The Royal Tour of Canada in May and June of 1939 by King George VI and Queen Elizabeth was the first time a reigning monarch visited this country. They travelled west on the Canadian Pacific Railway and returned on the south side of the Fraser River on the Canadian National line — with a brief whistle stop at Fort Langley (more likely a slow crawl by the train). The month-long visit to Canada was highly successful, with large crowds greeting them at every stop. It was also the eve of WW II and the visit was part of an effort to cement relations between Great Britain and Canada, with hopes for a united “Empire”. The photograph above hangs inside the passenger car at Langley Heritage Society’s Fort Langley CN Station.
The late Langley historian, Norm Sherritt, recalled the visit in a 2002 interview with the Langley Times HERE. Among those waiting that day was the Fort Langley community band. The photo below was shared by Lois (née Dinwoodie) Daisley. Her half-brother Norman Hemphill is second from the left (partially obscured).
In 1951, 25 year old Princess Elizabeth and her husband Philip also visited and gave the royal wave at Fort Langley. The photo below hangs in the CN Station passenger car. Read a CBC story about this visit HERE.
Princess Elizabeth and her husband spent five weeks touring Canada; her father died just a few months later in February 1952. Langley Heritage Society possesses a letter sent to one of the Canadian tour organizers by Princess Elizabeth. She was especially pleased with the press coverage.
