Princess Alexandra Visited Singapore
Wednesday, 6th August 1969
Exactly 150 years after Stamford Raffles of the British Empire founded Singapore, another another lesser known, Princess Alexandra, cousin of Queen Elizabeth II, flew into the city as the Queen’s special envoy for the 150th anniversary celebrations for the founding of modern Singapore. Waiting on the tarmac to greet her were Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew; the British High Commissioner, Sir Arthur de la Mare; and their wives. At the reception committee for the Princess, the attendees included the who’s who of Singapore; the Chief Justice, cabinet ministers, MPs, statutory board heads, as well as Commonwealth leaders. Hordes of local islanders could only watch the pomp and pageantry from outside the fence-up compound.