No limousines, no crowns, just ordinary people’: The Royal Family’s stay on a Manitoba farm

It was a part of a royal tour that involved no media, no fanfare, no crowns, or pomp — just a family enjoying rural Manitoba farm life.

As the Queen marks her Platinum Jubilee, one Manitoba family is remembering their remarkable royal experience from over 50 years ago.

When the Queen visited Manitoba in 1970 with her husband Prince Phillip and children, Prince Charles and Princess Anne, they got to spend a relaxing time on a potato farm southeast of Carberry, Man., owned by T. Roy and Nora Bailey. For the royals, it was a relaxing moment away from the pomp and protocol of a royal tour; time spent just as a family enjoying rural Manitoba farm life.

“Our farm was situated in the right place at the right time,” said Brian Bailey, the son of T. Roy and Nora, who now lives in Neepawa, Man.

Bailey said the royals wanted to get some rest, relaxation and riding in on a Manitoba farm. T. Roy Bailey had been named Mr. Manitoba Farmer of 1967, so his name was familiar to those co-ordinating the 1970 royal tour.

“(The organizers) immediately contacted my dad and said, ‘Is there a chance you could host the Queen?'” Bailey said.

“And of course, when you’re invited to host the Queen, you don’t say no.”

Bailey said there was a deserted train siding about a mile south of the farm, which was fixed up for the royal train to arrive on a Sunday afternoon.

“When you know something like that is taking place, you tend to be a bit nervous about it,” Bailey said.

“But the royal family are such professionals at dealing with people that they put you at ease immediately.”

Bailey said there was a great deal of security in place for the visit, but you wouldn’t have known it.

“The RCMP provided all kinds of security, but they were subtle about the security,” he recalled. “There were actually 26 plain-clothed police officers in the area, but you couldn’t see any of them.”