It is well known that Queen Elizabeth II was a passionate supporter of the arts.
This was made clear during her most recent Platinum Jubilee, held in June to commemorate her historic 70-year reign. At the occasion, popular Broadway and West End productions including “The Phantom of the Opera,” “Hamilton,” and “The Lion King” were performed.
One of her most enduring memories is the publicity stunt in 2009 in which she and her husband of more than seven decades, Prince Philip, were seen seeing the Tony Award-winning play “War Horse” on a private trip at the New London Theatre (now the Gillian Lynne Theatre).
The play “War Horse” was created by Nick Stafford based on the Michael Morpurgo novel of the same name.
Numerous sources claim that the royal couple were seated shortly after the lights went down without any escort or security detail in sight.
A small number of spectators at the West End performance of War Horse saw the queen assuming her husband’s position in the centre of the circle while wearing a dark green dress.
The crowd didn’t realise the royal couple was sat next to them until the lights were turned back on after the performance, at which point they gave them a round of applause.
It seems that this was a recurring occurrence. The two were used to making a number of covert outings to the theatre.
One Man, Two Guvnors (2012), Billy Elliot (2006), Crazy for You (1993), and My Fair Lady in the West End were some of their exclusive excursions.
According to reports, the Queen was a huge fan of musicals, especially “Oklahoma!
“, as well as “Annie Get Your Gun.”
The Queen visited the Young Vic, the Almeida, the National Theatre, and the Lyceum Theatre as part of a one-time tour of London theatres in 1999, according to London’s What’s On Stage.
From 1974 through 2019, the Queen oversaw the National Theatre’s expansion and performances as its patron. Over the years, she also developed a passion for the Royal Shakespeare Company.
On Thursday, September 8, the longest-reigning queen of Britain passed away in her Scottish palace, Balmoral.
On September 19, Queen Elizabeth will be buried beside Prince Philip in St. George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle.