Queen Elizabeth II Laughs Off Phone Ringing During Hospice Visit

The Queen, accompanied by her daughter Princess Anne, made a surprise visit to the Thames Hospice in Maidenhead on Friday to officially open its new building.

Despite the soaring temperatures in the UK, the monarch appeared with a lively spirit when she arrived at the opening ceremony just before midday.

To beat the heat, the Queen chose to forgo her usual trademark coloured coat and hat, opting instead for a simple floral print dress and black accessories, including her trusted black patent leather handbag.

The monarch also wore a diamond aquamarine brooch, which has belonged to her mother, and a three-strand heirloom pearl necklace.

Meanwhile, Anne, 71, looked as elegant as ever in a striped yellow dress.

During the tour, the Queen and Princess Anne met with staff and volunteers, and in one particularly poignant moment, the monarch was introduced to one hospice patient.

Just as the Queen was introduced to Graham White and his wife, Pat, who has stage four cancer and is receiving respite care at the centre in Maidenhead, his phone rang and he reached into his pocket to turn it off.

The Queen quipped, “Typical.

A phone goes off immediately.”

Mr White said sheepishly that it was his son ringing.

Mrs White sat as she chatted to the Queen and afterwards the 63-year-old described the encounter as very emotional, adding, “This is a memory I will treasure.”

She joked about the husband’s phone ringing, saying, “Oh, I could have killed him.

People think the Queen is all stiff upper lip, but she has a sense of humour.”

Before the Queen left the hospice, she officially unveiled the plaque with her daughter Anne at her side and signed the visitor’s book.

After that, Anne stayed to visit more hospice patients in the 20-bed inpatient department.

The hospice, which has been running for more than 30 years, provides nursing, medical and therapeutic care to support the physical, social and emotional needs of patients and their loved ones.

Their services are free of charge, relying on generous donations as well as the time and effort of 700 volunteers.

Since its founding, the hospice has been providing palliative and end-of-life care and support to people across East Berkshire and South Buckinghamshire, and the new 22 million, larger state-of-the-art facility means the centre can care for twice as many patients.

The former Windsor site of Thames Hospice was opened by the Queen in 1987 and past visitors have included Diana, Princess of Wales, and Sophie, Countess of Wessex.

Debbie Raven, the hospice’s chief executive, said, “To know the Royal Family, and especially the Queen, are interested and are looking out for us means so much, not just to us, but to our patients.”

Sarah Williams-Kelley, a former nurse who is now a volunteer at the hospice, chatted to the Queen and said afterwards, “She saw how lovely the building is and asked me about my role looking after patients and relatives.”

The visit comes as the United Kingdom is experiencing a historic heatwave with the Met Office, Britain’s national meteorological service, issuing extreme heat weather warnings across the country as temperatures are forecast to reach up to 104 degrees Fahrenheit in parts of next week.

The hospice, which has welcomed members of the royal family for decades, provides palliative and end-of-life care to people aged 16 years and over across the East Berkshire and South Buckinghamshire.

The new building features an open-plan reception with an airy atrium, a cafe and a shop.