Queen Elizabeth Makes Surprise Visit to London Underground to Buy Ticket for Her Namesake Railway

Her Majesty was hard to miss in her canary yellow outfit.

All aboard the Elizabeth Line! Queen Elizabeth II was hard to miss when she showed up at Paddington Station in London, England, on Tuesday. Her Majesty was dressed in a canary yellow suit and matching hat as she gleefully walked with a cane through the underground station to buy the first ticket for a railway line named after her. 

The queen was escorted by her youngest son, Prince Edward, who was expected to attend the opening of the railway line on his own. 

Pics from the big day were even shared on Her Majesty's Instagram. "Celebrating the opening of the Elizabeth Line! Named in honour of The Queen, today Her Majesty and The Earl of Wessex visited Paddington Station ahead of the new line opening to passengers next week," read the caption. "The Queen and The Earl met those who have been key to the Crossrail project, as well those who will be running the railway - including apprentices, drivers, and station staff."

The 96-year-old monarch's surprise appearance marks her third public visit in five days. Last Friday, Queen Elizabeth attended the Royal Windsor Horse Show, and on Sunday, she showed up at a star-studded televised event celebrating her Platinum Jubilee.

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These appearances come just a few days after Queen Elizabeth was unable to attend the Opening of Parliament last Tuesday due to episodic mobility problems. Instead, Prince Charles was on hand to deliver the queen's message for the first time ever, marking only the second time in Queen Elizabeth's 70-year reign that she did not deliver the message herself.

ET spoke with royal expert Katie Nicholl earlier this week, who expressed that it's unclear how much we'll see of Queen Elizabeth at her upcoming Platinum Jubilee.

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"We know it's her intention, and obviously her wish to be there on the Buckingham Palace balcony," Nicholl said. "I think this expectation that we're going to see the queen very visible and very high profile during the Platinum Jubilee is a little unrealistic, and I think people do forget, because she is so remarkable, because up until now she has always been so robust and she's enjoyed such good health -- we do forget she's 96, we forget that earlier this year she suffered from COVID, a year ago she lost her husband -- I think all of these factors have taken their toll, and she is now, I think, showing her age and certainly, beginning to feel her age."

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