When Queen Elizabeth II ascended to the throne in February 1952, the jet age had yet to begin (though it would within weeks of her becoming Elizabeth II). Third Class still existed on British Railways (it would be scrapped four years later). And the vast majority of her subjects in the UK could simply not contemplate the idea that they could travel abroad on holiday.
By the end of her reign, British citizens enjoyed extraordinary mobility – with her final act, of many, in launching transport innovations being the Elizabeth Line beneath London, which she opened in May 2022.
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Simon Calder's Independent Travel Podcast