Forty years ago tomorrow, July 8th, 1976, Queen Elizabeth II visited the Smithsonian as part of her Bicentennial visit to the U.S. She was welcomed by Smithsonian Secretary, S. Dillon Ripley, Chief Justice Warren Burger, Chancellor of the Smithsonian, Vice President Nelson Rockefeller, and public well-wishers while a group of costumed musicians played flourishes and fanfares from atop the portico of the Castle. This was her Smithsonian itineray:
- Tour of the Castle (she was the first member of the British royal family to view the room containing the remains of James Smithson, Englishman who left his fortune to found the Smithsonian.)
- A ceremony in the Associates' Lounge thanking Her Majesty for Smithson's bequest with a presentation of the Smithson Medal
- Tour of exhibits "Federal City: Plans and Realities," "Treasures of London," and the Hope Diamond.
- Ceremony where Queen Elizabeth presented Secretary Ripley a leather-bound volume, "Leonardo da Vinci Anatomical Drawings."
Related Resources
- Queen Elizabeth to Visit SI, Smithsonian Newsletter, The Torch, July 1976
- "Crowned Heads," Bigger Picture Blog, Smithsonian Institution Archives
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