Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom and French President François Mitterrand officiate at the opening of the Channel Tunnel.

Elizabeth II was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until her death. She had been queen regnant of 32 sovereign states during her lifetime and was the monarch of 15 realms at her death. Her reign of 70 years and 214 days is the longest of any British monarch, the second-longest of any sovereign state, and the longest of any queen regnant in history.

François Maurice Adrien Marie Mitterrand was a French politician and statesman who served as President of France from 1981 to 1995, the longest holder of that position in the history of France. As a former Socialist Party First Secretary, he was the first left-wing politician to assume the presidency under the Fifth Republic.

The Channel Tunnel is a 50.46-kilometre (31.35-mile) railway tunnel beneath the English Channel that links Folkestone in the United Kingdom with Coquelles in France. Opened in 1994, it is the only fixed connection between Great Britain and the European mainland.