Queen Elizabeth II with Maryland governor Theodore McKeldin (right) and University of Maryland president Wilson Homer "Bull" Elkins (left), at a Maryland Terrapins vs. the North Carolina Tar Heels football game in College Park, Maryland on October 19, 1957. (Source Library of Congress)

In October 1957, Queen Elizabeth II visited the United States and took in a University of Maryland football game with UMD President Wilson Elkins, Governor Theodore McKeldin, Mrs. Dorothy Elkins, and Prince Philip. Apparently American football made the queen hungry because after the game her motorcade made a pit stop at the Queenstown Giant Food Store in West Hyattsville. (Photo source: Library of Congress)

Queen Up in Aisle 4

So, imagine you are doing your Saturday afternoon grocery shopping at the local supermarket. All of a sudden a motorcade pulls up. Out pops the Queen of England and the royal prince. They walk into the store and begin to wander the aisles, indulging in the free samples and chatting with customers. After a few minutes they exit the store, get back in their limo and drive off. Seems pretty far fetched, right? Well, maybe so, but that is exactly what patrons at the (aptly named) Queenstown Giant Food store in West Hyattsville experienced in October 1957.