her daughter, the future Queen Elizabeth II, quote:

“The French people in Quebec and Ottawa are wonderfully loyal and in Montreal there must have been two million people, all very enthusiastic and glad to have an excuse to show their feelings.”

A 21-gun salute greeted the couple when they arrived in Montreal and the Ottawa Journal reported quote:

“A colorful array greeted their Majesties as they stepped from the train to a carpeted pathway leading from their private train. The King and Queen were greeted by spontaneous cheering and shouting, flag waving and singing.”

During their stops in Quebec, the King and Queen gave their speeches in both French and English.

The next big stop on the tour was Ottawa, where 200,000 people lined a 10-kilometre route to see the Royal Couple. The Couple would stay in the capital for three days.

“They cheered loud and lustily for the three minutes the train took to do the remaining 500 yards and when Their Majesties alighted, they started cheering all over again.”

One woman, upon seeing the Queen, screamed, “she looks like a little girl”

There were several important milestones during the visit of the Royal Couple as well. King George VI gave royal assent directly to nine bills. A total of 800 people crammed into the Senate Chambers to witness the historic event. No royal assent had been granted by the sovereign in person since 1854, so this was a major event. King George VI became the first Canadian monarch to directly meet with Parliament. He and Queen Elizabeth also dedicated the National War Memorial in Ottawa, and they put down the cornerstone for the new Supreme Court of Canada building that was under construction.

The Ottawa Journal wrote quote:

“Joined by hundreds of visitors who were coming in a steady stream by railways and highways from near and far, citizens of the Capital today waited with restive eagerness for the arrival of Their Majesties the King and Queen.”

There were some complaints from civil servants in Ottawa that the vantage points in government buildings to see the Royal Couple were occupied by high officials, their families and friends, while the civil servants who typically occupied those areas through long years of service in the buildings were forced to go elsewhere. Finance Minister Dunning would say that the government knew nothing of this, and that each department had authority over its own offices.

Today, what is called the Royal Walkabout is customary in Canada. It involves a member of the Royal Family visiting with crowds of citizens on tours. That tradition got its start in 1939 when on May 21, when the Royal Couple dedicated the National War Memorial, they chose not to immediately go back to their motorcade and instead spent the next half hour mingling with 25,000 First World War veterans. Those veterans were part of the crowd of 100,000 people who had come out to see the couple.

The CBC would report quote:

“One of these old veterans is patting the King most affectionately on the shoulder. Her Majesty is chattering with one of the veterans of the amputations association. The Queen is speaking to a blind veteran now. The King is shaking hands.”

King would write in his diary quote:

“The crowd began to narrow in. The King gave instructions to move the mounted escort along, down the street, so he could meet a larger number, and caused the crowds to begin to narrow in. There was a moment when I was afraid some of the party might be crushed.”

The Royal Tour then moved on to Toronto on May 22, where they attended the King’s Plate horse race and dedicated Coronation Park. The Rainbow Bridge at Niagara Falls, which was not quite completed, was also dedicated.

It was estimated one million people saw the couple in Toronto, as they lined the streets waiting for a glimpse of the King and Queen. King George VI would say in a speech quote:

“The people of Ontario, the central province of the Dominion, have by their great qualities made a very significant contribution to the material progress of Canada and an equally important one to the formation of its national character.”

“As we approached the City Hall, the crowds became all that they could possibly be in those areas. It was a joy as I stood there with the King and Queen to recall that my grandfather had been the first Mayor of Toronto and had designed its coat of arms.”

The couple then began the long journey out to Western Canada, to a region of the country that had dealt with the worst of The Great Depression.

On May 23, as the Royal Tour reached White River, Ontario, George Freethy was made mayor of the community only 40 minutes previously. He was chosen by other members of the committee in charge of the visit to White River to greet the King and Queen, before he went back to his normal job as a superintendent. He would say after meeting the King and Queen, quote:

“Her smile was so dazzling I forgot everything after that.”

At Fort William, the couple would meet with Indigenous leaders and were shown a traditional Indigenous dance. The Ottawa Journal reported quote:

“The Royal Couple seemed to enjoy the experience thoroughly.”

The couple would visit Winnipeg on May 24, arriving on the King’s official birthday. A crowd of 100,000 people greeted the Royal Couple and the King requested that the convertible roof on the limousine be opened, despite record rainfall, so as many people as possible could see the couple.

