Queen Camilla leaves commuters speechless as she boards train to London | Royal | News
The Queen left passengers speechless this morning when she boarded the 9.28am service from Chippenham in Wiltshire to Paddington in London. Camilla, 78, traveled on the busy train as part of the ‘From Poppies to Paddington’ initiative to mark Armistice Day, where she laid a wreath on Platform 1.
Poppies started in Paddington during the Covid lockdown in November 2020 as a way to mark the country’s annual commemorations of the war dead. Departing at dawn, more than 250 wreaths are carried on 10 Great Western Railway services on its network by veterans, railway staff, passengers and schoolchildren, including pupils from a primary school in Chippenham who crocheted 60 poppies for a special wreath.
The journey culminates in a vibrant Armistice Day ceremony at Paddington Station, where wreaths form the centerpiece of a tribute to those who have served and sacrificed, both past and present.
He met local community members and GWR executives with their wreaths at Platform 2 at Chippenham, the closest station to Ray Mill, the Queen’s private home in Wiltshire.
She was also given a wreath made of crocheted poppies by children from Monckton Primary School to take to London. The young people told her they spent six weeks making it, many of whom had never crocheted before.
Wearing a dark green dress and black cape, Camilla was complimented for wearing the ‘colours of GWR’. “Of course,” he laughed.
“Did you knit this?” he asked. “Crocheting? That’s impressive. I’ve never been very good at it. Or knitting. Are we taking this to London for you?”
Camilla told the students that the poppy flower she wore on her dress was knitted from wool from the King’s sheep at Sandringham.
Noticing that her train was approaching the platform, the Queen said, “Oh, good, she came just in time,” and boarded the train with her security team.
The train has been named ‘Odette Hallowes GC MBE’ in memory of the Second World War hero, who was a member of Britain’s Special Operations Executive in France and the first woman to be awarded the George Cross for bravery.
Codenamed ‘Lise’, Miss Hallowes was eventually captured by the Germans and imprisoned in Ravensbrück Concentration Camp in horrific conditions. He survived and died in England at the age of 82, after a truly remarkable life.
En route the train stopped at Swindon Station and local dignitaries brought several more wreaths to be taken back to London.
After docking at Paddington Station at 10.44am, the Queen walked towards the permanent war memorial on Platform 1 for her moving ceremony.
At 11:00 on the 11th day of the 11th month, the Call to Remembrance will be read and the Last Message will be played, followed by the traditional two-minute silence.
Following the Reveille, the Military Wives Choir will perform ‘Poppy Red’ before Her Majesty lays a wreath in front of the monument.
The Queen will also meet artists, the railway chaplain and a small group of reservists and veterans from recent conflicts working in the railway industry.
Before leaving, the royal will also see a special uniformed train on Platform 1 bearing the names of all 2,545 men who worked for the GWR and died during the Great War, as well as meeting some surviving family members.
The train is named after Allan Leonard Lewis VC and Harold Day DSC.
