Diamond Jubilee: Queen visits Hereford and Worcester

The Queen has visited Herefordshire and Worcestershire as part of her Diamond Jubilee tour of the UK.

Accompanied by The Duke of Edinburgh, the Queen arrived in Hereford by steam train at 10:00 BST and visited the city's cathedral.

After attending a <link> <caption>Diamond Day event</caption> <altText>Link to Herefordshire Diamond Day</altText> <url href="http://www.herefordshirediamondday.co.uk/" platform="highweb"/> </link> at King George V playing fields, the royal party was then driven to Worcester.

The Queen officially opened The Hive library and history centre, before visiting the Guildhall and cathedral.

Hundreds of people lined the streets and the area outside The Hive, which stands on the banks of the River Severn.

The building was opened to the public earlier this month and cost £60m.

The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh had lunch at the Guildhall and then attended a cathedral service just after 14:00 BST.

The Queen unveiled a plaque commemorating her visit to the cathedral after a special themed service led by the Bishop of Worcester, the Reverend Dr John Inge.

The service included the audience singing an excerpt from JRR Tolkien's Lord Of The Rings to Elgar's Land Of Hope And Glory before finishing with the National Anthem.

The Queen began her visit to Hereford by unveiling a plaque and receiving a gift during an engagement at the city's 12th century cathedral.

Ahead of the visit to the cathedral, the Dean of Hereford Cathedral the Very Reverend Michael Tavinor said the royal party would be introduced to those involved in a £5m restoration project of the Cathedral Close area.

Thousands of well-wishers also turned out for the Herefordshire Diamond Day parade, which included a 90-piece band, a procession of dancers, a cider company's horse-drawn dray, a trailer carrying Ryeland sheep and 2009 Grand National winner Mon Mome.

The royal couple will travel to Birmingham on Thursday to continue the Diamond Jubilee tour.