Leonard Bentley
The Mall
During the Queen's reign there have been 113 State Visits, the last being in October 2015 when the Chinese President came to the UK. The third State Visit was from Britain's oldest ally, Portugal. It is the oldest alliance between two sovereign states dating from 1386 when England and Portugal signed the Treaty of Windsor. This is Tuesday 25th October 1955 and the procession is in the Mall, the photograph shows a 'T' Division Constable who is on aid to Cannon Row for the day, always a nice change, a trip up to town from southwest London. Mounted Officers escort the procession which started out from Victoria Embankment. In the 1950s many visitors arrived by ship and in this case General Francisco Craveiro Lopes, the President of Portugal and Mrs. Lopes had travelled by sea in the Portuguese Navy's "Bartolomeu Dias" a frigate which was built in 1935 at the Tyneside ship builders R&W Hawthorn, Leslie & Co Ltd. The ship moored just upstream of Tower Bridge and the President and first Lady travelled to Westminster Pier in the Royal launch where they were greeted by the Queen and members of the Royal family. I have been on a few State visits but cannot remember such a show, this is more like the Trooping the Colour procession on its way to Buckingham Palace, State visit pomp and pageantry have been scaled back quite a bit.
The Mall
During the Queen's reign there have been 113 State Visits, the last being in October 2015 when the Chinese President came to the UK. The third State Visit was from Britain's oldest ally, Portugal. It is the oldest alliance between two sovereign states dating from 1386 when England and Portugal signed the Treaty of Windsor. This is Tuesday 25th October 1955 and the procession is in the Mall, the photograph shows a 'T' Division Constable who is on aid to Cannon Row for the day, always a nice change, a trip up to town from southwest London. Mounted Officers escort the procession which started out from Victoria Embankment. In the 1950s many visitors arrived by ship and in this case General Francisco Craveiro Lopes, the President of Portugal and Mrs. Lopes had travelled by sea in the Portuguese Navy's "Bartolomeu Dias" a frigate which was built in 1935 at the Tyneside ship builders R&W Hawthorn, Leslie & Co Ltd. The ship moored just upstream of Tower Bridge and the President and first Lady travelled to Westminster Pier in the Royal launch where they were greeted by the Queen and members of the Royal family. I have been on a few State visits but cannot remember such a show, this is more like the Trooping the Colour procession on its way to Buckingham Palace, State visit pomp and pageantry have been scaled back quite a bit.