City gives royal hello

Her Majesty is greeted at Oxford station by Hugo Brunner, Lord Lieutenant of Oxfordshire

Dressed in a bright cerise coat and hat with black fur trim, she was met off her train - which arrived one minute early - by the Lord Lieutenant of Oxfordshire, Hugo Brunner.

Accompanied by Prince Philip, the Queen was then introduced to Barbara Thomas, the group station manager for Thames Trains, which runs the station.

The Royal couple, who had travelled in the first class carriage of Thames Trains's 10.18am service from Paddington, were escorted from platform two through a side gate into Cripley Road and into a waiting car, leaving just three minutes after they had arrived.

Anne Williams, of Kidlington, who was waiting at the station for her train to Coventry, said it had been a surprise to catch a fleeting glimpse of the Queen.

She said: "She looked lovely; they both looked very well."

A crowd of well-wishers who had gathered at the station's west Oxford exit to welcome the Royal visitors were disappointed the Queen did not walk over to say 'hello'.

Seasoned Royal follower Myrna Linegar, 63, of Somerset, who had travelled from London, said: "She looked over and hesitated as if she was going to come across but she didn't she just got in the car."

But Mrs Linegar, who passed a posy on to the Queen's lady-in-waiting, said she thought Her Majesty had looked stunning.

Martin Harris, 36, of Botley, had taken a day off work to welcome the Royal visitors.

He said: "It's just a chance to see the Queen and hopefully get a good photo. I do support the monarchy and went down to London for the Queen Mother's 100th birthday and the Golden Jubilee event."

Mrs Thomas said the Queen had said 'good morning' to her but Prince Philip had been more chatty and had commented that the station 'looked exceptionally well-kept'.

She said she would never forget the occasion and added she was delighted with the way it had gone.

"It all went like clockwork," she said. "All the planning we had put in paid off."

Meanwhile, preparations for the Queen's visit to Douglas House, a new £4m respite centre for young adults off Magdalen Road, east Oxford, were still going on minutes before her arrival, when gardeners had to climb a tree to rescue the Royal Standard from its branches.

Strong winds had blown the flag high up into the holly tree.

Douglas House project manager Roger Wilson said: "We had a step-ladder on site and the gardeners were very helpful. I wasn't panicked at all."

Nothing was left to chance in the long wait for the Queen to arrive. Even the children were catered for - the film ET was being shown on the wide screen in the lounge to keep them occupied.

Other last-minute preparations included policemen patrolling the corridors in a final security check - which even included flicking switches on plug sockets - and waiters and bar staff polishing glasses to ensure they were sparkling.

Members of the counter-terrorist wing of Thames Valley Police did more than check security - they helped the families of the guests unload wheelchairs from cars and vans. "It's all part of the day", said former Pc Bob Turley.

But one guest missing was Douglas the police horse, a mascot of the hospice. "He was off colour, so it was decided not to send him," said Deputy Chief Constable Sara Thornton.

"It was felt unwise to send a substitute - they are not all as docile as Douglas."

Meanwhile, Stefan Lawrence, a waiter, said he was not fazed by the Royal visit. He said: "I have worked at the Cheltenham Gold Cup and served Zara Phillips. The Queen's visit here today is something really kind and generous."

During her visit, the Queen was due to unveil a plaque to mark the official opening of the hospice, named after Douglas Bell, son of Valerie and Ian Bell, who travelled from north Yorkshire today for the ceremony. Douglas and his sister Penny were regular visitors to neighbouring Helen House. The hospice's beauty parlour bears Penny's name. Sadly, neither lived to see the new building.

Mrs Bell said: "It's a great privilege to be here and to be so involved.

"I just think that Douglas was everyone's friend and this building is all about friendship. There is an element of him here and he would be thrilled about it.

"It's very emotional for me. Seeing all these young people who are Douglas's age, gives me a real buzz."

Becky Hickingbotham, 18, was presenting the Queen with a Tussie-Mussie - a bouquet of hyacinth, sage, thyme, lavender forget-me-not, rose and camellia, which is a traditional English posy - and Alastair Craig, 18, was due to play his guitar for the Royal couple.

His mother June, who is a helper at Douglas House, said: "Typically, he was unfazed, but me, I couldn't be more excited."

Outside, the elderly residents of St John's Home were cheerful and looking forward to the Queen's arrival, even though many of them were in wheelchairs and wrapped in blankets for the best part of half an hour.

Despite freezing temperatures, a crowd of almost 70 people were waiting to see the Queen half an hour before she was due to arrive at Oxford University's new Chemistry Research Laboratory. The spectators came from a wide variety of backgrounds, although all of them described themselves as staunch monarchists.

Melanie Walker, 54, travelled down from Reading to join her daughter Lucinda, 23, an architecture graduate from Hertford College, just to see the Queen.

Mrs Walker said: "I just think she is the most incredible person, a real stability for the country and I really admire her."

Her daughter added: "I totally feel the same way. I support the Royal Family and I think they do a good job. It is important for British society to have a monarchy."

Mathew Davies, 32, an asbestos remover from Steeple Aston, took a break from working at the nearby zoology department to see the Queen.

He said: "I have never seen the Queen and this was a nice chance to see her. I don't have strong feelings about the royal family but the Queen is a real celebrity and that is why I wanted to see her."

Undergraduate students featured prominently amongst the crowd.

Emma Forward, 19, an English student at St Hugh's College, said: "I came because she is the most incredible woman, you don't get to see her often and so I decided to come along."

Jonathan Marshall, 20, a modern language student at St Hugh's, said: "I think Britain is a special country in the European Union and one of the few that has a monarchy.

"I know people from around the world don't have this kind of emblem to represent the country and I think it is a great thing that Britain has one who is not part of the political process."

After lunch, the Royal couple were due to visit computer company Sophos in Abingdon.

The Queen was expected to go up to the roof garden and south-facing staff restaurant which overlooks wild landscaping, a lake, and the River Thames.

The company's cleaning team, headed by David Walker, plus catering manager Debbie Dingley and her staff were all expected to meet their Royal visitor.

Before planting a ceremonial cherry tree outside the new offices, the Queen was due to spend 10 minutes mingling with Sophos staff at a champagne reception in the foyer. Four children of employees were chosen at random to present posies.

Sophos's move into its new £32m global headquarters comes 18 years after the company was set up by Oxford computer postgraduates Jan Hruska and Peter Lammer in Dr Hruska's house at Kidlington.