[related_gallery align=”none”] Queen Elizabeth II received widespread attention when she and her husband Prince Phillip visited Virginia in 2007 to commemorate the 400th anniversary of the founding of Jamestown. Her visit came only a few weeks after a deadly mass shooting at Virginia Tech, and she respectfully extended her condolences during an address to a joint session of the Virginia General Assembly in Richmond. “As a state, and as a nation, you are still coming to terms with the dreadful events of Virginia Tech on the 16th of April,” she said. “My heart goes out to the students, friends and family of all those killed.”

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The queen also met privately with some of the survivors of the shooting. Her visit included stops in Richmond and Williamsburg, as well as Jamestown, which was England’s first American settlement. “With the benefit of hindsight, we can see … in that event, the origins of a singular endeavor,” she said — “the building of a great nation, founded on the eternal values of democracy and equality.” The queen’s reign was so long that when she spoke to lawmakers about visiting Virginia “50 years ago,” many laughed. It was true, though: She had also visited the commonwealth in 1957, for the 350th anniversary of Jamestown. She noted the historical understanding of its founding had changed over time, with more attention paid to Native Americans and Black Americans, as well as the British settlers. “Over the course of my reign, and certainly since I first visited Jamestown in 1957, my country has become a much more diverse society, just as the Commonwealth of Virginia and the whole of the United States of America have also undergone major social change,” she said. During her stops in Virginia, crowds came out to catch a glimpse of the queen, throughout her visit. In Colonial Williamsburg, she arrived in an open carriage and waved to the thousands who lined the streets. Sen. Tim Kaine, of Virginia, who was governor at the time, said via Twitter that he keeps photos from that visit in his office. The queen died Thursday. She was 96. “Her kindness and grace will be missed,” he said.

Rest In Peace, Queen Elizabeth II. I keep these photos of her visit to Jamestown, VA in 2007 in my Senate office, and remember the visit fondly. Her kindness and grace will be missed. pic.twitter.com/ogpH7p08ST

— Tim Kaine (@timkaine) September 8, 2022