The Queen Tweets

For some reason, it's a big deal.  One hundred and thirteen characters and not a hashtag in sight.  Still, it's one of the most talked about messages of the year.  The Queen has tweeted.

The Queen Tweets

The Science Museum, London. 2014

For an 88 year old who was born before television was invented, Elizabeth II certainly knows how to steal a march on her technological rivals. She sent one of the first emails back in 1976 and in the summer she all but broke Twitter by photobombing a selfie being taken by two athletes at the Commonwealth Games.  Today she sent her first tweet, via the British Monarchy Twitter account, and in the first three hours it was re-tweeted 14,000 times and favourited 12,000 times.  That's pulling power.

It is a pleasure to open the Information Age exhibition today at the @ScienceMuseum and I hope people will enjoy visiting. Elizabeth R.
— BritishMonarchy (@BritishMonarchy) October 24, 2014

The Queen was opening the Information Age gallery at the Science Museum in London - it is the first permanent exhibition in the UK about the history of information and communications technology.  The historic tweet was sent in front of hundreds of people at the museum for the opening and followed up by photos with the hashtag #TheQueenTweets.

#TheQueenTweets pic.twitter.com/jz69LOlGcD
— BritishMonarchy (@BritishMonarchy) October 24, 2014

The Queen also spent time at the exhibition hearing about more old fashioned methods of communication - everything from the telephone to email is covered in the gallery. But October 25th 2014 will be remembered for one thing in royal circles.  It was the day the Queen tweeted.  It really does matter.