Queen Elizabeth II periodically participated in her subjects’ daily lives throughout her lengthy career of public service and protocol, frequently through covert or contrived interactions.
Here are a few of the more well-known instances:
Princess goes undercover
On May 8, 1945, Elizabeth, then a 19-year-old princess, and her sister Margaret snuck out of Buckingham Palace to celebrate the conclusion of World War II in Europe, mixing covertly with the joyous crowd.
She claimed that they had traversed miles of London’s streets out of fear of being recognized in a BBC program from 1985.
We were all carried along on a wave of joy and relief, she recalled, as lines of strangers joined arms and walked down Whitehall.
As the audience gathered outside and waited for her father and mother, George VI and Queen Elizabeth, to go onto the balcony to greet the multitude, the sisters went back to the palace and joined in the chorus of “We want the king.”
Taking the Subway
Six trips on the London Underground were made by Queen Elizabeth, the first of which was in 1939.
She traveled the Underground once more on March 7, 1969, to officially open a new section of the network.
The queen attempted to insert a six-penny piece into a ticket machine at Green Park station, where she had to purchase a ticket, but it was refused. A second effort also failed, according to AFP.
The driver, who “experienced his moment of fame at the age of 63, after 34 years of service,” “traveled a short distance in the driver’s compartment, alongside the Queen.”
golden royal arches
Following public outcry over the monarch’s perceived coldness during the tragedy, the royal family undertook a campaign to interact with “ordinary” people after the death of the enormously beloved princess Diana in 1997.
She visited a bar, went on a tour of a trainer store, told youngsters how much she enjoyed television soap operas and stopped by a McDonald’s in northwest England.
She enjoyed afternoon tea in her royal homes, and in July 1999, she visited one of Glasgow’s less upscale housing estates for a cup of tea and a talk with a housewife.
Pictures from the visit, which showed the queen speaking with a sharply dressed Susan McCarron while seated straight-backed at the tea table in a fuchsia hat and suit, were widely circulated in the press.
McCarron claimed that Queen Elizabeth was completely at ease as she drank tea but no chocolate cookies and talked for 15 minutes.
