Queen Elizabeth II became Head of the Commonwealth upon the death of her father, King George VI, on 6 February 1952 and remained Head of the Commonwealth until her death on 8 September 2022. During that time, she toured the Commonwealth of Nations widely. She visited all member states except for Cameroon, and the three most recently joined member states, Rwanda, Togo and Gabon. Her first foreign tour was before her accession when she accompanied her parents to the countries of Southern Africa in 1947.
Tours of the British Islands are excluded from the list below.
1950s
Date Country Host 6 February 1952 Governor Mitchell 24–25 November 1953 Governor Hood 25–27 November 1953 Governor Foot 17–19 December 1953 Governor Garvey 19–20 December 1953 Queen Sālote Tupou III 23 December 1953 – 30 January 1954 Governor-General Norrie 3 February 1954 – 1 April 1954 Governor-General Slim 5 April 1954 Cocos Islands Governor Nicoll 10–21 April 1954 Governor-General Ramsbotham 27 April 1954 Governor Hickinbotham 28–30 April 1954 Governor Cohen 3–7 May 1954 Governor Creasy 10 May 1954 Governor MacMillan 28 January – 16 February 1956 Governor-General Robertson 12–16 October 1957 Governor General Massey 18 June – 1 August 1959
1960s
Date Country Host 20 January 1961 President Makarios III 20 January 1961 Administrator MacDonald 21 January – 1 February 196116–26 February 19611–2 March 1961 President Prasad 1–16 February 1961(12–16 February Former East Pakistan, now Bangladesh) President Ayub Khan 9–20 November 1961 President Nkrumah 25 November – 1 December 1961 Governor-General Dorman 3–5 December 1961 Governor Windley 30 January – 1 February 1963 Governor General Vanier 2–3 February 1963 Governor Maddocks 6–18 February 1963 Governor-General Fergusson 18 February – 27 March 1963 Governor-General Sidney 5–13 October 1964 Governor General Vanier 1 February 1966 (refueling) 1 February 1966 Governor Stow 4–5 February 1966 Governor Luyt 7–10 February 1966 Governor-General Hochoy 11 February 1966 Governor Turbott 13 February 1966 Administrator Graham 14–15 February 1966 Governor Stow 16 February 1966 Administrator Bryan 18 February 1966 Administrator Guy 19 February 1966 Administrator Gibbs 20 February 1966 Antigua Administrator Rose 22 February 1966 Administrator Howard 23 February 1966 Administrator Staveley 25 February 1966 Roger Tutt 27–28 February 1966 Bahamas Governor Grey 3–6 March 1966 Governor-General Campbell 29 June – 5 July 1967 Governor General Michener 14–17 November 1967 Governor-General Dorman
1970s
Date Country Host 2–3 March 1970 Governor General Michener 4–5 March 1970 Governor Foster 7 March 1970 King Tāufaʻāhau Tupou IV 12–30 March 1970 Governor-General Porritt 30 March – 3 May 1970 Governor-General Hasluck 3–4 May 1970 (refueling) Governor General Michener 5–15 July 1970 3–12 May 1971 18–20 February 1972 President Sheares 22–26, 28 February 1972 Yang di-Pertuan Agong Abdul Halim of Kedah 29 February 1972 Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah 2 March 1972 Yang di-Pertuan Agong Abdul Halim of Kedah 5 March 1972 President Sheares 6, 8 March 1972 Yang di-Pertuan Agong Abdul Halim of Kedah 19–20 March 1972 Governor Greatbatch 24–26 March 1972 Governor-General Williams 26 March 1972 President Kenyatta 25 June – 5 July 1973 Governor General Michener 31 July – 4 August 1973 (for 2nd CHOGM) 15 October 1973 (refueling) 16–17 October 1973 Governor-General Cakobau 17–22 October 1973 Governor-General Hasluck 27 January 1974 (refueling) Governor-General Léger 28–29 January 1974 Governor-General Blundell 30 January – 8 February 1974 (for 1974 British Commonwealth Games) Governor-General Blundell 11 February 1974 Norfolk Island Administrator Pickerd 15–16 February 1974 Resident Commissioner Houssemayne de Boulay 18–21 February 1974 Governor Luddington 22–27 February 1974 High Commissioner Wilson Johnson 27–28 February 1974 Governor-General Hasluck 16–18 February 1975 Governor Leather 18–20 February 1975 Governor-General Scott 20–21 February 1975 Governor-General Butler 1 March 1975 (refueling) Governor Leather 26–30 April 1975 (for 3rd CHOGM) Governor-General Glasspole 4–7 May 1975 Governor MacLehose 3 July 1976 Governor Leather 13–25 July 1976 (for 1976 Summer Olympics) Governor General Léger 10–11 February 1977 O le Ao o le Malo Malietoa Tanumafili II 14 February 1977 King Tāufaʻāhau Tupou IV 16–17 February 1977 Governor-General Cakobau 22 February – 7 March 1977 Governor-General Blundell 7–23 March 1977 Governor-General Kerr 23–26 March 1977 Governor-General Lokoloko 26–30 March 1977 Governor-General Kerr 14–19 October 1977 Governor-General Léger 19–20 October 1977 Governor-General Butler 26 October 1977 Governor Wallace 28 October 1977 Governor Jacobs 31 October – 2 November 1977 Governor-General Ward 26 July – 6 August 1978 Governor General Léger 19–22 July 1979 President Nyerere 22–25 July 1979 President Banda 25–27 July 1979 President Khama 27 July – 4 August 1979 (for 5th CHOGM) President Kaunda
1980s
