The Queen saw all kinds of new technologies over the years, many of which have shaped the world we live in today.
From self-checkout systems in supermarkets to early email systems, he viewed innovations with an impressed and sometimes skeptical eye.
Her interest echoes that of the royals who came before her, such as her great-great-grandfather, Prince Albert.
Queen Victoria’s husband was interested in early computer technology, having observed a prototype of the “difference engine” proposed by computer scientist Charles Babbage.
Babbage later wrote to the prince personally to share more information about his pioneering work.
Continuing the tradition, Queen Elizabeth II was photographed researching new technologies during her reign.
June 4, 2020: The Queen joins her first lockdown video call
Sitting comfortably from the Oak Room at Windsor Castle, the Queen marked her first video call after the coronavirus locked down the country.
Queen Elizabeth called to speak with four carers about the difficulties they have faced during the pandemic. She was also joined by her daughter, Princess Anne, who patiently helped her get going on Webex video chat.
The Queen has moved on to adopting video calling technology, and in 2021, she held 118 of her 192 engagements virtually.
During the lockdown, the staff of the royal household were given the name ‘HMS Bubble’. And even after the lockdown was lifted, the Queen continued to use video calling technology to carry out some of her engagements.
May 22, 2019: The Queen uses a supermarket self-checkout machine
During a visit to mark the 150th anniversary of Sainsbury’s supermarket, Queen Elizabeth saw a self-checkout machine, possibly for the first time.
When inquiring about the device’s security measures, he was pleased to learn that it contained scales to prevent customers from running additional products through his scanners.
They also showed him a shopping app, which he called an “interesting tool.”
October 24, 2014: The Queen sends her first tweet from a tablet
In 2014, Queen Elizabeth II was photographed sending her first tweet from a tablet at the Science Museum in London.
He was there for the museum’s ‘Information Age’ exhibition, which celebrated the evolution of communication technology over the years.
October 2008: The Queen inspects Windsor Castle — from Google Maps
During a tour of Google’s UK headquarters, the Queen uploaded a video to YouTube and took home a plaque with part of the search engine’s code.
She and Prince Philip also had the chance to see familiar landmarks from the comfort of a computer screen. They were treated to a Google Maps tour that featured both Big Ben and Windsor Castle.
May 8, 2007: The Queen visits a NASA space flight center
Queen Elizabeth II became interested in technology used beyond our planet when she visited NASA’s Goddard Flight Center in Maryland, USA, in 2007.
During the trip, he saw a display system demonstration, toured the satellite construction facility and even had a video call with astronauts on the space station.
Oct 8, 2001: The Queen examines a flashing cane
In 2001, Queen Elizabeth II was photographed holding an electronic baton to commemorate the Commonwealth Games. The device’s blue light was designed to flash in rhythm with the holder’s heartbeat.
Like the Olympic torch, a ceremonial baton traditionally travels through numerous Commonwealth nations to commemorate the games held every four years.
This year’s iteration was more high-tech than ever, containing an imaging sensor, GPS, LED lights and a mechanized camera containing the Queen’s message to the Commonwealth.
November 2, 1977: The Queen inspects a Concorde aircraft
Queen Elizabeth II took a look inside the cockpit of a Concorde supersonic plane that she took in Bridgetown, Barbados, in 1977.
He flew home after a tour of the Commonwealth marking his Silver Jubilee.
March 26, 1976: The Queen sends an email very, very early
The Queen was sending email back in 1976, years before commercial firms like AOL started offering services for the average person.
The content of his message was highly technical, telling users of an early computer network called the ‘ARPANET’ that they could now use the ‘Coral 66’ language.
Although, as computer scientist Peter Kirstein told WIRED, he had set up the system so that all she had to do was “push a couple of buttons.”
In case you’re interested, the email read: “This message to all ARPANET users announces the availability on the ARPANET of the Coral 66 compiler provided by the GEC 4080 computer at Royal Signals and Radar Establishment, Malvern, England,” the email read. message. . ‘Coral 66 is the real-time high-level standard language adopted by the Ministry of Defence.’
December 12, 1967: The queen observes a telescope
The queen was photographed walking around the huge Isaac Newton telescope at the Royal Greenwich Observatory in Hertstmonceux, Sussex, in 1967.
She was there to inaugurate the telescope, which featured a 98-inch mirror donated by the US. The Isaac Newton would later be flown to La Palma in the Canary Islands, where it was fitted with an even larger mirror.
She recommissioned the historic 28-inch refracting telescope at the Observatory nearly a decade later.
Dec 5, 1958: The Queen makes a long distance ‘trunk’ call
In 1958, Queen Elizabeth II made a long distance call (also known as a ‘trunk’) to the Lord Provost of Edinburgh.
This was the first direct dial long distance call made in the UK, according to the Telephone Museum. It was made from the Central Telephone Exchange in Bristol.
You can see her looking at a screen about phone technology before making the call in the video above. She says: ‘This is the Queen speaking from Bristol. Good afternoon, my lord provost.
MORE: BBC One suspends regular programming following news of Queen under medical supervision
MORE: Queen ‘advised’ to rest by doctors and not meet Privy Council