THE Queen will not be travelling to Swindon this weekend to watch an opera created in honour of the Diamond Jubilee.

The creators of Swindon: The Opera, which takes place at the Steam Museum on Saturday and Sunday, invited the monarch earlier this year to watch the show.

Officials have confirmed that due to having such a busy Jubilee year, she will not be attending but Deputy Lord Lieutenant for Wiltshir, Bill Fishlock, and his wife, will be attending to represent the royals.

Writer of the opera Matt Fox said the final preparations are underway for the weekend.

“It is really interesting to see how it has all come together. Something that was just in my head is now being performed by a whole cast,” he said.

“We’re delighted that everything is coming together and the cast are excited to perform something fun and contemporary which will tell the story of their home town over the past 60 years.

“The show has songs for all musical tastes and is not purely opera. There are operatic elements to the show but we thought it only right to cover all genres of music for the public’s enjoyment.”

The show, which is being produced by the Janice Thompson Performance Trust who won a £60,000 Jubilee lottery grant, covers life in Swindon from 1952 to the present day.

The action follows a fictional family called the Eveleys going through the major events that have happened in Swindon over the past 60 years.

The show, which includes music by Betty Roe MBE, has more than 20 songs which reflect the decades of the Queen’s reign.

High Sheriff of Wiltshire Robert Hiscox and his wife will also be attending.

Tickets are available from www.swindontickets.co.uk or the Steam Museum by calling 01793 466637 or emailing adminsteam@swindon.gov.uk.

Tickets are also available on the door.

Evening performances are £10 for all tickets, with £5 tickets available for the under 13s for both matinees.

The doors to the performance hall will be open from 1.30pm and 6.30pm in time for the 2.30pm and 7.30pm performances.