The 1939 royal tour of Canada by King George VI and Queen Elizabeth was undertaken in the build-up to World War II as a way to emphasise the links between Britain and the Dominion of Canada. The royal tour lasted from 17 May to 15 June, covering every Canadian province, the Dominion of Newfoundland, and a few days in the United States. This tour demonstrated and cemented Canada's allegiance to the Crown and its status as the senior dominion of the British Empire. There had been previous royal tours in Canada, but this was unprecedented, both due to the fact that it was the first visit of North America by the reigning monarch as well as in its scope. The tour was an enormous event, attracting huge crowds at each new city.