Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip in Bermuda

Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh in Bermuda. Image from Wikimedia Commons

  Queen Elizabeth II commenced her tour of the Commonwealth  on November 23, 1953. The tour was the most extensive that was ever made by a reigning sovereign and the longest-ever embarked by Queen Elizabeth II. It  lasted until May 1954, a tour that took her and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, to the West Indies, Australia, Asia, Africa, and Gibraltar. 

At the start of this six-month trip around the world, the couple made their first stop in the Bermuda on November 24, where they had taken off from Gander, Newfoundland, in their Stratocruiser at 8.27 a.m. (G.M.T.) after refuelling.

At Gander, the queen and the duke caused a thrill among a small crowd when they appeared at the door of the plane just before the plane took off for Bermuda for the 24-hour tour of the then-British colony in the northern Atlantic.  

Queen Elizabeth and the Duke of Edinburgh then posed briefly for a picture, and a ramp was pushed towards them in case they wanted to come down to the cheering crowd. But they just waved happily, if sleepily, and laughed as the ramp was moved away. They moved back out of the way as the door was closed and the big propellers started to turn over.

Weeks before the queen's arrival, Bermudans hustled and bustled in preparation for the royal visit. Matrons and debutantes spent weeks rehearsing to curtsy gracefully when their turn comes of being presented to the sovereign. However, they were uncertain what to wear to the garden party. 

The Gouldburn Evening Post reports:

After they had bought elaborate cocktail dresses word came to light that afternoon frocks would be more correct. 

Shops agreed to the necessary changes then discreet word came that the Queen had a slight aversion to black and magenta. This meant a second change for many, said the American Associated Press.

Men too had problems. Many officials did not have the necessary formal clothes required, and there was a scramble to buy or borrow.

Then, another issue arose with the unwillingness of the Governor-General, Alexander Hood, to be photographed bowing to anyone but royalty. This gesture resulted to the resentment among the local press. The Colonial Secretary's office, meanwhile, conceded that the governor should have requested the press, rather than order the picture ban.

The royal party held a whirlwind tour of the island in two British motor cars, especially imported for the visit. Part of the tour will also process with the horse-drawn landaus, which used to be the most modern means of travel permitted in Bermuda.

Each of the island's nine parishes were decorated with floral arches . The royal couple made their first stop at St. George's town site of the oldest Anglican church west of the British isles. They also toured Kindley Air Force base and paraded through Hamilton before paying a visit to Parliament, where they attended the joint meeting of the House of Assembly and the Legislative Council. Holding its first session in 1620, Bermuda's legislature is amongst the world's oldest legislatures and the oldest extant legislature in the Americas.

On Tuesday night (the 24th), a state dinner was hosted in the queen's honor at Government House. The lack of guests from the local colored population led the Labor MPs in the House of Commons in London to protest against the state banquet. They said that they hoped that the queen's advisers would not allow further "color discrimination" to be shown. Meanwhile, in the United States, an issue arose a few days later when rumors spread that the U.S. Consul General, Robert B. Streeper, failed to join at the queen's table. The U.S. aide in Bermuda, annoyed by this rumor, was quick to clarify: "I was there, and had a very nice chat with the Duke[of Edinburgh] and with her." He, however, acknowledged that he had been "held up at the door for two minutes", but the rumor was totally unfounded. 

Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh left Bermuda for Jamaica on November 25. Tommy Aitchison, official piper to the Caledonian Society, played the bagpipe as the royal party left the island.