Vintage Chicago Tribune: July 6, 1959 — Queen Elizabeth II’s ‘unforgettable day’ in Chicago
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When Queen Elizabeth II visited us in 1959 — just six years into her 70-year reign — she had a secret, Chicago.
She was pregnant with her third child, Prince Andrew, though that wouldn’t be revealed until later.
This didn’t slow down her only visit to Chicago on July 6, 1959 — the first visit of a reigning British monarch to the Windy City.
It was also the only stop in the United States for Queen Elizabeth II and her husband, Prince Philip, during a 15,000-mile, 45-day tour of all the Canadian provinces and four of the Great Lakes.
As part of the journey, the queen and President Dwight Eisenhower officially christened the St. Lawrence Seaway, which opened Great Lakes shipping channels to the Atlantic Ocean, on June 26, 1959.
The Chicago stop was an eventful 14 hours, beginning with a lakefront arrival. Here’s a look back at the royals’ day in Chicago more than 63 years ago.
On Sept. 9, 2015, Queen Elizabeth II became the longest reigning monarch in Britain’s history. She was in her 70th year as head of the Commonwealth, a voluntary association of 54 independent countries, when she died today.
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Photos: Queen Elizabeth II’s 1959 Chicago visit
See rare historical photos from the Tribune’s vast archive taken during the 14 hours the royals were in Chicago.
10 a.m.: Queen’s Landing
When the royal couple take a small boat from their yacht Britannia to a special jetty east of Buckingham Fountain named Queen’s Landing, the Tribune’s fashion reporter, Marylou Luther, notes the queen is “overdressed” by Chicago standards.
Luther also calls the queen’s white, medium-height white pumps “a bit ‘stocky’ by the current stiletto standards.”
11:19 a.m.: Navy Pier
The royals enter Navy Pier to tour Chicago’s International Trade Fair, which has the theme “world peace thru world trade.” They ride aboard electric carts during their 31-minute tour of the exhibition halls.
The royals toss an American quarter into a wishing well, as scheduled, at the Chicago pavilion.
1:03 p.m.: Ambassador West
The queen arrives — three minutes late — for a luncheon hosted by Gov. William Stratton at the Ambassador West hotel, 1300 N. State Pkwy., which closed in 2002.
She and 400 guests dine on lamb and duck served by waiters wearing “coats in hunting pink, with black knee breeches,” according to the Tribune. The flatware at the queen’s table is made of solid gold and a white satin pillow trimmed in gold is placed beneath her chair for her feet to rest upon.
3 p.m.: Drive to and tour of the Museum of Science and Industry
The royal couple caravan down Lake Shore Drive and then past the buildings on the University of Chicago campus in a Lincoln lent to them by President Eisenhower for the trip.
While at the Museum of Science and Industry, the queen visits a chick hatchery and sees herself on a color television for the first time in the museum’s RCA exhibit.
Despite a called-in bomb threat, the 45-minute tour continues as scheduled.
4:35 p.m.: The Art Institute of Chicago
The queen tours the Art Institute of Chicago — 25 minutes behind schedule — with William McCormick Blair, president of the Art Institute and a descendant of the McCormick family of reaper fame. Queen Elizabeth is impressed with the El Greco painting “The Assumption of the Virgin.”
6:15 p.m.: The Drake
Seven governors, 24 mayors, members of Chicago’s City Council and labor union leaders arrive at The Drake hotel to meet the queen, who, herself, has arrived with 17 pieces of luggage in tow.
Six of Mayor Daley’s children are present at a reception and they take photos with the royal couple.
Queen Elizabeth departs five minutes earlier than scheduled to have an emergency filling placed in a back tooth to replace one that fell out.
9 p.m.: Conrad Hilton Hotel
Mayor Richard J. Daley commits a minor faux pas by sitting to the queen’s left instead of her right. The queen herself corrects the issue. Still, the mayor tells the gathering, “Your majesty, and your royal highness, Prince Philip, come back and see us again, and bring the children.”
Before midnight: Buckingham Fountain
In a lakefront ceremony near Buckingham Fountain (which, by the way, is named in honor of Clarence Buckingham and not for Buckingham Palace), the queen is presented with a box of recordings by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra before boarding a boat back to the Britannia.
12:10 a.m., July 7, 1959: Aboard the Britannia
“The queen was seen standing on the second deck by reporters whose boat followed the royal barge to the yacht. Prince Philip stood beside her, his arm around her shoulder,” the Tribune reported about the royals’ departure.
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