As we pay tribute to Prince Philip for his service over a lifetime to the Queen and Country we go back to a happy visit for them both to California when they met film star of the fifties and before, Ronald Reagan, and his film star wife Nancy.

Prince Philip, as always, was at his wife, The Queen’s side, during this memorable visit

I always remember this visit coincided with an enormous amount of rainfall and the Queen and Duke’s party had a real job even getting to the ranch owned by President Reagan and his wife Nancy.

I have the idea that they came on the Royal Yacht or at least it was nearby.

On her historic first visit to Santa Barbara, thousands braved cold rain to get a glimpse of her at the Santa Barbara Airport, Courthouse and Mission.

But what promised to be a festive occasion for her scheduled landing at Santa Barbara’s Stearns Wharf was washed out by a persistent rainstorm.

Queen Elizabeth and her husband Prince Philip left the royal yacht Britannia in Long Beach and flew instead on an Air Force DC-9 and spent six hours in Reagan’s home town.

The improvised arrival was shifted to a large Tracor Aviation hangar at the airport.

From there he motorcade sped through flag-decked streets to Highway 101 and the Reagan’s 688-acre Rancho del Cielo.

The parties had to use four-wheel drive vehicles to ford swollen crossings of Refugio Creek.

A horse ride at the ranch was scrubbed even though it wasn’t raining at the time. Lunch was enchiladas, chile rellenos, refried beans, tacos, rice, guacamole and fresh fruit.

The queen’s press secretary, Michael O’Shea, said she found the rugged trip through flooded creeks up the mountain “very enjoyable and very exciting.”

Ronald Reagan riding with The Queen

Ronald Reagan di not make that many films involving horse riding but below is one of them :-

The Last Outpost 1951

Ronald Reagan was always a good rider and would have loved to do more westerns in his career and it seems that he was really pleased to accept the role in The Last Outpost after he was give permission to ride his own horse which was named Tarbaby

The Last Outpost casts Ronald Reagan and Bruce Bennett who are brothers and who have split their loyalties during the Civil War. Fate has brought them together in the west with Bennett taking command of a Federal outpost in Arizona territory to deal with a band of Confederate raiders. Little does Bennett know that Reagan is commanding those raiders and little does Reagan know that the girl he left behind played by Rhonda Fleming is out west and unhappily married to trading post owner John Ridgely.

John Ridgely gets killed early on in the film, but not before he sets in motion a plan whereby he will be legally allowed to sell whiskey and arms to the Apaches.

Bruce Bennett plays the solid dependable brother, but Ronald Reagan has the dash and charm in his role

The Last Outpost is a good entertaining western with the cast giving fine performances

ABOVE – A Scene from ‘The Last Outpost’

and BELOW

A scene from another Ronald Reagan Western – and one I well remember ‘ Cattle Queen of Montana’ with Barbara Stanwyck.

I remember seeing this and being impressed yet again by the VERY wide screen – In ‘Superscope’