Macleans would write quote:

“Those who heard the spontaneous gasps of amazement and delight when Winnipegers saw this young couple driving along in an open car in the rain, will never forget it, neither will Winnipegers.”

While staying at Government House in Winnipeg, King George VI made his longest-ever radio broadcast to the British Empire. The table that he sat at to read the address remains in the hotel. Originally, the King had wanted to do the address outdoors, before the people of Winnipeg as he did not like speaking in a room by himself.

The King would say in his speech quote:

“Winnipeg, the city from which I am speaking, was no more than a fort and hamlet upon the open prairie when Queen Victoria began to rule. Today, it is a monument to the faith and energy which have created and upheld the worldwide Empire of our time.”

King would say of the speech, quote:

“I thought the broadcast was too long and not as felicitously worded as it might have been.”

The train then moved on to Brandon, where Prime Minister King would describe the arrival as quote:

“Wonderful cheering. A long bridge overhead crowded with people. The hour, 11 at night, the finest scene on the entire trip.”

Even Queen Elizabeth would state the reception was the biggest thrill of the tour to that point.

In Brandon, Manitoba, the population of the city, normally 17,000, swelled to 50,000 as people from around the area came out to see the Royal Couple. The Regina Leader-Post stated quote:

“School children, farmers, babies in arms and grandmothers from near and far swelled the city’s population, massed along the station platform and crowding along the railway tracks for half a mile.”

Some journeyed from as far away as 300 kilometres to glimpse the Royal Couple.

On May 25, the Royal Couple travelled into Saskatchewan. The first stop was Broadview, where an immense crowd greeted the Royal Couple. After Broadview, the train stopped so the Royal Couple could exercise. King would write quote:

“They walked down the track, coming back, were met by their suite. The Queen set up a foot race and brought them all in puffing pretty hard. She is full of life and charm.”

The train then reached Regina where it was unfortunately raining. Once again, King George VI asked that the top of the car be taken down.

In Regina, two Inuit men had been flown in from the Arctic after travelling 300 kilometres on foot to meet a pontooned plane. The plane would land on Wascana Lake directly in front of the Legislative Building, and the Royal Couple would speak to the two men for a few moments.

The Regina Leader-Post would state of the city’s efforts to welcome the couple quote:

“Regina’s street decorations were unsurpassed by any previous event celebrated in the city’s history. Miles of bunting in red, white and blue and in the royal colours of purple and gold, together with thousands of flags and colored lights provided a colorful setting for the celebration of Their Majesties.”

Saskatchewan was the hardest hit by the Depression in Canada, but it didn’t stop many from still celebrating. The Leader-Post would go on to state quote:

“A poor transient, his clothes ragged and his face dirty, walked proudly on South Railway Street with a large flag in his crumpled hat. A large shiny car moved slowly along Albert Street, its driver obviously in difficulty with the vast array of flags carried on the car front. Information bureaus at the city’s outskirts reported one car had passed into the city bearing Hawaii license plates. Another car intended to take in the royal visit in Regina came 600 miles from north of Prince Albert.”

After visiting the Legislative Building, and visiting with dignitaries, the couple moved on to Moose Jaw. At the station, they found a young boy who was laying on a cot. He had accidently ingested poison and was not expected to live beyond a few days. He had hoped to see the King and Queen before he died.

King wrote quote:

“We all went to the cot together. The little lad first smiled very pleasantly at me and then later at the King and Queen. Waved his little flag. It was quite a touching affair.”

The day after the stop in Regina and Moose Jaw, the tour was on its way to Calgary. King George VI would ask Prime Minister King what should be expected for crowds or ceremonial military welcome in Calgary. King stated that Calgary was only a small place of little consequence. Upon arrival, the King saw there was a guard of honour waiting on the platform and he realized he should be in uniform. It was too late to change, and according to those around the King, he was angry with Prime Minister King for the rest of the day.

It was also the first time that King was disappointed with the reception. He wrote quote:

“I was disappointed in the numbers of people on the streets. There were not the crowds I had expected. Many of the seats that had been constructed were empty.”

