Queen Elizabeth II Sends Her First Tweet

The 88-year-old monarch tried her hand Twitter as she opened a new gallery Friday in central London's Science Museum, taking off a glove to press a tablet screen as 600 guests looked on. The message, "I hope people will enjoy visiting" the exhibition, was sent instantly through the official British monarchy account on the social media website.

"Elizabeth R" is how the queen signs official documents. The "R'' stands for "regina," the Latin for queen.

Officials said the message came "personally" from the queen herself, although some eyebrows were raised about whether that was the case.

The message appeared to be typed ahead of time, and bizarrely appears to have been sent using the Twitter for iPhone app, even though video showed the queen was using an iPad or a similar tablet device. Officials wouldn't say if the queen personally wrote the message or comment on the electronic discrepancy.

(Also see: First Tweets of Famous World Leaders)

"We're not going to go into the details," a Buckingham Palace spokesman said.

The queen does not have a personal Twitter account. Most members of the royal family do not tweet personally - they are represented by official accounts managed by spokespeople.

There are exceptions: Prince Andrew - the queen's second son - and his daughter Princess Beatrice both tweet in a personal capacity.

The Science Museum gallery, called "Information Age," explores the technological breakthroughs that have changed communication.

In 1976, the queen was the first monarch to send an email, doing so when the technology was in its infancy.