Hilarious footage of curious children meeting the Queen on a tour of Australia has gone viral 22 years after making international headlines.
More than two decades ago, Queen Elizabeth II, now 95, visited Vasse Primary School in Busselton, in the south-west of Western Australia, on the last day of her 16-day royal tour of Australia with her late husband, the Duke of Edinburgh, Prince Philip.
The Queen was caught off guard by several kindergarten students who failed to recognize her during a visit to their class.
‘What is your name?’ The curious young Sol Masters is heard asking him.
The queen looked briefly puzzled and chose to ignore the question before the persistent boy asked her name again.
The Queen (pictured) was left puzzled by a curious youngster when she visited Vasse Primary School in WA during her royal tour of Australia in 2000
Another boy named Jake looked confused as he was greeted by the Queen as she inspected his artwork.
Footage that resurfaced on TikTok last week also shows four-year-old Jacinta Haywood bursting into tears and being comforted by a teacher after she was hit on the head by her classmate Sol, who was sitting next to her .
The incident which unfolded in front of the media made headlines around the world, including broadcasters BBC and CNN.
Teachers had spent weeks preparing students for the special visit to ensure they would behave as well as possible. But three-year-old Sol had been absent for most of the preparations.
“He’s only been here two days,” teacher Sue Merry told media at the time.
“We told the kids about the Queen, but he missed it all.”
Amused TikTok viewers jumped to Sol’s defense and criticized the queen’s cold response after old footage resurfaced.
‘Why couldn’t she just say who she was? They are children for God’s sake,” one commented.
A class visit from the Queen left curious youngster Jake confused (pictured)
Another joked: ‘For someone with four kids, she really doesn’t know how to talk to kids.
Other viewers drew comparisons of how the late Princess Diana and Duchess of Cambridge Kate Middleton reportedly handled the situation very differently.
‘What would Diana have done? I went down there [sic] eye level and said ‘hello, my name is Diana.’ His silence is deafening,” said one.
Another added: “Can you imagine Diana or Kate just ignoring them?”
The awkward encounter wasn’t the only memorable moment from the royal visit to Vasse Primary School.
The couple later attended a performance by the school choir at a special assembly when two boys from the audience got into a fight, forcing embarrassed staff to intervene.
The incident sparked amusement for Prince Philip, the BBC reported.
Teachers had spent weeks preparing schoolchildren for the Queen’s special visit
Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh, Prince Philip, spent the last full day of their royal tour in Busselton in southwest WA. They are pictured inspecting Indigenous food collection tools during a civic reception
The visit in late March 2000 was the final leg of the Royals’ 16-day Australian tour, which included time in New South Wales, the ACT, Victoria, Tasmania and the Northern Territory.
It was part of the Queen’s 13th Australian tour and her second school appearance, 46 years after she visited on her first tour in 1954.
The Royals then headed north to Perth for their final night in Australia, where they attended a civic reception at Government House.
“Prince Philip and I were warmly welcomed by everyone we met, whatever their opinions and aspirations for the future of this country,” the Queen addressed the attendees.
“That has been true for people of all walks of life, ages, or walks of life.”
The visit to Busselton, WA at the end of March 2000 was the final leg of the Royals’ 16-day Australian tour. The Queen is pictured in Melbourne during the visit
The Queen has since toured Australia three times in 2002, 2006 and 2011.
The Queen’s daughter Princess Anne will represent her mother as guest of honor at the opening of the Sydney Royal Easter Show this week.
Princess Anne, 71, will open the Easter show on Friday and is also expected to tour regional parts of Australia.
She is the first member of the royal family to visit Australia since newlywed Prince Harry and Meghan Markle visited in late 2018.
