On the afternoon of February 16, 1957, the Queen of England stole a kiss from Prince Philip after a four-month separation, the longest since their wedding day 10 years earlier. The moment was witnessed by journalists who were at the Montijo Air Base. She in a dark suit, he in a discreet suit, they met again after the Duke of Edinburgh left for a trip aboard the royal ship. Britanniawhich passed through Australia, New Zealand, Gambia and Gibraltar.

Gathered in Portugal, the monarchs were then preparing to begin their state visit to the country, scheduled to officially begin two days later, on February 18. EITHER Britannia parked in the waters of the Sado river that the couple had a private meeting that preceded an itinerary carefully prepared by the Portuguese government. But before starting what was considered by national diplomatic circles as “the visit of the century”, the young monarch – then 30 years old – spent time with her friends here, namely Domingos de Souza e Holstein-Beck and Maria do Carmo Pinheiro de Mello, Dukes of Palmela.

Prince Philip and Elizabeth II pose for a photo with the Duke and Duchess of Palmela

the portuguese friends

Still on the 16th, and just arrived in the country, the Duke of Edinburgh invited the Duke of Palmela to lunch on board the Britanniahaving already made plans for the next day. “The queen said that she would like to visit the Palácio do Calhariz on the 17th, when it would still be unknown in Portugal”, tells the Observer Sofia de Moser Leitão, model, ceramist, digital influencer and great-granddaughter of the Dukes of Palmela. Her grandmother, Maria José de Sousa e Holstein-Beck, known as Zinha among family members, is the youngest of the couple’s 11 children. She was 23 at the time and still has some memories of the Queen’s visit.

Domingos de Souza e Holstein-Beck was the Portuguese ambassador to London during World War II. “He wasn’t a career ambassador, he was a civil engineer, but because of his name and because he was educated in London and my great-grandmother was too, he thought the government would be the right person at the time for that job.” explains the great-granddaughter. In the years he spent there, the couple became friends with the royal family.

February 17, 1957: the royal family visits the Dukes of Palmela. On the right in the image, grandmother Zinha.

In February 1957, the Duke and Duchess of Palmela resided in Rato, in Lisbon, and moved expressly to Arrábida to leave everything ready at the Palácio do Calhariz before receiving the monarchs. On February 17, as agreed and “under a storm”, the queen and her husband arrived for lunch at 1pm in the Rolls Royce from England. “Only the 11 children, sons-in-law, daughters-in-law and the nanny who raised them were on the visit, they didn’t want anyone else.” Accompanying the monarchs also came the Countess of Leicester.

“The queen looked very fresh and young. They had appetizers and 15 minutes later they went to the table.” According to the youngest daughter of the Dukes of Palmela, mentioned by her granddaughter, the royal couple left the hosts “always comfortable in the conversation.” The funny thing is that the Portuguese couple and their 11 children are all smokers, unlike the monarchs, which led the queen to comment at one point: “Because none of us smoke, we seem to forget that the others do” [Como nenhum de nós fuma, esquecemo-nos que os outros o fazem”].

Around 3:30 p.m., Isabel II wanted to visit the palace, always showing interest in all its details. Then, at their request, the Duke and Duchess of Palmela and their grandmother Zinha left by car to show them the Serra da Arrábida, at which time the queen took the opportunity to take some photographic records. This tour ended the royal couple’s private visit to their Portuguese friends. The next day, they disembarked from Britannia in Cais das Colunas at 11 am, while jet planes flew in symmetrical formation over Terreiro do Paço, as detailed by the Observer in an article entirely dedicated to the Elizabeth II’s first visit to Portugal.

February 17, 1957: Elizabeth II and the Duchess of Palmela for a ride in a car.