Hundreds of people packed Chelmsford Cathedral and lined the streets outside as The Queen and Prince Philip visited for the first time in more than 15 years.
The royal couple touched down in the city centre at around 11am today (May 6) before heading along Duke Street to the cathedral to attend a service held to mark the centenary of the Chelmsford Diocese. Follow live coverage here
Excited crowds gathered in the cathedral grounds in a bid to catch a glimpse of her Majesty.
A spot of rain here in Chelmsford but it won't dampen anyone's spirits pic.twitter.com/4V4E5oqIPM
— William Watkinson (@Will_Watkinson) May 6, 2014The service ended at around 12.15pm before The Queen and Prince Philip then headed off to Felsted School to celebrate its 450th anniversary Crowds started to disperse and the city centre roads re-opened. Afterwards, The Very Revd Nicholas Henshall, the dean of Chelmsford for the last three months, walked the queen through the Cathedral grounds as she waved to passers-by. "It was a glorious day and a wonderful occasion," he said. "There was a real sense of expectation and it was wonderful encountering her with the members of our community. "It was fantastic to see the crowds greet her and to see children from the Chelmsford Cathedral School so happy today. "The way she reacted to people - she was very understanding and friendly." "She made the occasion not about her but for the people and not about her – she was very much part and parcel of the proceedings which is the anniversary of the regional diocese and a celebration of the life that we share. "She knows that she represents the church and regards the church as part of her identity. "As a new city we need to recognise our identity better – which is something we are proud to be." After the ceremony The Right Reverend Stephen Cottrell introduced Her Majesty to a number of volunteers who work with the diocese. He said: "The crowds were amazing and we have all had a wonderful day. "It was a beautiful day and the icing on the cake to a number of celebrations that we have planned over our centenary festival. "It was a joy to welcome Her Majesty to the Cathedral – we asked her some years ago but as with these things we only found out a few weeks ago that she would definitely attend. "She is a person of good faith and that's why she wanted to come. "She understands that the church matters and wants to bring people together. "She was very friendly to us all and had a great sense of humour." Percy Lomax, 70, attended the Cathedral school as a child and works with the Diocese as chairman of the board of finance. He said: "This was the first time that I've met any of the royals and it was truly fascinating. "It was great to meet them both actually. "As I'm chairman of the finance board Prince Phillip asked if I always got along with the audit committee, which was funny. "They were both very friendly and put everyone at ease – I'm a royalist anyway and it was a very fun day." On the other side of the security barriers Lucy Codling, 19, from Chelmsford saw the motorcade as it arrived. "It was very exciting," she said. "I love the Queen and I liked her dress." Kellie Woolf, 43, also from Chelmsford said: "I love the fact that we have a royal family and we all screamed when she arrived." The Chelmsford Cathedral will welcome the Archbishop of Canterbury next week as part of the celebrations.A lovely service and a real buzz in @CCathedral this morning. It was an honour to be a part of it.
— ChelmsMayor (@ChelmsMayor) May 6, 2014
