Elizabeth Windsor met Barbara Windsor today, as the monarch paid a visit to the set of the BBC soap opera EastEnders at Elstree, in Hertfordshire. Accompanied by her husband Prince Philip, the 75-year-old was given a tour of Albert Square by her namesake, the actress who plays indomitable matriarch Peggy Mitchell.
First port of call for the monarch was the Queen Vic pub, where Barbara has spent a lot of time behind the bar – as Peggy, of course. She was also expected to meet up with actress June Brown, who plays long-suffering, ciggy-puffing pensioner Dot Cotton, plus Toddy Carty and James Alexandrou, also known as the Fowler brothers.
Barbara’s co-star, Wendy Richard, who, as moaning Minnie Pauline Fowler, has been in the show since its inception on February 19, 1985, was chosen to give the Duke of Edinburgh a tour round the studios. There had been reports of a spat between the two actresses as to who would accompany the party round the set, but both blondes seemed to be all smiles this morning.
After being shown round one of the houses, the Duke was taken on to Mitchell’s Autos, the garage under the arches owned by the Square’s hardman, Phil Mitchell. There he met Steve McFadden, who plays Phil, Ricky Groves, who plays Garry Hobbs and Jack Ryder, better known as Jamie Mitchell and the boyfriend of HearSay’s Kym.
The royal couple were due to see a rehearsal of the soap opera, which is the most popular programme in Britain at the moment, before moving on to BBC television centre, where one of the presenters of seminal children’s TV show Blue Peter was due to present the monarch with a gold Blue Peter badge, the show’s highest accolade.
The Queen was taking part in a day of royal visits to broadcasting organisations, including news channels ITN and CNN, and the popular classical music station, Classic FM. Philip has a date with the famed BBC World Service, where he is to pay special attention to the Persian and Pashto sections. In the evening, there is a reception at Buckingham Palace for people working in the broadcasting industry, including backroom production staff, presenters and reporters.
Photo: © Alphapress.com
Photo: © Alphapress.com
