#TBT: Queen Elizabeth & Prince Philip historic trip to Austin three decades ago

AUSTIN, Texas — It was a history-making visit to the capital city.

On May 20, 1991, Queen Elizabeth II became the first British monarch to step foot on Texas soil when she disembarked her sleek British Airways Concorde at Bergstrom Air Force Base.

"She'd never made a trip like this to Texas or really any other state," recalled Cathy Bonner, a friend of then-Texas Governor Ann Richards.

Bonner was appointed by Governor Richards to organize the Queen's visit.

"We had to invite the Queen!," recalls Bonner. "So they called and said, 'if you were to invite the Queen... her majesty ... and Prince Philip on a visit to start May the 20th 1991. She'd be glad to accept,'" remembers Bonner.

It was a busy time for Governor Richards. She had just been elected to serve as the governor of Texas in January. And during the visit she was in the middle of the 72nd Texas legislative session.

"It was just so unbelievable. It's not everyday you get a call from the Queen of England saying she's coming to visit," recalls Governor Richards Deputy Press Secretary Margaret Justus. "We were thrilled!"

Within four months, Governor Richards and her team planned the Queen's visit to Texas, which also included stops in Dallas, San Antonio, and Houston.

But it all began in Austin.

"When she flew in the [British Airways] Concorde people were lined up against the fence there to see this plane," remembers CBS Austin reporter Fred Cantu. "I think that's the only time we've had the Concorde fly into Austin."

Cantu was working as a radio reporter for the CBS News Austin affiliate. It wasn't Cantu's first time covering the royals in Austin. He remembers Queen Elizabeth II's son, Prince Charles, attended the Texas' sesquicentennial celebration in 1986.

But for the queen’s maiden voyage to Texas, Cantu and his team covered her every step in Austin on that Spring day.

"I remember they wanted to show her all the things that were going on in town and what made Austin special," said Cantu.

Queen Elizabeth II's first stop was a trip to the Texas State Capitol, where she met Governor Richards.

"We had 5,000 people on the Texas Capitol lawn all waving their Union Jack flags," said Bonner. "It was magical."

Bonner remembers that Governor Richards was running late. She was watching some last minute legislation from her office at the capitol building.

"I kept telling her had to leave now to meet the Queen downstairs," said Bonner. "At the bottom of the stairs before we stepped outside Ann shared with me this memory she had of her mom. She said 'It's my mother's voice in my head. When I would dress up and pretend that I was really fancy... my mom would say, 'Where do you think you're going to see the Queen of England?' Ann just chuckled. Because she was about to do just that! She was about to meet the Queen of England."

After the tour of the Texas Capitol, Queen Elizabeth II was treated to a program at the rotunda of performances and chorus from Texas children.

She also visited the Texas legislative floor, where House Speaker Bob Bullock gave the Queen an inscribed maple wood gavel and boots for her grandchildren.

In her address to a joint session of the 72nd Texas Legislature she spoke about her fondness of the Texas spirit.

"Lesser mortals are pitied for their misfortune in not being born Texans," said Queen Elizabeth II to the Texas lawmakers.

Bonner recalls a conversation with royal staff when she asked why the Queen had wanted to visit the Lone Star State.

"The Palace thinks that Ann Richards is the probably most important, up and coming public official in the United States," said Bonner. "What we are doing in Texas is unparalleled in the United States."

The royal couple was hosted by another famous Austinite, Lady Bird Johnson, who along with Governor Richards held a reception at the LBJ Presidential Library on the University of Texas campus.

It was also during that reception that Lady Bird and Queen Elizabeth II met privately and exchanged gifts.

As historians and staff look back on the Queen's historic visit to Austin it's probably a tour by Prince Philip to the Sematech plant for a look at an electron microscope laboratory that resonates decades later.

"It was the new cutting edge technology facility of the day," said Margaret Justus, founder of the Ann Richards Legacy Project. "But that was so minuscule compared to where we are today. It says that they had good instincts about visiting Austin and Texas."

The Texas tour continued after their visit to Austin. Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip went to San Antonio, where they saw the Alamo. And in Dallas, they attended a reception dinner marking the 150th anniversary of the founding of Dallas.

The royal couple ended their tour in Houston with a thank you dinner at the Houston Museum of Fine Arts.

EDITOR NOTE: #TBT or Turning Back Time is a series of stories by CBS Austin This Morning Anchor John-Carlos Estrada. The series will focus on history around Central Texas that has an impact in the community. If you want to share an story idea with him – email him (jcestrada@cbsaustin.com) or message him on social media via Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.