The photographs by Czech photographer Alan Pajer capture the historic and intimate atmosphere of HM Queen Elizabeth II’s visit to the Czech Republic, which took place 30 years ago, in March 1996.
Her host was the then President of the young country, former dissident, prisoner of conscience, and playwright Václav Havel, and with him the whole Czech nation.
Set against the optimistic backdrop of the 1990s, in a country enjoying its first years of freedom after the fall of the Communist regime in 1989, the Queen’s visit was a significant moment. Although sharing many important moments of courage and solidarity throughout history, the two countries had been officially separated for decades by the Iron Curtain, as Sir Winston Churchill famously named the ideological barrier between Soviet-controlled Eastern Europe and the democratic West. In reality, however, it was not only an ideological divide, but also a very real physical barrier, marked by barbed wire, border fortifications, and strict controls that limited movement between East and West.
And it wasn‘t all just protocol when this heavy veil was finally lifted. Queen Elizabeth II and President Havel not only exchanged state orders, but also discussed private topics, such as their shared love for dogs. The Queen and her husband, HRH Prince Philip, did not miss the opportunity to walk over the famous Charles Bridge to cross the River Vltava, and even met some Churchill fans on the way. The visit also followed earlier visits and a long-standing interest in Prague and its cultural heritage, shown by the then-Prince Charles. Famously, the Queen demonstrated her well-known respect for people when she decided to visit not only the capital city of Prague, but also the Moravian hub of Brno.
The visit also brought some important closure. The Queen addressed a sensitive moment in Czech-British history, when in 1938, Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain signed the Munich Agreement, which stated – against the will of the Czechoslovak government – that the bordering, mainly German-speaking parts of Czechoslovakia would become part of Nazi Germany in the hope of appeasing Hitler. It was a failure which still resonates today.
Alan Pajer (b. 1948) was one of the photographers of the Czech presidential couple since 1996, capturing historic diplomatic moments of the newly established Czech Republic, which came into existence in 1993 after the peaceful break-up of Czechoslovakia.
„In this century, my country actively supported the creation of the first Czechoslovak Republic under President Masaryk, which had such a tragically short existence. The events that brought it to an end are the only shadow over our relationship, and I understand and sympathise with the feelings in this country over the Munich Agreement,“ the Queen said in Prague in 1996. Her visit is retrospectively seen as an important milestone in fulfilling the Czech ambition to join NATO and the EU. When it finally happened (in 1999 and 2004, respectively), it was widely understood as a full democratic recovery for the Czech Republic.
Outdoor exhibition on the fence of the Czech Embassy
26 – 30 Kensington Palace Gardens, London W8 4QY
Free access 24/7
Organised by the Czech Centre in partnership with the Embassy of the Czech Republic in the UK.
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