Queen Elizabeth: Greeted by waves of goodwill wherever she went

How the Queen wowed the Swiss – 30 years ago

Derek Meakin recalls the Royal Visit to Switzerland that entranced the whole of the country in the summer of 1980.

Exactly 30 years ago Queen Elizabeth, accompanied by the Duke of Edinburgh, started on a four day tour of Switzerland. It was an historic occasion – the first State visit to the country by a British sovereign.

True, Queen Victoria had been there before her, but that had been very much an unofficial visit – a holiday that was so secret that not a word of it had ever leaked to the press.

What a contrast it was this time. The Royal tour dominated all the Swiss newspapers, and commentators pointed out that it was by far the most important State visit since that of the Kaiser in 1912.

I was privileged to see it in action, as one of the few journalists invited to join the Royal party. It turned out to be the most hectic four days I had ever experienced.

On Day One I was invited to spend a few private minutes with the Queen, when she asked me some rather pointed questions about Anglo-Swiss relations in history. What most impressed me was her own apparent knowledge of Switzerland and the Swiss. She had obviously been very well briefed beforehand.

But nothing she had been told could have prepared her for the waves of goodwill that were to engulf her everywhere she went.

For the next four days the Queen was to be at the centre of a triumphal procession as her motorcade drove slowly through streets lined by cheering crowds. Swiss citizens, noted for their love of ceremonial, excelled themselves in the colourful cavalcade of flags that fluttered in a continuous, high pitched welcome. It far outdid any expression of affection that I have ever seen displayed in the most loyal British city.

The Swiss Government, too, had made every effort to ensure that the whole tour would go like clockwork. Every detail had been meticulously planned in advance.

In Berne, for instance, all the capital’s famous fountains had been specially gilded for the occasion. It made this most unreal of all Swiss cities look even more like a stage set, with the air of having been completely refurbished for the Queen’s visit.

And the royal couple showed their evident delight as they pointed out to each other the different features of this colourful cavalcade. The cascade of emotion revealed how the Bernese were determined to take the Queen into their hearts and make this a visit that would really stand out in her memory.

But as the tour progressed the Swiss newspapers were becoming increasingly critical of the extent of the security precautions, which they said were preventing the people from getting close to the Queen. At a press conference called by Swiss President Georges-André Chevallaz, I asked him why such an intense show of force was necessary.

“Listen,” he said. "If someone threw as much as a pepperpot at the Queen it would be our responsibility. We just cannot afford to take any chances.”

So, maximum protection was maintained. Zealous police kept the crowds under control, army marksmen could be seen on rooftops, and a noisy helicopter circled overhead. Such security would be considered normal today, but 30 years ago it was unpecedented.

In fact, it was only relaxed for a very brief period in Lausanne, where 640 expatriate Britons gathered for a visit from their monarch. It was a strictly unofficial event, and no Swiss guests were invited – not even the Swiss Foreign Minister, Federal Councillor Pierre Aubert, who was travelling in the car with her. He had to wait outside.

it would be really difficult to say which of the many Swiss cities and towns she visited put on the biggest show of affection for their royal visitor. But Lucerne certainly tried hard to be in the forefront. All the primary schools closed for the day and 3,000 children lined up along the Schweizerhofquai, fluttering flags and screaming with delight.

There were unprecedented scenes, too, at the Rütli, the birthplace of the Swiss nation. To tumultuous applause the Queen drew an emotional parallel between the alliance agreed there in 1291 and Britain’s own Magna Carta, signed at Runnymede only a few years earlier.

For me, one of the most memorable moments of the entire tour came after the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh had been escorted out of the banqueting hall in the Château de Chillon after yet another official reception. A Vaud MP ran over to the top table and sat down in the chair she had been using. Then he immediately jumped up and at the top of his voice shouted to everyone: “Come and try it – it’s still warm!”

We may never know what the Queen herself thought of the Royal Tour. Or how she would describe it to Margaret Thatcher when the Prime Minister next went to Buckingham Palace for her weekly Tuesday audience.

But for years afterwards the Iron Lady took her annual summer holiday during the Parliamentary recess....in Switzerland!