Hundreds of people welcomed Her Majesty the Queen during a one-day visit to the Isle of Man today.
The occasion was blessed with dry weather and covered two locations following the party’s lunchtime arrival at Isle of Man Airport, where they were met by Lieutenant Governor Sir John Lorimer and Lady Lorimer, Chief Constable Russ Foster and Captain of the Parish of Malew Peter Quayle.
On arriving at Douglas City Hall, Her Majesty the Queen was greeted by Mayor of Douglas Natalie Byron-Teare, Council Leader Claire Wells and local authority Chief Executive Kathleen Rice.
A short ceremony followed in the Council Chamber, where city status was officially conferred and the Queen delivered a speech on behalf of His Majesty the King, referring to his ‘heartfelt congratulations’ and ‘very best wishes for the future’.
Following the ceremony, the Queen was hosted in the Mayor’s Parlour where she signed the Douglas City Council visitors’ book and was presented with gifts as a memento of her visit.
She then unveiled a commemorative plaque to mark the occasion before meeting well-wishers outside.
At around 1:20pm the party took the short drive to Government House in Onchan, where Her Majesty was introduced to Chief Minister Alfred Cannan MHK, Deputy Chief Minister Jane Poole-Wilson MHK, President of Tynwald Laurence Skelly MLC and Speaker of the House of Keys Juan Watterson SHK. The arrival was marked by representatives of the Island’s Cadet organisations lining the main drive and by Saskia Edge, aged 10, who presented Her Majesty with a posy of flowers.
A range of voluntary organisations, charities and community groups from across the Isle of Man had been invited to attend Government House — including more than 100 schoolchildren — and were in place ready to meet the Queen following the Royal Anthem and Manx National Anthem, led by Onchan Silver Band.
Her Majesty was then accompanied by the Lieutenant Governor who introduced representatives from the Royal National Lifeboat Institution on the organisation’s 200th anniversary, Civil Defence and Manx Bluetits Chill Swimmers, as well as military veterans and Captains of the Parish.
A focus had also been placed on Isle of Man charities and organisations involved in environmental protection, cancer care and culture, with Her Majesty finding out about the rich variety of work that takes place across the Manx community.
The visit came to an end shortly after 3pm when Her Majesty travelled back to Isle of Man Airport under escort by the Isle of Man Constabulary.
Lieutenant Governor Sir John Lorimer said:
‘I was delighted to welcome Her Majesty the Queen to the Isle of Man today. Not only was this a great opportunity for her to meet the people of the City of Douglas, but also speak to many of the volunteers, who do so much on the Island for our various charities and voluntary organisations.’
Chief Minister Alfred Cannan MHK said:
′It was a privilege to meet her Majesty the Queen at Government House today and I′m proud that so many people came out to give her such a warm Manx welcome both here and at Douglas City Hall. The strength and diversity of our community was clearly on show and I thank everyone who was involved today as well as during the planning and preparation stages.'
Mayor of Douglas Natalie Byron-Teare said:
‘This was a truly historic day for Douglas. To be able to welcome Queen Camilla to celebrate city status was a tremendous honour and one that all those who attended will remember for a long time. To also see Her Majesty on an impromptu walkabout, shaking hands with some of several hundreds of people who lined the barriers, capped a wonderful day for the Island’s first capital city.’
