The Queen's Weekly Journey to Windsor

[Royal Fan]

How many miles from BP To Windsor Castle

[Elspeth]

Google is your friend. So is Wikipedia. Read and learn.

Windsor, Berkshire - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

And don't even think about asking how far Buckingham Palace is from Charing Cross...

[Roslyn]

Originally Posted by tinkerbell1948

Interesting about different countries here in Australia they have to be renewed every 10 years til age 70, then yearly after that, they are issued state by state so mine is a South Australian one but it is valid country-wide

There are also "national" licenses for people who drive trucks/ buses

In Australia it varies from State to State. In NSW licences have to be renewed every 5 years, but we get to go to age 80 before having a medical, and then have to renew annually with medicals after that, and I think annual driving tests as well from age 85.

[PssMarie-Elisabeth]

Originally Posted by GillW

The Queen travels in a motorcade, with outriders ahead and behind. Police are stationed all along the proposed route and modern communication means that changes to the plan can be quickly made at any time in the event of any untoward incident. Traffic at road junctions is held back as her car approaches and does not flow again until she has passed.

HM does not necessarily go to Windsor every weekend - the Castle is open to the public at weekends and I'm sure she doesn't need people trampling around the palace while she is there. Where she spends any particular weekend depends upon her diary .....

It is true that some parts of Windsor are very much open to the public but there are some areas which are still restricted - which I would really want to see ! * sighs * ... one can't blame them though.

[Thena]

Speaking of the Queen avoiding the public at Windsor, I found this video of the Changing of the Guard at Windsor Castle. The cameraman managed to catch the Queen watching from one of the windows and the Duchess of Cornwall coming outside to watch as well.

YouTube - The Queen and Duchess of Cornwall watching changing of the guard at Windsor

[wbenson]

I'm the cameraman.

[Lumutqueen]

You mean your the cameraman behind the video, wbenson?

[NoorMeansLight]

Originally Posted by wbenson

I'm the cameraman.

Congratulations then! What an eye! And many thanks for providing this video!!!

[wartenberg7]

Godd job! Just imagine being a tourist there and suddenly discover the Queen standing at a window...! It´s nice to see the Royals still take notice of the guard as this must be the average daily schedule for them.

[Thena]

Originally Posted by wbenson

I'm the cameraman.

Cool! I think it would have been exciting to spot the Queen watching the Changing of the Guard from the windows. Thank you for sharing it, because I've enjoyed watching that video many times.

[Mark O]

A couple of months ago I was in Windsor on a friday afternoon and the Queen and Prince Philip arrived by claret coloured helicopter, purely out of curiosity would this helicopter have EIIR painted on it and where is it normally stationed in England?

[Diarist]

Originally Posted by Mark O

A couple of months ago I was in Windsor on a friday afternoon and the Queen and Prince Philip arrived by claret coloured helicopter, purely out of curiosity would this helicopter have EIIR painted on it and where is it normally stationed in England?

Yes, this was probably the Royal Household's Sikorsky S-76 C+ helicopter. It is stationed at Blackbushe Aerodrome near the Berkshire/Surrey/Hampshire border and is about 5 or 10 minutes' flying time from Windsor.

By way of background information, there is in fact no 'Queen's Flight' any more: the planes in which the Royal Family fly are from No. 32 (The Royal) Squadron, based at RAF Northolt, Middlesex, [just outside London] an airport which has a dual role, since, as well as being an Services field, is also a well-known airport for civilian private planes. [You'd most likely land here if you had your own private plane - think Ivana Trump has landed at RAF Northolt in the past].

The Role of No. 32 (The Royal) Squadron is actualy to provide air support in operational theatres for the Ministry of Defence. Any spare capacity on the aircraft is then offered to the Royal Family, the Prime Minister and senior Ministers.

The cost of royal flying does not come out of the Civil List [or the equivalent payments that the Queen now makes to members of her family] but is provided separately out of public funds - the grant in aid. As taxpayers fund this, it has led to controversies at times: most notably the references to 'Air Miles Andy' by a British Public who resent their taxes fuding what they feel is non-essential travel by the DofY [e.g. to visit golf courses etc].

Just one more thing - I have read through the early part of the thread about the Queen's driving licence. To supplement what people have said: yes, the Queen does have a licence, which I expect she first obtained during the war. My father is exactly the same age as the Queen and took out a licence at the same time - the difference then was that NO ONE had to take a driving test because of wartime conditions:driving licences were not suspended - to drive you still needed a licence but did not have to take a test - you just applied for your licence and that was that.

Hope some of this helps

Alex

[Renata4711]

RAF Northolt's Wikipedia page:

RAF Northolt - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

And Facebook:

RAF Northolt - Airport - Info | Facebook