PARISIANS were treated to the rare sight of the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh stepping off a Eurostar train - just like other travellers.

The royal couple arrived at the bustling Gare du Nord station in the French capital to begin a three-day state visit to the European nation.

The trip will see the monarch and other senior members of the Royal Family commemorating the 70th anniversary of the D-Day landings.

The Queen and Philip will travel tomorrow to Normandy, the site of the invasion of Europe by Allied forces on June 6, 1944, to meet veterans and mark the sacrifices of those who liberated the continent from Nazi Germany.

The Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall will also take part in D-Day commemoration events in Normandy as will the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.

After stepping from the train the monarch and the Duke were greeted by Britain's ambassador to France, Sir Peter Ricketts, who has said the three-day tour is likely to have a "big impact".

Soldiers from the Republican Guard lined her route out of the station and around 300 well-wishers stood against crash barriers close to platform three where the train had stopped.

The service arrived five minutes early and after receiving a posy of roses from Madeleine Pelissien, a 12-year-old schoolgirl, the Queen left to the cheers of the crowds.