The Queen Uses Train To Leave London

Few people at Kings Cross apparently recognized the Queen as she boarding the 10:45 train to Norfolk yesterday.

The 83-year-old monarch was virtually unnoticed amongst the ordinary commuters as she was only accompanied by one private detective on her way to Sandringham for her Christmas holiday.

She’s reported to have paid £44.40 for the first class off-peak ticket. The Queen made no efforts to remotely conceal her presence and appeared quite content to engage with photographers.

Officials at Buckingham Palace had made arrangements so that the Queen would be the only passenger in the section which normally seats 12 people. But they have said that the Queen’s section would be available for others if neighbouring compartments would be full.

They said she took the train at several occasions during the last few years.

The Queen was reported to have taken the regular scheduled rail service just last month, as she reached Ely, Cambridgeshire for an official event.

In 2007, she went to Milton Keynes by rail, and before that, in November 2006, together with Prince Philip she went to Ipswich for a private engagement with friends Lord and Lady Tollemache.

A Buckingham Palace official admitted that members of the Royal Family regularly travel by train, although it is not always revealed to the public. He said that palace representatives chose a mode of transportation by weighting in several factors including costs and security issues.