Richmond was on the doorstep of a historic royal occasion last week. Just a half hour away, thousands of well-wishers lined the streets to catch a glimpse of the Queen on her 90th birthday.
Alas, her Majesty’s April 21 birthday walk was near Richmond, England — but our Richmond, B.C. has had its own affairs with royalty, including Queen Elizabeth II herself.
Seven years into her reign, the fresh-faced Queen of Canada arrived here to officially open a major transportation link the province now wants to decommission. With husband Prince Philip in tow, the Queen “graciously opened” the George Massey Tunnel on July 15, 1959, according to records. The Queen would return for B.C.’s Centennial celebrations in 1971 — but the airport was likely her only Richmond stop.
Other royals have also come and gone from the Sea Island airport. But few have actually set foot on Lulu Island. The nobles who did weren’t here just for the Dairy Queen.
In April 2001 Edward, Duke of Kent, visited Steveston thanks to the efforts of longtime local maritime artist John Horton. As president of the Canadian Lifeboat Institution, Horton arranged for the purchase of a search-and-rescue boat from England to patrol the Fraser River. He discovered the Duke had been on board that same vessel for its original launch.
When the vessel arrived here, Horton asked the Duke to come to Steveston and rededicate the craft for Canadian service. The Duke accepted. As part of the visit, Horton brought the Queen’s cousin to Steveston for a tour on the river and lunch at the former Charthouse restaurant.
“We gave him a full tour of the channel, told him where all the canneries used to be, who was there and how much fish was caught... He was very interested in the whole story,” said Horton. “He was very charming. We basically lived with him for four days. We booked into the same hotel so we were there with him.”
The vessel rededicated by the Duke now sits idle, while Horton is raising funds to complete the restoration of the Steveston Lifeboat, his own search-and-rescue boat badly damaged in a 2014 storm.
Another link to Canada’s Monarchy visited Richmond during the 2010 Winter Games. Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex — a son of the Queen — graced the Richmond Olympic Oval during the Olympics.
Being an Olympic venue city, Richmond also drew royals from elsewhere in the world.
In 2009, His Serene Highness Prince Albert II, the Prince of Monaco, was here. Also that year, Japan’s Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko visited — a rare and significant event for a city whose Steveston community has a long connection with the Asian nation.
“The emperor and empress were very friendly and waded into the crowd to shake hands and talk to people who came to meet them. Because the emperor is so revered in Japan there was a lot of protocol associated with their visit,” said Ted Townsend, spokesperson for the City of Richmond.
Here for multiple visits was King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands. A prince at the time, His Highness was a member of an International Olympic Committee group overseeing preparations for the Olympics. One of his visits came shortly after the city won its bid to build the oval. Along with other dignitaries, the prince lunched at city hall then took a bus tour to the oval site, with Townsend serving as tour guide.
“We’re so excited about having all the Dutch speed skating fans here during the Games because we know what great sportsmen they are and how much colour they add to the Games,” Townsend remembered telling the group.
“All of a sudden, I hear a voice from the back of the bus saying, ‘Oh they’re all crazy people.’ I look up and it was the prince. He had a very good sense of humour.”
During the Games the Dutch prince spent a lot of time at Holland Heineken House, which was set up inside Minoru Arenas. Dignitaries had their own private lounge, but the prince was often out in the public space.
“I can remember people coming back from lunch one day saying, ‘I was standing in the line at the gift shop at Holland Heineken House and the prince was right in front of me!’” said Townsend.
“He wasn’t one to put on airs. He was very comfortable being among the people and wasn’t just behind security lines the entire time he was in Richmond.”
