February 6, 2017 marks the 65th Anniversary of the death of King George VI and the ascension to the throne of Queen Elizabeth II. Beginning in 1860, many members of the British Royal Family have travelled through Simcoe County.
On September 10, 1860, Albert Edward, Prince of Wales’ Train stopped at the Barrie Station. In Simcoe County Council’s Address to His Royal Highness, read by Warden T.D. McConkey, they prayed him “to accept a hearty welcome to the Loyal County of Simcoe, as the worthy scion of [his] royal Mother, long may she be preserved, a pattern to other rulers, and a blessing to the land!” See: Barrie Northern Advance, 12 September 1860 p.2 Barrie Public Library Newspaper Index
Forty-one years later, on October 10, 1901, the Duke and Duchess of Cornwall and York – later King George V and Queen Mary – travelled through the County. They stopped briefly at the Barrie Station, where a large crowd had assembled, before travelling on to Allandale.
Edward, Prince of Wales, passed through several points on the GTR line through Simcoe County. The Royal Train was scheduled to stop at Allandale at 10:50 a.m. on October 17, 1919.
On May 17, 1939 King George VI and Queen Elizabeth embarked on a cross-country tour of Canada. It was the first time a reigning monarch had set foot on Canadian soil and large crowds greeted them wherever they went.
Midland and Penetanguishene welcomed Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip to their communities on July 8, 1959.
In recent years, there have been two royal visits to Simcoe County. Prince Edward and Sophie, Countess of Wessex, toured Ste-Marie among the Hurons and St. James on-the-Lines Church in September 2012.
Princess Anne, the Princess Royal, stopped in Barrie and CFB Borden on October 22, 2013. During her visit she visited the Grey & Simcoe Foresters Regiment, of which she is Colonel-in-Chief, and dedicated the Military Heritage Park on Kempenfelt Bay.
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