Book Description

Out of Australia’s total population of around nine million, an estimated seven million people turned out to catch a glimpse of the newly crowned Queen Elizabeth II in 1954. Sixty years later, in April 2014, television news bulletins, newspapers and social media were awash with stories of the royal visit of Prince William, his wife Catherine and their baby son George. The frequent, whirlwind royal tours of today are a far cry from those to Australia between 1867 and 1954. These stretched over months, bursting with events such as civic receptions, state banquets, military reviews, cricket matches, agricultural shows, processions, schoolchildren’s pageants and the laying of foundation stones. Occasionally shambolic, quarrelsome and raucous affairs, they were always intensely patriotic. While most of the visits described in this book are from the British Royal Family, royals from other countries appear too, including ‘Our Mary’ of the Danish Royal Family, proudly claimed by Australians as their own. Royal Visits to Australia provides a fascinating glimpse into the evolving Australian psyche and cultural identity. Although our enthusiasm for the Royal Family has waxed and waned over the decades, it is tempting to attribute the fervour of today’s young people to modern celebrity culture. Royal Visits to Australia uncovers an affection that runs much deeper than a passing crush. The book is richly illustrated with stunning full page and double-page black-and-white photos from the early years to magnificent colour photos of more recent years. Also included is a vast array of drawings, lithographs, illuminated addresses, magazine articles, programs, menus and invitation cards and other souvenirs. Royal Visits to Australia is packed with fascinating stories and firsthand accounts. Read about an assassination attempt on Prince Alfred, the first royal visitor, in 1867; the weeping and hysteria of hundreds of thousands of people at Fremantle at the departure of the Duke and Duchess of Cornwall and York, in 1901; the unprecedented scenes of wild welcome at the 1954 visit of Queen Elizabeth II, the first reigning monarch to visit Australia; allegations of the Irish Republican Army (IRA) attempting to assassinate Prince Philip in Sydney in 1973; media obsession with discerning romantic gestures and stories of cracks in the marriage of Prince Charles and Princess Diana, in the 1980s; and, in 2014, William and Kate’s visit, with baby George in tow, the first royal tour since the social media revolution.