George VI's North American visit
King George VI's visit to North America in May and June of 1939 was a significant diplomatic mission aimed at strengthening ties with Canada and countering the isolationist sentiments prevalent in the United States at the time. The visit was instigated by requests from Canadian Prime Minister William Lyon Mackenzie King and U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt. The royal couple's journey began with their departure from England on May 6, encountering delays due to ice in the North Atlantic before arriving in Quebec on May 17.
During their time in Canada, George VI and Queen Elizabeth engaged in formal ceremonies in cities such as Montreal and Ottawa, as well as more intimate interactions with the public, which included affectionate encounters. The visit continued in the United States, where they were warmly received in Washington, D.C., attending various official functions, including a notable state dinner featuring the first performance by an African American artist at the White House.
Their itinerary included stops at historical sites and culminated in a relaxed gathering at President Roosevelt's home, where they shared a meal that sparked mixed opinions among observers. Overall, the visit was a morale booster for Canada and aimed to enhance British-American relations in the lead-up to World War II. However, the extent of its impact was tempered by the prevailing isolationist attitudes in the U.S., leaving many Americans wary of deeper involvement in European conflicts.
George VI's North American visit
The Event British king’s month-long tour of Canada and the United States
Dates May 17 to June 17, 1939
Places Quebec, Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta, British Columbia, New York, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, Delaware, New Jersey, New York, and Washington, D.C.
This was the first visit by a ruling British monarch to the United States. Its purpose was to bolster Canadian morale and to foster a closer relationship between Great Britain and the United States in the face of Adolf Hitler’s aggressive foreign policy and territorial acquisitions. The royal couple dispensed with certain forms of protocol in an attempt to appear down-to-earth.
George VI’s North American visit had been carefully planned by the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office to connect with Canada and undercut the isolationist mood in the United States. Both Canadian prime ministerWilliam Lyon Mackenzie King, who acted as minister in attendance on the visit to give the impression that George VI’s visit was as Canadian king, and President Franklin D. Roosevelt had requested that George VI visit their countries. The royal party sailed from England on May 6, 1939; the Atlantic crossing took much longer than expected because of ice in the North Atlantic, and the king and queen disembarked at Wolfe’s Cove, Quebec, on May 17, 1939.
Formal ceremonies were held at Quebec, Montreal, Ottawa, and Toronto, but the royal couple walked among the people, some of whom even hugged and kissed their majesties. The king and queen moved by train across Canada to British Columbia and made the return trip back to Niagara Falls, Canada, where they crossed the Canadian-American border the night of Wednesday, June 7, 1939. After brief greetings from Secretary of State Cordell Hull, the couple continued on to Washington, D.C., arriving at Union Station the morning of June 8, 1939, where President Roosevelt and First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt greeted them.
The king and queen’s two-day visit in Washington, D.C., was a whirlwind of personal appearances, official functions, and constant changes of clothes in the 90-degree-plus heat. Important appearances on day one included a garden party at the British embassy and a state dinner at the White House, which featured contralto Marian Anderson, the first African American to perform at the White House. On day two, June 9, 1939, there were ten engagements in eleven hours, highlighted by visits to Mount Vernon and a Civilian Conservation Corps site and wreath laying at Arlington National Cemetery. The royal couple traveled overnight by train to New Jersey and from New Jersey to New York City on the USS Warrington. Stops in the city included the New York World’s Fair and Columbia University before a drive to the Roosevelts’ home at Hyde Park on the Hudson River.
The atmosphere at Hyde Park was much more relaxed, with cocktails, dinner, and conversation between the king and president about politics and the defense of the Western Hemisphere. On Sunday, June 11, 1939, the couples attended services at St. James Episcopal Church, and later the president drove the king and queen to the controversial “hot dog picnic.” Desirous of presenting a common touch, Roosevelt had the humble hot dog included in the menu. Many felt that it was beneath their majesties’ royal dignity, but the king and queen handled it with aplomb. After an exchange of gifts with the Roosevelts, the king and queen boarded a train for Canada, and the return voyage landed them in England on June 22, 1939.
Impact
The royal visit helped boost Canadian morale and improved British-American relations in the months immediately preceding the outbreak of World War II in Europe. Although Roosevelt and George VI established an amicable working relationship, it did not produce any substantial benefit for the British. The president’s promises of support had to be weighed against the backdrop of a strong isolationist mood in the U.S. Congress. Many Americans, while charmed by the royal couple, remained suspicious that the visit presaged further American entanglements in European affairs.
Bibliography
Reynolds, David. “FDR’s Foreign Policy and the British Royal Visit to the United States.” The Historian 45, no. 4 (1983): 461-472.
Swift, Will. The Roosevelts and the Royals. Hoboken, N.J.: John Wiley & Sons, 2004.