If Queen Marie were around today, she’d have a blue checkmark, a TikTok following in the millions, and a custom private jet. But since it’s 1926, she’s conquering the continent by rail.
As we hit the 100th anniversary of Queen Marie of Romania’s legendary 1926 tour, it is time to appreciate the original “royal-tea” tour that put today’s concert residencies to shame.
In a whirlwind 38 days, Queen Marie, her son Prince Nicholas, and daughter Princess Ileana treated North America like a high-speed game of hopscotch. Forget a private jet; they rolled in style via a 15-car special train.
Below you can find a list with some of the most important stops and tour statistics.
You can get the complete itinerary in pdf format – just use the Contact page to ask for it; please consider a modest donation to help further the research.
Summary statistics
Tour Duration: October 18 – November 24, 1926 (38 days)
United States Cities: 18+ New York, Washington D.C., Annapolis, Baltimore, Philadelphia, Buffalo,
Minneapolis/St. Paul, Fargo, Maryhill, Portland, Seattle, Spokane, Glacier National Park, Denver, Kansas City,
St. Louis, Springfield, Chicago, Louisville, Harpers Ferry, Tuxedo
Canadian Cities: 6 – Niagara Falls, Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa, Winnipeg, Vancouver Primary Transportation: Special 15-car train
Traveling Companions: Prince Nicholas (son) and Princess Ileana (daughter
Monday, October 18, 1926
New York, New York (USA) – Grand arrival in America aboard ship “Leviathan”, welcomed at City Hall with ceremony and ticker-tape parade
Washington, D.C. (USA) – Evening arrival from New York
Tuesday, October 26, 1926
Niagara Falls, Ontario (CANADA) – Morning visit to see the Falls, breakfast on American side
Toronto, Ontario (CANADA) – Arrived 2:00 PM, welcomed by Governor with British ceremony
Wednesday, October 27, 1926
Montreal, Quebec (CANADA) – French Canadian welcome, Mayor in purple robes, all proceedings in French, visited La Presse newspaper
Thursday, October 28, 1926
Ottawa, Ontario (CANADA) – Arrived 9:00 PM, met by Governor-General Viscount Willingdon, official state visit to Parliament
Saturday, October 30, 1926
Winnipeg, Manitoba (CANADA) – Snow-covered prairie city, major western Canadian reception
Wednesday, November 3, 1926
Maryhill, Washington (USA) – Arrived 7:30 AM at small western village, dedicated Maryhill Museum
Portland, Oregon (USA) – Afternoon arrival, met Bishop Sumner of Oregon
Thursday, November 4, 1926
Seattle, Washington (USA) – Visited Emerald City with special escort by Mr. Samuel Hill, tree-planting ceremony
Friday, November 5, 1926
Vancouver, British Columbia (CANADA) – Departed 10:00 AM, toured Stanley Park with magnificent cedars, visited University of British Columbia, reception with hundreds of Canadian women, magnificent evening banquet with Scottish bagpipers
Tuesday, November 9, 1926
Denver, Colorado (USA) – Arrived in Mile High City, passed through Wind River Canyon
Saturday, November 13, 1926
Springfield, Illinois (USA) – Brief stop to see Lincoln memorials at state capital
Chicago, Illinois (USA) – Arrived 5:30 PM, massive reception
Thursday, November 18, 1926
Louisville, Kentucky (USA) – Kentucky hospitality, Southern city reception
Wednesday, November 24, 1926
New York, New York (USA) – DEPARTURE – 9:00 AM massive crowd at pier, delegations from across country, boarded “Berengaria” for return to Europe
George Motoc 