4 days ago
Watch: Queen shakes hands with a hedge
The Queen gamely shook hands with someone dressed up as a hedge while attending a Big Lunch event celebrating biodiversity.
Her Majesty, draped in a long coat, enjoyed a cup of tea and joked about stepping into a 'hurricane' as the sky clouded amid chilly gusts of wind.
The event, her first Big Lunch since becoming Queen, was held at the new Eden Dock in Canary Wharf, a 'vibrant, biodiverse space' created by the Eden Project in collaboration with the Canary Wharf Group (CWG).
As the Queen made her way toward guests enjoying afternoon tea on decorated outdoor tables, she was introduced to two 'moss people', who represented sculptures installed at the site to increase biodiversity.
'Hello, can I shake your hand?' she said, seemingly unfazed, before peering closer and asking: 'Can you see out of them?'
The two figures, covered head to toe in leaves, shook their heads, prompting the Queen to chuckle.
Sir Nigel Wilson, chairman of CWG, told the Queen he had recently visited the National Gallery, where the coronation state portraits were unveiled.
'I saw your portrait the other day,' he said. 'It is fantastic, much better than Charles's.'
The Queen gave an awkward laugh before being greeted by Angela Rippon, charity ambassador for the Big Lunch, and listening to the London Docklands Singers perform America from West Side Story.
She admired a huge cake adorned with vibrant summer flowers, which was made using food that would otherwise have been wasted, and dehydrated flowers from the Eden Project's gardens in Cornwall.
As the Queen chatted to local residents, the wind picked up and the grey clouds threatened rain.
'I've come into a hurricane,' she joked, before pointing to someone's coat and saying: 'That's very sensible, I would like to borrow your jacket.'
When an aide asked if she wanted a drink, the Queen replied: 'Oh, I would love a cup of tea.'
'One of my favourite places in the world'
'It is jolly cold,' she said, before admiring another show-stopping cake, this one featuring depictions of dishes created by the finalists in The Big Lunch Recipe Search.
It included chilli bites, a strawberry and vanilla cheesecake, wild garlic pin wheels and butternut squash empanadas.
Camilla, patron of The Big Lunch, a charity initiative formed in 2009, announced that Melanie Brooke, an SEN teacher from Westbury, Wiltshire, was the overall winner, prompting the former chef to break down in tears.
Earlier, the Queen revealed that she and the King were hoping to become joint patrons of the Garden Museum, which she said was 'one of my favourite places in the world'.
A keen gardener, the Queen was visiting the Lambeth museum's British Flowers Week exhibition, featuring immersive floral installations celebrating local, seasonal flowers.
Her Majesty admired a photograph of Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother, taken by Cecil Beaton in 1939. 'I always think this one is so lovely, in her white dress,' she said.
While viewing photographs and sketches of Mr Beaton's set designs for the film My Fair Lady, she added: 'It's just wonderful, you just can't beat that set. I've watched the film time and time again.'
In the museum's Clore Learning Space, Camilla joined pupils from Evelyn Grace Academy and Platanos College, who were learning about the biology of the tea plant and making herbal tea bags.
Asked what flavour tea she liked, the Queen replied: 'I like mint and a bit of lemon, it helps your digestion.' She was then invited to make her own mint tea bag, saying that she would sample it tonight.
