queen elizabeth visits russia

See Photos of Queen Elizabeth's 1994 State Visit to Russia

The Queen's trip to Russia, which followed Boris Yeltsin's trip to the UK, is depicted in season five of The Crown .

Here, see all the photos of Queen Elizabeth's 1994 trip to Russia, as shown on The Crown :

This is not from the State Visit to Russia, rather this is when Yeltsin visited the UK two years prior. Pictured are Naina Yeltsin, President Boris Yeltsin, Queen Elizabeth, and Prince Philip at Buckingham Palace.

State Visit, 1994

Queen Elizabeth is pictured arriving in Moscow, wearing a glamorous fur coat.

A close-up of the Queen and Prince Philip upon their arrival in Russia.

Throughout the trip, she was accompanied by Boris Yeltsin, who served as president of Russia from 1991 to 1999.

Queen Elizabeth was not the first British royal to visit Russia. In 1973, Prince Philip and Princess Anne attended a horse eventing competition in Kyiv, then part of the Soviet Union, and in 1994, Prince Charles visited Saint Petersburg.

Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip stayed in the Kremlin as guests of Yletsin.

Here, the Queen and Yetsin are pictured at the Bolshoi theatre.

Queen Elizabeth met Patriarch Alexius II and mayor of Moscow Yury Luzhkov; they are pictured here outside Saint Basil's Cathedral.

"For Russia, this visit is the utmost recognition that our country is on the road to democracy," Yeltsin told reporters of the Queen's visit.

As The Crown shows, the murder of Tsar Nicholas II and his family was a reason why the Queen had yet to visit Russia. Her grandfather, King George V, was Nicholas's first cousin.

"You and I have spent most of our lives believing that this evening could never happen. I hope that you are as delighted as I am to be proved wrong," Queen Elizabeth said to Yeltsin at a state banquet.

The two toasted at the banquet.

Queen Elizabeth toured Moscow during her four day trip, including visiting the famous Red Square.

She also met Russian children.

There were more formal events during the trip, too; Queen Elizabeth and Yeltsin attended a ceremony at the Piskarevskoye cemetery, a WWII memorial in St. Petersburg.

During the trip, Prince Philip and the Queen hosted the Yeltsins on board the Royal Yacht Britannia for a banquet.

During her Christmas address two months later, Queen Elizabeth reflected, "I never thought it would be possible in my lifetime to join with the Patriarch of Moscow and his congregation in a service in that wonderful cathedral in the heart of the Moscow Kremlin."

Queen Elizabeth would not return to Russia; Prince Philip returned once more, in 1995, as president of the World Wildlife Fund.

Emily Burack (she/her) is the news writer for Town & Country, where she covers entertainment, culture, the royals, and a range of other subjects. Before joining T&C, she was the deputy managing editor at Hey Alma , a Jewish culture site. Follow her @emburack on Twitter and Instagram . 

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Elizabeth II and Russia: a visit to Moscow, a box for Yeltsin and the impressions of eyewitnesses

On September 8, 2022, Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain passed away, and the whole world mourns the loss. Over the 70 years of her reign, she became a mother of 4 children, a grandmother for 20 grandchildren and great-grandchildren, and an idol for millions. In Russia, the Queen is respected, her only visit to Russia and the legendary dinner with Gagarin are remembered. Afisha.London magazine traced the connections of the royal house with Russia and took comments from those who were lucky enough to meet Elizabeth in Moscow.

Romanovs and Windsors

Britain and Russia. Perhaps it would sound surprising that such distant countries have more in common than it seems at first glance. There is an inseparable connection between the Romanov dynasty and Queen Elizabeth, along several lines. First of all, the Queen’s husband, Prince Philip, was the great-grandson of Nicholas I. His grandmother Olga Konstantinovna Romanova married the King of Greece Andrei of Greece and Denmark.

The queen herself also has family ties with the Romanovs. Elizabeth’s grandfather, George V, was a cousin of Nicholas II. Contemporaries of the emperor and king noted: brothers were incredibly similar. That is why the queen and the prince experienced conflicting, but undoubtedly warm feelings towards Russia.

