The Queen posts on Instagram for first time

‘It seems fitting to me that I publish this Instagram post, at the Science Museum which has long championed technology, innovation and inspired the next generation of inventors,’ Her Majesty wrote

The Queen has taken to Instagram for the first time, posting about a new summer exhibition at the Science Museum in London.

Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II’s new foray into social media comes almost five years after she posted on Twitter for the first time.

Her post, which has already received more than 32,000 likes on Instagram, was a photograph of a letter written in 1843 to her great-great-grandfather Prince Albert by Charles Babbage, the Victorian computer pioneer.

“In the letter, Babbage told Queen Victoria and Prince Albert about his invention the ‘Analytical Engine’ upon which the first computer programmes were created by Ada Lovelace, a daughter of Lord Byron,” text accompanying the post stated.

“Today, I had the pleasure of learning about children’s computer coding initiatives and it seems fitting to me that I publish this Instagram post, at the Science Museum which has long championed technology, innovation and inspired the next generation of inventors.”

The post was signed “Elizabeth R”.

The new Top Secret exhibition, which opens on 10 July, will reveal the story of Alan Turing and the team at Bletchley Park who broke the Enigma code during the Second World War, ultimately helping the Allies defeat Nazi Germany.

"It is always a pleasure to welcome Her Majesty to the Science Museum, and I am delighted that HM The Queen has taken the opportunity to post on Instagram for the first time and announce Top Secret. our fantastic new exhibition," said Sir Ian Blatchford, Director of the Science Museum Group.

"This exhibition tells the incredibly important story of the hidden work that goes into keeping us safe every day. Through this exhibition we want to engage people in the incredible work of our intelligence services and ignite their curiosity about future possibilities."

The Queen will be hoping her first Instagram post will not receive the same explicit reaction her first Twitter post prompted.

A response from one unhappy subject that simply stated “f*** off” was broadcast live on BBC News.