Queen Elizabeth posts on Instagram for the first time

Queen Elizabeth II — at 92 — shared her first ever Instagram post Thursday while visiting London's Science Museum.

For her introductory post, she shared a letter from the Royal Archives that was sent by mathematician and computer pioneer Charles Babbage to Queen Victoria's husband and Queen Elizabeth's great-great-grandfather, Prince Albert.

"Today, as I visit the Science Museum I was interested to discover a letter from the Royal Archives, written in 1843 to my great-great-grandfather Prince Albert," she wrote in her post on the official @TheRoyalFamily account. In the letter, Babbage told Queen Victoria and Prince Albert about his invention, the "Analytical Engine" — one of his greatest achievements.

"Today, I had the pleasure of learning about children's computer coding initiatives and it seems fitting to me that I publish this Instagram post, at the Science Museum which has long championed technology, innovation and inspired the next generation of inventors," she wrote.

She signed the post "Elizabeth R."

View this post on Instagram

Today, as I visit the Science Museum I was interested to discover a letter from the Royal Archives, written in 1843 to my great-great-grandfather Prince Albert.  Charles Babbage, credited as the world’s first computer pioneer, designed the “Difference Engine”, of which Prince Albert had the opportunity to see a prototype in July 1843.  In the letter, Babbage told Queen Victoria and Prince Albert about his invention the “Analytical Engine” upon which the first computer programmes were created by Ada Lovelace, a daughter of Lord Byron.  Today, I had the pleasure of learning about children’s computer coding initiatives and it seems fitting to me that I publish this Instagram post, at the Science Museum which has long championed technology, innovation and inspired the next generation of inventors. Elizabeth R. PHOTOS: Supplied by the Royal Archives © Royal Collection Trust / Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2019

A post shared by The Royal Family (@theroyalfamily) on

The moment she posted was captured on video:

The Queen visited the Science Museum to announce its upcoming summer exhibition, "Top Secret: From Ciphers to Cyber Security," and unveil a new space for supporters.

"We are honoured that while opening The Smith Centre at the Science Museum Your Majesty shared a post on Instagram for the first time," the Science Museum wrote on her post. "We're thrilled that the image is of correspondence from the Royal Archive between Charles Babbage and Your Majesty's great-great-grandfather Prince Albert about the Difference Engine No.1 on display in our Making the Modern World gallery."

Fittingly, the Queen's very first tweet was also sent during a visit to the Science Museum, back in 2014. She included the signature "Elizabeth R." in the tweet as well.

f

We and our partners use cookies to understand how you use our site, improve your experience and serve you personalized content and advertising. Read about how we use cookies in our cookie policy and how you can control them by clicking Manage Settings. By continuing to use this site, you accept these cookies.