Glittering Royal Jewels on the River Seine

Yesterday, athletes from around the globe cruised on the Seine, following in the footsteps of British royals during a trio of twentieth-century visits

Yesterday’s Olympic pageant on the River Seine was one for the ages–and it recalled a trio of royal cruises staged during British visits to France during the twentieth century. Today, we take a closer look at the river journeys undertaken by King George VI and Queen Elizabeth II in 1938, 1948, and 1957.

In July 1938, King George VI and Queen Elizabeth arrived in Paris for the start of the first (and, ultimately, only) French state visit of the King’s reign. The trip almost hadn’t happened. The Queen’s mother, the Countess of Strathmore, died that June, just a few days before the royals were due to leave for France. With the Queen deep in grief for her mother, it was decided to postpone the visit to July. The wardrobe that Norman Hartnell had designed for Elizabeth to wear in Paris was swiftly reimagined, with the Queen gratefully accepting his proposal that the clothes should be made in white, an alternate mourning color, instead of black.

British Pathé

Queen Elizabeth dazzled in the famous white wardrobe that Hartnell made for her, wearing his gowns for a banquet at the Élysée Palace, a night out at the Opera Garnier, a garden party in the Bois de Boulogne, and a luncheon at the Palace of Versailles. On the second day of the visit, the King and the Queen, who was again dressed in a white Hartnell ensemble and pearls, were accompanied by President and Madame Lebrun for a pleasure cruise on the River Seine.