SUPPORT OUR JOURNALISM: Please consider donating to keep our website running and free for all - thank you!

Queen Elizabeth II

The Queen shows her playful side as she squeezes a fireman’s horn

The Queen showed her playful side on Monday morning during a visit to HMS Sutherland as she couldn’t resist squeezing a fireman’s horn.

Her Majesty met the crew of a Wildcat Helicopter who recently returned from the Caribbean after dealing with the aftermath of Hurricane Irma.

Some of the crew members wore old-fashioned horns on their uniforms. The 91-year-old Monarch squeezed one of the horns to examine the noise it makes.

Chief Petty Officer Peter Manning laughed as the Monarch pressed the horn.

He said: “The Queen asked what it was for and I told her they sound it in distress. If they get into a distress situation during firefighting – it could be dark with smoke – it lets others know they need help.”

The Queen with chefs and stewards following a lunch on board HMS Sutherland (Photo: @RoyalFamily)

After meeting some of the Royal Navy’s crew, The Queen sat down for lunch on the warship; tucking into a starter of salmon followed by Balmoral chicken.

Her Majesty also posed for a picture with the ship’s crew before the sailors gave three resounding cheers for The Queen as she left the dockyard.

Lieutenant Oliver Brooksbank, the pilot of the Wildcat helicopter who was deployed to deal with the aftermath of Hurricane Irma, said: “This has been a real privilege.”

He added: “We train again and again for war fighting and dropping missiles and torpedoes on the enemy, and every so often you get an opportunity to do something which is tangible and for the good of the people you’re directly helping.

“And to see that effort and to see lives change directly as a consequence of your part, no matter how minor, is really satisfying for us.”

1 Comment

Comments are closed.