Elizabeth’s great-great-grandmother, Queen Victoria, also had close ties to Russia. Around 1836–1838, Crown Prince Alexander II went on a trip to Europe. His father, Nicholas I, armed the young Tsarevich with a list of worthy brides, among whom Alexander should have chosen a wife. The list included European aristocrats, princesses and nobles, but the princess of England was not on it. Despite this, the prince went to London to meet the young Victoria. After the first visit, the girl noted the manners and stateliness of the Russian guest, and Alexander — the charm, sense of humour and youth of the interlocutor.

The close circle of the royal people knew about the interest of the prince and princess in each other, but the romance could not go beyond a short passion — for Britain and Russia, this union was unprofitable and even dangerous. In the event of a marriage, one of the parties would have to give in: either Alexander should leave his homeland and became a king consort under Victoria, or Victoria would go to mysterious Russia.

Perhaps it was these close ties that were the reason why Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip had conflicting, but undoubtedly warm feelings towards Russia.

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Russia and the Queen

Once the communist regime collapsed, it was only a matter of time before a full resumption of relations with the royal family was possible. The Queen’s first and only visit to Russia took place in 1994. Then President Yeltsin led the country.

Interesting fact: Elizabeth II became the first reigning monarch to set foot on Russian lands. As early as the 16th century, there were attempts to establish direct contact between the monarchs of Russia and Great Britain: Ivan the Terrible offered Elizabeth I to tie the countries by the bonds of their own marriage. As we know from history, the attempt failed. In total, eleven messages of the Russian Tsar to the British Queen are known.

Russian President Boris Yeltsin and Queen Elizabeth II on Red Square, 1994. Photo: Dmitry Donskoy/Sputnik

The person it took most effort and time to agree to the trip was Prince Philip. He was directly related to the Russian Imperial House, and he even commented on this to reporters from the Daily Telegraph. The prince noted that the lessons of history remain in memory, but he hopes for the reunification of countries.

The preparations for the royal visit have put the Kremlin on its toes. Safety, dress code, etiquette, and even the color of the flowers presented to the queen — everything had to be right.

The meeting was remembered by the whole world: Yeltsin came very close to violating the royal protocol, almost touching the monarch in an attempt to help take off her coat, but the Queen famously dodged and there was no embarrassment. A small oversight did not prevent Elizabeth II from visiting St. Petersburg and presenting Yeltsin with a touching gift — a box with seeds from the royal garden.

The monarch managed to visit Tsarskoye Selo, the Assumption Cathedral, the Hermitage, the Mariinsky and Yusupov Palaces; meet with Patriarch Alexy II; enjoy a performance at the Bolshoi Theater and participate in the opening of the museum on Varvarka. In total, Elizabeth stayed in Russia for 4 days, during which she managed to fall in love with millions of Russians.

Incidentally, the sapphire brooch that the Queen chose for her first meeting with President Yeltsin used to be part of the decoration of the Russian Empress Maria Feodorovna, the sister of Alexandra of Denmark, who is the great-grandmother of Elizabeth II.

The most touching moment of a visit to Russia is a visit to school No. 1239 in Moscow. The children greeted the Queen with posters “Welcome, Your Majesty”, treated her to a traditional loaf of bread, junior classes performed an English-language miniature and senior kids presented a theatre performance. Queen Elizabeth II was accompanied by Moscow Mayor Luzhkov and Prince Philip. The Queen left Russia in style: on the royal yacht Britannia, which was moored to the shore of the Promenade des Anglais in St. Petersburg.

State Banquet of Queens Elizabeth II and Boris Yeltsin, Moscow, 1994. Photo: Getty Images

Bouquet for queens

To meet the Queen in person is an experience that will be remembered for a lifetime. Afisha.London reader Zhanna Macmillen was lucky enough to witness the Queen’s visit to Moscow and even be the reluctant hero of the reports of those years:

“My English husband and all the children of British subjects who wished were invited to the Anglican Church in Moscow in the morning to greet the Queen. At first, the Queen signed books — this was the formal part. Then everyone was asked to line up on the street. I was with my son Mitya, he was almost 3 years old, he was absolutely obsessed with cars. Even then, he had 3 toy cars in his hands.

