Queen Elizabeth II's royal visits to Saskatchewan
Queen Elizabeth II visited Saskatchewan several times over her 70 years as the head of the monarchy.
She died Thursday at the age of 96. The Royal Family announced the news in a statement on social media.
“The Queen died peacefully at Balmoral this afternoon,” the tweet reads. “The King and The Queen Consort will remain at Balmoral this evening and will return to London tomorrow.”
The Queen’s first visit to Saskatchewan came in 1959, as she crisscrossed the nation by train, covering 15,000 miles over 45 days.
The Queen and Prince Philip came through the province in July of 1959, first visiting Saskatoon where she was greeted by war veterans. They also visited a museum, city hall and the University of Saskatchewan campus.
The royals then moved onto Regina, where they were greeted by an estimated crowd of 100,000 people, according to the Government of Canada.
She returned in 1973 to mark the RCMP’s centennial in Regina. The Queen stayed at the Hotel Saskatchewan and attended two banquets, one put on by Lieutenant Governor Stephen Worobetz.
Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip visited Saskatchewan in 1973 to celebrate the centennial of the RCMP. (CTV News)
She made two more stops in Saskatchewan in 1978 and 1987.
During her fifth and final visit to the province in 2005, the Queen was joined by Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, to celebrate Saskatchewan’s centennial.
- WATCH: The Queen unveils statue in Regina
- WATCH: Royal watchers gather to get a glimpse of Queen Elizabeth II in the rain
Her trip featured a rainy day visit to the Saskatchewan Legislative Building to unveil her statue, which still sits at the head of the gardens near Wascana Lake.
The Queen visits the Regina Legislative Building to unveil her statue located in the garden. (CTV News)
She also attended a ceremony at RCMP Depot Division honouring fallen police members and visited the First Nations University of Canada to recognize Indigenous veterans.
- WATCH: Queen Elizabeth honours fallen RCMP members
- WATCH: Indigenous veterans honoured at First Nations University ceremony
Queen Elizabeth II celebrated her Platinum Jubilee earlier this year, marking the 70th anniversary of her accession.
Watch CTV News’ archived footage from Queen Elizabeth II’s 1973 and 2005 visits to Regina in the video player above.
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