Members of the Royal Family have been making regular visits to Bermuda since the middle of Queen Victoria's 64-year reign.

But the present monarch, Queen Elizabeth, is the only reigning sovereign to have visited the Island.

Three future kings have paid visits over the past 114 years -- George V, Edward VIII and George VI.

PRINCE ALFRED, DUKE OF EDINBURGH Bermuda's first officially recorded Royal visitor was Prince Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh, who arrived in Bermuda on May 6, 1861.

Second son of Queen Victoria, Prince Alfred was the first of many Royal visitors who served on board Royal Navy ships. He landed in Bermuda as a midshipman on board HMS St. George.

There is a wonderfully dated account of the feeling of excitement on the Island in the next day's Royal Gazette entitled "The Preparation for the Reception of His Royal Highness Prince Alfred.'' It reads: "Bermuda has been astir in a most unusual manner, we may well say in an unprecedented manner, during the last few weeks in expectation of the visit of His Royal Highness Prince Alfred, a Prince among midshipmen, and a midshipman among Princes.

"But during the past week the excitement has become intense, as the time drew nigh for His Royal Highness's expected arrival.

"On Wednesday last, towards evening, many eyes were anxiously turned towards the Signal Posts at Mount Langton, and elsewhere, in hopes of discovering signs of the approach of the St. George .

"Time and space would fail us were we to attempt to follow the circumstances of His Royal Highness's arrival in all their details.

"Suffice it to say, that the announcement was before long made that the Prince would make his formal entry into these Islands on Monday (yesterday), the 6th of May, at 11 o'clock.

"It would gratify us, and could not but gratify our readers, if we could lay before them a minute description of the numberless modes which our true-hearted people adopted for evincing their loyalty, and their affectionate recognition of the claims which Her Majesty's children have on the hearts of her subjects abroad, as well as at home.

"Taste and profusion were almost everywhere displayed, and where these were wanting the rude efforts of the poorer classes at an unwonted ornamentation showed that loyalty and good feeling were by no means confined to the rich and elegant.'' The report went on to look at how each parish had prepared for the visit and then went into addresses of dignitaries and the Prince.

During his speech, Prince Alfred said: "The importance of these Islands to the Mother country cannot be overrated from their geographical position and configuration, and I shall always regard them with peculiar interest from the benefits to which our Navy and Commerce derive from their harbours and resources.'' On his arrival Prince Alfred attended a civic reception and was then taken to the Governor's residence on Mount Langton where he met the Governor, Col. H.

St. George Ord.

The Prince stayed for six days and was able to visit Gibbs Hill Lighthouse which was barely 20 years old. He planted two cedar trees, attended a regatta in his honour and paid visits to Walsingham and St. George's.

He left on the Saturday (May 12) "leaving St. George's and its loyal inhabitants to recover themselves as best they might after their unwonted excitement and exertions.'' The following week The Royal Gazette published a full account of the visit.

It read, in part: "We shall not apologise to our readers for the hurried, imperfect and even in many respects faulty sketch of the Prince's reception which we rudely chalked out for them last week.

"To those who understand anything of the difficulty of preparing matter for the press on such an unusual occasion any such apology would be superfluous.

"With those, on the other hand, who, knowing no more of a newspaper than what they find impressed on the surface of its pages, cannot at all sympathise with an Editor's trials and troubles, it would be wholly unavailing.'' PRINCE GEORGE, DUKE OF YORK and PRINCE ALBERT VICTOR, DUKE OF CLARENCE It was 19 years before the future King George V made his first visit to Bermuda, with his elder brother Prince Albert.

Prince George, 15, and Prince Albert, 16, sons of the then Prince of Wales, (Edward VII between 1901 and 1910) arrived in April, 1880, as midshipmen on HMS Bacchante .

Mr. E.A. McCallan takes up the story: "The Bacchante arrived at the Dockyard from Jamaica on 29th March in rough weather which was unfavourable for much communication with the shore.

