In 1901 D. Carlos turned a new page in history by being the first Portuguese king to visit Madeira.
Madeira has a long history when it comes to being visited by royalty. Royal visitors include Princess Leopoldina de Áustria, in 1812, as part of her voyage to Brazil; the crown prince D. Luís, in 1858; the beloved Elizabeth of Austria, known to locals as Sissi, in 1860; and the last emperor of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, Charles the 1st. But these are just a few out of many possible others.
In spite of these, it was not until 1901 that the archipelago was visited by the Portuguese monarchy. The visit of D. Carlos and D. Amélia was a truly historic event, not only did it mark the lives of locals, it was also thoroughly dissected in the local press.
On the 22nd of June, the king and queen of Portugal arrived in Madeira to find a crowd ‘in warm celebrations’ to the sound of the national anthem of the time, ‘Hino da Carta’, as stated in an evening newspaper. Earlier that day, their ship, the ‘D. Carlos’, named after the king, had stopped by Porto Santo where the townspeople greeted the royal couple who were ‘aboard the ship’.
In between balls, religious and military services, theatre shows and visits to some of the most iconic sites of the time, such as Monte, the monarchs were also invited to a feast on the 24th of June at the gardens of Quinta do Palheiro.
On the day after, the monarchs set sail for the Azores but took with them flowers and poems, most of which dedicated to the queen.
An evening newspaper dated the 25th of June 1901 bid the queen farewell in verse: ‘Do not leave us, beloved Queen!/ Don’t leave the people of Madeira,/Who are yours in heart and soul.’
