Royal Watch News

Queen Elizabeth greeted by fans in Hertfordshire

Jun 15, 2012, 12:01 GMT

Queen Elizabeth in Hitchin

Britain's Queen Elizabeth was greeted by thousands of well wishers as she visited Hertfordshire yesterday (14.06.12).

The 86-year-old monarch - who is on a tour of the UK as part of her Diamond Jubilee celebrations - started her day off in the market town of Hitchin where locals had lined the streets in order to catch a glimpse of her.

The crowds waved their Union Jack flags and cheered as the monarch drove past, before she walked around the market square, where she was given bouquets of lavenders from the local lavender fields.

Many people had been waiting since the early hours of the morning to claim a good spot to see her, while lots of local schoolchildren were given spaces at the front.

Well wisher Lizzie Randall - who took along her 16-month-old nephew, Harry, to see the queen - told BANG Showbiz: 'We decided to come along as it's not that often the queen comes to your local town. It was such a lovely atmosphere and we managed to get a good glimpse of her, so it was worth the wait!'

The warm welcome was repeated when Queen Elizabeth travelled to nearby Stevenage to visit East and North Hertfordshire NHS Trust's new multimillion-pound maternity unit, which has been named the Diamond Jubilee maternity unit.

Infants born this year have been dubbed Jubilee babies by staff at the hospital and the queen met a group of women who had given birth in the past few days.

She later visited Hatfield House in nearby Hatfield.