Even at 94, Queen Elizabeth II still has her firsts.
The Queen recently took part in a video call to celebrate Commonwealth volunteers where she was treated to her very first virtual musical performance.
To celebrate her recent 73rd wedding anniversary with Prince Philip, 45 children of the Sistema Symphony Orchestra of Cyprus performed a previously unreleased piece called “Modus Cyrpius” to celebrate this milestone.
The Queen spoke with Nikoletta of Cyprus, whose initiative provides free music lessons and instruments to children from struggling communities 🇨🇾
🎻45 kids performed to celebrate the Queen’s recent wedding anniversary – The Queen’s very first virtual musical performance! pic.twitter.com/W42ikxUmJM
– The Royal Family (@RoyalFamily) November 29, 2020
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Nikoletta Polydorou conducts the symphony which helps “transform the lives” of young people, many of whom are from refugees.
During the appeal, the Queen met with several Commonwealth Points of Light award recipients, including Polydorou from Cyrus, Len Peters from Trinidad and Tobago and Ruy Santos from Mozambique.
Santos, who founded the collaborative workspace that promotes nutrition, education and youth employment called Makobo, gave Queen Elizabeth another first – the first time she has been given a face mask.
The face mask was one of Makobo’s hand-made creations by the women supported by the center, who Santos said came “from Mozambique with love.” The women have created more than 6,000 masks for hospitals, charities and underprivileged communities.
“It’s very kind of you,” replied the Queen.
🇲🇿Ruy from Mozambique took the Queen on her very first virtual tour to show her soup kitchen that was feeding 6,000 people a day during the pandemic
Ruy also worked with local couturiers to produce handmade face masks and presented the Queen with her first gift of a face mask. pic.twitter.com/WMVSVtIn19
– The Royal Family (@RoyalFamily) November 29, 2020
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The center also serves as a soup kitchen that fed 6,000 people a day during the pandemic, including lunches for schoolchildren.
“We’re trying to replicate the lunchbox and… cooking initiative across the country to feed a million children by the end of 2025. But it’s more than food, we want to promote more opportunities for young people and especially women to reduce the high rates of malnutrition and illiteracy in Mozambique which affects 80% of our population ”, said Santos.