"The two paid duty calls, then followed dances, at homes, lunches, dinners and their like, which could not have been bright entertainment for the young Princes.

"The trip to Gibbs Hill Lighthouse seems to have been enjoyed and the one to North Rock and the catching of a 50-pound rockfish was voted `one of the most enjoyable days we ever spent.' No doubt the early morning swims at Clarence Cove were pleasant.

"Like most of the English, the boys were observant of plant life, and noted that the fragrance of the cedar trees in the sun is very strong.'' However, one hotel landlady, infuriated by the behaviour of a group of sailors, threw Prince George off the premises. She tried to make amends by providing entertainment for the two Princes but George apparently caused problems again by tying a girl's pigtails together.

After 15 days and much sightseeing they returned to their duties on board Bacchante and sailed for home.

It would be the last time Bermuda saw Prince Albert as he died 11 years later before he could accede to the Throne. Prince George returned 10 years later.

PRINCESS LOUISE Three years later Bermuda was again preparing itself for another visitor, who was fleeing the harsh cold of the Canadian winter.

Princess Louise, Queen Victoria's third daughter, had married the Marquess of Lorne, the Governor of Canada.

Considered to be the beauty of the Royal Family, Princess Louise was not in the best of health and doctors had advised her to spend the first three months of the year in a milder climate.

Or as The Royal Gazette described: "Physically unequal to the trying ordeal of a Canadian winter, with duties by no means light pertaining to her exalted station at Ottawa, Her Royal Highness was led to consider what climate would conveniently afford her the requisite rest and genial atmosphere during the reign of King Frost in the frigid North.'' She became the most famous of the first visitors from North America seeking respite from the cold by taking a vacation in Bermuda.

The Princess arrived in January of 1883 to a ceremonial welcome and stayed for ten weeks at Inglewood, Paget. She was accepted as a local, often seen rambling around the Island.

An oft-recited story is that she stopped at a cottage to ask for a drink of water. The housewife told the unknown lady she was busy ironing a shirt for her husband to wear at a public appearance of Princess Louise.

The strange lady volunteered to iron the shirt before admitting she was Princess Louise. The housewife vowed to preserve the shirt unworn.

During her stay the Princess showed her interest in education by visiting a number of schools.

Miss Alice Emily Gosling reported: "On her return to Canada she looked happy with cheeks aglow. She has been recorded as saying: `Everyone in Bermuda has given me such a warm welcome; even the red birds come to my window every morning and say Louise, Louise'.'' In memory of Princess Louise's stay the Hamilton Princess was named after the first Royal Lady to visit the Island.

PRINCE GEORGE, DUKE OF YORK A decade after his first visit, Prince George returned as commander of the gunboat HMS Thrush .

Apart from the welcome, this was a less formal visit and Prince George was often seen with friends around St. George's Parish.

Mr. E.A. McCallan reported: "One afternoon a few youths were knocking a ball about at the west end of St. David's when two naval officers came down the road. One was recognised as Prince George by his blond beard.

"The other asked if they might play. Of course, we said yes, and the Prince took the bat and the other bowled him a few balls while we fielded for him.

"In those free and friendly days anyone -- Prince or commoner -- could picnic at almost any spot around the waters of St. George's; and many a time I saw the Prince with officers of the Guards and their ladies waiting at Market Wharf for boats to take them picnicking or sailing.'' The following year, 1892, the Prince was forced to give up life at sea as the death of Prince Albert made him heir apparent to the Throne.

PRINCE GEORGE, MARQUESS OF MILFORD HAVEN The first Royal visitor outside Queen Victoria's reign was her grandson Prince George who arrived on board HMS New Zealand in 1912.

Prince George served as a Lieutenant on the ship, which was part of the American and West Indies Squadron.

Little is reported of his stay in Bermuda as he was only here for a short time.

PRINCE ALBERT A year later, another future king arrived, again as a naval cadet.

