Notice the space, ma’am! The Queen’s Paltinum Jubilee throwbacks show the Queen riding the train and traveling the subway in 1969 and (and she even bought a ticket!)
- Transport For London has shared a selection of key moments from Queen Elizabeth’s reign.
- She was the first reigning monarch to travel by underground when she officially opened the Victoria Line in 1969.
- During the journey, the Queen took control of the train in the driver’s cab while in Green Park.
- In 1977 she opened part of the Piccadilly line extension and traveled between Hatton Cross and Heathrow.
While the Queen’s favorite mode of transport is her trusty Range Rover or even a carriage ride to Royal Ascot, the monarch actually takes the subway, looking much more glamorous than the average commuter in her fur coat and pillbox hat.
To celebrate the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee, Transport For London has gone through its archives to review photographs of Her Majesty’s key visits to the transport network during her reign.
The 95-year-old Queen became the first reigning monarch to travel on the Underground when she officially opened the Victoria Line in March 1969 by purchasing a ticket at Green Park before passing through the barrier and down the escalator to the Underground platform.
During the trip, the Queen took control of the train in the driver’s cab at Green Park – the closest stop to her home at Buckingham Palace – before boarding the carriage for the journey from Oxford Circus to Victoria Station.
It was the Queen’s second trip underground, the first being in 1939 when she was 13 years old, with her governess Marion Crawford and Princess Margaret.
Since then, she has traveled on the London Underground several times.
In 1977 she opened part of the Piccadilly line extension and traveled between Hatton Cross and Heathrow by train.
Her last trip underground was to visit Aldgate Station in 2010 to see a plaque honoring those killed in the July 7, 2005 bombings.
Another image of the Queen, Duke of Edinburgh and Duchess of Cambridge, taken in 2013 at Baker Street Station to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the London Underground.
The 95-year-old Queen became the first reigning monarch to travel by tube when she officially opened the Victoria Line in March 1969. During the trip, the Queen took control of the train in the driver’s cab while at Green Park, her closest stop. houses at Buckingham Palace
In the days before contactless! The Queen is pictured here with ticket barriers after purchasing her ticket at Green Park Station.
The Queen became the first reigning monarch to travel by tube when she opened the Victoria Line, looking glamorous in a fur cot and pillbox hat.
On 16 December 1977, the Queen opened the Heathrow extension of the Piccadilly Line and rejoined the driver in the carriage for the official opening.
The seats almost match! She opted for a long blue overcoat with a large collar and a white hat with a large rim when she opened an extension of the Piccadilly line at Heathrow in 1977.
Rope learning! The Queen with the Duke of Edinburgh in 1987 while visiting the TFL control rooms.
Queen Elizabeth II opened the DLR on 30 July 1987 wearing a different blue coat and matching white hat.
In this photo, the Queen rides the Docklands Light Railway in July 1987, when there were only 11 one-car trains and 15 stations.
The Queen visited Baker Street station to mark the 150th anniversary of the London Underground in 2013, looking elegant in a cream coat and hat.
The queen of bright clothes! The monarch wore a lavender ensemble to match the color of the Elizabethan line at its 2016 unveiling.
At the opening of the Elizabethan line, the Queen was joined by Boris Johnson, who was then Mayor of London.
Shown here is the Queen’s meeting with TFL personnel at Bond Street Station during the opening of the Elizabeth Line.