FOOD NEWS
What Actually Happened To The McDonald's Location Owned By The Queen?
By Elias Nash
It might surprise some people that the late Queen Elizabeth II technically owned a McDonald's franchise at the Banbury Gateway Shopping Park in Oxfordshire.
Her ownership came via the Crown Estate, a collection of properties encompassing all of the British Crown's land, including the so-called "Queen's McDonald's."
The Crown Estate is not the direct property of the monarch but rather a property of the crown held in their name during their reign, meaning King Charles III is now the owner.
However, the sovereign is merely a figurehead. They have no individual power over the properties held by the Crown Estate, so Queen Elizabeth had nothing to do with the McDonald's.
The fundamental aesthetic of the "royal" McDonald's location at Banbury Gateway Shopping Park is the same as most McDonald's built in recent years — with a few notable upgrades.
Guests can sit on leather sofas and Eames chairs, and Samsung tablets are available for entertainment. The location was one of the first in the region to use self-service kiosks.