Prince Albert Frederick Arthur George, second son of King George and Queen Mary, arrived on HMS Cumberland .

It had been stressed that the young Prince was to be treated exactly the same as all the other cadets.

There was only one occasion, on April 18, when he was allowed ashore to pay an official call on the Governor Lt. Gen. Sir George Bullock.

Miss Gosling takes up the story: "Hamilton was crowded with enthusiastic people who cheered as the young Prince stepped ashore from the ship's pinnace at the Royal Bermuda Yacht Club steps in Front Street.

"Those who remember the shy, nervous boy with the clear complexion now realise the strength of character and devotion to duty latent in that slight figure which helped to assume the Crown of England in December, 1936; and, as King George VI, to lease and inspire his people through the worst war in their history.'' ALBERT EDWARD, PRINCE OF WALES The first official Royal visit to Bermuda came at the end of Prince of Wales, Albert Edward's extensive tour of the Empire in 1920.

It was the first of three visits by the Prince, one of two before his short reign as King Edward VIII. His later visit was after his abdication following the much-publicised affair with Mrs. Wallace Simpson.

But that first trip proved a happy three days for the Prince. On his landing in Hamilton, Sir Stanley Spurling reported: "The Prince drove through Hamilton to the House of Assembly, passing first under an arch on Front Street, on top of which was a bevy of pretty young ladies, attired in the Prince's colours, yellow and white, who dropped rose petals on him to his surprise and evident pleasure.'' Prince Edward used the visit to stress the importance of Bermuda in building Anglo-American relations. Coincidentally the USS Kansas was in the harbour and the Prince made calls on the ship.

In St. George's, townsfolk gathered on walls, rooftops and in trees to get a good view of the Prince and the scattering of red rose petals continued from "pretty, young girls''.

During his visit the Prince paid a visit to the King Edward VII Memorial Hospital, another venue for this week's Royal Visit of Queen Elizabeth II, his niece.

Prince Edward returned to Bermuda in 1931 en route to Buenos Aires to open a British Industries Exhibition. During his stay he played golf on the Mid Ocean Golf course.

He became King early in 1936 but abdicated later in the year following the first Royal newspaper scandal over his affair.

His return to the Island, with the Duchess of Windsor, in 1940, caused great excitement.

The couple were fleeing from France before the German army. The Duke was heading for his appointment as Governor of the Bahamas and the trip to Bermuda from Lisbon was the first leg of the journey.

Bermuda suddenly became the focal point of world interest as a swarm of reporters arrived from the United States to see the couple.

During the week-long stay the Duke agreed to give a press conference but his time was mainly made up of official engagements.

LADY RAMSAY The Royal visitor who spent most time in Bermuda was the grand-daughter of Queen Victoria, Lady Ramsay who was popularly known as Princess Pat.

Lady Ramsay spent the winter months of 1924, 1925 and 1926 in Bermuda while her husband Captain Alexander Ramsay was stationed here.

Mr. Walter B. Hayward said: "Bermudians remember Lady Ramsay as a strikingly beautiful lady who lived quietly, almost in seclusion at Soncy. "They caught glimpses of her now and then as she drove with her young son, but she did not enter the colony's social life.'' PRINCE GEORGE Two years after Lady Ramsay had left Bermuda, HMS Durban steamed into Hamilton Harbour with her nephew Prince George aboard serving as Lieutenant Windsor.

Prince George landed informally at Hamilton on October 25, and visited the Public Buildings and attended a garden party at Government House where he planted a palm to mark the event.

Mr. A.M. Purcell wrote: "The Prince's untimely death in 1942 was a severe blow not only to his family but to the whole nation.'' THE DUKE AND DUCHESS OF KENT On April 3, 1935, the fourth son of King George V, the Duke of Kent and his wife landed at Penno's Wharf, St. George's.

Mr. Walter B. Hayward described their arrival: "Most of the townspeople were caught napping, so to speak; only a handful were on hand to see the Royal visitors disembark.'' But Governor Sir Astley Cubitt was on hand to meet the visitors, before they left to see Bailey's Bay and the Crystal Caves.

