Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip landed on time in Richmond this afternoon and have begun their royal visit to the United States. Hundreds of people were lined up this morning outside the gates of Capitol Square in Richmond today so they could be in a good position to see Queen Elizabeth II and her husband, Prince Philip, as they began their United States visit with a tour of the historic grounds.
The royal couple did not arrive until early Thursday afternoon, but with a large crowd expected, security checks to get through and musical entertainment, royal watchers did not mind spending hours waiting for the visit.
“I wouldn’t miss this for anything,” said Joan Mazzo, who lives near Fredericksburg. “I thought about camping out here last night, but I decided to get here around 8 a.m. instead. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. I can’t wait.”
Cloudy skies and occasional rain showers may have kept some potential spectators at home, however.
“I hope it won’t rain too much, just enough to keep people cool,” Gov. Tim Kaine told reporters earlier this morning.
Many people were hurriedly studying the rules of royal etiquette so as not to offend the royal couple. Kaine, who will be spending a lot of time with Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip today and Friday, said he is focusing on basic rules rather than memorizing every intricacy. He is trying to curb his “natural tendency to be touchy feely” because protocol dictates that people in the queen’s presence should make very little physical contact with her majesty.
“The main rule is just to be welcoming,” the governor added.
Speaking more seriously, Kaine said the queen’s two-day visit to Virginia will include a “private communication between her and the Virginia Tech community, where she will express her support” in the wake of the April 16 rampage. Kaine said Buckingham Palace has been looking for a way for the queen to honor the 32 students and faculty members killed by a lone gunman in the deadliest rampage on an American campus. The event is not open to the public or media.
Musicians from across Virginia will entertain the Capitol Square crowd during the two and a half hours leading up to the queen’s arrival. Kaine appeared before reporters earlier this morning wearing a navy blue blazerand a white golf shirt, attire he said was suitable for meeting the musical acts but not for welcoming the queen.
“After I introduce the bands I will change into something more formal,” Kaine said.
While Virginia played a key role in the American revolution, the state’s legislators are fond of the commonwealth’s colonial past and historic ties to England. They frequently point out with much pride that Virginia’s General Assembly is the oldest, continuously meeting law-making body in the world because the legislature’s roots go back to the colonial House of Burgesses that first met in 1619 in Jamestown. The state is spending millions on this year’s celebration of Jamestown’s 400th anniversary, which is the reason for the queen’s visit.
“We need to remember that there is more than one state named after the Virgin Queen,” Kaine said.
Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip landed at Richmond International Airport at 3 p.m. and arrived in Capitol Square about 30 minutes later. After a brief reception with Kaine, his wife, other family members and former governors, her majesty spent 20 minutes touring the Capitol grounds before meeting the chiefs of the eight Virginia Indian tribes and watch a dance performance on the Capitol’s South Portico. She was then slated to enter the historic Capitol, which was designed by Thomas Jefferson in 1785 and recently underwent a $105 million refurbishment and expansion.
Inside Mr. Jefferson’s Capitol, the queen is expected to meet with a group of Richmond elementary school students and discuss the building’s history and then walk into the House of Delegates’ chamber to address a joint session of Virginia’s General Assembly. After the speech she will depart for Williamsburg, which she visited shortly after assuming the throne to make Jamestown’s 350th anniversary in 1957.
