On February 23, 1983, after the Royal Yacht Britannia drew up in the port of Puerto Vallarta, Queen Elizabeth II walked down the gangway to be greeted by President Miguel de la Madrid, Vallarta Mayor Jorge Leobardo Lepe García and Jalisco Governor Flavio Romero Velasco.
The monarch and her husband Prince Philip were then feted at a session of the local council, declared guests of honor, given the keys to the city and wined and dined, before greeting the crowd from the balcony of the municipal palace. Many of the children waved flags of Mexico and the United Kingdom. That evening, the queen hosted a dinner for the president, his wife and other dignitaries on board the Britannia. As the ship left the port, a 21-gun salute rang out.
During her trip to Mexico in the Britannia that year, Queen Elizabeth II also made stops in Acapulco, Guerrero; Lázaro Cárdenas, Michoacán and La Paz, Baja California Sur. Previously, in 1975, she had visited Mexico City, Oaxaca, Quintana Roo, Yucatán, Guanajuato and Veracruz.