South Africa 1947 King George VI Queen Elizabeth Royal Visit Commemorative Medal

South Africa 1947 King George VI Queen Elizabeth Royal Visit Commemorative Medal

As of 1947, a reigning British sovereign had never even visited the south of Africa, let alone toured it. That changed when King George VI, Queen Elizabeth, Princess Elizabeth (later Elizabeth II) and Princess Margaret travelled more than 16,000 kilometres across South Africa, Southern Rhodesia, Swaziland, Basutoland, and the Bechuanaland Protectorate. The official reason for the visit was to open the 1947 session of the Union Parliament in Cape Town, but it was also to thank southern Africans for their service in the recently concluded Second World War. Of course, the spectre of British colonial violence looms over the history of the tour; Apartheid would begin in South Africa and South West Africa in the following year, which consolidated political, social, and economic power into the hands of the minority white population.

Commemorative medallions like this one were popular souvenirs of Royal Visits throughout the middle of the 20th century. Similar ones can be found celebrating the Canadian tour in 1939. The obverse features the overlapping busts of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth, whilst the reverse shows the South African coat of arms.