London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Tuesday, Oct 06, 2026

Queen visits Coronation Street set to mark 60 years of soap

Queen visits Coronation Street set to mark 60 years of soap

The Queen has visited the set of Coronation Street to help celebrate the soap's diamond jubilee.

Her Majesty was given a tour of the ITV drama's studios in Trafford, Greater Manchester, including a stop off at the Rovers Return pub.

The monarch, who celebrated 60 years on the throne in 2012, also walked down Weatherfield's famous cobbled streets, meeting cast and crew members.

Her trip also saw her meet community groups at Manchester Cathedral.

The Queen previously visited Coronation Street in 1982 at its original studios in Manchester before the soap moved to Trafford in 2013.

Her Majesty was welcomed to the studios with flags and a red carpet
The Queen met long-running cast members on the set of the street
On a 40-minute tour of the set and studios, the Queen met a host of cast and crew of the show, walking beside the cobbled street before popping into the studio where the interior of the Rovers Return is filmed.

Bill Roache, who plays Ken Barlow, Barbara Knox who is cast as Rita, Sue Nicholls who plays Audrey and Helen Worth, known to millions of soap fans as Gail, greeted the monarch with bows and curtsies outside the famous pub.

Roache told the Queen he first saw her when she visited Jamaica in 1953, when he was serving as an officer with the Royal Welch Fusiliers.

The Queen, who asked how they had managed to keep filming during the pandemic, replied: "It's really marvellous you've been able to carry on."

Roache replied to laughter: "Well, ma'am, you're the one who has carried on."

The cobbles were covered with a red carpet for the royal visit
The Queen also popped into the Rovers Return

During the visit, the Queen was told the set's cobbles were the original ones taken from the old Granada street set in Manchester, before it moved three miles down the road to the new ITV Studios in 2013.

Kate Spencer, who plays Grace Vickers, warned Her Majesty: "Hard to walk on, as well, in heels."

To laughter, the Queen looked down at her shoes and replied: "No, I know. I've been told. Probably better not."

During the later visit to the city's cathedral, the Queen was treated to a medley of Queen's hits performed by the Manchester Lesbian and Gay Chorus as she met a variety of community groups.

The head of state's visit marked the 600th anniversary of the Collegiate Church of Manchester, which became a cathedral in 1847.

The Queen met community groups at Manchester Cathedral

Her Majesty was told about how groups have supported the local community during the pandemic

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Sarah Wakfer Appointed Chair of Northern Ireland’s Health and Care Regulator
Scotland Housing Completions Fall to 11-Year Low Amid National Shortage
UK Water Companies Face Tougher Oversight and Unannounced Regulatory Inspections
Middle East Conflict Pushes UK Fuel and Wholesale Energy Prices Higher
Andy Burnham Raises Prospect of Second Brexit Referendum in Review of UK-EU Relations
EY Warns UK Fiscal Headroom Has Halved to £11 Billion Ahead of Autumn Budget
BT Accused of Pressuring Vulnerable Customers During Digital Landline Shift
British Carmakers Warn of Growing Pressure From EU-China Tariff Dispute
Green Party of England and Wales Adopts Motion Defining Zionism as Racism
Medical Charity Threatens NHS Legal Action Over Two-Year Autism and ADHD Assessment Waits
British Transport Police Report Record Rise in Violence on Railways
Glasgow Council Workers Face Pay Cuts Under Fire-and-Rehire Plan
British Medical Groups Press Prime Minister Andy Burnham to Cancel £330 Million Palantir NHS Contract
UK Faces Record Bluetongue Outbreak Across Livestock Farms
UK Schools Report Thousands of Child-on-Child Sexual Offences
High Court Overturns Ban Blocking Gaza Families From Reuniting With Relatives in UK
G7 Authorizes Emergency Fuel Release as UK Diesel Prices Hit £2 a Litre
France and Italy Draw 1-1 in Nations League Match
Pope Leo XIV and Prince Albert II of Monaco Meet in Metz
SNCF Expands Low-Cost Ouigo High-Speed Service Between Lyon and Bordeaux
Paris Expands Dedicated Cargo Bike Routes for Urban Deliveries
French Film Industry Pushes for Tighter Streaming Investment Rules
Marseille Court Hands Down Prison Terms in Public Procurement Corruption Case
LVMH and Kering Rely on US Demand as Chinese Luxury Spending Slows
Toulouse Aerospace Sector Launches €80 Million Modernization Fund
Javier Milei Courts French Investment in LNG and Lithium
Mistral AI Launches Sovereign Model for European Public Services
French Competition Authority Fines Retailers €40 Million Over Misleading Promotions
France Records Exceptional Electricity Exports as Nuclear Output Recovers
Dassault Aviation Expands Rafale Assembly Capacity at Mérignac
Sanofi Invests €1 Billion in New Biologics Production Hub Near Lyon
France Protests Germany’s Extension of Border Controls Into 2027
French Public-Sector and Transport Unions Threaten National Strike
France Deploys Riot Police After Violence in Lyon Suburbs
French Anti-Terrorism Prosecutors Investigate Radicalized Flydubai Co-Pilot
France’s Defense Budget Surpasses NATO’s 2% of GDP Target
French Government Faces No-Confidence Threat Over Budget
France and G7 Release 100 Million Barrels From Strategic Oil Reserves
France Convenes Emergency Defense Council Over Threats to Commercial Shipping
France and Germany Coordinate Military Response After Russian Strikes on Kyiv Infrastructure
UK Police Release Six Iranian Nationals on Bail After RAF Fairford Security Alert
UK Business Confidence Falls as Energy Costs and Tax Uncertainty Rise
Cornwall Insight Warns UK Energy Bills Could Rise 16% in January
UK Introduces Zero VAT on Household Electricity Bills
UK 30-Year Gilt Yield Hits 6% as Bond Market Pressures Intensify
UK Introduces Stricter Subcontractor Checks and Expanded Trade Union Access
Green Party Proposes Three-Year Emergency Freeze on Private Rent Increases
UK Treasury Committee Seeks Tax Clarification Over Manchester City Investigation
Royal Marines Deploy to Faroe Islands for Northern European Security Exercise
UK Business Confidence Weakens as High Costs Delay Investment
×