Queen Elizabeth Arrives at Paddington Station in Yellow Ensemble

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Queen Elizabeth II made a surprise appearance at an event honoring her.

Dressed in an all-yellow ensemble, the monarch arrived at Paddington Station today to mark the completion of the Elizabeth line, named after her. Her youngest son, Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex, accompanied her.

london, england may 17 queen elizabeth ii arrives to mark the completion of londons crossrail project at paddington station on may 17, 2022 in london, england photo by andrew matthews wpa poolgetty images

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The two were welcomed by the prime minister, the mayor of London, the secretary of state for transport, and the commissioner for Transport for London. There, they learned about the design of the new stations and trains, and met with staff who have been key to the Crossrail project, as well as with those who will be running the railway in person and behind the scenes.

britains queen elizabeth ii 2l and her son britains prince edward, earl of wessex r react during a visit to paddington station in london on may 17, 2022, to mark the completion of londons crossrail project, ahead of the opening of the new elizabeth line rail service next week photo by andrew matthews pool afp photo by andrew matthewspoolafp via getty images

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The queen also unveiled a plaque to mark the line’s official opening and purchased the first ticket using a commemorative Elizabeth line Oyster card. She and Edward were then invited to travel on board the train to Tottenham Court Road. Though the queen politely declined and left the concourse, Edward went ahead, becoming the first member of the royal family to travel on the new line.

queen elizabeth ii and the earl of wessex next to a ticket machine at paddington station in london during a visit to mark the completion of londons crossrail project picture date tuesday may 17, 2022 photo by ian westpa images via getty images

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The event comes ahead of the Elizabeth line opening its doors to passengers on May 24.

britains queen elizabeth ii unveils a plaque to mark the official opening of the elizabeth line rail service at paddington station in london on may 17, 2022 photo by andrew matthews pool afp photo by andrew matthewspoolafp via getty images

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Queen Elizabeth—whose attendance at the event was not guaranteed due to her "episodic mobility problems"—looked elegant in a yellow double-wool crepe coat and silk dress by Stewart Parvin. She accessorized with a matching Rachel Trevor Morgan hat adorned with blue flowers, white gloves, pearl earrings, a pearl necklace, and a 61-diamond, 18-carat gold Singapore filigree brooch.

london, england may 17 queen elizabeth ii attends the elizabeth lines official opening at paddington station on may 17, 2022 in london, england photo by andrew matthews wpa poolgetty images

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"Celebrating the opening of the Elizabeth Line! Named in honour of The Queen, today Her Majesty and The Earl of Wessex visited Paddington Station ahead of the new railway opening to passengers next week," The Royal Family Twitter wrote alongside a video of the queen at the line's opening ceremony.

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Rosa Sanchez is the senior news editor at Harper's Bazaar, working on news as it relates to entertainment, fashion, and culture. Previously, she was a news editor at ABC News and, prior to that, a managing editor of celebrity news at American Media. She has also written features for Rolling Stone, Teen Vogue, Forbes, and The Hollywood Reporter, among other outlets. 

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