Queen's 'secret trip' to London theatre

Royal Adventure

The British monarch, minus an entourage, “apologetically” squeezed into her seat, followed by Prince Philip, for ‘War Horse’ at the New London Theatre as the lights dimmed for curtain-up. The Queen and her husband often make incognito trips to the West End but are rarely spotted.

“The Queen has regularly undertaken similar private visits throughout her reign without any fuss. It allows her to live a bit more of a normal life. Most of her staff are not told in advance if she is planning an evening out. She is keen on the theatre,” one aide was quoted as saying by the Evening Standard newspaper on Thursday.

The Queen did not want to miss the award-winning World War drama I, he said.
The Queen wore a simple dark green dress and any bodyguards she had were “so discreet as to be invisible”, according to theatre-goers on Monday night.

“The Queen and the Duke sat down as the lights dimmed and it was a huge shock when people realised who they were,” the British tabloid quoted a journalist from The Lady magazine, who attended the performance, as saying.

The journalist said the couple “were incredibly apologetic for asking people to let them pass and there was no hubbub or fuss about it all”. “It was amazing, they just sat among the audience and enjoyed the performance,” she said, adding: “At the interval they disappeared and reappeared very discreetly. When they left, they were given a round of applause, which the Queen acknowledged with a wave.”