The Queen asked for a bird’s-eye view of Buckingham Palace as she looked across London’s skyline from the top of The Shard.
She went up western Europe’s tallest building, standing at 1,016ft (310m) high, with the Duke of Edinburgh during a visit to the London borough of Southwark yesterday.
The Queen peered through an interactive telescope on the landmark’s 69th floor, before braving the cold weather on the 800ft (244m) open-air viewing gallery.
The Queen remarked that St Paul’s Cathedral looked “quite small” as she walked around the 360-degree gallery, known as The View. “It’s interesting, the different views and how people can see their houses,” she said.
The Queen was introduced to Mark Layden, 24, a member of The Shard’s apprenticeship scheme, who showed the monarch how to use a digital telescope, which can identify landmarks across the capital.
Speaking after the royal visit, Mr Layden said: “I was stood by the telescope and she asked, ‘are you going to show me Buckingham Palace?’
“She liked how much you can zoom in. She seemed quite interested in a plane flying past on its way to City airport as well.”
