The 1980’s began with a historic meeting of the head of the Church of England and the head of the Roman Catholic Church. It would bring two Royal weddings, more grandchildren for the Queen, including the birth of a future king, and end with the highest honour the Queen can bestow upon an American President. However, we begin the ‘Eighties’ in the Vatican City.
The Queen and The Pope
On the 17th October 1980, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II made history by becoming the first British monarch to travel to the Vatican, to meet the Pope. The Queen and Prince Philip were welcomed by Pope John Paul II. It was seen as a way of forging relations between the Church of England and the Roman Catholic religions. The Pope would be welcomed by the Queen two years later when she invited him, in return, to Buckingham Palace.
Fairytale Weddings
Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer married at St. Paul’s Cathedral on 29th July 1981. It was dubbed the “Fairytale Wedding” and it was viewed by some 750 million people worldwide. Britain observed a national holiday for the event, and street parties were held up and down the country to celebrate the occasion.
The Queen and Prince Philip travelled to Canada in 1984, visiting New Brunswick and Ontario to celebrate the bicentennials of the two provinces. The trip was notable, as just before boarding a plane at one point on the trip, the Queen and Prince Philip briefly shared a very rare public kiss.
New Arrivals
The Queen welcomed her second grandchild when Princess Anne gave birth to Zara Phillips on the 15th May 1981. A future King was also welcomed into the family, when Princess Diana gave birth to her first child, William, on 21st June 1982. September 15th 1984, saw the arrival of Charles and Diana’s second child Prince Harry.
The President
In his first trip to the United Kingdom since becoming President of the United States, Ronald Reagan visited the Queen at Windsor Castle in 1982. They took a horse ride together around the grounds of the castle and Reagan became the first President to stay overnight at the castle.
In March 1983, during her first trip to the West Coast of the United States, the Queen met with President Ronald Reagan again, this time at his hilltop retreat in Santa Barbara. During her trip, The Queen also visited Los Angeles, and Yosemite National Park, and spent a night at the theatre with Hollywood legend Michael Caine, and First Lady Nancy Reagan.
The President would also visit the United Kingdom again in 1984, for an Economic Summit Meeting where he met Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher.
An Intruder
One of the most bizarre things to ever happen to the Queen occurred in the early hours of July 9th 1982. Michael Fagan, an unemployed man from Clerkenwell in London, scaled the walls of the Palace, shimmied up a drainpipe, and into the Queen’s bed chamber through an open window. The Queen was disturbed as Fagan moved a curtain and the Queen reportedly spoke calmly to the man, and with the help of a maid, was eventually able to raise the alarm.
Canada and a Kiss
The Queen and Prince Philip travelled to Canada in 1984, visiting New Brunswick and Ontario to celebrate the bicentennials of the two provinces. The trip was notable, as just before boarding a plane at one point on the trip, the Queen and Prince Philip briefly shared a very rare public kiss.
A First Time Visit
In 1986, the Queen and Prince Philip visited China, making Elizabeth II the first British sovereign to visit there. As much as it was a state visit, it was also seen as a diplomatic one, as the visit came just a short time after the negotiations between the United Kingdom and the People’s Republic of China, about returning Hong Kong to Chinese sovereignty.
During her trip the Queen visited the Great Wall of China and also the Terracotta Army which, interestingly, was discovered by farmers in 1974 whilst they were digging a well.
The Highest Honour
In 1988, President Ronald Reagan, and his wife, First Lady Nancy Reagan, visited the Queen at Buckingham Palace. The President was in the United Kingdom to also meet Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher to give an update on the summit that the President had had with General Secretary Mikhail Gorbachev of the USSR in Moscow the month before.
Ronald Reagan returned to Buckingham Palace with his wife the following year. No longer the President, this time the Queen bestowed upon him the highest honour that Britain can bestow upon a foreigner. Mr. Reagan received an honorary knighthood when the Queen made him an Honorary Knight Grand Cross of the Most Honorable Order of the Bath.
For Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, the 1980’s saw new additions to the family and a wonderful friendship forged with the world’s most powerful man. The ‘Nineties’ would prove, personally, the most challenging yet.
In 1989, to celebrate the 500th anniversary of those first English sovereigns of King Henry VII, an extraordinary coin was issued – Queen Elizabeth II Gold Sovereign Proof of 1989. The coin was the first commemorative sovereign in history, and for the first time in over 100 years a design other than St George and the dragon appeared on the reverse side. Purchase this incredible coin HERE.
