AS the Queen marks her 96th birthday today, we have been looking into The Northern Echo archive for pictures of her visits to the region over the years.
Starting with the first picture of her in our records, with a visit to the North East in 1956, to more a more recent visit to Richmond Castle for a military parade in 2015.
Do you have pictures of the Queen in our region? Maybe you were lucky enough to get a picture taken with her - if so, send your pictures to ashley.barnard@nne.co.uk.
The Queen has travelled from Windsor to her Sandringham estate to stay at a property loved by her late husband, the Duke of Edinburgh, for her birthday.
The Queen has already received birthday wishes from Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer, and gun salutes will be fired in her honour on Thursday.
This year the Royal Windsor Horse Show will mark the Platinum Jubilee with A Gallop through History, a spectacular equestrian display showcasing horses from across the globe.
The first pictures surviving in The Northern Echo's archive are from June 4, 1956. Her Majesty arrived in Stockton by train and progressed to Teesport where the royal yacht Britannia was waiting to take her and Philip for an official tour of Sweden.
The Queen inspects soldiers’ accommodation at Catterick Garrison in July 1957
November 29, 1991: The Queen visits Newton Aycliffe and opens the Fujitsu factory.
The Queen at York Minster for the Maundy Thursday service in April 2012
The Queen at York Minster for the Maundy Thursday service at York Minster in April 2012
Her Majesty the Queen visited Officers and Soldiers from the Queen's Royal Lancers in Catterick today in her capacity as the Regiment's Colonel-in-chief. Her visit marks the Regiment's 250th year of continuous service to the Crown and Nation. The Regiment's base in Munster Barracks in Catterick Garrison was the scene of a Regimental celebration in honour of The Queen's visit. Her Majesty had lunch with past and present senior members of the Regiment in the Officers Mess prior to presenting the newly established Elizabeth Cross to the next of kin of soldiers of the Regiment killed on active service. This was the first occasion on which Her Majesty presented the new decoration. The visit ended with Her Majesty visiting a Regimental Gala attended by serving soldiers, their families and members of the Regimental Association. This included a mounted historical display, demonstrations of modern military equipment and family entertainments.
The Commanding Officer of the Queen's Royal Lancers, Lieutenant Colonel Martin Todd MBE, said "We are delighted that Her Majesty The Queen has agreed to honour our 250th anniversary with a visit to Her Regiment. We are immensely proud of our long association with Her Majesty and we aim to show Her that the Regiment remains as professional and dedicated to Her service as it was in 1948. I trust that it will be a day that She and The Regiment will long remember"
Cyndi Hughes of Darlington sent us this picture. She said: "This is a photo from 1991 when the Queen visited the North East, at Durham Castle. My husband, Stephen Hughes (MEP for the region from 1984-2014) and I (in the red suit next to him) were presented to Her Majesty.
"I am the current Mayor of Darlington and have posted this treasured photo to my @MayorOfDarlington Facebook page."
A MILITARY parade attended by the Queen took place at Richmond Castle to mark the amalgamation of two regiments of Royal Lancers.
The event, which was attended by hundreds of family members, military personnel and civic leaders, saw 400 officers and soldiers from the Queen’s Royal Lancers and 9th/12th Royal Lancers (Prince of Wales’) parade through Richmond on Saturday afternoon led by lancers on horseback.
Nearly 300 soldiers from the two regiments marched from Richmond Cricket Club through the Market Square to the applause of onlookers.
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