Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Phillip, Duke of Edinburgh

Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and her husband, Prince Phillip, Duke of Edinburgh, visited Gloucester Docks and Gloucestershire College. Gloucester, UK, 23/10/2009.

October 23, 2009 Gloucester Docks, Gloucestershire, England, UK – Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and her husband, Prince Phillip, Duke of Edinburgh, took a quick tour of the Gloucester Docks today aboard two Naval Training Vessels.

The Queen and Prince arrived by helicopter to the Docks area, then each boarded one of the Naval Training Vessels. They sailed up river to the Docks area via Llanthony Bridge.
The Queen was dressed in a vivid blue outfit with matching hat.

Gloucester has been putting effort and money lately into restoring the Docks area, which had become rather run-down in the past decade or two. Recent restoration includes renovating old warehouses and other buildings into apartments, business centers and restaurant space. The new Mall is located right next to the Docks, and should provide a steady stream of visitors to the area.

The Royal couple observed the refurbished buildings along the dockside, along with a continuous and loud performance by a rebuilt steam-driven dredger which was anchored in the docks, rarely used anymore; it added a noisy and clanking distraction which unfortunately drowned out the cheers and shouts of the hundreds of enthusiastic children and adults. After a short cruise up the length of the Docks and back, the Royal Couple, accompanied by local dignitaries and naval personnel, sailed back down the river and disembarked some distance down river and attended a lunch provided by Gloucester City College staff.