These brilliant photographs capture the moment The Queen took a ride on Liverpool's Yellow Duckmarine during her Diamond Jubilee tour.
Taken a decade ago, Her Majesty, accompanied by the Duke of Edinburgh, visited the city back in 2012 and took a trip around Albert Dock for a half-hour ride to see the crowds before splashdown in the world heritage site.
Her Majesty died peacefully at Balmoral on Thursday, September 8, 2022, making her Britain's longest serving monarch. Buckingham Palace said in a statement: "The Queen died peacefully at Balmoral this afternoon. The King and The Queen Consort will remain at Balmoral this evening and will return to London tomorrow. "
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Queen Elizabeth has reigned as monarch for 70 years and ascended to the throne after her father, King George VI died in 1952. During her lifetime, Her Majesty made numerous visits to Merseyside.
In tribute, we take a look back at the time The Queen took to the waters of the Albert Dock in one of Liverpool’s famous Yellow Duckmarines. With the late Prince Philip, Her Majesty embarked on the famous craft before taking lunch in the Maritime museum.
A the time, thousands gathered at the dock to cheer the Queen on her Diamond Jubilee tour of Merseyside. The Queen looked apprehensive as the customised boat, originally designed in the 1940s to take troops from ship to shore during World War II, made its 'splashdown' in the world heritage site waters.
The royal party lunch menu at the museum included Goosnargh chicken and Anglesey-caught mackerel. The Queen and Prince Philip officially opened the Orford Jubilee Park in Warrington earlier in the day.
They toured the new £30m complex and the Duke buried a time capsule with local schoolchildren. And the Royal couple also visited Chester Zoo in the morning.
A week prior, the Liverpool ECHO reported the excitement surrounding the visit. At the time, Jerry Goldman, managing director of the Yellow Duckmarine, liaised with the Merseyside Lord Lieutenant’s office to finalise the details for the VIP passengers.
He told the ECHO: "There is no better way for the Queen to see Liverpool than from a Yellow Duckmarine. The Queen will be doing a short tour round the dock and the crowds will have a great opportunity to see her. We’ve already decided who the driver will be and picked a crew member to provide the live commentary.
"Normally these will lead the tourists in a rendition of the Beatles’ Yellow Submarine, but I’m not sure we’ll be doing that with the Queen." The Lord Mayor of Liverpool, Councillor Frank Prendergast, also encouraged Liverpudlians to give The Royals "a really warm welcome to our city."
At the time, The Lord Mayor of Liverpool, Councillor Frank Prendergast said: "It is a real honour and pleasure to have Her Majesty the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh visiting Liverpool in her Diamond Jubilee year.
"This is a really great opportunity for the people of the city to come out and pay tribute to Her Majesty and His Royal Highness for six decades of sterling service representing the UK at home and abroad. "I really hope that young and old find some time in their day to come out to give them a really warm welcome to our city."
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Following the sad news of the Queen's death on Thursday, a predesigned plan known as Operation London Bridge has now been put into place.
This sets out exactly what will happen in the coming days ahead of Her Majesty's funeral - and during the official mourning period. The day of the Queen's death is referred to as D-Day, with the coming days to be referred to as D-Day plus the number of days that have passed since her death.
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