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7 March 2019, 14:52
The Queen took to the Royal Family Instagram account to pen a message about her visit to the Science Museum
Queen Elizabeth II posted her first ever Instagram today after discovering a letter written by computing pioneer Charles Babbage to her great-great-grandfather Prince Albert during a visit to the Science Museum.
She was there to unveil its summer exhibition - 'Top Secret' - and was met by a huge crowd of excited children as she arrived at the museum in London's South Kensington this morning.
The Queen shared her first ever Instagram while on the visit using an iPad, and signed the post off with 'Elizabeth R'.
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Sharing two photographs of the letter, she wrote: "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."
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