Queen: Terrorists will not change British way of life

She addressed staff at the Royal London Hospital, east London, after visiting survivors of the blasts in the centre of the city.

She told an audience of 250 staff: "Atrocities such as these simply reinforce our sense of community, our humanity, our trust in the rule of law. That is the clear message from us all."

The Queen toured the hospital, starting in the Accident and Emergency department, thanking staff for their work in the rescue operation.

She later visited a ward where survivors are being treated and chatted with patient Bruce Lait, 32, who was on the carriage that was blown apart between Liverpool Street and Aldgate East Tube stations.

The professional dancer, from Ipswich, suffered a burst eardrum and facial lacerations in the first Tube bomb.

He was sitting beside his dance partner, Crystal Main, 23, when their carriage was ripped apart by the blast, which killed seven people.

Sitting with his parents, Pat and Tom, Mr Lait told the Queen as she stood at his bedside: "I'm very thankful to still be here."

A Buckingham Palace spokeswomen said it was "highly unusual for the Queen to speak so soon after an event like this", adding: "It underlines the gravity of what has happened."

The Queen told hospital staff: "I know I speak for everyone in expressing my sympathy to those who have been caught up in these events and, above all, to the relatives and friends of those who have lost their lives. My thoughts are also with the injured, some of whom I have been able to see and talk to.

"I also want to thank all the members of the emergency services and Transport for London who are working with such care, professionalism and sensitivity, often in very difficult conditions. You have the respect of us all as you go about your business.

"Finally, I want to express my admiration for the people of our capital city who, in the aftermath of the bombings, are calmly determined to resume their normal lives.

"This is the answer to this outrage. Sadly, we in Britain have been all too familiar with acts of terror and members of my generation, especially at this end of London, know that we have been here before.

"But those who perpetrate these brutal acts against innocent people should know that they will not change our way of life."

Earlier, the Prince of Wales paid tribute to the "resilience of the British people".

He said: "It's been one of the things that many of us have dreaded for a long time and now they have finally got through. What I can never get over is the resilience of the British people who have set us all a fantastic example of how to recover."

Speaking on a visit with the Duchess of Cornwall to St Mary's Hospital, Paddington, just a few hundred yards from the Edgware Road blast, he praised staff. He said: "I remember coming here after the Paddington rail crash. Staff really are extraordinary. Everyone pulls together and it brings out the best of them."

The Duchess added: ''It makes me very proud to be British.''

One patient, Professor John Tulloch, 63, an Australian who teaches at Brunel University, told the prince he did not remember the blast.

But he said he was helped by a "ministering angel", an Air Force officer who climbed through the carriageway and sat and talked to him to keep him conscious until the emergency services arrived.

Meanwhile, in the North-East, candles were lit at Durham Cathedral yesterday and prayers were said in memory of those killed or injured in the London bombings.

A congregation of about 200 people, a mix of locals and visitors, attended the short service of prayer and reflection.

It featured several visiting school groups and tourists, in a mixed-faith gathering which included a party of Muslims, who joined in the lighting of candles after the service.

Canon Rosalind Brown led the prayers, calling for God to bring peace to those "whose lives were shattered by the bombs in London".

"We pray for healing for the injured, comfort for the bereaved, strength and compassion for those who care for them, and wisdom and skill for those who work to restore peace and stability to our capital. Although it's very hard, we pray for those who perpetrated these crimes."

Speaking after the service, she said: "We just wanted to offer a space and a chance to pray together. Looking at the congregation today, we had a mix from all walks of life."

The cathedral's Gregory Chapel has been reserved for private prayer.

It marks the start of a busy weekend at the cathedral, with the Durham Miners' Gala day service today, at 3pm, and a Sunday Service of Evensong and Thanksgiving tomorrow on the 60th anniversary of the end of the Second World War, at 3.30pm.