Queen to visit Legoland

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[AbsolutelyWilliam] Queen to visit Legoland






THE Queen and Prince Philip are joining the fight to bring the tourists back - by spending a day at Legoland.

The royal pair will visit the Park on Tuesday, June 10, from 10am until 11am.

In order to give as many people as possible the chance to cheer them, Legoland will open at 8.30am, so that people can take up positions in designated viewing areas round the park.

Lego company chairman Kjeld Kirk Kristiansen will come over from Denmark to act as host. His co-host will be Mads Ryder, the park's new Danish managing director.

During their visit the Queen and Prince Philip will travel on the Hill Train and be shown round Miniland where they will see scenes from Scotland created out of Lego bricks, including the Highland Games and Edinburgh Castle.

They will see models of London including Piccadilly Circus, Horse Guards Parade, the London Eye and Buckingham Palace, as well as Lego versions of Leeds Castle and traditional village scenes.

Mr Kristiansen and Mr Ryder will also give the Queen a tour of the Denmark area, featuring Lego models of the traditional fishing village of Skagen.

After the tour the royal party will attend a reception in St Leonard's Mansion House in the park.

Sarah Osborne, visitor manager for Windsor, welcomed the Queen's visit to Legoland coming as it does so soon after Prince Charles hosted a lunch to promote tourism in the town.

She said: "It will definitely help and we are very grateful for the royal family's support. They have been doing things across the country to support tourism, not just in Windsor. They seem to have really taken it on board."

Mrs Osborne was keeping a discreet silence over the controversial suggestion by Windsor and Eton Society that tourists should be taxed.

She said: "I will be meeting members of Windsor and Eton Society in a few days to discuss their new document in greater detail." Patsy Bell, Windsor's town centre manager said: "I think that anything which draws attention to Windsor is excellent. It is very good for the town that the royal family is taking an interest in what's going on on their doorstep.

"They always have taken an interest but now it is becoming much more active."