Despite his disappointment, a crowd of 135,000 did come to see the King and Queen. The Edmonton Journal reported quote:

“From towns, villages and lonely farmsteads, all over southern Alberta, from many parts of Saskatchewan and British Columbia, came farmers, ranchers, miners and townsfolk with their wives and children, to mingle on the streets with beribboned city veterans, cowboys, shop assistants, office workers, air force men, people of every description.”

In Calgary, the King and Queen would meet with local Indigenous leaders, who wore traditional clothing to meet the Royal Couple.

On May 27, the Royal Couple were in Banff where a famous photo of them with Prime Minister King at the Banff Springs Hotel was taken. This would provide the Royal Couple with some time for rest after the long trip across the country. The Regina Leader-Post’s Francis Stevens would report quote:

“Right now, in this mountain retreat surrounded by whispering fir trees, looking out on one of the most publicized views on Earth, I still hear the cheers of thousands ringing in my ears.”

One man would tell Stevens upon seeing the King and Queen quote:

“They were walking arm-in-arm. The Queen looked happy and carefree, and you could almost say she was skipping along like a girl. When I saw them coming, I stood at attention to let them pass and both of them said good evening to me.”

The King and Queen had actually left for their walk in the mountains without notifying any of their staff of their intention. They would return half an hour later to dine alone together in their suite.

The press that was along on the tour also stated they would not follow the Royal Couple on their walks in the mountains, to give them a break from the constant glare of the cameras and people.

At one point, one of the Mounties assigned to guard at the hotel began to follow the King and Queen on their walk and the King politely told him that they wished to be alone.

On May 29, the couple reached Vancouver. They would drive over the newly completed Lions Gate Bridge, and the King and Queen would be the first registered guests at the new and luxurious Vancouver Hotel, owned jointly by Canadian National Railways and Canadian Pacific.

The following day, the couple toured smaller communities as well as Victoria. Prime Minister King would write in his diary quote:

“The day in Vancouver was one of the finest on the entire tour. Without question, Victoria has left the most pleasing of all impressions. It was a crowning gem.”

While in Victoria, the King would make a speech that was broadcast across Canada. He would state, with war looming on the horizon, quote:

“Someday, the people of the world will come to realize that prosperity lies in co-operation and not in conflict.”

He would then add, quote:

“To travel through so grand a country is a privilege to any man but to travel through it to the accompaniment of such an overwhelming testimony of good will, from young and old alike, is an experience that has, I believe, been granted to too few people. We are deeply grateful for it; we shall never forget it.”

At this point, the Royal Couple began the trip back to eastern Canada. The couple would have another rest at Jasper, before once again moving on east.

Upon reaching Edmonton on June 2, the population of the city went from 90,000 to 200,000 as people from the outlying areas came to the capital to see the couple. Along Kingsway Avenue in Edmonton, specially constructed grandstands were made so 70,000 people could see the couple pass by.

“Tremendous crowds at and around the station. Mounted escort part of the way. We turned to the left along one of the large avenues, and there saw I think the finest sight in the whole trip thus far. Tiers of seats had been erected on either side, very wide avenue for a distance of two miles.”

With the King and Queen staying at the Hotel Macdonald, police had to keep crowds away from the entrance but that didn’t stop one 17-year-old boy from climbing up the building and looking in the window where he saw the King and Queen in the Lt. Governor’s suite, where they were having tea.

King would add later in his recollection quote:

“Edmonton better than Calgary. I think one of the great surprises of the trip.”

The next day, the couple then made their way to Wainwright, at the border of Alberta and Saskatchewan where there was another huge reception.

The King and Queen would also take a walk around Unity, and then visited Saskatoon where 150,000 came out to see the couple and hundreds of teenage girls dressed in red, white and blue and assembled in the image of the Royal Union Flag as they sang God Save the King.

The Saskatoon Star-Phoenix would write quote:

“Royal weather and a royal crowd greeted Canada’s King and Queen in Saskatoon. One hundred and fifty thousand persons lost their hearts to the tall, square-shouldered Monarch and his unbelievably gracious consort.”

For two days before the arrival of the King and Queen, crowds were coming into the city for the big event. There were an estimated 30,000 school children who had also come to the city for the arrival.

