Queen Elizabeth II, the longest-serving monarch of the U.K., was also officially the Queen of Pakistan from its independence in 1947 till 1956, when Islamabad adopted a republican Constitution. Despite the country disassociating from the monarchy, the Queen undertook two royal visits–in 1961 and 1997—to the country, touring its northern areas and major cities, as well as addressing Parliament and attending cricket matches.

The Queen’s visits to Pakistan, in pictures:

Queen Elizabeth II visits Swat in 1961 alongside Prince Philip. Also pictures are Miangul Jehanzeb Khan, the last Wali of Swat. and bureaucrat Qudratullah Shahab
Queen Elizabeth II with West Pakistan Governor Malik Mohammad Khan at Peshawar Airport
Queen Elizabeth II with President Ayub Khan in a motorcade through Karachi in 1961
Queen Elizabeth II visits Warsak Dam during her tour of Pakistan in 1961
Queen Elizabeth II receives a Pakistani woman at President's House in Karachi
Queen Elizabeth II visits Badshahi Mosque in Lahore in 1961
Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip attend an Army dinner in Lahore, February 1961
Queen Elizabeth II meets former prime minister Benazir Bhutto in Islamabad during her 1997 tour
Queen Elizabeth II attends a fashion show in Karachi during her 1961 tour
Queen Elizabeth II visits a girls' school in Lahore during her 1997 tour
Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip meet the Pakistani cricket team in Rawalpindi
Queen Elizabeth II with former first lady Kulsoom Nawaz at a dinner in Lahore Fort
Queen Elizabeth II with then-President Farooq Leghari in Islamabad

Courtesy of the British Film Institute National Archive, Queen Elizabeth II's 1961 visit to Pakistan: