The 1957 Royal Visit from Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II

Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II visited the College of William and Mary for the first time 50 years ago, as part of the 350th anniversary of the founding of Jamestown.

On Oct. 16, 1957, after a tour of Jamestown and brief ceremony, Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip proceeded to the College to have tea with William and Mary President and Mrs. Alvin Chandler. After tea, the queen and prince joined the President Chandler and Rector James Robertson for a tour of the Sir Christopher Wren Building and a brief ceremony. On the Westside balcony overlooking Wren Courtyard, the rector spoke briefly with the queen and presented her with a green leather portfolio embossed in gold with the College seal, containing six original drawings of campus buildings. Queen Elizabeth accepted the gift and remarked that she was happy to visit the first college of royal founding in North America, saying she was “very proud of the fact that this college educated so many founders of your nation.”

During her visit to the College, selected members of the Reserve Officers' Training Corps served as an honor guard for Her Majesty and His Royal Highness. The honor guard was later officially established as “The Queens’ Guard” in recognition of the honors bestowed upon the College of William and Mary in Virginia by Queen Mary II, Queen Anne, and Queen Elizabeth II. In 1961, a letter signed by a representative of the queen expressed her approval of the unit. The unit, still functioning today, is the only unit called “Queens’ Guard” recognized by the British monarchy in the United States.