The Star-Phoenix reported quote:

“It was a colorful scene which greeted Their Majesties as they stepped from the train. To the left of the Royal Couple was the military guard of honour furnished by the Saskatoon Light Infantry. Behind them were stands holding more than 800 high school girls wearing red, white or blue berets and carrying red, white or blue kerchiefs. To their right was a troop of Girl Guides and more stands with nearly 1,500 pioneers, visiting officials, committee chairman and honored guests.”

The Royal Couple later arrived in Melville at 10 p.m. and 60,000 people were waiting for them. The community typically had a population of only 3,000. With such a huge influx of people into the community, the Royal Couple decided to spend several hours in Melville, rather than the originally planned 10 minutes. In the crowd were 600 First World War veterans, 10,000 school children and a 200-piece orchestra.

R.J. Carnegie would say of the stop in Melville, quote:

“Never throughout the tour did I see such unbridled enthusiasm as then.”

The community is in the Central Time Zone but for the Royal Visit and to keep everything on the same day, the community temporarily switched to the Mountain Time Zone.

King would write quote:

“We got the surprise of our lives when we reached Melville. There was the largest outdoor massing of children and others that I have seen at any of the stations. I think the King and Queen were almost taken off their feet by surprise as they went to the platform.”

With its population swelling to 60,000 people, Melville became the largest city in Saskatchewan for a few hours.

From June 7 to 12, the Royal Couple visited the United States with Prime Minister King, who was the sole minister in attendance with the King to reinforce that King George VI’s visit to the United States was a state visit from Canada.

“I told the Queen that I felt somewhat embarrassed about taking in the entire trip with Their Majesties, that it looked like pushing myself into the fore, yet I felt that unless some evidence of Dominion precedence existed, one of the main purposes of the trip would be gone.”

The Queen would respond quote:

“The King and I felt right along that you should come with us.”

The Royal Couple returned to Canada on June 12, visiting the Maritimes. During a visit to Doaktown, New Brunswick, they had tea at a local teahouse and upon finishing their tea, went to the kitchen and surprised the owners.

The couple then went to Newfoundland, then not a part of Canada, visiting St. John’s where the population grew from 50,000 to 100,000 for the visit. When the couple left the city, residents built a huge bonfire on Signal Hill to say goodbye.

The Royal Couple then visited Prince Edward Island, followed by the last stop on their tour, Halifax, on June 15.

After a luncheon, the Royal Couple boarded the RMS Empress of Britain to return to the United Kingdom. Thus ended their 13,481-kilometre journey around Canada. During the tour, it was estimated eight million Canadians saw the King and Queen. At the time, Canada had a population of 11 million.

Maclean’s Magazine would write quote:

“There were tens and hundreds of thousands of people, young and old, who lined streets and waved flags and cheered as the Royal Procession went by. There were other tens of thousands, running into millions, who gained almost a vivid picture of the moving events without stirring from before their own radio loud-speakers. People on lonely farms and in lonelier lighthouses, in little red schoolhouses, that are almost forgotten, on trap lines and in mines, listened to the broadcasts. In solitary police posts fringing the Arctic Sea, in Eskimo igloo and Indian encampment, in hospital beds and houses of detention, people paused in whatever they were doing while a king went by.”

Prior to leaving, a Royal Prerogative was given in which any prisoner in Canada serving a sentence of three months or more for an offense against the criminal code, would have their sentences reduced.

P. Duff, Chief Justice of Canada and acting Governor General would state quote:

“It has been the traditional practice of sovereigns to mark celebrations of this great importance by an act of grace or mercy.”

The proclamation would extend to at least 4,000 prisoners in federal penitentiaries who had sentences of two years or more. Provincial and county jails, reformatories and farms would not benefit from the proclamation.

The tour also seemed to reinvigorate King, with journalists stating that his health seemed to improve, and his spirits rose despite the schedule.

Prime Minister King would write after the King and Queen left, stating quote:

“The Empress of Britain ran past one end of the harbour where she was towed around, then came back the opposite way to pull out to sea. She was accompanied by British warships and our own destroyers. The Bluenose and other vessels also in the harbour as a sort of escort. The King and Queen were at the top of the ship and kept waving. No farewell could have been finer.”

