Queen Elizabeth opens St Fergus

Guests invited to St Fergus included representatives from the British and Norwegian governments, diplomats and the companies who owned and operated St Fergus. The royal party arrived at the terminal shortly after 11 o’clock.

After a few brief presentations about Total and Frigg, the royal party were given a tour of the terminal and met members of staff from Total, Elf and British Gas, and 800 local schoolchildren invited for the occasion. A plaque was unveiled at half-past twelve and this was immediately followed by lunch, after which the Queen was presented with the gift of a painting.

Simultaneous celebrations were held in Grosvenor House, London, and at the University of Aberdeen, where guests watched the proceedings at St Fergus via live satellite link. The celebrations in the capital were attended by government ministers and industry figures. Those invited to the luncheon at the University included academics, local MPs and representatives from the council.