Queen ends week of Scottish events

The Queen has ended a week of engagements in Scotland by meeting RAF reservists in Edinburgh.

She was accompanied by the Duke of Edinburgh on a visit to the headquarters of the Royal Auxiliary Air Force's (RAuxAF) 603 Squadron.

The couple met squadron personnel and spent time talking to 94-year-old WWII Spitfire pilot Allan Scott.

The retired squadron leader said he had also met Elizabeth II when she was a 16-year-old princess.

Mr Allan recalled how he had been attending Buckingham Palace to receive the Distinguished Flying Medal from the King in 1943 when he nipped off for a cigarette and was spotted by the princess, who politely admonished him.

'Quite a thrill'

The grandfather of three, from Shrewsbury, said: "I've been looking forward to the visit, I enjoyed it very much.

"After all, I haven't seen the Queen for around 70 years, so it was quite a thrill to see her again."

Mr Allan signed the 603 Squadron visitor book along with the Queen and the Duke.

603 Squadron is the younger of the RAF Reserves' two specialised police units.

It converted to its current role in 2013 as part of the Future Reserves 2020 programme.

The Duke of Edinburgh presented service medals to reservists during the visit, which brought to a close a week of royal engagements in Scotland which saw them host a garden party for about 8,000 people and officially open a university research centre and hospital complex in Glasgow.