1960s: A Decade in The Queen's Reign

The 1960s was a busy and eventful decade for Queen Elizabeth II in terms of personal affairs and her role as head of state. The decade saw three major weddings in the family. In 1960, Princess Margaret married the society photographer Antony Armstrong Jones.  Next year, the Queen’s cousin, the Duke of Kent, married Katharine Worsley. This was followed by the wedding of Princess Alexandra, the duke’s younger sister, to Sir Angus Ogilvy. The decade also brought joy with the birth of two princes. The Queen gave birth to her third son, Prince Andrew in 1960, and four years later, by his youngest child, Prince Edward.

The decade was also pivotal not only to her reign but also to the fate of the British Empire and the Commonwealth. The long, painful process of decolonization following World War II reached its zenith in this decade and by the end of the 1970s, more than 20 territories in Africa and the Caribbean proclaimed independence.

In 1960, the Commonwealth Prime Ministers' Conference  was held in the United Kingdom in May 1960, and was hosted by that country's Prime Minister, Harold Macmillan. This was the first Commonwealth conference since Malayan independence in August 1957 and saw the growing importance of the non-white "New Commonwealth" countries. 

Queen Elizabeth II with her prime ministers. 

The Queen Elizabeth II and the Prince Philip were guests of the Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi and his wife Farah Pahlavi during their state visit to Iran in March 1961. The picture below shows Queen Elizabeth II glittering with the Vladimir Tiara and Delhi Durbar Parure together with the Duke of Edinburgh, the Shah of Iran, and Empress Farah, also lovely wearing the Noor-ol-Ain Tiara during the Return Banquet they hosted at the British Embassy in Tehran on this day in 1961.

From left to right, Empress Farah, Queen Elizabeth II, the Shah of Iran and Prince Philip.

Queen Elizabeth in Iran's National Jewelry Museum.

Queen Elizabeth II and her husband Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh visited Bangalore in the year 1961. It was the first visit by a reigning British monarch to the South. A general holiday was declared in Bangalore, when the Queen came to the city. In the picture below, the Queen is seen with the Maharaja of Mysore.

The 1961 state visit of US President John F. Kennedy and his first lady, Jacqueline, was well-received both  by the crowd and by the media. In fact, during his stint in the White House the presidential couple’s popularity eclipsed those of any other US presidential couples, save for the Obamas. During their dinner with the Queen and Prince Philip at Buckingham Palace, the press and fashion insiders debated whether or not Mrs. Kennedy’s Chez Ninon dress upstaged Her Majesty’s Norman Hartnell evening gown. After JFK was assassinated in 1963, Queen Elizabeth II failed to attend the funeral because she was pregnant with Prince Edward.  In honor of President John F. Kennedy, who was assassinated in 1963, a British memorial, consisting of a garden and a Portlant memorial stone tablet where a quote from the late president was inscribed was dedicated jointly by Queen Elizabeth II and former First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy at Windsor. 

In 1963, Queen Elizabeth II visited the Wellcome Institute for the History of Medicine. In the below below, the Queen takes a keen interest in looking at the skulls exhibited on the glass cases. The institute's director, E.A. Underwood, able tours the royal guest. 

From  February 6 to 18, 1963, the Queen and Prince Philip flew to New Zealand for the Waitangi Celebrations and also to visit the Queen Elizabeth II Arts Council ,which was established during that particular visit or more precisely renamed that year. 

Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip with New Zealand Governor-General Bernard Ferusson and Lady Laura Fergusson.

Planned as a less formal tour than the one in 1954, Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip returned to the land Down Under in 1963, where they toured all the states and territories, to lead the Canberra jubilee celebrations commemorating the 50th anniversary of the naming of the capital. During this trip she also toured the Royal Flying Doctor Service of Australia base in Alice Springs.  

Australian Prime Minister Robert Menzies greets Queen Elizabeth II, while his wife looks on. 

 Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh at the Archibald Fountain in Sydney on February 1, 1963. 

The photograph below shows the Queen presenting the 1966 World Cup to Bobby Moore, captain of the victorious England team. The match was played between England and West Germany on  July 30, 1966 at Wembley Stadium.  

 Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip flew to Chile on November 11, 1968, Qe after visiting Brazil. She was received at Pudahuel airport by Eduardo Frei Montalva and his wife. Then she was accompanied by the President to the Constitution Square by automobile, where was cheered by people that were waiting for her.

Queen Elizabeth II during the reception held in her honor in Chile. 

Queen Elizabeth II in Chile. 

On Monday, August 11, 1969, Prime Minister Per Borten welcomed Britain's Queen Elisabeth II to the guards' home in Flå in Sør-Trøndelag.

In 1969, U.S. President Richard Nixon paid an informal visit to Queen Elizabeth II. He was received by The Queen, Prince Philip, Prince Charles and Princess Anne at Buckingham Palace.