With the coronation underway, it is a great time to reflect back on the life of Queen Elizabeth II. As you will likely know, the Queen was the head of state for the Commonwealth before her passing, with Charles III succeeding her. The Commonwealth is home to almost one-third of the world’s population, around 2.5 billion people! 56 countries make up the Commonwealth, with more than 60 per cent of the Commonwealth population being aged 29 or under. The Queen enjoyed a close relationship with the Commonwealth, which is why she visited so often.
Research has been completed and analyzed by experts Audley Travel to find out what Commonwealth countries the former Monarch Queen Elizabeth II visited. We can look at all this information to understand what countries she loved to visit, which could help inspire your next trip!
Canada
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Canada has remained close to the UK long after its independence. In fact, the late Queen actually visited Canada the most out of all the Commonwealth countries, as it held a special place in her heart. She visited 22 times, visiting many different provinces in the process. She often came up during memorable holidays and important days, but sometimes she came up just to see the sights!
It’s not just the Queen, and the new King, who loves Canada. Many British people and members of the Commonwealth often make the trek to Canada to take in the sights and follow in the royal footsteps. Canada should be high up on your list of places to visit.
This key commonwealth country has many guided walking tours across major cities for you to take in and enjoy. This includes places such as Halifax, Ottawa, Québec City, and Montréal. Away from the cities, you can embrace the outdoors in the Rockies and engage in activities such as hiking to white-water rafting.
Joseph Saunders, Canada specialist at Audley, said: ‘Queen Elizabeth II may have had official duties to undertake during her visits to Canada, but it wouldn’t surprise me if the country’s melting pot of cultures and striking mix of landscapes, from mountains to prairies to wild coastlines, also played a part in Canada being a firm favorite of hers.’
Australia
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It wasn’t just Canada that was high up on the list of places to visit for the Queen. Looking at the data, you can see that Queen Elizabeth II journeyed across the globe to visit Australia 16 times during her reign. She visited the Great Barrier Reef, Adelaide’s Botanic Gardens, Mount…