The Royal Vist to South Africa in 1947

 

King George VI signing the Visitors' Book at City Hall in Pretoria

Queen Elizabeth, after receiving an honorary doctorate at the University of Cape Town 

Queen Elizabeth, accompanied by Dr Pellisier, Director of Education, Orange Free State, chatting to children at King's Park, Bloemfontein.

The Royal Family with General Smuts at the Grootkerk (Dutch Reformed Church) in Pretoria

Princesses Elizabeth and Margaret chatting with the Mayor of Pretoria 

The Royal Family at Church Square in Pretoria

Queen Elizabeth talking with an official underground at the Crown Mine

The  Royal Family visiting a Hippo Pool, Kruger National Park

In 1947, King George VI, Queen Elizabeth, Princess Elizabeth, and Princess Margaret spent three months traveling 10,000 miles in South Africa.

In the early 1980s, when I was living with my dad in Ballston Spa, New York, I was already doing research for my first book on Queen Victoria's Descendants.  At the time, I was a student at the State University of New York at Albany, earning a master's degree in library science.

I wrote to the National Museum of Cultural History in Pretoria, as I was interested in information about Prince and Princess Arthur of Connaught.  The museum package included photos and news articles about Prince and Princess Arthur, as well as photos from the 1947 visit.

While looking for other photographs, I found these images.  Thought it would be a good idea to  post them on Royal Musings