In the 1980s, the world of royalty was merging with the world of celebrity. In California in 1983 more than 3,000 journalists from around the world gathered to report the royal visit, which included a trip to President Ronald Reagan's ranch and a banquet at which Frank Sinatra entertained the Queen.

In 1982, the Commonwealth Tour, which included Australia and Papua New Guinea, was lightened by the euphoria in Britain after victory in the Falklands war in the spring. The Queen is pictured (above) being rowed ashore by islanders in Tuvalu in a traditional dugout canoe.

The same feel-good factor fed into the Queen's visit to the USA in February 1983, although the Anglo-America bonhomie was severely tested later on in the year, when US troops invaded the Commonwealth country of Grenada in the Caribbean.

In 1980 the Queen became the first British sovereign and head of the Church of England to make a state visit to the Vatican. In 1986 she became the first British monarch ever to visit China

The Queen's State and Commonwealth Visits: 1980s

29 April-2 May 1980 Switzerland, visiting President Chevallaz
24 May 1980 Singapore (refuelling)
24-28 May 1980 Australia (Canberra, Sydney, Melbourne)
29 May 1980 Singapore (refuelling)
14-17 October 1980 Italy, visiting President Pertini
17 October 1980 Vatican City, visiting Pope John Paul II
21-23 October 1980 Tunisia, visiting President Bourguiba
25-27 October 1980 Algeria, visiting President Chadli
27-30 October 1980 Morocco, visiting King Hassan II
5-8 May 1981 Norway, visiting King Olav V
26 September 1981 Singapore (refuelling)
26 September - 12 October 1981 Australia (Melbourne, Tasmania, Western Australia, South Australia)
12-20 October 1981 New Zealand
20-21 October 1981Australia (overnight stop in Perth)
21-25 October 1981 Sri Lanka (Colombo, Anuradhapura, Kandy, Victoria Dam)
15-18 April 1982 Canada (Ottawa, Patriation)
5 October 1982 Singapore (refuelling)
5-13 October 1982 Australia (NWT, Queensland for Commonwealth Games, Brisbane, ACT, NSW)
13-14 October 1982 Papua New Guinea
18 October 1982 Solomon Islands
21 October 1982 Nauru
23 October 1982 Kiribati
26-27 October 1982 Tuvalu
30 October-1 November 1982 Fiji
13 February 1983 Bermuda (refuelling)
13-16 February 1983 J amaica
16-17 February 1983 Cayman Islands
8-11 March 1983 Canada (British Columbia)
25-28 May 1983 Sweden, visiting King Carl Gustaf and Queen Silvia
9-10 November 1983 Cyprus (overnight stop)
10-14 November 1983 Kenya (State visit - Nairobi, Sagana)
14-17 November 1983 Bangladesh (State visit - Dhaka)
17-26 November 1983 India (State visit - New Delhi, Hyderabad and Pune, New Delhi)
25-26 March 1984 Cyprus (overnight stop)
26-30 March 1984 Jordan, visiting King Hussein and Queen Noor
24 September-7 October 1984 Canada (New Brunswick, Ontario and Manitoba)
25-29 March 1985 Portugal, visiting President and Senhora Eanes
9-11 October 1985 Belize
11-18 October 1985 Bahamas
20 October 1985 Little Inagua Island (private)
23 October 1985 St. Kitts-Nevis
24 October 1985 Antigua|
25 October 1985 Dominica
26 October 1985 St. Lucia
27 October 1985 St. Vincent and the Grenadines
28-29 October 1985 Barbados
30 October 1985 Mustique (private)
31 October 1985 Grenada
1-3 November 1985 Trinidad and Tobago
17-21 February 1986 Nepal, visiting King Birendra and Queen Aishwarya
22 February-2 March 1986 New Zealand
2-13 March 1986 Australia (ACT, NSW, Victoria, South Australia)
12-18 October 1986 China, visiting President Li Xiannian
21-23 October 1986 Hong Kong
9-24 October 1987 Canada (British Columbia, Saskatchewan and Quebec)
19 April-10 May 1988 Australia (Western Australia, Tasmania, Queensland, NSW and ACT)
17-21 October 1988 Spain, visiting King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia
8-11 March 1989 Barbados
9-11 October 1989 Singapore (State visit)
14-21 October 1989 Malaysia

• Share online