The Queen tells children she had braces 'a very long time ago' too
Monarch comforts young patients by telling them 'it’s worth it, in the end'
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Your support makes all the difference.The Queen has revealed she had some help perfecting her royal smile.
On Wednesday, the 93-year-old monarch had her first engagement in London since returning from her winter break in Sandringham to open the new premises of the Royal National ENT and Eastman Dental hospitals.
The hospitals are undertaking groundbreaking research and developing new ways to treat rare and complex dental, ear, nose, throat, hearing and balance conditions.
During her visit, the Queen met with patients who have benefitted from the hospital’s care and met dental and ENT staff as they showcased the units.
On the dental specialist floor, Kerry Tilbury, one of the teaching nurses, showed the Queen a dental model with wire braces fitted.
“I had wires, luckily it was a very long time ago,“ the Queen revealed.
Among the young patients who got the chance to meet the royal was 10-year-old Ilia Aristovich.
“And what are you having done?” the Queen asked him. Smiling and baring his teeth, Aristovich told her: “I’m having braces,” to which she replied: “I think it’s worth it, in the end.”
On the paediatric floor, the Queen saw children and their families taking part in creative health play sessions and learned how the children are put at ease during their visits.
The monarch was met by a crowd of youngsters as they waved Union Jack flags and wore gold and silver paper crowns on their heads.
The Queen smiled and told them: “Very good crowns.”
While at the new facility, the royal also stopped at the specialist audio and hearing unit, where she met eight-year-old Lily Conlan, who has two cochlear implants.
“So, you have two, do you?” the Queen asked her: “Well, that's very good. And is it a very noisy world, now?”
Lily replied: “Every year, as well as a birthday party, I have a party for my cochlear implants, so we celebrate my hearing.” The monarch, beaming, said: “Splendid. What a very good idea.”
For the visit, the Queen wore a purple wool tweed coat and crepe dress by the late royal couturier Karl-Ludwig Rehse, with a matching wide-brimmed hat by Angela Kelly, a diamond and amethyst flower brooch and her signature Launer London handbag.
Queen Elizabeth is not the only royal who has worn braces with many of her grandchildren having sported them during their teenage years, including Prince Harry who showed off his wires during the family’s annual Christmas Day church outing in 1999.
Royal sisters Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie also wore braces during their adolescence while Prince William has previously been pictured wearing a metal retainer behind his bottom row of teeth.
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