The Royal Tour of Queen Elizabeth and Philip

This film chronicles the 50,000-mile journey undertaken by the recently crowned Queen Elizabeth II and her husband, Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, during their 1953-1954 tour of the Commonwealth. As the camera crew recording the journey sails through the Suez canal in November 1953, the queen and her entourage fly to meet their ship, the Gothic , and then sail to their first stop in Souva, Fiji. As a sign of great respect, the queen is greeted by silence, rather than cheering, and is given bouquets and native gifts and beverages. After enjoying a display of native dances and chants by a group of warriors, the royal party then heads for Tonga, where the queen is welcomed by Queen Salote, who attended her coronation, and is treated to a feast and a visit to a Christian church. The next stop is Auckland, the largest city in New Zealand, and there, the royal couple celebrate Christmas and are given gifts for their children, Anne and Charles. Queen Elizabeth also visits a powerful Maori chief, who bestows a ceremonial cloak upon her and thanks her for helping him to resolve difficulties experienced by his people with the New Zealand government. After enjoying more examples of native foods and dancing, Queen Elizabeth continues her tour of New Zealand and lays a wreath at the Citizens' War Memorial in Wellington. Then, wearing her coronation robes, the queen opens the current session of Parliament, marking the first time that a British monarch has visited the New Zealand house of government. After several more adventures, including a ride in a Royal Air Force plane, a train ride to Christchurch and the highland games, the royal couple depart for Australia, where they are greeted by the prime minister and other officials. During her visits to Sydney, Melbourne, Tasmania and other cities, the queen again opens Parliament, pays homage to the soldiers from Victoria who died during World War II, and receives the cheers of a parade of 17,000 children. The queen also meets with Southern Australian aborigines, but is prevented from enjoying a full visit to Perth, which has been hit by an outbreak of polio. In Perth, Prince Philip, a former Navy man, addresses a group of ex-servicemen and praises their comradeship during peacetime. After two history-making months, the royal couple leave Australia and on 10 April, arrive in Ceylon, the youngest country in the Commonwealth. Officials are gratified by the honor of having the queen open Parliament in Colombo, after which she tours various ruins, watches ceremonial elephants being decorated and visits some of the country's important tea plantations. On 21 April, Queen Elizabeth's birthday, the Gothic sets sail for Africa. The royal couple take an airplane to Entebbe, Uganda, which the queen last visited in 1947, when she accompanied her father, King George VI, on a royal tour. The queen opens the new dam at Owen Falls, then travels to Malta, where the royal yacht Britannia awaits, along with several Royal Navy vessels. Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip are reunited with Anne and Charles, and are given a tremendous welcome by the people, who remember the royal couple from their days of service there, when the duke was stationed in Malta and the young Elizabeth would visit as a "sailor's wife." The last stop on the tour is Gibraltar, where the royal children delight in feeding the famed Barbary Apes. The Britannia then sails up the Thames River to London, and on 15 May, Queen Elizabeth and her family are greeted by the Queen Mother and Princess Margaret. A cheering crowd welcomes the queen, and the royal family then return to their home in Buckingham Palace.