Queen takes unplanned meeting in stride

Queen Elizabeth, left, and the Duke of Edinburgh, centre, are accompanied by Reverend Douglas Stoute as they arrive for a church service at the Cathedral Church of St. James in Toronto Sunday, July 4, 2010.THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darren Calabrese

Sun Jul 4, 1:26 PM : By Allison Jones, The Canadian Press: TORONTO - A carefully co-ordinated visit by the Queen to a morning church service Sunday was thrown for a bit of a loop when a woman broke free of the waiting crowd and marched right up to the Queen.

The Queen, who moments earlier had stepped blinking into the bright sun after the morning worship at St. James Cathedral, took the unplanned meeting in stride, smiling and chatting with the woman.

Security appeared reluctant to physically stop the older woman from ambling up to the Queen and she gave the monarch something in a black, plastic bag.

The woman was one of hundreds of people who had been waiting outside the church since the early morning to catch a glimpse of the Queen, nearing the end of her 22nd Canadian tour.

About 700 more people who scored first-come, first-serve tickets packed the sweltering church to attend mass with the Queen and Prince Philip. The worshippers included many women wearing fancy, wide-brimmed hats.

The Queen, wearing a blue and white outfit with cream heels and a cream purse, white gloves and a turquoise hat, and the Duke of Edinburgh, entered the sweltering church as "God Save the Queen" was played, followed by "O Canada."

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Finance Minister Jim Flaherty and his wife, Progressive Conservative provincial politician Christine Elliott were among the other dignitaries who also attended the service. A very excited looking Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty sat with his wife and Lt.-Gov. David Onley across the aisle from the royal couple.

The Queen presented a set of eight silver hand bells engraved "The Silver Chain of Friendship 1710-2010" to representatives from two Royal Chapels of the Mohawks located on two First Nations territories in Ontario.

She also rededicated St. George's Chapel, a section of the cathedral named in 1935 for the silver jubilee of King George V's accession to the throne.

While more stoic throughout the ringing of the hand bells, after unveiling the plaque in St. George's Chapel she turned to the cameras and beamed, looking very pleased.

As the Queen and Prince Philip left the downtown church the waiting crowd erupted in applause and cheers of "We love you, Queen Elizabeth."

She was given bouquets of flowers by several people and even stopped to chat with a few.

The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh will continue their day in Toronto with an afternoon at the racetrack.

A keen owner and breeder of horses, the Queen is to attend the Queen's Plate this afternoon at Woodbine Racetrack in Toronto.

It won't be the first time the well-known enthusiast of horse racing will attend the oldest continuously run stakes in North America — Elizabeth was at the Queen's Plate in 1959, 1973 and 1997.

And this year, at the race's 151st annual running, she will make the presentation to the winning owner and jockey.

The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh will watch the eighth race, spend some time in the walking ring, then watch the running of the Queen's Plate, with Elizabeth herself making the winning presentations.

The Queen's Plate was first run on June 27, 1860 after Queen Victoria granted a plate valued at 50 guineas. Today race winners get a gold cup and 50 gold sovereigns, as well as 60 per cent of the total $1-million purse.

So far the royal couple has also visited Halifax, Ottawa and Winnipeg on their nine-day Canadian tour.