I had a bouquet, and I persuaded Mitya to give it to the queen. Elizabeth approached us and instead of a bouquet, he gives her a car and only then holds out the bouquet, but begins to pull it towards him. It was, of course, a spectacle. I, like a mother, was ready to fall through the ground. But what do I do? The queen says gracefully, ‘Okay.’ And goes further. Of course, the paparazzi captured it all. The next day, all the media published this report.

At that moment I was not very cheerful, but the Queen herself reacted to this with a great sense of humour, easily and playfully. My son, of course, imagined that the Queen would look like a hero of a fairy tale by the Brothers Grimm, but here it was just a woman in a red coat and a red hat. And anyway, please let me drive her Rolls-Royce. That same evening we, as British subjects, were invited to the Bolshoi Theatre. For a reason that is not clear to me, President Yeltsin chose not the Russian ballet, not Tchaikovsky, but Giselle as the performance. The Queen watched closely, although she is not a big fan of the theatre. This is known to everyone. President Yeltsin dozed a little next to her. I think she enjoyed her evening.

I have many newspaper clippings from that time. They wrote: “The Queen’s visit to Moscow went off without a hitch, with the exception of a duel between the 3-year-old son of a British businessman and a Russian mother.” The press added colour.

I learned of the Queen’s death on Thursday evening. I got off the subway and saw my husband’s message. I had one thought: this is a very worthy life, this is a very worthy leave.

There are many queens and kings in the world. But I am sure that in every corner of the world, when they say QUEEN, everyone thinks of one — Elizabeth II. She was an absolutely incredible woman who left a good memory around the world. And we are all grateful that we lived with her. It so happened that I did manage to become her subject.

Yesterday I went to Buckingham Palace. It is incredibly touching to read the notes of people from different countries of the world. I plan to go again because there were a lot of people yesterday. I want to say goodbye. Say my farewells.

My attitude towards the Queen can be described by Tsvetaeva’s phrase:

“There are people of a certain era and there are eras that are embodied in people.”

The Queen is gone, the whole era is gone. I admire people who put duty first and personal second. There are not many of them in the world.”

Visit of Queen Elizabeth II to St. Petersburg, 1994

Queen and Russian Boy Scouts

The rich program of the queen’s travel around St. Petersburg and Moscow was not limited to school and sights. In the early 1990s, the first Boy Scouts appeared in Russia, among them Dmitry Shishkin, a digital media development consultant. In the year of the visit, he was a simple freshman of the journalism faculty of Moscow State University, but he still remembers this significant day, which he gladly shared with our magazine:

“Our scout squad ‘German settlement’ (Nemetskaya Sloboda) was invited to a meeting with the Queen. They told me to go to such and such a place near Vasyleevsky Spusk. There were 10 people.

I remember there was a funny incident. I left the geography class and wrote an explanatory note about where and why I need to go. Well, I simply wrote that I was going to the first meeting for Russia in the last 300 years with the British Queen. The teacher then interrupted the lecture and said: “While you are sitting here, studying, your colleague is going to meet with the British Queen.”

And there was another interesting case. I took with me the magazine ‘Echo of the Planet’, there was a photograph of the Queen on the front page. I went to the meeting, being absolutely sure that she would give me an autograph. It was only later that I was informed that royals don’t give autographs. We have been waiting for the meeting for a long time. At first it was day, then it got dark. By evening, we saw the limousine leaving, it stopped, and Prince Philip appeared. He was saying something to us, but it was quite difficult to understand him, because our conversational level was at the level of ‘well, good, okay.’ We were all students of a special school, but if you are not used to the English accent, then it is difficult to understand it.

We talked about scouting, then the Queen appeared. It didn’t really feel like anything special. It was almost an ordinary day. It may sound strange, but there was no solemnity.

A few months before the Queen’s visit, I visited England for the first time. It was cool. Who would have imagined that in the same year I would meet the Queen and the Prince, and after 3 years I would work for the BBC. And after 6 years I will move to England.”

Elizabeth and Putin

he next Russian president the Queen met in London was Vladimir Putin. In 2000, Putin visited Windsor Castle for the first time. The audience lasted no more than 30 minutes. In 2003, the second reception of the head of state was held at Buckingham Palace, which was attended by Prince Philip. As with many official receptions, Vladimir Putin was 12 minutes late for the meeting. The beginning of the meeting did not work out for another reason: the British Home Secretary’s dog barked at the Russian President. The Queen subsequently commented: “Dogs have interesting instincts.”

