Many of those present at the opening of a new subway line in London probably did not expect this. Suddenly Queen Elizabeth II was standing in the station and being shown how to take a ticket.
Queen Elizabeth II caused a surprise with her latest appearance. At London’s Paddington underground station, the monarch examined the now completed Elizabeth Line project. The completion of construction work had been delayed, but now the line, named after the Queen, should be open to the public from May 24.
Thank you for a happy development
At the unannounced date, the 96-year-old monarch was accompanied by her youngest son, Prince Edward. Reporting on the performance, a Buckingham Palace spokeswoman was quoted as saying: “By a happy development, Her Majesty The Queen is attending today’s event to celebrate the completion of the Elizabeth Line.” The organizers were informed that she could attend spontaneously. Apparently, the palace is now pursuing the strategy of only communicating at short notice whether the Queen will appear on certain occasions in order to avoid disappointment through cancellations.
In recent months, the Queen has cut back due to mobility issues, and now she is seen more often with a walking stick at appointments. For example, on Sunday as a guest of honor at the “A Gallop Through History” event near Windsor, the first major event of the celebrations for her 70th anniversary of the throne.
No appointment in London for weeks
This Tuesday’s appointment is the first in several weeks outside of the Windsor area, where she now resides. At the end of March, the Queen attended the memorial service for her late husband Prince Philip at Westminster Abbey. She had canceled the opening of parliament on May 10 at very short notice. Her son, heir to the throne Prince Charles, took over for her and read the so-called Queen’s Speech on her behalf.
At Paddington Station today, the Queen and Prince Edward were welcomed by Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Mayor of London Sadiq Khan, among others. According to the BBC, the royals also chatted with project employees. The Queen also tried to buy a ticket, wearing a yellow coat for the appointment.
