Her Majesty The Queen

Private and Official Visits

As we, like the rest of the country, mourn the death of the Queen we send condolences to her family. We look back on some of the occasions when she visited Suffolk.
Over her 70 years on the throne she visited for both private and official state occasions.

Starting in 1953

Her first visit was in 1953 when she and Prince Philip flew to Martlesham to see defences being restored along the River Deben.
In 1961 she was driven around Ipswich Town’s Portman Road pitch in a modified Land Rover to greet about 8,000 excited guests. On the same day she travelled to Stowmarket to visit an arts, crafts and agricultural event. She also opened the Ipswich Civic College in the same year.

She received a 21-gun salute when she carried out an inspection of the 1st East Anglian Regiment on Angel Hill.

In 1967 the Queen visited parts of East Suffolk. Spending time in the Moot Hall to mark the Aldeburgh festival, then travelling on to Snape Maltings.

Silver Jubilee

The silver jubilee in 1977 saw her in Ipswich and she was in Suffolk again to mark her 50th year this time in Bury St Edmunds.
She also opened the Ipswich Waterfront in July 2002 unveiling a plaque in front of large crowds to mark the official opening.
One of her more recent visits to Suffolk was in 2009, when she visited Bury St Edmunds with Prince Philip as they attended the Maundy service at St Edmundsbury Cathedral.

Until recently, when she began to experience mobility problems, she also stayed in Suffolk several times a year. These were private visits because of her love for horses and the Newmarket racecourse.