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Liverpool Echo
Liverpool Echo
National
Gary Porter & Dan Haygarth

Queen's trip to Cheshire Oaks when Rolls Royce got stuck in McDonald's drive-thru

During her 70 years on the throne, Queen Elizabeth II made many visits to our region.

A number of these visits saw her open new buildings and facilities. In 2002 - her Golden Jubilee year - she opened the new terminal building at Liverpool John Lennon Airport alongside Yoko Ono.

More recently, 2018 saw the Queen and Meghan Markle travel by Royal Train to Runcorn in order to unveil a plaque marking the opening of the Mersey Gateway Bridge. One such visit to the region saw a slight hiccup involving the late monarch's car.

READ MORE: Mourners travel for Queen's funeral in London to be part of 'moment in history'

The Queen travelled to Ellesmere Port in July 1998 to open Cheshire Oaks Designer Outlet. During her appearance she paid a visit to the outlet's McDonald's fast-food restaurant, but not all went according to plan, reports CheshireLive.

Looking back on the trip, the Express previously reported: "The outing did not go to plan as the monarch’s Rolls-Royce got stuck in the drive-thru of the fast-food joint. The 18-foot royal vehicle was forced to reverse after it was too large to negotiate the narrow lane leading up to the food window where customers collect their orders.

The Queen officially opening Cheshire Oaks Designer Outlet in 1998 (Chester Chronicle)

"The chauffeur “struggled” to manoeuvre the car and the royal standard had to be removed from the roof of the Rolls so it could pass under a height restriction barrier." Although Her Majesty did not go inside the restaurant or order any food, she did spend time chatting to staff.

One local grandmother, Gwynneth Lewis, was quoted at the time as saying: "I suppose the Queen would like to know what her grandchildren get up to and I'm sure they like to eat hamburgers. I think it is a good thing that she is visiting places where normal people go, she needs to see the other side of life.”

You can light a candle for Queen Elizabeth II here or leave a tribute to her here .

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