Queen Elizabeth connected with Saskatchewan through numerous visits

From a wave to even the chance to meet and speak with her, Queen Elizabeth II made many a royal fan happy during her numerous tours of Saskatchewan.

In the years that she reigned, the Queen visited the province five times, a sixth as princess. Her last visit was to celebrate Saskatchewan’s centennial in 2005.

(File photo courtesy of Government of Saskatchewan)

Speaking in the rain at the Legislature in Regina, she spoke warmly of those past visits.

“My mother once said that this country felt like a home away from home for the Queen of Canada. Ladies and gentlemen, six decades later it still does. And it is good to be back,” the Queen said.

And for those who had stood for hours in the wet just to catch a glimpse, she was worth the wait.

“She said it was very nice of us to come out on a rainy day. She turned and watched the choir and then came back to take our flowers,” one in the crowd told reporters at the time.

“We heard she was going to come by here so we wanted to have a good view,” said another.

(File photo courtesy of Government of Saskatchewan)

The Queen started the visit at the First Nations University of Canada where she presented a stone, bearing the cipher of her great-great-grandmother Queen Victoria.

“It is given in the hopes that it will serve as a reminder of the special relationship between the sovereign and all First Nations peoples,” she told the Chiefs who sat beside her.

In turn she was gifted a quilt.

During that visit she also travelled to Lumsden for a luncheon celebrating the centennial.

“I am delighted to be with you as your Queen to celebrate this special anniversary,” she said. “I retain a deep affection for this great country and for the people who take such pride in saying, ‘I am Canadian.’

(File photo courtesy of Government of Saskatchewan)

“May the people of Saskatchewan and indeed all Canadians continue to enjoy, in the words of your first premier, Walter Scott, ‘peace, progress and prosperity’ as together we face the many challenges and opportunities that lie before us all.”

Over the course of the four-day visit, the Queen unveiled the statue of her riding her favourite horse, Burmese. The horse was born in 1962 at the RCMP remount ranch in Fort Walsh.

Burmese was the horse she was riding when a man fired a starter pistol at her during Trooping the Colour near Buckingham Palace in 1982.

The Queen also attended a private service at the RCMP ground in Regina and spoke with the parents of the four Mounties shot at Mayerthorpe, Alta., just a few months before.

(File photo courtesy of Government of Saskatchewan)

“She actually spoke of the risks and perils of being a policeman and how important it was that we still have policemen,” Keith Myrol told reporters afterwards. “I think in honouring the four by her presence she honoured the whole police force.”

Myrol lost his son Brock in the tragedy.

The centennial visit in Saskatchewan wrapped up with a showcase of the arts at what is now known as SaskTel Centre.

The two-hour musical extravaganza was hosted by Corner Gas creator and comedian Brent Butt. It also featured artists with Saskatchewan connections like Joni Mitchell, Buffy Sainte Marie and Leslie Nielsen.

It was clear to many who met her during that visit that through seven decades on the throne Saskatchewan truly was a home away from home for the Queen and she gave those who turned out to see her a royal memory few will forget.

Chef recounts experience cooking for the Queen

Leo Pantel is the executive chef at the Conexus Arts Centre. He got the opportunity to meet and cook for the Queen in 2005.

“She was very outspoken, very respectful,” Pantel recalled. “I remember it being a very hectic day.

“At the event, everyone wanted to talk to her. She didn’t have any specific requests. She had done these meetings all over the world. I remember it taking her a long time to eat her meal because everyone was trying to talk to her.”

The opportunity didn’t come without challenges. Pantel says there were lots of time restraints in place and staff knew they had to make everything perfect.

“Everything was down to the minute,” he said. “It was a huge process in making everything work.”

Despite the logistic challenges, Pantel says it’s something he will always have with him.

“It was such a special occasion. It was an honour,” he said. “Meeting her is something I will really remember for the rest of my days.”

— With files from 980 CJME’s Logan Stein 

(File photo courtesy of Government of Saskatchewan)