In 2002, Queen Elizabeth II became the second-longest reigning monarch in British history, celebrating 50 years on the British throne. Despite the deaths of her sister, Princess Margaret and her mother, Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother, in February and March of 2002 respectively, Queen Elizabeth II and her husband, Prince Phillip, undertook an international tour in which she “express[ed] her thanks to people, both personally and officially, for their support and loyalty over her reign.”
Image of Queen Elizabeth II greeting UBC students in 2002, featured on the commemoration wall in the Golden Jubilee Room
For more information on Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Phillip’s tour, please refer to the official website of the British Monarchy, where the details of the 2002 tour are discussed.
As part of that tour, Queen Elizabeth and Prince Phillip visited the University of British Columbia in October, 2002. They had visited Canada the campus three times before, in 1951, 1959 and 1983. To view digitized photographs of their previous visits, please take a look at the University Archives virtual display, Royal Visits to the UBC Campus
During her 2002 visit to UBC, the Queen unveiled a plaque commemorating her visit and celebrating the naming of a room on the fourth floor of the Irving K Barber Learning Centre, the Golden Jubilee Room.
Plaque commemorating Queen Elizabeth II's visit to UBc
This room is a very popular study space, with mountain and ocean views.
Golden Jubilee Room, Irving K Barber Learning Centre