Information from Canadian Encyclopedia, Library and Archives Canada, Wikipedia, ThemeTrains.com, Saskatoon Star Phoenix, Macleans, Vancouver Sun, Calgary Herald, Ottawa Journal, Regina Leader-Post, Winnipeg Tribune,

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The Royal Tour of 1939

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King George VI and Queen Elizabeth arrive in Ottawa and unveil the National War Memorial

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1939 Royal Tour

Published Online April 22, 2015

Last Edited March 25, 2022

Albert and Elizabeth

King and Queen of Canada

Canada by Train

First Royal Walkabout

Great Spectacle

French Canadian Responses

Media Coverage in English Canada

American Visit

“Canada Made Us”

Interested in the monarchy?

Royal Family

External Links

CBC's archived coverage of the first royal walkabout

A feature on the dazzling cars used by the royals on their 1939 tour

A National Film Board documentary of the 1939 royal tour

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Royal Visit to Niagara Falls, 1939

Black and white photograph of the royal motorcade with King George VI and Queen Elizabeth during the Royal Visit through Niagara Falls, ON on June 7, 1939. The vehicle is a 1939 Lincoln convertible sedan. The King and Queen are being accompanied by the Royal Canadian Dragoons (RCD), the most senior cavalry regiment in Canada. Crowds of onlookers line both sides of the street.

The 1939 Royal Visit was the first visit of the reigning monarch to Canada. Large crowds greeted the royal couple throughout the cross-country tour. The tour began in May of 1939 in Quebec City. From here the King and Queen travelled west by rail, visiting most of the major cities and finally arriving in Vancouver. Then they travelled through the United States, along with Prime Minister Mackenzie King. The tour ended with a visit to the Maritimes and Newfoundland, departing from Halifax.

On June 7, 1939 the Royals passed through Southern Ontario on their way to Washington, DC for a meeting with President Roosevelt. It would be the first state visit to the United States by a reigning British monarch.

DICEA2011.0021.0006

June 07, 1939

Classification

Inscriptions.

(top left, handwritten in black ink) June 7, 1939

Credit Line

Courtesy of the Magi Family

Acquisition Method

Digital Reproduction

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Medal - Royal Visit - 1939 - Miscellaneous tokens and medals - Coins and Canada

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Medal - Royal Visit - 1939

Description

Medal commemorating the first royal visit to Canada in 1939.

It was the first time a reigning monarch had visited Canada. In Europe, it was apparent that war was looming, and one of the main reasons for the royal tour was to stimulate Canadian affection and support for Britain in the coming conflict.

An enormous amount of work went into the preparation of the royal tour. The King and Queen would arrive in Canada by ship and travel across the country by train. Both the Canadian Pacific and the Canadian National Railways offered their services, and a royal train was assembled, using some of their best carriages.

Text : A-MARI VSQ-VE AD-MARE - REGEM.ET.REGINAM CANADA SALVAT.

Medal - Royal Visit - 1939 values and prices

The value of a canadian token depends on several factors such as quality and wear, supply and demand, rarity, finish and more.

Uncirculated

Bronze - 26 mm

26 mm bronze medal width.

Bronze - 31 mm

31 mm bronze medal width.

31 mm silver medal width.

Medal - Royal Visit - 1939 - Silver - 33 mm

Specifications

Composition: Bronze
Weight: 11 grams
Diameter: 26 mm
Edge: Smooth
Charlton #: 253
Diameter: 31 mm
Charlton #: 252
Composition: Silver
Weight: 18.5 grams
Diameter: 33 mm
Charlton #: 252a

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The Royal Watcher

Royal tour of canada, 1939.

King George VI and Queen Elizabeth visited every Canadian Province on their landmark month-long Tour of Canada on this day in 1939, 85 years ago, ahead of the outbreak of the Second World War. The Tour was the first visit to North America by the Reigning Monarch, who was also the Sovereign of Canada.

King George VI and Queen Elizabeth began their Tour of Canada when they arrived in Quebec City on the RMS Empress of Australia. Basing themselves at La Citadelle, the King held the audience with Quebeckers in the Legislative Council chamber of the Legislative Assembly Building before the Quebec Government Quebec Government hosted a Banquet for the King and Queen (wearing the Fringe Tiara ) at the Chateau Frontenac.

In Montreal, the King and Queen signed the Golden Book in City Hall, and viewed ceremonies in the Monson Stadium ahead of a Dinner at the Windsor Hotel, following which the King and Queen (in the Teck Crescent Tiara ) boarded the Royal Train.

