Queen Elizabeth II Visited the Keys Some 30 Years Ago- Did You Know?

BY MAGGIE OLIVE KLEIN
KONKLIFE STAFF WRITER AND EDITOR 

Queen Elizabeth II, the UK’s longest-serving monarch, died on Thursday, September 8th at the age of 96, after reigning for 70 years. She passed rather peacefully at her Scottish estate and shook the entire world with her death. The Queen’s son, King Charles III, said, “We mourn profoundly the passing of a cherished sovereign and a much-loved mother. I know her loss will be deeply felt throughout the country, the realms and the Commonwealth, and by countless people around the world.” As said in an article from BBC News. 

During her seven decades of monarchy, The Queen visited the United States five times. One of the places she graced with her presence was Florida! While visiting the sunshine state in 1991, The Queen, along with husband Prince Philip, stopped at Miami, the Florida Keys, and Tampa. The trip was 13 days long, in which the couple also visited Washington D.C. Virginia, Maryland, Texas, and Kentucky. 

The royals’ visit to the Keys was on May 18th, 1991. The visit was a brief stopover after several days in Miami. While in South Florida, the two visited on the royal yacht to Dry Tortugas National Park and Fort Jefferson, which is 70 miles west of Key West. Late Monroe County Mayor Wilhelmina Harvey welcomed the royals to the island, after making a 70-mile trip from Key West to the national park via helicopter. Writer Andy Newman, President of Newman PR, wrote up a piece about his experience with Harvey in relation to the Queen’s visit back in May of 2016, for Keys Voices. Newman noted that about an hour prior to the couple’s arrival, the assembled media, as well as the Keys’ “queen”, Wilhelmina, were given a strict briefing on how the couple must be greeted. The media also was forbidden to shout or ask the Queen to pose for photos.  

In his piece, titled “The Day That Two Queens Met in The Florida Keys,” Newman says, “Wilhelmina was dressed in a tropical white dress with a red shawl and a wide brimmed hat to help fend off the subtropical sun. She welcomed Her Majesty to the Keys by presenting her with a conch shell and an Honorary Conch certificate.” Seems pretty fitting to me! The royal couple were escorted around Fort Jefferson for about 45 minutes by National Park Service ranger Matt Fagan. They were shown all the highlights, including the fort’s distinction- a critical defense point in controlling access to the Gulf of Mexico. 

Rest in peace to two Queens. 

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