Kolkata: It was way back in the year 1961, when the then Duke of Edinburgh, Prince Phillip, made the first royal visit to India along with Queen Elizabeth II. The royalty's tour to India included visits to Bombay (now Mumbai), Madras (now Chennai), Jaipur, Agra and finally Calcutta (now Kolkata).
The tour of the royal couple, especially in Kolkata, created huge excitement among the people of the City of Joy. As per reports carried by the national and international media then, around two million people flocked the streets of Kolkata to welcome the royale couple.
The royal couple visited the iconic Victoria Memorial, where they were clicked at the staircase of the iconic monument along with distinguished citizens of the city. According to Jayanta Sengupta, director of Victoria Memorial, it was an official state visit of the royal couple and so the picture clicked at the staircase is still preserved in the archive of the memorial.
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As per media reports then, the Royal Couple of UK went to Royal Calcutta Turf Club from Victoria Memorial. Many who gathered on the streets of the city in 1961 to give an enthusiastic welcome to the Royal Couple, recall that it was a great moment to see them so close especially in the backdrop of stories floated around about Buckingham Place.
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The visit of a royal couple of the UK to India in the year 1961 was especially memorable because of a tiger hunt event which was hosted by the Maharaja of Jaipur.
While 1961 was the years of their first state visit to India, the Royal Couple made two other visits later in 1983 and 1997. The 1997 visit was on the occasion of the celebration of the 50th anniversary of Indian Independence.
