The closest Valerie Everson came to royalty was when The Queen swept past in her chauffeured car on a visit to Newcastle in the 1970s.

But the mum-of-three, who was born on the day when Her Majesty took the throne in February 6 1952, will get a chance for a closer look when she attends a special garden party next July.

The Queen is inviting those were born on her Accession Day to one of two parties at Buckingham Palace in London and Holyroodhouse Palace in Edinburgh.

Valerie, who was born at Newcastle General Infirmary, is one of an estimated 3,000 Accession Day babies who can receive an invitation to the parties by handing their birth certificates into their local Lord-Lieutenant's office.

The mum, who will be celebrating her 50th birthday in Dublin, is delighted at the prospect of meeting the royal couple.

"I imagined The Queen would do something special but I never thought it would involve people born on the same day," she said.

"I think the closest I've ever been to royalty was when she came to visit Newcastle in the 1970s and I saw the car go past me, but I couldn't see anything inside. I'd love to meet her."

Valerie works as an archives officer at Durham County Hall and so will not have far to hand in her nomination for an invitation - the office of the Lord-Lieutenant of County Durham, Sir Paul Nicholson, is down the corridor.

She has three children, Kate, 21, Sara, 19 and Robin, 15, and lives in Pittington, near Durham City, but has yet to decide who her adult guest will be when she attends the party.

For those born in England, applications for the Buckingham Palace garden party, on Tuesday July 9, 2002, must be in by January 31, 2002. The other party, for Scottish born babies, will be at Holyroodhouse Palace on Saturday May 25 next year.

A similar garden party was held at Buckingham Palace in July 1997, celebrating the Queen and the Duke's golden wedding anniversary, to which couples married in the same year as the royals were invited. Dozens of pairs from across the region attended.