Middlesbrough has a rich history of Royal visits and celebrations. We would be honoured to be recognised as a city during the Queen's Diamond Jubilee in 2012.
Duke of Sussex 1838
Middlesbrough welcomed its first royal visitor the Duke of Sussex (Uncle of Queen Victoria) in 1938. On 29th October 1838, a reception and banquet was held in his honour in Customs House, a fine Greek revival style building. Undergoing renovation it is the future home of the myplacecentre in Middlesbrough, a world-class centre for youth.
Albert Park opening with Prince Arthur 1868
Albert Park was named after Prince Arthur's late father. Middlesbrough was honoured to have the park opened by him on August 11, 1868.
Prince Arthur (seen centre standing with white trousers) was the youngest son of Queen Victoria. It was his first public engangement, he was only 18 years of age and opening the park given by Henry Bolckow (seen with back to camera standing left with white trousers) in memory of his late dear father; Albert, the Prince Consort.
Middlesbrough Town Hall opening with Prince & Princess of Wales 1889
Middlesbrough Town Hall's was opened with Prince Edward and Princess Alexandra of Wales as honoured guests.
Official programme is available for view at Teesside Archives.
Transporter Bridge Opening 1911 with HRH Prince Arthur of Connaught
The Transporter Bridge, celebrating its centenary, was opened on October 17, 1911 with honoured guest Prince Arthur of Connaught. He also attended the opening of Kirby Secondary School.
King George V and Queen Mary visit Middlesbrough 1917
King George V and Queen Mary visited Teesside on June 14, 1917 to “embrace the great ship building establishments of the Tees, Wear, Tyne and Humber.
They visited the shipyards at Middlesbrough, South Bank and Stockton.
The North Eastern Daily Gazette reported that the visit constituted “the most flattering tribute which has yet been paid to the great industries of this district.”
It was the first visit to Teesside by a reigning monarch.
The King’s chief object, the Gazette reported, was to “learn at first hand the story of the stupendous achievements of Britain’s industrial army in the production of the infinite variety of ships and material… and examine the conditions under which the men work.”
Princess Mary (Princess Royal) 1929
Princess Mary (Princess Royal) paid a visit to the newly opened Park Road North Maternity Home on July 6, 1929.
Prince of Wales (Later to be Duke of Windsor) 1930
The Prince of Wales was the honoured guest at the opening of Constantine College. An auspicious beginning for what is now Teesside University, University of the Year (2009-10), the only modern university to achieve this accolade.
Prince George 1933
Prince George, the Duke of Kent visits Middlesbrough
Duke and Duchess of York (Later George VI and Queen Elizabeth) 1934
The Duke and Duchess of York were the honoured guests at the opening of the Newport Bridge on February 28, 1934.
The Newport Bridge was built by Middlesbrough company Dorman Long. We are proud of the fact that their bridges can be visited around the globe.
Princess Royal 1934
The Princess Royal paid a visit to the Poole Sanatorium on December 6, 1934.
King's Jubilee 1935
King George VI Coronation Celebrations 1937
King George VI and Queen Elizabeth 1941
The King and Queen presented awards to local Civil Defence personnel and inspected a parade in Albert Park on June 19, 1941.
Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh 1956
Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh enjoyed a drive through Middlesbrough and lunch at Middlesbrough Town Hall on June 4, 1956.
Additional footage from this visit shows the Queen at Middlesbrough's Dorman Long
Princess Alexandra 1959
Princess Alexandra visited the Foister, Clay and Ward factories and was the honoured guest at the opening of the accident wing of Middlesbrough General Hospital on May 20, 1959.
Princess Margaret 1962
Princess Margaret was the honoured guest at the opening of the Cobalt Bomb Unit at North Ormesby Hospital on April 10, 1962.
In the photo above Matron Miss G M Ferguson is introduced to the Princess Margaret by hospital management committee chairman Alderman J T Fletcher.
Remember When: Memories of North Ormesby Hospital features a fantastic anecdote about this visit and additional photos
Duchess of Kent 1968
The Duchess of Kent visited the Town hall and the YMCA on September 25, 1968.
Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip 1977
Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Phillip visited Prissick Base and Bertram Ramsey School on July 14, 1977.
The Queen and Prince Philip at Prissick Base, Middlesbrough 14th July 1977 a visit to celebrate the Queen's Silver Jubilee.
Prince Charles 1978
HRH Prince Charles paid a visit to Whitby Church on June 1, 1978 for a service in celebration of the 250th anniversary of the birth of Captain James Cook R.N.
Prince Charles also officially launched the Captain Cook Heritage trail, a trail tracing the life of the locally born explorer from Marton to Whitby.
Princess Anne 1979
HRH Princess Anne paid a visit to Civic Centre, Victoria Square and the Police Station October 29, 1979.
Prince Michael of Kent 1980
HRH Prince Michael of Kent was the honoured guest of Road Haulage Training Organisation – truck drivers’ training Centre, Cargo Fleet Lane October 20, 1980.
Princess Alexandra 1983
HRH Princess Alexandra was the honoured guest of Middlesbrough Dog Training Centre on May 4, 1983.
Prince Charles and Princess Diana 1985
HRH Prince Charles and Princess Diana were the honoured guests of Middlesbrough Enterprise Centre and and Sunnyside Primary School in Coulby Newham on July 16, 1985.
HRH Prince Charles 1987
HRH Prince Charles was the honoured guest of Middlesbrough Red Cross Head Quarters on March 18, 1987.
