Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip visited Newport in 1976: A look back

Did you know? Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, who died Friday, April 9, at 99 years old visited Newport, RI.

Britain's oldest and longest-serving royal spouse in 10 centuries visited the United States with his wife Queen Elizabeth II six times, including in July 1976 for America's Bicentennial Celebration.

The couple, along with President Gerald Ford and his wife, Betty, visited Newport as part of that tour before heading to Boston.

Prince Philip and the Queen dined on the HMS Britannia with President Gerald Ford and dedicated Queen Anne Square after attending services at Trinity Church, according to the Newport Historical Society.

Prince Philip has died: Will there be a state funeral? Your questions, answered

The couple arrived in Philadelphia on July 6 for a seven-day tour. They arrived in Newport on Saturday, July 10, before they sailed overnight to Boston on the Royal Yacht, according to schedule in the Ford Library and Museum.

Residents were invited to see the Queen and Prince Philip as they travelled through the city. A newspaper article in the Providence Journal outlined where the group would travel it read:

"So you want to see the Queen of England? Queen Elizabeth II will arrive at Green Airport in Warwick tomorrow, and officials say spectators should be at the Air National Guard area on Airport Road by 4:30 p.m. for a ceremony after her 5:15 p.m. arrival. Here motorcade to Newport: Post Road in Warwick, Route 95, Route 4, Route 2, Route 4 Extension, Route 1, Route 138 and the Jamestown and Newport Bridges. The motorcade in Newport will proceed slowly, with Her Majesty waving to spectators along Washington Street, Long Wharf, America's Cup Avenue, Memorial Boulevard, Spring Street to Trinity Church, where she is to dedicated Queen Anne Square in an outdoor ceremony about 5:55 p.m. She leaves the church at 6:05 p.m. and will drive up Broadway to West Main Road in Middletown, entering Newport Naval Base at Gate 17, next to the Newport Motor Inn. The queen will dine with President Ford abord the Royal Yacht Britannia."

When have Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip visited the US?

In addition to 1976, the couple visited in 1951 before Elizabeth became queen; in 1957 and 2007 as part of the 350th and 400th anniversaries of the founding of Jamestown, Virginia, the first permanent English settlement; as well as both 1983 and 1991, according to White House archives.

A fictional image: Prince Philip's legacy will live on in Netflix's 'The Crown'

In total, Philip gave an estimated 5,000 speeches, according to Buckingham Palace, and carried out about 32,000 solo engagements between 1952 and 2017. But he also became famous, and infamous, for making funny, sharp, insensitive or even racially offensive remarks in public.

This article originally appeared on Newport Daily News: Queen Elizabeth in Newport RI 1976 with Prince Philip