Queen Elizabeth II, the longest-serving British monarch who held the throne for 70 years, died Thursday at the age of 96.
The queen visited the University of Virginia in 1976 as part of a multi-city tour to commemorate the U.S. bicentennial. On July 10 of that year, the queen’s plane landed at the Charlottesville-Albemarle Airport as 50,000 people lined U.S. 29 to see the motorcade travel to the University.
She strolled the Lawn while 18,000 people crowded onto Grounds to witness the event. In the Dome Room of the Rotunda, then-Virginia Gov. Mills E. Godwin hosted a luncheon in the queen’s honor.