SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The last time Queen Elizabeth II visited Northern California was nearly four decades ago.
She arrived in San Francisco and attended a state dinner on March 3, 1983 at the M.H. de Young Museum in Golden Gate Park with President Ronald Reagan and First Lady Nancy Reagan.
The following day, she visited Sutter's Fort and greeted the Kit Carson Mountain Men, a historical re-enactment club of the 1800-1860 era aimed at continuing the traditions of early American fur traders.
Then, on March 5, she visited Yosemite National Park, where she was photographed at Inspiration Point with park superintendent Bob Binnewies.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom released a statement Thursday following the queen's death.
“California joins the United Kingdom, the Commonwealth, and people around the world in mourning the passing of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.
The longest-ruling monarch in British history, Queen Elizabeth II has had an extraordinary impact throughout her momentous life and work. Never having expected to become Queen, she nevertheless embraced her duty to serve, joining the armed services during World War II and pledging on her twenty-first birthday to devote her life to the nation and the Commonwealth.
Throughout her unprecedented seven decades on the throne, Queen Elizabeth remained true to that promise, providing an unwavering source of leadership, inspiration and stability through times of great social change and uncertainty while serving as matriarch to her own family.
As we reflect on her incomparable life and legacy, our hearts are with the King and the Queen Consort and the entire Royal Family during this time of great loss.”
Photos of the queen's visit to Northern California are below:
PHOTOS: Remembering Queen Elizabeth II's visit to Northern California
Queen Elizabeth II, who ruled for longer than any other monarch in British history and who recently celebrated her diamond jubilee died Thursday. She was 96.
The queen died at her summer residence in Scotland. Members of the royal family had traveled to be at her bedside after doctors announced Thursday they were “concerned” for her health.
She worked steadily into the twilight of her reign. But the death of Prince Philip, her husband of more than 70 years, in April 2021 reminded the country that the reign of the queen, the only monarch most of her subjects have ever known, is finite.
That truth was the subtext of the Platinum Jubilee celebrations as newspapers, TV news shows and the walls of the palace were filled with images of Elizabeth as she changed from a glamorous young queen in crown and diamonds to a kind of global grandmother known for her omnipresent handbag and love of horses and corgis.
Charles was front and center throughout the festivities as he stood in for his mother and demonstrated he was ready to take on her mantle.
Wearing a ceremonial scarlet tunic and bearskin hat, he reviewed the troops during the Queen’s Birthday Parade on the opening day of the jubilee. The next day, he was the last guest to enter St. Paul’s Cathedral and took his seat at the front of the church for a service of thanksgiving in honor of the queen. At a star-studded concert in front of Buckingham Palace, he delivered the main tribute to the woman he addressed as “Your Majesty, Mummy.”
The queen’s public appearances during the Jubilee were brief but symbolic, underscoring three pillars of her reign: a personal bond with the public, strong links to the armed forces and support for the Commonwealth, a group of 54 nations with former colonial ties to Britain.
On the final day of the event, she joined other senior members of the royal family on the balcony of Buckingham Palace to watch a flyby by 70 military aircraft and wave to supporters who filled the street below. Later, she took part in a beacon lighting ceremony at Windsor Palace, the culmination of events that spanned the Commonwealth.
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