With the Island bathed in glorious spring sunshine as it was on 9 May 1945, the Royal couple were greeted by cheering crowds echoing the jubilation of that momentous day.
Dressed in a red hat and dark red dress and coat, Her Majesty delighted Islanders with a long Liberation Square walkabout.
She stopped to listen to the memories of those who lived through five long years of German rule.
On the waterfront, the thousands who had waited for hours to catch a glimpse of the Royal visitors were rewarded when the Queen chose to walk from the newly erected Freedom Tree sculpture, where she unveiled a plaque, to a special children’s tea party some 200 yards away in Les Jardins de la Mer.
Her affection for the Island and its people was evident at every stage of the visit, but the Queen’s biggest smile was reserved for the children.
Earlier, the Royal Flight touched down as expected just after 3 pm and taxied to the Aviation Beauport building, where the Queen and Prince Philip were officially welcomed to the Island.
The welcoming party included the Lieut-Governor, Air Chief Marshal Sir John Cheshire, the Bailiff, Sir Philip Bailhache, and – in keeping with ancient traditions relating to the visit of a monarch – the Seigneur of Augrés, Jurat John De Veulle, and the Dame of Rosel, Emma Lemprière-Johnston.
For those not lucky enough to witness the touch-down in person, the arrival was heralded by a 21-gun salute laid on by members of the Jersey Military Vehicles Society.
Their four 25-pounder guns boomed out across St Aubin’s Bay, raising anticipation among the flag-waving thousands lining the Royal route.
Within minutes, the Queen and Prince Philip’s dark green Range Rover swept by cheering crowds along the Avenue and then up the Esplanade.
Shouts and clapping signalled their arrival to the hundreds of people assembled in Liberation Square, many of whom had cheered Her Majesty’s mother and father, Queen Elizabeth and George VI when they visited the Island in June 1945, just a few weeks after the Channel Islands – the only British territory to be occupied by Hitler’s Third Reich – were liberated by the soldiers of Force 135 and sailors of the Royal Navy.
That great boost to the Island’s morale was followed by another Royal occasion in 1949 when, as Princess Elizabeth and accompanied by Prince Philip, the present Queen paid her first visit to Jersey.
The band of the Royal Welsh Regiment played a fanfare as the Royal cavalcade drew up outside the Pomme d’Or.
Once on the dais, the Bailiff welcomed the Queen and spoke of the importance of the day and the suffering endured by Islanders.
He also spoke of hope and reconciliation, especially with the people of the German town of Bad Wurzach, some of whom joined young Islanders and former internees of camps in the town for a special theatrical performance which looked both back at history and forward to a better future.
From Liberation Square, the Royal couple drove the short distance to the western waterfront to unveil a plaque beside the newly erected Freedom Tree.
The busy schedule continued with a reception attended by many Islanders at the Grand Hotel, before a dinner and the grand finale, a massive firework display and a V for victory created by powerful spotlights shining into the night sky over Elizabeth Castle.
