Queen Elizabeth has opened a new National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) in London.
The 90-year-old royal and her husband Prince Philip, 95, were given a tour of the new facility when they visited the building on Tuesday (14.02.17), where they viewed a number of historic code-breaking devices including an 1890s naval code wheel and a 1943 Telephone Privacy Directory which featured an extension number for Buckingham Palace.
The new NCSC building – which is part of intelligence agency GCHQ – is part of a £1.9 billion five-year strategy to help battle cyber attacks.
NCSC chief Ciaran Martin said: "We want to make the UK the hardest target."
Among those who spoke to the Queen and Prince Philip during their visit to the centre was Cerys Ives, a 12-year-old girl from Birstall, Leicestershire, who is taking part in the CyberFirst initiative which aims to get young people involved in cyber security.
Cerys was chosen for the programme after she sent her application in the form of an encrypted email which took four days for professionals to decode.
According to the Daily Mail newspaper, she told the monarch: "I sent them an encrypted email asking about the CyberFirst competition for 13 to 15- year-olds, because I was only 12 at the time. It took about four days for them to decrypt it and send a reply."
Meanwhile, Prince Philip joked with staff members at the centre about when they would be returning to work.
Ciaran Martin revealed in a speech to mark the royals’ visit: "On the way out, and in a quote with his permission, the Duke of Edinburgh did ask: ‘When are you all going back to work?’"
Ciaran also revealed that Prince Philip had urged him to employ more people who "do not pre-date the internet."
Queen Elizabeth opens NCSC in London
