When King Charles visited Kingsville, Texas, in 1977
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King Charles III has taken the throne of the British monarchy following the death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, on Thursday. But did you know the former prince spent a “day off” at the Armstrong Ranch in Kenedy County in 1977?
Technically, Charles arrived in Kingsville and then was escorted to the Armstrong Ranch south of Sarita, Texas (but that doesn’t make for a good headline). Charles was touring the country as part of an extension of the Royal Tour for the United States’ bicentennial the previous year. Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip had traveled to a number of cities for the tour, and in October 1977, Charles came to the U.S. for a 12-city tour of America.
The 28-year-old Prince of Wales' schedule included a day off, which would take place at the Armstrong Ranch, owned by Tobin and Anne Armstrong. Anne Armstrong was previously the U.S. ambassador to the United Kingdom, the first woman to serve in the position, and the Armstrong Ranch was a popular retreat for American politicians (ahem, like Vice President Dick Cheney).
Shortly after 1:20 p.m. on Oct. 23, Charles arrived at Naval Air Station Kingsville from Atlanta. He was greeted with a performance by the Navy Band, an honor guard, and presented with a leather boot case by Kingsville Mayor Gilbert Acuna, along with 300 spectators who lined up behind ropes to catch a glimpse of the royal heir. As the greetings finished, security tried to whisk Charles along to the waiting cars for the drive to the ranch, but instead he approached the crowd behind the ropes to shake hands and chat with spectators.
Two of the crowd were British friends Jean Rickard and Margaret King.
“What are you doing over here?” Charles asked the two.
“We’re married to American husbands,” they explained.
“Do you regret it?” he asked in mock seriousness.
Charles had several outfit changes that Saturday, arriving in a gray plaid suit and then changing into pale yellow and blue plaid shirt and riding pants, topped with deep red suede- and leather-fringed chaps, a gift from the Armstrongs. The group mounted horses (English saddles — no Western saddles for this excursion) to inspect a herd of Santa Gertrudis cattle. Charles remarked to Anne Armstrong that the cattle had flies (the cheek!).
“Tobin has been so occupied with the Prince’s visit that he hadn’t had time to spray the cattle,” Anne Armstrong told the reporter later.
After photo ops with press — about 100 press members had arrived with the group in Kingsville — the group then boarded a ranch hunting car to travel to the polo field. Yes, polo. The Armstrongs arranged a polo match at the prince’s request. Charles played on a team with three Armstrongs: Tobin; his brother, John; and John’s son, Charlie. They played against the top four polo players in Texas. Katharine Armstrong, the oldest daughter of Tobin and Anne, announced the match.
“It was a lot of fun and a good game,” Katharine Armstrong told reporter Eleanor Mortenson afterward. “I can’t give you the score, but I’ll tell you the match wasn’t fixed so the prince’s team would win.”
Following the game, the guests — around 250 local and state dignitaries and fellow cattle ranchers — retired to a yellow-and-white striped tent to enjoy barbecued ribs and beef, guacamole salad, toasted camp bread and fixings. The Armstrongs and the prince then retired to a private outdoor supper at the ranch house.
Charles left for Houston at 9:23 a.m. the following morning from NAS Kingsville, after his jam-packed “rest day,” to continue his American tour.
Allison Ehrlich writes about things to do in South Texas and has a weekly Throwback Thursday column on local history.
This article originally appeared on Corpus Christi Caller Times: When King Charles visited Kingsville, Texas, in 1977