At the meeting, the President thanked the Queen for establishing bilateral relations. Seeing off the President of Russia, the Queen accidentally stayed for the same 12 minutes, thereby equalizing the score of a strange political game. Another short meeting between Putin and Elizabeth II took place in 2014 in France. In addition to Putin, then Barack Obama and Queen Margrethe II of Denmark met with the Queen.

Meeting of Queens Elizabeth II and President Putin. Photo: Sergey Guneev/Sputnik

Russians have surprisingly tender feelings for Elizabeth, and on the day of the queen’s death, articles appeared in the official media that called the queen “the last living titan of the 20th century” and “the grandmother of all Britain.” And this is understandable: 70 years of reign were a guarantee of permanence: the world was changing rapidly, but the British had reliable support — Queen Elizabeth.

We hope that the visit of the British monarch (already new) to Russia will someday be repeated and the seeds of friendship presented to Yeltsin will sprout with new shoots and turn into a mighty tree of friendship that future generations of British and Russians will be able to admire.

Cover photo: V. Sneerson/ITAR-TASS

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How Queen Elizabeth II's Only Visit to Russia Came at a Time of Royal Conflict

On October 17, 1994, Queen Elizabeth II became the first ruling British monarch to set foot on Russian soil.

It remains the only time the 95-year-old monarch has visited the country and Russia's invasion of Ukraine makes it unlikely any royal will consider a tour of the country any time soon.

Elizabeth made the 1994 state visit at the invitation of the then Russian President Boris Yeltsin but the three-day trip proved a personal and political minefield for the British queen.

The visit marked a crucial time in Russia's history.

After the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991, Yeltsin took office and limited the power and influence of the Communist Party. A state visit from Queen Elizabeth II would be used as an attempt to strengthen trade with Britain and the West.

Yeltin's spokesman, Vyacheslav Kostikov, commented at the time on the significance of the Queen's visit at that point in Russia's history, saying: "We realize that the British queen would never have visited a Communist country."

The invitation was accepted by the U.K. government and the Queen was asked to prepare for the visit. This was not without its issues.

The trip came in a year which had proved difficult for the monarch.

It was a time of great strain for her eldest son Prince Charles who had separated from Princess Diana two years earlier.

Just before the visit was scheduled to take place, a biography of Prince Charles by broadcaster Jonathan Dimbleby was published which Charles himself contributed to.

Claims made in the book about Charles' relationship with his parents and about Princess Diana caused a media frenzy that threatened to overshadow the Queen's visit to Russia.

Landing in Moscow on October 17, 1994, the Queen and Prince Philip were taken to the Kremlin where they were greeted by Yeltsin and his wife, Naina.

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The distance between the British royal family and Russia had widened following the execution of Czar Nicholas II and his family by the Bolsheviks in 1918. The last czar was a distant cousin of both the Queen and Prince Philip.

There was much speculation about which jewels the Queen would take with her to Russia so as to not cause offense to the host nation.

Many of her most worn and impressive pieces of jewelry can have their origins traced back to Imperial Russia. These were purchased by the Queen's grandmother, Queen Mary, from descendants of aristocratic Russian refugees following the revolution.

The most impressive of the Queen's tiaras, the Grand Duchess Vladimir tiara, was purchased from the grand duchess's descendants, and was judged inappropriate for the trip. As such these pieces were left at home while the jewels the Queen did take to Russia were of less troubled provenance.

To a special performance of the Bolshoi Ballet, the Queen opted for a new tiara from her collection—a rare example of a tiara she has acquired herself and therefore posed no threat of offense.

The following evening at the state banquet held in her honor by Yeltsin, the Queen opted for a jewelry suite of diamonds and aquamarines which were presented to her as a gift by the people of Brazil. The climax of the tour was a return banquet given on the final evening by the Queen aboard the royal yacht Britannia which had sailed to St. Petersburg to meet the royal party.

