In memory of Queen Elizabeth II, the longest-serving British monarch who passed away on Thursday at the age of 96, NY1 looks back at the queen’s visits to New York City. During her reign, she visited the Big Apple three times: in 1957, 1976 and 2010.

Her first visit to the five boroughs was back in October of 1957, when she arrived on Staten Island by train from Washington and was greeted by Gov. W. Averell Harriman. From there, she embarked on a tour that included a ticker tape procession to City Hall. Many New Yorkers filled the streets of Manhattan to catch a glimpse of the young monarch and her husband, Prince Philip. Her afternoon was spent at a luncheon organized by Mayor Robert Wagner at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel. 

Nineteen years later, the queen would return to the city on July 9, 1976 for the bicentennial of the United States, 200 years after Americans gained their independence from England. Upon her arrival to Battery Park in Manhattan, she was greeted by Gov. Hugh Carey and was presented with a bouquet by Mayor Abe Beame’s granddaughter. During her visit, she was seen greeting New Yorkers outside of Bloomingdale’s, where she spent an afternoon shopping. The next day she walked from the Federal Building up Wall Street to New York’s Trinity Church with Mayor Beame, where she was greeted by thousands of spectators. It was at Trinity Church that she collected 279 peppercorns in back rent. Trinity Church was given its charter in 1697 by Elizabeth’s ancestor William III.

Her last visit was in July of 2010, when the queen visited the World Trade Center site and presented a wreath in honor of the victims that died during the 9/11 terrorist attacks. She ended her tour at the opening of the British Garden in Hanover Square, in honor of the 67 British subjects who died on 9/11.​