How Hong Kong welcomed Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip in 1975
The first reigning British monarch to visit Hong Kong, her arrival was marked by commemorative coins and stamps, and an absence of demonstrators
“An event unique in the history of Hongkong will unfold tomorrow at 6pm when the Queen and Prince Philip arrive on their four-day visit,” the South China Morning Post reported on May 3, 1975. “The Queen will be the first reigning British monarch to set foot in Hongkong.”
Its report continued: “There have been 17 previous occasions since 1841 when members of the Royal family have visited Hongkong. The first Royal Visit was in 1869 when Prince Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh, called while on a world tour. The latest was in 1972 when Princess Alexandra accompanied by her husband, Mr Angus Ogilvy, opened the cross harbour tunnel.”
In a Post report on October 2, 1974, the majority of community leaders had welcomed the prospect of the queen’s visit, although Urban Councillor Elsie Elliott said: “She certainly would not be given a true picture of the Colony.”
With preparations soon under way, commemorative stamps and coins had been minted, plans for pageantry and parades set in motion and calls for demonstrations sounded by “Trotskyist groups” (they did not materialise).