Our favourite moments from Royal Tours through the ages

By MiNDFOOD

Our favourite moments from Royal Tours through the ages
From a bumblebee in Prince Charles' jacket to a poignant hug atop Sydney Harbour Bridge, what else sticks in the mind from the Royals' overseas engagements?

Until this year, it felt like barely a few months went by without a Royal Tour sitting in recent memory, or there being one on the horizon.

We don’t know when we’ll next get to enjoy new photographs from a Royal Tour, so instead we’ve taken a trip down memory lane and revisited our favourite images and moments from royal overseas excursions over the years.

Howdy, Will and Kate

Prince William seemed happy with their respective outfits at the Calgary Stampede. REUTERS

Resembling a similar image of the Duke and Duchess of York adorning cowboy hats on their 1987 tour of Canada, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge looked right at home in these outfits when they visited the Canadian city of Calgary in 2011.

Charles and Diana at Uluru

Prince Charles and Princess Diana pose in front of Uluru. REUTERS
Prince Charles and Princess Diana pose in front of Uluru. REUTERS

One of the most iconic images of the Royal Family on foreign duty, this photograph of Princess Diana and Prince Charles is steeped in royal history.

Posing in front of Uluru – or Ayers Rock – it was taken during their month-and-a-half-long tour of Australia in 1983.

Famously it was the first time Diana had ever travelled overseas.

The scene is due to be recreated in the upcoming fourth season of The Crown.

George’s first tour

Prince George got his first taste of a Royal Tour during his parents' three-week visit to Australia and New Zealand. REUTERS
Prince George got his first taste of a Royal Tour during his parents’ three-week visit to Australia and New Zealand. REUTERS

Even though he only made two official appearances, Prince George was still described by the BBC the “star of the show” as parents Prince William and Kate spent three weeks in Australia and New Zealand in 2014.

The dancing Duchess

Meghan delighted crowds by joining in with cultural a performance during the recent tour of South Africa. REUTERS

On their tour of South Africa, Meghan and Prince Harry wowed crowds wherever they went.

Fresh off the plane in Cape Town, the Duchess of Sussex took part in some cultural dancing during a visit to an impoverished but extremely welcoming neighbourhood.

Harry hugs an elephant

Prince Harry shares a photo of himself with a sedated elephant during his tour of Africa. Knsingtonroyal/Instagram

Prince Harry spent three months touring Africa in 2015 working on frontline conservation projects.

Sharing a series of images to Instagram, this post struck a chord with the rest of the world.

Harry said he “took a moment” with this sedated elephant, having seen the cruel devastation of Africa’s poaching industry up close.

He said at the time:

“I know how lucky I am to have these experiences, but hearing stories from people on the ground about how bad the situation really is upset and frustrated me. How can it be that 30,000 elephants were slaughtered last year alone? And for what? Their tusks? Seeing huge carcasses of rhinos and elephants scattered across Africa with their horns and tusks missing is a pointless waste of beauty.”

Prince Charles struggles with nature 

A bumblebee chose the wrong moment to land inside Prince Charles’ jacket. REUTERS

During their visit to New Zealand in 2015, Prince Charles and wife Camilla visited the Orokonui Ecosanctuary on the last day of the week-long trip.

While handling an extremely rare and delicate tuatara, a bumblebee chose that moment to land on the Prince’s crotch, under his jacket.

Polite panic ensued, and another favourite royal moment was etched in the memory.

Harry’s poignant bridge embrace

Prince Harry comforts Gwen Cherne at the top of Sydney Harbour Bridge. REUTERS

After raising a flag at the top of Sydney Harbour Bridge to mark the start of the Invictus Games during the Royal Tour of Australia and New Zealand in 2018, Prince Harry turned to Gwen Cherne to offer her a comforting hug.

Cherne is the widow of an Australian military serviceman, who had died the year before. She joined the bridge climb in honour of her husband and other fallen servicemen and women.

Fashion forward in Pakistan

Royal watchers were left speechless after the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge’s flawless sartorial turn during their tour of Pakistan a year ago. According to The New York Times, the royal couple “reminded the world of how very effective fashion can be as a tool of diplomacy”.

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