On their return to St. George's they found the town filled with cheering people.

The couple were visiting the Island as the last stop of a honeymooning tour.

Other visits to the Island by the Royal Family, besides those by the Queen, have included Prince Philip's stays in November, 1953, March, 1959, April, 1962, August, 1964, November, 1964, March, 1989, March, 1990 and March, 1991.

His main visit was the two-day stopover in 1959, a highlight of the Island's 350th anniversary. On his most recent visit in March, 1991, he arrived following trips to the Bahamas and Canada, for the World Wide Fund for Nature, the Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme, the Outward Bound Trust, The British Commonwealth Ex-Services League and the English Speaking Union. Princess Margaret has also been a regular visitor to Bermuda, with trips in March, 1955, January and August, 1962, November, 1965, March, 1968, March, 1970 and a major visit in 1975, only a week after a private tour. Her 1975 visit came only eight months after the last official visit of the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh. Prince Charles visited the Island in 1970 and 1973. His first trip was to open the 350th session of the Colonial Parliament. In 1973 Prince Charles arrived without pomp and ceremony as a sub Lieutenant on board HMS Minerva . He attended a number of social functions during a four-day stay but his main duties were on board the Royal Navy ship. Another notable visitor was the Queen Mother who came to the Island in April, 1964. Over the past 30 years the Island has had visits from the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester, Countess of Athlone Princess Alice and the Duke and Duchess of Kent. The most recent visit was by Prince Michael of Kent for the Kennel Club Show, last year.

ROYAL FAMILY -- A family shot from the 1920s shows Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother and Prince Albert with their parents. From left: the Queen Mother's parents the Earl and Countess of Strathmore and Kinghorn, the Queen Mother (nee Lady Elizabeth Bowes) and Prince Albert, Queen Mary and King George V.

Prince Albert, later King George VI, visited Bermuda as a naval cadet in 1913.

(Picture courtesy Bermuda Historical Society and Bermuda Archives).

KING GEORGE VI -- The Queen's father who visited Bermuda in 1913. (Picture courtesy Bermuda Historical Society and Bermuda Archives).

PRINCESS LOUISE -- Regarded as the beauty of the Royal Family at the time, Princess Louise enjoyed an extended visit to Bermuda in the winter of 1883.

The Hamilton Princess was named after Louise. (Picture courtesy Bermuda Historical Society and Bermuda Archives).

STEP BY STEP -- The Queen, accompanied by the Rector of St. Peter's Church, Archdeacon the Ven. John Stow, and Governor Lt.-Gen. Alexander Hood leave the church in St. George's during the 1953 visit. Behind them are Prince Philip and Mayor of St. George's, the Wor. Leon Fox. (Picture courtesy Bermuda Historical Society and Bermuda Archives).

CLOSE FAMILY -- King George VI, Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother, the Queen and Princess Margaret in a picture taken in 1948. (Courtesy Bermuda Historical Society and Bermuda Archives).

HAPPY DAYS -- The Queen and the Governor Lt.-Gen. Alexander Hood walk up the steps to the House of Assembly during the 1953 Royal visit to Bermuda, the first stop on the first major tour after Her Majesty's Coronation. (Picture courtesy Bermuda Historical Society and Bermuda Archives).

WEDDING DAY BLISS -- The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh pictured with Princess Margaret on their wedding day. The then Princess Elizabeth was married to Philip Mountbatten in Westminster Abbey on November 20, 1947.

(Picture courtesy Bermuda Historical Society and Bermuda Archives).

A KING AT REST -- A cartoon drawn in the latter part of the 19th Century depicts King George V at rest on a Bermudian veranda. The cartoonist is unknown although some believe it may have been the King himself. George visited Bermuda in 1880 and again in 1890-91 before his accession to the Throne in 1910. (Picture courtesy of Bermuda Historical Society and Bermuda Archives).