HRH Princess Diana 1988
HRH Princess Diana was the honoured guest of Teesside Hospice & helped open South Cleveland Hospital on October 6, 1988.
HRH Princess Anne 1989
HRH Princess Anne was the honoured guest of the 34th (Northern) Signals Regiment HQ & Brambles Farm TA Centre on April 29, 1989.
HRH Prince Charles 1989
HRH Prince Charles was the honoured guest of the Chamber of Commerce and Middlesbrough Football Club on July 5, 1989.
HRH Princess Diana 1989
HRH Princess Diana was the honoured guest of the Beverly School for the Deaf on December 8, 1989.
HRH Princess Anne 1991
HRH Princess Anne was the honoured guest of the Save the Children charity shop in Linthorpe Road on September 17, 1991.
HRH Princess Diana 1992
HRH Princess Diana officially opened the Green Tyre factory on Riverside Industrial Estate, Middlesbrough on September 23, 1992 after a prior visit to the site on August 11, 1992.
HRH Princess Margaret 1993
HRH Princess Margaret was the honoured guest at the opening of the new St John’s Ambulance Headquarters on July 30, 1993.
HRH Prince Charles 1994
HRH Prince Charles was the honoured guest of the Botanic Centre and the University of Teesside on March 29, 1994.
HRH Princess Margaret 1994
HRH Princess Margaret paid a visit to the Cleveland and Durham Child Protection Team in the Amos Hinton Family Centre on March 29, 1994.
Duchess of Kent 1995
The Duchess of Kent was the honoured guest at the unveiling of the foundation stone for start of building work on a new unit at South Cleveland Hospital on May 11, 1995.
HRH Prince Charles 1997
HRH Prince Charles was the honoured guest at Riverside Stadium, Hallgarth school and Teesside Hospice for a Princes Trust Programme on June 5, 1997.
HRH Princess Anne 1997
HRH Princess Anne was the honoured guest of Tees Dock Flying Angel Club on September 29, 1997.
HRH Princess Anne 1998
HRH Princess Anne helped to open the Riding for the Disabled Unicorn Centre on November 18, 1998.
HRH Princess Anne 2008
The Unicorn Centre celebrated its 10th Anniversary, on April 8, 2008 with a return visit from Princess Anne.
Her Royal Highness presented a Lifetime Achievement Award to rider Susan Wilcox, opened a new iron commemorative gate, and unveiled a plaque, to commemorate the day.
Photos from the day on the Evening Gazette website
HRH Prince Andrew, Duke of York opens Middlesbrough College 2009
Prince Andrew officially opened Middlesbrough College February 2009. The prince was given a tour of the new college's state-of-the-art facilities including the Hazel Pearson Theatre, purpose-built gymnastics facility, Gym World. World Special Olympic Games medallists, Nick Walton and Caroline Jennison, performed routines and lunch was prepared and served by catering students in the college’s Haven restaurant.
The Duke unveiled a plaque to commemorate the occasion and said:
“This is a quite outstanding facility for education, the opportunity I have had to see just a small part of what goes on here is fantastic. I would just like to say that you students should take up the challenge that this college is giving you and take it forward. This establishment is here for you to help you make the most of your future.”
Photos available on Middlesbrough College Galleries
HRH Prince Charles in Venice 2009
HRH Prince Charles invites advisers from a Tees valley Regeneration scheme to join him at a conference in Venice to explain how they have transformed Middlesbrough and Stockton and share a vision of how a city can use fine architecture and care for the environment to build a shining beacon for humanity.
HRH Prince Charles at Hemlington Lake 2010
Prince Charles meeting children from Green Lane Primary School on his recent visit to Hemlington Lake.
Prince Charles meeting Graeme Hopper, local metalwork sculptor and one of our young admirers of his work.
He unveiled a plaque to mark the occasion of his visit and also heard the announcement of a £367,000 grant from Natural England to help continue the regeneration of the Middlesbrough becks.
HRH Princess Anne at Teesside University 2010
HRH Princess Anne visited Teesside University to open the new £17m campus showpiece as Patron of the College of Occupational Therapists. Photos from the visit
HRH Princess Anne at Middlesbrough Rugby Club 2010
HRH Princess Anne was also the honoured guest of the Middlesbrough Rugby Club on October 12, 2010. She came to see the great work being done as part of the FairPlay programme, a national scheme to help youngsters on the fringe of society to get their lives back on track.
Royal Wedding of Prince William & Catherine Middleton on the Big Screen
You're invited to take part in the Royal Wedding celebrations in Middlesbrough with a live broadcast on the Big Screen in Centre Square.
In honour of the wedding Prince William and Miss Catherine Middleton have created a charitable gift fund to donate visit royalweddingcharityfund.org
For additional opportunities for sponsorship and charitable giving in Middlesbrough see the sponsorship and charitable giving section of our website.
Teesside Archives special exhibition
To celebrate the forthcoming Royal Wedding a selection of original documents relating to the Royal Family will be on display at Teesside Archives on Tuesday 26th April until Thursday 28th April.
HRH Duke of Gloucester 2011
His Royal Highness, the Duke of Gloucester, officially opened Acklam Grange, Ormesby and Priory Woods schools on Tuesday October 11, 2011.
Your Royal Memories
Do you have any memories of Royal visits to Middlesbrough? We'd love for you to share your stories with us. Would you like to send us a message for the Queen regarding City Status? Or a message of congratulations to the Royal Couple? You can do so with the form below.