Her Majesty helped Manx residents officially celebrate the new City status of their capital, Douglas with a day of visits which saw her meeting island locals from all walks of life.
The Queen delivered a speech on behalf of The King before presenting the Letters Patent conferring City status on the Borough of Douglas.
Douglas was granted City status in May 2022 as part of the celebrations for the late Queen Elizabeth’s Platinum Jubilee. It has been the capital of the Isle of Man since 1896 and is home to the Manx Parliament, Tynwald, which is the oldest continuous parliament in the world.
Her Majesty then made her way to Government House where she met the Chief Minister, The Honourable Alfred Cannan. The Queen was welcomed by community groups including representatives from the RNLI and the Manx Bluetits swimming club.
Douglas is also the birthplace of the RNLI which marks its bicentenary in 2024, 200 years after then Douglas resident, Sir William Hilary, witnessed several shipwrecks off the Manx coast and founded a national body to protect and save lives at sea.
The Queen then met with representatives from Isle of Man charities working in the fields of environmental protection and cancer care.