Date Country Host 24–28 May 1980 Governor-General Cowen 26 September – 12 October 1981 (for 6th CHOGM) 12–20 October 1981 Governor-General Beattie 20–21 October 1981 Governor-General Cowen 21–25 October 1981 President Jayawardene 15–18 April 1982 Governor General Schreyer 5–13 October 1982 Governor-General Stephen 13–14 October 1982 Governor-General Lokoloko 18 October 1982 Governor-General Devesi 21 October 1982 President DeRoburt 23 October 1982 President Tabai 26–27 October 1982 Governor-General Teo 30 October – 1 November 1982 Governor-General Cakobau 13 February 1983 Governor Posnett 13–16 February 1983 Governor-General Glasspole 16–17 February 1983 Governor Lloyd 8–11 March 1983 Governor General Schreyer 9–10 November 1983 President Kyprianou 10–14 November 1983Outward State visits since 1952, official website of the British monarchy. Retrieved 4 September 2012 President Moi 14–17 November 1983 President Chowdhury 17–26 November 1983 (for 7th CHOGM) President Singh 25–26 March 1984 President Kyprianou 24 September – 7 October 1984 Governor General Sauvé 9–11 October 1985 Governor-General Gordon 11–18 October 1985 (for 8th CHOGM) Governor-General Cash 20 October 1985 Inagua (private) 23 October 1985 Governor-General Arrindell 24 October 1985 Governor-General Jacobs 25 October 1985 President Seignoret 26 October 1985 Governor-General Lewis 27 October 1985 Governor-General Eustace 28–29 October 1985 Governor-General Springer 31 October 1985 Governor-General Scoon 1–3 November 1985 President Clarke 22 February – 2 March 1986 Governor-General Reeves 2–13 March 1986 Governor-General Stephen 21–23 October 1986 Governor Youde 9–24 October 1987 (for 10th CHOGM) Governor General Sauvé 19 April – 10 May 1988 Governor-General Stephen 8–11 March 1989 Governor-General Springer 9–11 October 1989 President Wee 14–17 October 1989 (for 11th CHOGM) Yang di-Pertuan Agong Azlan Shah of Perak
1990s
Date Country Host 1–16 February 1990 Governor-General Reeves 27 June – 1 July 1990 Governor General Hnatyshyn 7 October 1991 (overnight stop) President Moi 8–10 October 1991 President Nujoma 10–15 October 1991 (for 12th CHOGM) President Mugabe 18–25 February 1992 Governor-General Hayden 28–30 May 1992 President Tabone 30 June – 2 July 1992 Governor General Hnatyshyn 18–24 October 1993 (for 13th CHOGM) President Clerides 23 October 1993 Administrator Harley 18 February 1994 Governor Shave 19 February 1994 President Sorhaindo 19–22 February 1994 President Jagan 22–24 February 1994 Governor-General Young 26–27 February 1994 Governor Gore 1–3 March 1994 Governor-General Cooke 6–8 March 1994 Governor-General Darling 8–10 March 1994 Governor Waddington 13–22 August 1994 Governor General Hnatyshyn 19–25 March 1995 President Mandela 30 October – 11 November 1995 (for 14th CHOGM) Governor-General Tizard 23 June – 2 July 1997 Governor General LeBlanc 6–12 October 1997 President Leghari 12–18 October 1997 President Narayanan 17–20 September 1998 Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah 20–23 September 1998 Yang di-Pertuan Agong Jaafar of Negeri Sembilan 7–9 November 1999 President Rawlings 9–15 November 1999 (for 16th CHOGM) President Mbeki 15 November 1999 President Chissano
2000s
Date Country Host 17 March – 1 April 2000 Governor-General Deane 18–20 February 2002 Governor-General Cooke 22–27 February 2002 Governor-General Cartwright 27 February – 3 March 2002 (for 17th CHOGM) Governor-General Hollingworth 4–15 October 2002 Governor General Clarkson 3–6 December 2003 (for 18th CHOGM) President Obasanjo 17–25 May 2005 Governor General Clarkson 23–26 November 2005 (for 19th CHOGM) President Fenech Adami 11–16 March 2006 Governor-General Jeffery 16–18 March 2006 President Nathan 20 November 2007 President Fenech Adami 21–24 November 2007 (for 20th CHOGM) President Museveni 24–26 November 2009 Governor Gozney 26–28 November 2009 (for 21st CHOGM) President Richards
2010s
Date Country Host 28 June – 6 July 2010 Governor General Jean 19–29 October 2011 (for 22nd CHOGM) Governor-General Bryce 26–28 November 2015 (for 24th CHOGM) President Coleiro Preca
Commonwealth countries and territories never visited by Elizabeth II British overseas territories , Henderson, Ducie and Oeno Islands Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha (never visited as Queen) Other territories (external territory of Australia) (external territory of Australia) (external territory of Australia) (external territory of Australia) (external territory of Australia) (Realm of New Zealand) Ross Dependency (dependency of New Zealand) (dependency of New Zealand) Commonwealth countries (never visited as Queen) (never visited as Queen) (never visited while the country has been a member)
See also List of state visits made by Elizabeth II List of state visits received by Elizabeth II List of state and official visits by Canada Royal tours of Australia Royal tours of Canada List of official overseas trips made by George VI List of official overseas trips made by Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother List of official overseas trips made by Charles III List of official overseas trips made by William, Prince of Wales List of official overseas trips made by Catherine, Princess of Wales List of official overseas trips made by Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex
Notes
References