London 2012 chiefs today confirmed Her Majesty The Queen, accompanied by HRH The Duke of Edinburgh, will officially open both the Olympic Games and the Paralympic Games at Stratford’s iconic main Stadium this summer.
It will be the first time she has officiated at a Paralympic Games. In 1976 she opened the Montreal Olympics and in 1956 The Duke of Edinburgh represented her at the Melbourne Games.
The 1984 Paralympic Games, held in both Europe and north America, were officially opened by The Prince of Wales. when the main ceremony was hosted at Stoke Mandeville, Buckinghamshire – the birthplace of the special Games.
Locog Chair Seb Coe promised in hosting the largest Paralympic Games ever and the Opening Ceremony on August 29 will be “a fantastic event”, adding “The Paralympic Games will undoubtedly be a time of extraordinary pride for our nation, and it is fitting that Her Majesty will declare us underway.”
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