When the Queen departed Russia on October 20, 1994 she broke the journey home by also paying an official visit to neighboring Finland.

Other members of the Queen's immediate family have visited Russia since 1994. Princess Anne most recently visited in 2016 to mark the 75th anniversary of the first Arctic convoys from the United Kingdom during World War II. Prince Charles made a subsequent visit to Russia in 2003 which resulted in a return invitation to President Vladimir Putin to visit Britain later that year.

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About the writer

James Crawford-Smith is a Newsweek Royal Reporter, based in London, U.K. His focus is reporting on the British royal family and royal fashion. He has covered contemporary and historic issues facing King Charles III, Queen Camilla, Prince William, Kate Middleton, Prince Harry, Meghan Markle, the late Queen Elizabeth II and Princess Diana. James joined Newsweek in 2022 having previously contributed to titles such as The Lady, Majesty Magazine and Drapers. He also spent a number of years working with the curatorial department at Historic Royal Palaces, based at Kensington Palace, and contributed to the exhibitions Fashion Rules: Restyled (2016) and Diana: Her Fashion Story (2017). He also undertook private research projects with the Royal Ceremonial Dress Collection. He is a graduate of University College London and Central Saint Martins, where he studied fashion history. Languages: English.

You can get in touch with James by emailing [email protected].

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This is not from the State Visit to Russia, rather this is when Yeltsin visited the UK two years prior. Pictured are Naina Yeltsin, President Boris Yeltsin, Queen Elizabeth, and Prince Philip at Buckingham Palace.

State Visit, 1994

Queen Elizabeth is pictured arriving in Moscow, wearing a glamorous fur coat.

A close-up of the Queen and Prince Philip upon their arrival in Russia.

Throughout the trip, she was accompanied by Boris Yeltsin, who served as president of Russia from 1991 to 1999.

Queen Elizabeth was not the first British royal to visit Russia. In 1973, Prince Philip and Princess Anne attended a horse eventing competition in Kyiv, then part of the Soviet Union, and in 1994, Prince Charles visited Saint Petersburg.

Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip stayed in the Kremlin as guests of Yletsin.

Here, the Queen and Yetsin are pictured at the Bolshoi theatre.

Queen Elizabeth met Patriarch Alexius II and mayor of Moscow Yury Luzhkov; they are pictured here outside Saint Basil's Cathedral.

"For Russia, this visit is the utmost recognition that our country is on the road to democracy," Yeltsin told reporters of the Queen's visit.

As The Crown shows, the murder of Tsar Nicholas II and his family was a reason why the Queen had yet to visit Russia. Her grandfather, King George V, was Nicholas's first cousin.

"You and I have spent most of our lives believing that this evening could never happen. I hope that you are as delighted as I am to be proved wrong," Queen Elizabeth said to Yeltsin at a state banquet.

The two toasted at the banquet.

Queen Elizabeth toured Moscow during her four day trip, including visiting the famous Red Square.

She also met Russian children.

There were more formal events during the trip, too; Queen Elizabeth and Yeltsin attended a ceremony at the Piskarevskoye cemetery, a WWII memorial in St. Petersburg.

During the trip, Prince Philip and the Queen hosted the Yeltsins on board the Royal Yacht Britannia for a banquet.

During her Christmas address two months later, Queen Elizabeth reflected, "I never thought it would be possible in my lifetime to join with the Patriarch of Moscow and his congregation in a service in that wonderful cathedral in the heart of the Moscow Kremlin."

Queen Elizabeth would not return to Russia; Prince Philip returned once more, in 1995, as president of the World Wildlife Fund.

Queen Elizabeth's 1994 trip to Russia is depicted in season five of The Crown. Here, see the real photos of the historic state visit she and Prince Philip undertook.

WATCH: Queen Elizabeth was the first British monarch to visit Russia

Queen Elizabeth II, photographed in 1993. RollingNews

On Oct 17, 1994, Queen Elizabeth II became the first ruling British monarch to set foot on Russian soil.

As the eyes of the world are on Russia and the invasion of Ukraine, which has caused I migration of refugees unlike anything seen since World War II, we thought it interesting to look back at the October 1994 of Queen Elizabeth II to the Kremlin, by invitation of the then Russian President Boris Yeltsin.

