On Tour with the Queen

In 1953, the newly-crowned Queen Elizabeth set off on a six-month, 45,000-mile round-the-world journey. The Coronation Tour was the most ambitious royal tour ever undertaken, and would radically change Britain's relationship with the world. It was the first time a British monarch visited the Colonies not to show them who was boss, but to persuade them that Britain was worth staying attached to, as part of a new entity: the Commonwealth. Actor and playwright Kwame Kwei-Armah retraces the young Queen's journey across five continents: from the Caribbean, Australasia and the Pacific Islands, to Africa, Asia and the Mediterranean. A self-proclaimed 'Child of Empire', whose parents came to the UK from the West Indies, Kwame examines the enduring significance of the tour for those in the Colonies, and the critical importance it played in shaping the multi-cultural country we live in today.