In Ottawa, King George VI and Queen Elizabeth (wearing the Oriental Circlet Tiara ) presided over the opening of the 4th session of the 18th Parliament of Canada, following the unveiling of the war memorial.

In the evening, the King and Queen (in the Teck Crescent Tiara ) attended a Parliamentary Dinner hosted by Prime Minster Rt. Hon. W.L. Mackenzie King at the Chateau Laurier in Ottawa.

King George VI and Queen Elizabeth stayed in Ottawa with Governor-General Lord Tweedsmuir and Lady Tweedsmuir at Rideau Hall.

King George VI also had his Official Birthday Celebrations in Canada, with a Trooping the Colour Ceremony and a review of the troops in Ottawa, watched by the Queen from the Governor General’s office in the east block of the Parliament building.

In Toronto, Queen Elizabeth inspected the Toronto Scots Regiment on the north campus of Toronto University, where she presented Colours to the Regiment, ahead of a visit to Niagara Falls.

From Ontario, King George VI and Queen Elizabeth embarked on the Royal Train, travelling through Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Alberta, stoping in Winnipeg, Regina, Calgary and Banff before arriving in Vancouver and later Victoria, British Columbia, while their return East included stops in Edmonton and Saskatoon.

Following a five-day State Visit to the United States, King George VI and Queen Elizabeth visited the Maritime provinces, stopping in New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia, and Newfoundland before their Return to Britain.

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Catalogue description Royal Visit to Canada, 1939 : constitutional points

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Collecting King George VI Stamps

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Home » Canada » 1939 royal visit to Canada and Newfoundland – commemorative stamps

1939 royal visit to Canada and Newfoundland – commemorative stamps

Canada, King George VI, 1939 Royal Visit

Canada 1939 Royal Visit SG.373-SG.374

The 1939 royal tour of Canada was a cross-Canada royal tour by King George VI and Queen Elizabeth, lasting from May 17 to June 15, 1939, including a visit to the United States on June 7–10. It was the first visit of a reigning monarch to Canada, and also the first time a British monarch had set foot in the United States. The royal couple visited every Canadian province as well as the (then) Dominion of Newfoundland. The tour was an enormous event and a great success, attracting huge crowds at each new city.

The royals arrived in Quebec city, and travelled west by rail through the country, visiting most of the major cities and finally arriving in Vancouver. Then they travelled through the United States, along with Canadian Prime Minister Mackenzie King. The tour ended with a visit to the Maritimes and Newfoundland, departing from Halifax.

In 1985, during a tour of Canada, Queen Elizabeth, by then the Queen Mother, stated in a speech: “It is now some 46 years since I first came to this country with the King, in those anxious days shortly before the outbreak of the Second World War. I shall always look back upon that visit with feelings of affection and happiness. I think I lost my heart to Canada and Canadians, and my feelings have not changed with the passage of time.

King George VI, Ottawa, Royal Visit 1939

King George VI and Queen Elizabeth unveiled the War Memorial in Ottawa.

The royal visit of King George VI and Queen Mary was marked by two commemorative stamp issues, one by Canada and one by Newfoundland (at the time a Crown Dominion), and I have recently acquired both sets.

Newfoundland, Royal Visit 1939, King George VI

Newfoundland 1939 Royal Visit SG.272

My favourite is the Canadian set portraying both monarchs and the two princesses, as well as the National War Memorial, although the Newfoundland issue is also quite charming. Both are very affordable but lovely additions to my collection.

1939 royal visit to canada

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1939 Royal Tour

Albert and Elizabeth

King and Queen of Canada

Canada by Train

First Royal Walkabout

Great Spectacle

French Canadian Responses

Media Coverage in English Canada

American Visit

“Canada Made Us”

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The 1939 Royal Visit

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Search The Canadian Encyclopedia

Why sign up?

Thank you for your submission

1939 Royal Tour

Albert and Elizabeth

King and Queen of Canada

Canada by Train

First Royal Walkabout

Great Spectacle

French Canadian Responses

Media Coverage in English Canada

American Visit

“Canada Made Us”

Interested in the monarchy?

Royal Family

External Links

Associated Collections

King Edward VIII

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Royal Visit to Niagara Falls, 1939

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Medal - Royal Visit - 1939 - Miscellaneous tokens and medals - Coins and Canada

Medal - Royal Visit - 1939