29 MAY 2003
The Queen has agreed to make a royal visit to a strange and colourful land in a bid to boost British tourism. And her latest trip will afford her the opportunity to see Buckingham Palace and a host of other London landmarks from a very different perspective.

Because next month Her Majesty will make her first ever visit to Legoland. Despite the fact that it is located near her country home at Windsor, the Queen has never been to the fantasy theme park before.

The visit comes as part of a combined effort to boost British Tourism Day on June 10. Eight members of the Royal Family will fan out across Britain in an effort to promote the tourist industry, which has suffered badly in the wake of September 11, the war in Iraq and the SARS virus.

While the Queen is perusing the miniature versions of St Paul's Cathedral and Big Ben, Prince Charles will visit the Royal Mile in Edinburgh and the Princess Royal will be making some furry friends at Sussex Zoo. The Countess of Wessex is meanwhile to be entertained at an open air theatre in Cornwall, while the Duke of York is set to enjoy a beer at a pub in Ambleside in the Lake District.