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See Queen Elizabeth II’s last visit to San Francisco as the monarch dies, aged 96

Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain visits San Francisco. She is seen here arriving at San Francisco International Airport amd speaking with San Francisco Mayor Dianne Feinstein, left, with First Lady Nancy Reagan behind her on March 2, 1983. | Jerry Telfer/San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images | Source: Jerry Telfer/San Francisco Chronicle/Getty Images

Queen Elizabeth II died Thursday at the age of 96 with the royal family gathered at her bedside at Balmoral Castle in Scotland.

The Queen’s eldest son, Charles, will now inherit her sovereign title and role as head of the Commonwealth. 

One of the Queen’s final public duties was to appoint a new UK prime minister, Liz Truss. The longest-reigning British monarch’s death comes over a year after the death of her husband, Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh died in April 2021. 

The Queen and husband Philip last visited San Francisco and the Bay Area in 1983 on a rare tour of the U.S. 

They were escorted from SFO Airport by then-First Lady Nancy Regan and greeted by former mayor, now Sen. Dianne Feinstein.

The royals visited Symphony Hall, Stanford University and toured Hewlett Packard. They later visited Sacramento and Yosemite. 

SF Mayor London Breed issued a statement inviting the public to City Hall Friday to write condolence messages in a book that will be sent to the British Consulate General.

“The Queen’s leadership and dedication to public service over the last seven decades has left a lasting legacy that rose above politics,” Breed wrote. “The Queen saw the world not only through the eyes of a monarch, but as one who understood that unity was in the best interest of the people she represented and served. Our thoughts are with her family and the people of the United Kingdom.”

Visitors who want to write their condolences are invited to do so from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Friday in the Fourth Floor South Gallery at City Hall.

Joe Burn can be reached at jburn@sfstandard.com