A Royal 'Howdy': Queen Elizabeth II's Visit to Texas in 1991

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Queen Elizabeth II has made numerous state and official visits since ascending the British throne in 1952, as well as trips throughout the Commonwealth, making her the most widely travelled head of state in history. In May 1991, Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip embarked on a 13-day trip to the United States by way of a Concorde. The trip began in Washington, D.C. on May 14, where the Queen presented President George H. W. Bush with the Winston Churchill Award, followed by President Bush and First Lady Barbara Bush hosting the Queen and Prince Philip at a State Dinner. The royal couple then traveled to Virginia, Maryland, Florida, and Texas—the Queen was the first British monarch ever to visit Texas. Prince Philip returned to England after visiting Texas and the Queen concluded the trip with just one more stop in Kentucky.

The Queen's Texas tour began in Austin, where Texas Governor Ann Richards hosted the Queen and an estimated 5,000 people gathered on the Capitol grounds, hoping to catch a glimpse of the queen while waving Union Jacks. To the crowd, the queen declared, “No state commands such fierce pride and loyalty. Lesser mortals are pitied for their misfortune in not being born Texans” (Potter, Northcott, 1991). She also made remarks on Great Britain’s long ties with Texas: “One hundred and fifty years ago the British consul in Texas reported to our foreign office that ‘Texans are rough and wild, but their consistency and courage are admirable’” (Potter, Northcott, 1991). 

The Queen then set off to San Antonio, Dallas, and Houston over the course of a few short days; Fort Worth was on the original itinerary, former Mayor Bob Bolen told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, but was dropped because of the morning trip to San Antonio (Schlacter, 1991). 

Upon the Queen’s arrival in Dallas on May 21, 1991, she was welcomed by Dallas Mayor Annette Strauss and Fort Worth Mayor Kay Granger, who had just taken office only hours earlier. During the greetings, "The Yellow Rose of Texas" played and 7-year-old Jasmine Evans presented the Queen with a yellow flower bouquet. A crowd of over 2,000 people were in attendance of a musical program put on for the Queen at the Morton H. Meyerson Symphony Center, where the Dallas Wind Symphony performed renditions of “God Save the Queen” and “The Star-Spangled Banner.” Among a myriad of cultural performances put on for the Queen was a mariachi band which supplied the music for a Ballet Folklórico Hispano de Dallas performance (Weiss, 1991). 

Later on in the evening, the Queen and Prince Philip were en route to a reception and dinner being held at the Hall of State building to commemorate the 150th anniversary of Dallas and were met by both royalty-gazers and protestors. Just before entering the Hall of State, a group representing the Texas American Heritage Society, dressed in traditional Native American clothing, presented the Queen with a gift.  

Drawing ties to British policy in Northern Ireland and South Africa at the time, about 175 protestors gathered in Fair Park to express their frustration with a recent redistricting plan that the Dallas City Council had approved a few days prior. The protests were led and attended by Dallas councilmembers Diane Ragsdale and Al Lipscomb, as well as Dallas County Commissioner John Wiley Price. Signs held by protestors read “We have no democracy in Dallas," "No More Slavery,” and "End Apartheid in Dallas.” Uniformed police, some on horseback, kept an eye on the protesters but did not impede their movement (Weiss, 1991). 

Among the hundreds of people gathered outside of the Hall of State building in Dallas, waiting to see the Queen and Prince Philip as they arrived for dinner, were those dressed in traditional Native American clothing and in clothing representing early pioneers of Texas—clothing that was reflective of the 150 years of Texas history. Connie Benesch of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram told the story of a Fort Worth student's experience of the Queen's visit to Dallas:

"Sam Houston, the first president of the Republic of Texas, arrived at the Hall of State in the guise of 13-year-old Scott McMickle of Trophy Club. The seventh-grader sporting the colonial outfit had a moment of near-regal glory - he got very close to Her Majesty...'It was really neat,' said McMickle, one of 60 classmates at the Fort Worth-based Treetop School International who were invited to appear in costume in a re-enactment of Texas history. The Treetop students and other groups were chosen to greet the Queen and her entourage at the Hall of State entrance" (Benesch, 1991).

To view more photographs of Queen Elizabeth II’s visit to Dallas on the UTA Digital Gallery, visit: https://library.uta.edu/digitalgallery/subject-name/elizabeth-ii-queen-great-britain-1926 

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Sources

Benesch, Connie. (1991, May 22). Students re-enact, make Texas history with the queen. Fort Worth Star-Telegram, section A, p. 14.

Jorden, Jay. (1991, May 21). Queen Elizabeth II Visits Alamo, Dallas. Associated Press. 

Potter, Karen and Kaye Northcott. (1991, May 21). The British have come! Elizabeth II wows Anglophiles as Austin gives her a welcome fit for a queen. Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Austin Bureau, section A, pgs. 1, 8. 

Schlacter, Barry. (1991, May 22). Queen Eizabeth sweeps through Lone Star State. Fort Worth Star-Telegram, section A, pgs. 1, 14. 

Weiss, Jeffrey. (1991, May 22). Royal treatment City tries to put a refined foot forward as queen attends concert, formal dinner in seven-hour visit. Dallas Morning News, section A, p. 1.