The liner Empress of Australia has arrived in Portsmouth

May 5, 1939

The P & O liner the Empress of Australia has arrived in Portsmouth, "spick and span," and is ready to take the King and Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland to the United States. This will be the first visit to the United States by a reigning British Sovereign. This will be a state visit. King George VI and Queen Elizabeth will also visit Canada. Tonight, at Buckingham Palace, the king and queen gave a farewell dinner in their private apartment. The guests included Queen Mary, the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester and the Duke and Duchess of Kent. Princess Elizabeth was allowed to stay up late to see her grandmother and aunts and uncles.
Earlier in the day, the King named the five Counselors of State, who "can act in his absence." According to the Regency Act of 1937, Queen Elizabeth, "who must be appointed as royal consort," and the next four, who are in line to throne. The act excludes minors. The other Counselors of State are the Duke of Gloucester, the Duke of Kent, the Princess Royal and Princess Arthur of Connaught.
The Times reports that the plans for the visit to the United States are not complete, although the king and queen will meet with President Roosevelt. But as the Times reporter notes: "the American people will lose no opportunity of establishing their reputation as one of the most hospitable nations in the world."
The king and queen will arrive in Quebec City on May 15, and will tour the Dominion of Canada for several weeks before entering the United States in early June.