Last Lap Of Royal Tour

Press, Volume CII, Issue 30093, 29 March 1963, Page 11

Last Lap Of Royal Tour

(N .ZJ* A.-Reuter—Copyright) VANCOUVER, March 28. The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh were today on the last lap of their journey home from their Australasian tour after a brief stop at Vancouver. The Royal jet arrived at Vancouver last night from Perth after refuelling stops at Sydney and Honolulu. It is due in London about 3 p.m. G.M.T.

The Queen and the Duke stopped for 53 minutes in Honolulu, where about 4500 people were at the airport to greet them.

Traditional Polynesian ceremonies were put on for them. Governor John A. Burns gave the Queen a Hawaiian lei (garland), and his daughter, Mary Beth, presented one to the Duke. In Canberra the Australian Prime Minister (Sir Robert Menzies) was asked in the House of Representatives during question time today to consider proposals that the Queen shout.’, reside in Canberra for regular short intervals.

The questioner, a member of Mr Menzies's Liberal Party, said that this would offset the strain of long Royal tours. In reply. Sir Robert Menzies said matters concerning Royal tours were under constant examination.

The Melbourne “Age” commented today that Australia said goodbye to the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh last night with regret that the Royal visit had ended and with pride in its success.

It said the experiment of informality and diversity of interest in the tour programme was vindicated Some guide lines had been drawn up for the future. Australians might look with some confidence to more frequent visits from the Queen now that it had been demonstrated that Royal tours could be freed of starchy formalities, yet still be a success. But more frequent visits by the Queen could not be expected if she

was asked to visit all States every time. The “Age" said: “Visiting member countries of the Commonwealth should be relatively as easy and frequent for the Queen in this age of swift travel as moving about Britain. When the Queen pays an official visit to Edinburgh for some ceremonial occasion, she is not required to extend the tour to Cardiff also, lest the Welsh grow jealous of the Royal favour shown Scotland. Australians are mature enough to have the Sovereign visit one State, or even one capital city, for some specific purpose and then fly home again to London without going to other centres. . . The Melbourne “Herald” said the Royal tour was an experiment to variety with limited formality, and the general impression must be that it was very successful That the warmth of public feeling was unaltered, and the welcoming gestures were widely spread across the country. The pattern would alter further with future visits, while the value and pleasure in these contacts with the Head of the Commonwealth would still be very strong. The Queen and the Duke left Australia last night in the same drenching rain that met them when they arrived on February 18. The Queen saw her last fine weather in Australia when she left Perth aboard the Royal Boeing to fly to Sydney for the brief refuelling stop and official farewell. At Sydney airport, the Royal couple were bidden farewell by the GovernorGeneral (Lord de L’lsle) and Sir Robert Menzies.