Her Majesty and the Duke of Edinburgh will arrive at Waverley Station in Edinburgh at 10.20am to board a train with Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon.
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Although in residence in her Scottish castle, in contrast, the Queen is venturing south to Edinburgh to open the Scottish Borders Railway today.
Campaigners chose the day Her Majesty The Queen officially opened the 30.5-mile Borders Railway (September 9) to call for a renewed push to extend the line southwards.
Westminster Abbey was among the many that rang quarter-peals, as the Queen surpassed the record set by her great-great-grandmother, Queen Victoria, who reigned for 63 years and 216…
Church bells will ring out across the country and business in the Commons will be postponed for half an hour so MPs can pay tribute to the Queen.
“But she has given many, many long years of dedicated public service and the attendance here today was a sign that people want to show their gratitude to her for that”.
Looking forward to her destiny she pledged to serve the Commonwealth in a radio broadcast made in 1947 when Princess Elizabeth: “I declare before you all that my whole life, whether it be long or short, shall be devoted to your service and the service of our great imperial family to which we all belong”.
But with relatively few blips, the queen has steered the monarchy with a steady hand since being crowned when she was 25 years old.
The Borders Railway Maximising the Impact: A Blueprint for the Future report, produced in November 2014, states: “We will scope potential further feasibility work around extending the Borders Railway line towards Hawick and Carlisle, including turning options at and beyond Tweedbank”.
In private, the Queen acknowledged the day’s significance.
“The Borders Railway will be a real catalyst for growth in the Scottish Borders and Midlothian”.
Despite her advanced age, she has the rare skill of remaining relevant to each generation: on VJ Day last month, she met fellow Second World War veterans and shared their experiences, in contrast she hosts the Queen’s Young Leaders awards, rewarding talented individuals under 30.
Earlier, the Prime Minister David Cameron was among those who paid tribute to her. “The fact that she’s exceeding Victoria’s reign, it’s just the way it’s fallen into place”.
Afterwards, she described the Queen as being “in tremendous form”.
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The First Minister said the “most special bit of a very special journey” on the 35-mile line was when the train slowed through Galashiels station and the Queen got up from her seat to go to a window to wave to the crowds.