In 1994 the Queen made a three-day visit to Russia. Three years before had seen the dissolution of the Soviet Union, when Yeltsin took office. His hope was that Her Royal Majesty's visit would strengthen the trade relationship with Britain and the Western World. 

Yeltsin's spokesman, Vyacheslav Kostikov, said at the time "We realize that the British queen would never have visited a Communist country."

• History of "God Save the King", Britain's National Anthem

Personally, 1994 was also a difficult time for the Queen personally as her son, Prince Charles, had separated from Princess Diana, just two years earlier. A biography of the Prince, by Jonathan Dimbleby, had caused a media frenzy over comments made by Charles with relation to his relationship with his mother and father, Prince Philip. 

The Queen and Prince Philip landed in Moscow on Oct 17, 1994. They were then taken to the Kremlin where they were greeted by Yeltsin and his wife, Naina. The Royal pair were also treated to a special performance of the Bolshoi Ballet.

The climax of the tour was a state banquet given on the final evening by the Queen aboard the royal yacht Britannia which had sailed to St. Petersburg to meet the royal party. 

They left Russia on Oct 20 and broke the journey home by visiting Finland. 

Since 1994 some members of the Royal family have visited Russia, including Princess Anne. She visited in 2016 to mark the 75th anniversary of the first Arctic convoys from the United Kingdom during World War II. Prince Charles also Russia in 2003. This visit resulted in a return invitation to President Vladimir Putin to visit Britain later that year.

Check out some AP footage of the Queen having dinner at the Kremlin:

Related: Queen Elizabeth II

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Imelda Staunton Recreates Queen Elizabeth's 1994 Visit to Russia While Filming 'The Crown'

The fifth season of  The Crown  will focus on 1990 to 1997, including the Queen's "annus horribilis"

Stephanie Petit is a Royals Editor, Writer and Reporter at PEOPLE.

Imelda Staunton is recreating Queen Elizabeth 's state visit to Russia in the latest scenes from The Crown .

The upcoming season Netflix's hit drama will include the monarch's 1994 visit to Russia. In photos from the set, Staunton sports a yellow dress topped by a fur coat and accessorized with gloves, her signature handbag and a coordinating hat, recreating the ensemble worn by the Queen as she inspected Russian service personnel at Vnukovo Airport in Moscow.

The Queen's three-day visit in October 1994 marked the first time a ruling British monarch had visited Russia — and it remains her only visit to the country. She was accompanied by her husband, Prince Philip , on the trip. The Duke of Edinburgh, who died last year at age 99, will be portrayed in season 5 and 6 of The Crown by Jonathan Pryce , as the Netflix drama switched out their cast as the characters age.

Shooting the scenes is of particular significance given Russia's ongoing invasion of Ukraine.

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy thanked Britain's royal family for voicing their support for the country on March 1.

Zelenskyy tweeted that he and his wife, Olena, "are grateful to the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge @RoyalFamily that at this crucial time, when Ukraine is courageously opposing Russia's invasion, they stand by our country and support our brave citizens."

"Good will triumph," he added.

Queen Elizabeth , 95, also made a "generous donation" last week to the Disasters Emergency Committee's Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal.

The fifth season of The Crown will reportedly focus on 1990 to 1997 and feature a new cast, including Dominic West playing Prince Charles and Elizabeth Debicki as Princess Diana.

The storyline may focus in part on 1992, which the Queen declared to be an "annus horribilis" (Latin for "horrible year"). It was the year in which three of her four children were separated from their spouses and a devastating fire hit Windsor Castle.

Though season 5 was initially intended to be the series' curtain call, creators changed their minds and, to fans' great relief, promised that the historical drama will continue to rule Netflix queues for a final, sixth season.

Can't get enough of PEOPLE 's Royals coverage? Sign up for our free Royals newsletter to get the latest updates on Kate Middleton , Meghan Markle and more!

"As we started to discuss the storylines for Series 5, it soon became clear that in order to do justice to the richness and complexity of the story we should go back to the original plan and do six seasons," creator Peter Morgan said in July 2020. "To be clear, Series 6 will not bring us any closer to present-day — it will simply enable us to cover the same period in greater detail."

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